Jeffrey Epstein associate Ghislaine Maxwell petitions the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn her sex trafficking conviction, citing Epstein’s 2007 plea deal as grounds for dismissal. Image: Getty Images.
(The Post News)– Ghislaine Maxwell, convicted associate of the late Jeffrey Epstein, has formally requested that the United States Supreme Court overturn her 2022 conviction for sex trafficking and related offenses. Maxwell, who is currently serving her sentence in a Manhattan federal prison, claims the ruling against her was unjust and should be revoked.
On Monday, Maxwell’s legal team submitted an appeal to the Supreme Court, arguing that a 2007 non-prosecution agreement between Epstein and federal prosecutors in Florida should have also protected her from prosecution. Her lawyers maintain that Epstein’s plea deal contained provisions that extended immunity to his alleged co-conspirators, even if they were not named specifically, and that this should have prevented Maxwell from being charged in later proceedings.
The Justice Department, however, has rejected this argument. It insists that the 2007 plea agreement applied only to the Southern District of Florida and did not extend to other jurisdictions, including the Southern District of New York, where Maxwell was tried and sentenced. Furthermore, officials stated that Maxwell was not included in Epstein’s agreement and, therefore, was not entitled to its protections.
Government attorneys clarified that Epstein’s agreement stipulated non-prosecution for certain “potential co-conspirators” if Epstein fulfilled the terms of the deal. While the agreement listed four specific individuals, prosecutors argue this did not grant blanket immunity to unnamed parties such as Maxwell.
Maxwell’s appeal follows recent discussions with federal officials regarding her potential status as a cooperator with the U.S. government. It remains unclear how these discussions may affect her legal efforts or future proceedings.
Journalist-Kgopotso@thepostnews.net
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