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Case 1:20-cr-00330-PAE Document672 Filed 06/24/22 Page 13 of 68 BSF Once arrested, Maxwell faced another choice. She could admit her participation in this scheme, acknowledge the harm caused or even provide information that could have helped hold others accountable. Instead, she again chose to lie about her behavior, causing additional harm to all of those she victimized. For me, it meant having to be involved in this nearly two-year legal process that involved reliving this painful experience over and over again. It was incredibly stressful and interrupted my professional life as I missed sessions with my clients for court appearances, trial prep, and meetings with attorneys. An uncertain and shifting trial schedule made it difficult to plan anything. As the trial date drew closer, I scaled back my caseload, as I wasn’t sure how it would impact me and how much work I’d have to miss. Then, during the trial, my memories were repeatedly called into question, and I was publicly grilled on the details of the trauma she perpetrated. Given the shame and self-doubt that these injuries had already caused, this all felt like a retraumatization—one that could have been easily avoided had she told the truth. Judge Nathan, I hope when you consider the appropriate prison sentence for the role Maxwell played in this sex trafficking operation, you take into account the ongoing suffering of the many women she abused and exploited as we will continue to live with the memories of the ways she harmed us. I hope you weigh the systemic effects of the crimes she perpetrated—the ways that our family members, romantic partners, and friends have been hurt through our suffering. I ask you to bear in mind how Maxwell’s unwillingness to acknowledge her crimes, her lack of remorse, and her repeated lies about her victims created the need for many of us to engage in a long fight for justice that has felt like a black hole sucking in our precious time, energy, and well- being for much too long now. These things cannot be replaced. Respectfully, a Sigrid S. McCawley 3 of 3 DOJ-OGR-00010604