Ghislaine Maxwell files petition to overturn sex trafficking conviction, citing "substantial new evidence". Photo/ US Department of Justice
(The Post News)- Ghislaine Maxwell, the disgraced British socialite, has filed a petition asking a US federal judge to overturn her sex trafficking conviction and free her from prison, citing “substantial new evidence”. Maxwell, 63, is serving a 20-year sentence for recruiting young girls for her ex-boyfriend, convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein, during the 1990s and early 2000s.
Ghislaine Maxwell Legal Bid To Freedom
Her latest legal bid for freedom comes just before the deadline for the release of Epstein files, which include all material related to civil and criminal cases involving Epstein, who took his own life while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges in 2019.
Maxwell’s lawyers argue that information which would have resulted in her exoneration at her 2021 trial was withheld, and that false testimony was presented to the jury. They claim the cumulative effect is a “complete miscarriage of justice.
The petition, filed in a Manhattan federal court, argues that “substantial new evidence has emerged from related civil actions, government disclosures, investigative reports, and documents demonstrating constitutional violations that undermined the fairness of her proceeding”.
Release Of Esptein Files
Maxwell’s lawyers have claimed that releasing the Epstein files would harm her bid for a retrial, arguing that the release of “grand jury materials from her case, which contain untested and unproven allegations” would “foreclose the possibility of a fair retrial”.
The US Supreme Court rejected Maxwell’s attempts to appeal against her sentence in October, meaning the petition or a presidential pardon from Donald Trump are her only chances at being freed before her projected release date in 2037.
Maxwell was jailed in 2022 for sex trafficking after recruiting young girls for Epstein. Her case has sparked widespread public interest and outrage.
The Epstein files are set to be released publicly, as required by the Epstein Transparency Act signed by President Donald Trump.
Maxwell’s petition claims that the new evidence shows constitutional violations that undermined the fairness of her trial.
The outcome of Maxwell’s petition is uncertain, but it has sparked renewed interest in the case.
The case has raised questions about the fairness of Maxwell’s trial and the handling of the Epstein investigation.
Maxwell’s lawyers argue that she did not receive a fair trial due to withheld evidence and false testimony.
The US Department of Justice has said it will follow the law and release the Epstein files.
The release of the Epstein files could have significant implications for Maxwell’s case and the broader investigation.
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