Maxwell was convicted on five sex trafficking counts and sentenced to 20 years in prison.
Ghislaine Maxwell asked a federal court on Dec. 17 to set aside her sex trafficking convictions and 20-year prison sentence, citing “newly discovered evidence.”
Maxwell was an associate of the late Jeffrey Epstein, a convicted sex offender who died in custody in 2019 while under indictment for sex trafficking.
She was convicted in December 2021 in New York state on five counts of sex trafficking, including conspiracy to traffic minors. In June 2022, she was sentenced to 20 years in prison.
Maxwell, who is representing herself, filed a habeas corpus petition with the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York.
A habeas corpus petition allows a prisoner to challenge their detention. The Latin phrase itself means “you have the body.” Federal judges receive such petitions from inmates who claim their federally protected rights were violated.
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.
