Federal Court Issues Ruling on Ghislaine Maxwell’s Appeal
A U.S. court has upheld Ghislaine Maxwell’s conviction on sex trafficking charges related to her role in facilitating the abuse of underage girls by Jeffrey Epstein. Maxwell’s legal team argued that the conviction violated a prior non-prosecution agreement Epstein had with federal prosecutors and that her indictment exceeded the statute of limitations. However, the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals determined that Epstein’s agreement did not prevent the New York prosecutors from bringing charges and confirmed that the indictment was timely. Maxwell was found guilty in December 2021 for luring young girls to Epstein, who abused them between 1994 and 2004, ultimately receiving a 20-year prison sentence. Epstein, who took his own life in 2019 while awaiting trial for similar charges, was found to have exploited countless vulnerable girls, while Maxwell was recognized for enabling his actions. Despite some connections to prominent figures, these associations played a limited role in her trial, which largely focused on the testimonies of a few accusers. Maxwell is currently incarcerated in a low-security federal prison in Florida.
A U.S. court on Tuesday upheld disgraced British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell’s conviction on sex trafficking charges for helping the late financier Jeffrey Epstein abuse underage girls.
Maxwell’s lawyers had argued that her convictions violated an agreement Epstein reached with federal prosecutors 15 years ago and violated the statute of limitations. They also cited judicial error and a miscalculation of the federal sentencing guidelines range as reason to reject her conviction and sentence.
But the ruling by the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New York said Epstein’s non-prosecution agreement with federal prosecutors in Florida did not bar federal prosecutors in New York from bringing a case. They also found that Maxwell’s indictment was within the statute of limitations.
Maxwell, 62, was found guilty in December 2021 of luring young girls to Epstein so he could molest them, between 1994 and 2004. She was sentenced to 20 years in prison in June 2022.
Epstein sexually abused children hundreds of times over more than a decade, exploiting vulnerable girls as young as 14. Prosecutors said Maxwell, his longtime companion, helped him and made the abuse possible.
He killed himself in 2019 while awaiting trial.
Epstein and Maxwell’s associations with royals, presidents and billionaires were not a prominent part of her trial, but mentions of friends such as Bill Clinton and Donald Trump showed how the pair exploited their connections to impress their prey.
The trial revolved around allegations from only a handful of Epstein’s accusers. Four testified that they were abused in the 1990s and early 2000s at Epstein’s mansions in Florida, New York, New Mexico and the Virgin Islands.
Maxwell is serving her sentence at a low-security federal prison in Tallahassee, Florida.
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