Now that she’s facing as much as 65 years in prison after being convicted for child sex trafficking, Ghislaine Maxwell may be ready to talk to and cooperate with federal prosecutors, which could be bad news for ex-President Donald Trump and other longtime friends of Maxwell and her late friend Jeffrey Epstein.
Elie Hoenig, who worked for years as a federal prosecutor, raised the possibility of Maxwell telling what she knows in exchange for a reduced sentence. Maxwell is 60 years old, so a 65-year stint in federal prison would result in her spending the rest of her life incarerated.
Trump, it should be noted, wished Maxwell the best while he was still in office, commenting in July of 2020:
“I’ve met her numerous times over the years, especially since I lived in Palm Beach, and I guess they lived in Palm Beach. But I wish her well, whatever it is.”
A month later, Trump reiterated those remarks, telling Jonathan Swan of Axios:
“Yeah, I wish her well. I’d wish you well. I’d wish a lot of people well. Good luck. Let them prove somebody was guilty.”
According to Hoenig, Maxwell could have lots of information that would interest prosecutors:
Big question out there: will Ghislaine Maxwell flip, now that she’s been convicted by a jury?
(Credentials: I flipped dozens of people at the SDNY, was co-chief of the organized crime unit, eventually taught new prosecutors the course on how cooperation works)
(Thread, 1/12)
— Elie Honig (@eliehonig) December 30, 2021
First, will Maxwell want to flip? That’s an intensely personal, complex decision. Let’s consider incentives. She’s 60 years old, likely facing much or all of her remaining life behind bars, no real hope on appeal. Cooperation is her best and perhaps only chance to get out. (2/12)
— Elie Honig (@eliehonig) December 30, 2021
If indeed Maxwell does plan to tell what she knows, she might want to go ahead and make that clear as soon as possible. Otherwise, she might wind up like Epstein, who died of “suicide” while awaiting trial.
