Nicolai Haugsted
Ghislaine Maxwell speaks out about new documents.
Ghislaine Maxwell is trying again to undo the conviction that sent her to prison for 20 years.
The former British socialite, once closely linked to Jeffrey Epstein, now argues that newly released Epstein documents show her rights were violated before she was found guilty of helping him sexually abuse teenage girls.
Her latest filing marks one of her broadest attempts yet to challenge the verdict.
New petition points to Epstein files
Maxwell, 64, filed an amended petition in Manhattan federal court, where she is seeking a writ of habeas corpus declaring her punishment unlawful.
She claims documents released under the Epstein Files Transparency Act support her argument that her due process rights were violated.
According to Reuters via. Maxwell, lawyers representing Epstein’s accusers effectively acted as “De Facto Prosecutors and agents of the government.”
Her filing also points to a letter from a former federal prosecutor who wrote, “I did what I could” about helping lawyers for Epstein’s accusers.
Maxwell argues that this was part of an effort to undo Epstein’s controversial 2007 non-prosecution agreement with federal prosecutors in Florida.
Long-running argument over Epstein deal
Maxwell has repeatedly claimed that Epstein’s Florida agreement should have protected her from criminal prosecution.
That argument has failed several times.
The U.S. Supreme Court rejected an earlier appeal in October, leaving her 2021 conviction in place.
Maxwell is representing herself in the new effort. She was convicted on five counts related to recruiting and grooming underage girls for Epstein between 1994 and 2004.
Prosecutors reject claims
Federal prosecutors say Maxwell’s latest challenge should fail.
U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton argued in court papers that most of her claims came too late, while the remaining ones were speculative, legally flawed or unsupported by the trial record.
“In short, the defendant — for multiple, independent reasons — utterly fails to carry her burden to overturn her proper conviction and just sentence,” Clayton said.
A federal judge will now review the petition.
Maxwell alleges weak investigation
Maxwell also argues that prosecutors failed to properly follow evidence and witnesses before trial.
Her filing mentions Leslie Wexner, the retail billionaire behind Victoria’s Secret, who once hired Epstein to manage his personal finances.
Wexner told Congress in February that he cut ties with Epstein in 2007 and had no knowledge of his criminal conduct.
Maxwell claims the newly released materials show prosecutors failed to conduct “any real investigation of their own.”
She further argues that this led to “misrepresentations to judges and the jury resulting in an unsafe conviction.”
Release remains years away
Some details in Maxwell’s petition were redacted to protect the anonymity of Epstein’s victims.
Epstein died in a Manhattan jail cell in August 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges. New York City’s medical examiner ruled his death a suicide.
Maxwell is currently held at a minimum-security federal prison camp in Bryan, Texas.
She is eligible for release in July 2037, when she will be 75.
