Ghislaine Maxwell has formally requested a federal judge to release her from a 20-year imprisonment term, citing the emergence of significant new evidence that highlights alleged “constitutional violations” impacting her trial.
The former girlfriend and close associate of Jeffrey Epstein urged the court to overturn her conviction for sex trafficking, alleging that critical information crucial to her defense during the 2021 trial was suppressed, and false testimonies were presented to the jury.
Maxwell, serving a 20-year sentence for facilitating the trafficking of young girls for her and Epstein’s sexual exploitation, lamented what she described as a “serious miscarriage of justice” and filed for freedom just ahead of the scheduled release of previously undisclosed Epstein-related files.
The filing in Manhattan federal court stated, “Since the trial’s conclusion, substantial new evidence has surfaced from various civil actions, Government disclosures, investigative reports, and documents, revealing constitutional infractions that undermined the fairness of the proceedings. Based on the complete evidentiary record, it is argued that no reasonable juror would have found her guilty.”
While such appeals are commonly denied, Maxwell’s plea coincided with the imminent public release of records in her case mandated by the Epstein Files Transparency Act signed into law by former President Donald Trump. This law requires the Justice Department to disclose Epstein-linked documents by a specified deadline.
In compliance with the transparency law, the Justice Department plans to unveil 18 categories of investigative materials gathered during the extensive sex trafficking probe, encompassing search warrants, financial records, victim interview notes, and electronic device data.
Maxwell’s arrest followed Epstein’s detention on sex trafficking charges in 2019, with his subsequent death ruled a suicide in a New York federal jail. Maxwell’s conviction for sex trafficking occurred in December 2021 after her relocation from a federal prison in Florida to a Texas prison camp.
Following the Justice Department’s petition to release pre-trial grand jury and discovery materials pertaining to her case, Maxwell’s attorney expressed concerns that unsealing these documents could prejudice a future retrial if her habeas petition is successful. Judge Paul A. Engelmayer granted the Justice Department’s request to publicly release the materials.
Engelmayer, who previously rejected unsealing requests before the enactment of the transparency law, confirmed that the materials do not implicate anyone other than Epstein and Maxwell in having engaged in sexual activities with minors.