Ghislaine Maxwell has filed a new petition asking a federal court to overturn her conviction and sentence stemming from her role in Jeffrey Epstein’s sex trafficking operation. The filing, submitted Wednesday in the Southern District of New York, seeks to “vacate, set aside, or correct her conviction and sentence” based on what the document describes as substantial new evidence.
The petition takes the form of a writ of habeas corpus and raises several serious allegations, including juror misconduct, improper coordination between victims’ attorneys and federal prosecutors, and violations of Maxwell’s constitutional due process rights. Maxwell argues that these issues undermined the fairness of her trial and rendered her conviction invalid, according to the filing reviewed by ABC News.
Read Also: Emails Reveal Jared Kushner Invited Jeffrey Epstein to 2013 Party with Trump and Harvey Weinstein
According to the filing, some of the evidence cited emerged through separate litigation involving the Federal Bureau of Prisons, financial institutions, and Epstein’s estate. The petition alleges that “exculpatory information was withheld, false testimony presented, and material facts misrepresented to the jury and the Court.”
“The cumulative effect of these constitutional violations constitutes a complete miscarriage of justice, rendering Petitioner’s conviction invalid, unsafe, and infirm,” the document states. The Justice Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the filing. The petition was submitted pro se, meaning Maxwell is representing herself without an attorney in this specific action.
Maxwell, now 63, was convicted in 2021 on multiple federal charges, including conspiracy to entice minors to travel for illegal sex acts, conspiracy to transport minors for such acts, and sex trafficking of a minor. She was sentenced to 20 years in prison and is currently serving that term at a minimum-security federal camp in Texas.
Read Also: Sarah Ferguson Speaks Out on Ex-Husband Prince Andrew Following Jeffrey Epstein Scandal
This is not her first attempt to challenge the conviction. Maxwell previously appealed on the basis that a nonprosecution agreement Epstein reached with Florida authorities should have protected her from prosecution in New York. The U.S. Supreme Court rejected that argument in October, effectively closing that avenue of appeal.
The latest filing comes amid renewed attention to Epstein-related records. Earlier this month, Maxwell’s attorney warned that the Justice Department’s request to unseal grand jury materials could cause “undue prejudice” and eliminate “the possibility of a fair retrial” if her conviction were overturned. Despite those objections, a federal judge approved the request under the Epstein Files Transparency Act, signed into law by President Donald Trump on Nov. 19.
Over the summer, Maxwell and her attorney met with Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche for roughly nine hours as public scrutiny intensified over the Justice Department’s review of Epstein-related files. That review concluded Epstein died by suicide in 2019 and did not keep a secret client list used for blackmail.
During that meeting, Maxwell told Blanche that she never witnessed Trump act inappropriately toward anyone, according to a Justice Department transcript. Shortly after the interview, she was transferred from a lower-level Florida facility to the Texas minimum-security camp where she is now housed.
READ NEXT
- Jack Smith Tells House Panel Trump Conspired to Overturn 2020 Election
- woman tries to use Trump to justify her racism, cops aren’t having it
- Trump’s Epstein Files Law opens door for Ghislaine Maxwell’s latest Legal Challenge
- Workers across manufacturing and logistics lose jobs as Trump claims economic success
- Woman hospitalized after being attacked by family dog at Indiana Home: ‘found her lip on the bedroom floor’