Ghislaine Maxwell’s newest bid to overturn her intercourse trafficking conviction has been rejected by a US judge, who dismissed her claims as “frivolous” and “meritless”.
The 64-year-old is serving a 20-year jail sentence for her function in procuring ladies for the late intercourse offender Jeffrey Epstein after being discovered responsible in December 2021.
Maxwell had appealed against her 5 felony convictions, claiming her constitutional rights had been “violated in multiple respects”.
But a New York judge flatly rejected the appeal, describing it as “lengthy and rambling”.
Maxwell stated Epstein-related paperwork launched by the US Justice Department earlier this yr supported her case that she had been wrongly convicted.
But the judge dominated that “far from exculpating her, it incriminates her or reinforces the correctness” of her conviction.
The judge additionally stated her appeal “falls very far from the mark”, including: “Nearly all its claims are procedurally barred; the overwhelming testimonial and documentary evidence adduced at trial conclusively established her guilt; and her petition’s claims are demonstrably meritless, and generally based on speculation, distortions, and/or outright falsehoods.
“There is not any proven fact that Maxwell pretty places in dispute that has any potential to disturb the end result of her trial.”
The judge warned Maxwell against making further appeals, saying it “wouldn’t be taken in good religion” by the court.
Maxwell was found guilty in 2021 of facilitating Epstein’s abuse. Prosecutors said she recruited and groomed girls, some as young as 14, between 1994 and 2004, before they were abused by Epstein, who died in prison in 2019.
Maxwell appeared virtually before the US House Oversight Committee in February this year but refused to answer questions, invoking her right to remain silent as she pleaded the Fifth Amendment.
Republican House Oversight Committee chairman James Comer said the situation was “very disappointing”, adding: “We had many inquiries to ask in regards to the crimes she and Epstein dedicated, in addition to questions on potential co-conspirators.”
Maxwell has previously sought a pardon from US President Donald Trump.
When asked last October whether he would consider pardoning Maxwell, Trump said he “would not think about it or not think about it”, adding: “I do not know something about it, so I’ll communicate to the [Department of Justice].”
The US Senate final month handed a decision declaring its opposition to a presidential pardon for Maxwell.