This is an internal SDNY press guidance email from November 26, 2021, sent by the U.S. Attorney's Office three days before Ghislaine Maxwell's federal trial began, providing media outlets with trial information and the potential sentences for each count.
This document is an internal press communication from Nicholas Blase of the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York, circulated to media contacts ahead of Ghislaine Maxwell's sex trafficking trial. It outlines the six federal charges against Maxwell, including conspiracy to entice minors to travel for illegal sex acts, transporting minors for criminal sexual activity, and sex trafficking of minors. The email includes off-the-record guidance urging media to protect the identities of witnesses whose testimony could reveal alleged victims, and notes that sentencing would be at Judge Alison J. Nathan's discretion. Maxwell was ultimately convicted on five of six counts and sentenced to 20 years in prison.
From: "Blase. Nicholas (USANYS)" • To: " Cc: Subject: SDNY PRESS GUIDANCE I U.S. v. GHISLAINE MAXWELL, FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 26, 2021 Date: Fri, 26 Nov 2021 15:24:40 +0000 Importance: High Attachments: 11-23-21_Trial_logistics_order.pdf Inline-Images: image001.png Before circulating this shortly, just wanted to check to see if any other orders or info worth including have happened between Wednesday and today? Thanks! UNITED STATES ATTORNEY'S OFFICE Southern District of New York PRESS GUIDANCE Friday, November 26, 2021 *ADDITIONAL OFF-THE-RECORD GUIDANCE: Please note the Court has ruled that several of the government's witnesses, who are not alleged victims themselves, may testify under pseudonyms because the disclosure of their identities would ostensibly reveal the identities of the alleged victims. I believe most, if not all, news media outlets have a policy against identifying sex crime victims without their consent, and again urge you to abide by that policy with our witnesses and respect their privacy. If convicted, Ghislaine Maxwell faces the following statutory maximum penalties; however, her sentence would ultimately be at the sole discretion of the judge: ■ Count One: conspiracy to entice a minor to travel to engage in illegal sex acts, which carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison; ■ Count Two: enticing a minor to travel to engage in illegal sex acts, which carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison; ■ Count Three: conspiracy to transport a minor with the intent to engage in criminal sexual activity, which carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison; EFTA00024892
• Count Four: transporting a minor with the intent to engage in criminal sexual activity, which carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison; • Count Five: conspiracy to commit sex trafficking of minors, which carries a statutory maximum of 40 years in prison; and • Count Six: sex trafficking of minors, which carries a statutory maximum of five years in prison. A trial logistics order from Judge Nathan is also attached. UNITED STATES ATTORNEY'S OFFICE Southern District of New York PRESS GUIDANCE Tuesday, November 23, 2021 *OFF-THE-RECORD, AND FOR GUIDANCE ONLY: Several of the government's anticipated witnesses will be testifying in this trial using a pseudonym or first name. The Court granted a Government motion /attacked/ requesting that they be able to do so, because the victim witnesses are expected to describe alleged sensitive, explicit and personal events concerning illegal sexual abuse, sexual contact and other acts of which they have been victims. I believe most, if not all, news media outlets have a policy against identifying sex crime victims without their consent, and urge you to abide by that policy with our witnesses and respect their privacy. 9:30 a.m. — Final pretrial conference U.S. v. Ghislaine Maxwell — the defendant is charged in connection to conspiring with Jeffrey Epstein to entice minors to travel to engage in criminal sexual activity — before Judge Alison Nathan (Courtroom 318, 40 Foley Square [overflow Courtrooms 110, 506, 905, and 906 of the Thurgood Marshall U.S. Courthouse]). EXHIBITS: Government exhibits will be provided exclusively through the SDNY file share. If you are unable to access this link to the file share (USAFx), you must establish an account to access the files. To establish an account, request access by email to me or my colleague, Jim Margolin, Cc'd here, prior to Monday, November 29, 2021. Please also note that all case filings in U.S. v. Maxwell are available in the Court's electronic filing system; we encourage media representatives to establish a free PACER account, if they have not done so already. Credentialing and other matters relating to in-person attendance for the trial are handled by the SDNY District Executive's Office. Periodic updates to follow. EFTA00024893
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