Ghislaine Maxwell Asks Court To Overturn Convictions, Citing ‘Newly Discovered Evidence’

Jeffrey Epstein accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell on Wednesday asked a federal court to toss out her sex trafficking convictions and resulting 20-year prison sentence, citing “newly discovered evidence.” 

Maxwell convicted in December 20211 in New York state on five counts of sex trafficking, including conspiracy to traffic minors. She is now roughly 3.5 years into her 20-year sentence, and will be 75-years-old when released assuming she serves her full term with no reduction for parole or other legal changes. 

Maxwell, who is representing herself, filed a habeas corpus petition with the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York - which allows a prisoner to challenge their detention. Such petitions, which means “you have the body” in Latin, are common from inmates who claim their federally protected rights were violated. 

As Epoch Times notes further, many of the issues raised in the new petition were dealt with at her original trial or in subsequent appeals.

“Since the conclusion of her trial, substantial new evidence has emerged from related civil actions, Government disclosures, investigative reports, and documents demonstrating constitutional violations that undermined the fairness of her proceedings,” the petition says.

“This newly available evidence—derived from litigation against the Federal Bureau of Investigation, various financial institutions, and the Estate of Jeffrey Epstein, as well as from sworn depositions, released records, and other verified sources—shows that exculpatory information was withheld, false testimony presented, and material facts misrepresented to the jury and the Court,” the petition says.

Evidence that was previously unavailable to Maxwell has since surfaced that should render her conviction “invalid, unsafe and infirm,” the petition says.

The petition states that Maxwell is raising “nine principal grounds for relief,” and that each ground is backed by newly discovered or previously suppressed evidence.

On Oct. 6, the U.S. Supreme Court decided not to take up Maxwell’s appeal. In her petition to that court, she argued that the federal government violated an immunity deal when it prosecuted her.

Maxwell’s filing comes as the Dec. 19 deadline established under the recently enacted Epstein Files Transparency Act approaches.

The federal statute requires the U.S. Department of Justice to release all unclassified records and investigative materials related to Epstein and his sex trafficking network by the deadline.

The department is allowed to make redactions to safeguard the privacy of victims or to shield ongoing investigations.