Jeffrey Epstein’s ex Ghislaine Maxwell has appeal rejected by US top court
The US Supreme Court has declined to hear Ghislaine Maxwell’s bid to overturn her conviction for helping the late financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein sexually abuse teenage girls.
The justices turned away an appeal by Maxwell, a British socialite and Epstein’s former girlfriend who is serving a 20-year prison sentence after being found guilty in 2021 by a jury in New York on charges including sex trafficking of a minor.
By doing so, the justices let stand a lower court’s decision upholding Maxwell’s conviction.
Sign up to The Nightly's newsletters.
Get the first look at the digital newspaper, curated daily stories and breaking headlines delivered to your inbox.
By continuing you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy.The justices did not explain their reasoning in turning away Maxwell’s appeal.
Maxwell’s lawyers contend that her conviction was invalid because a non-prosecution and plea agreement that federal prosecutors made with Epstein in Florida in 2007 also shielded his associates and should have barred her criminal prosecution in New York.
“We’re, of course, deeply disappointed that the Supreme Court declined to hear Ghislaine Maxwell’s case. But this fight isn’t over. Serious legal and factual issues remain, and we will continue to pursue every avenue available to ensure that justice is done,” David Oscar Markus, a lawyer for Maxwell, said.
The Justice Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Maxwell was arrested in 2020 and convicted the following year after being accused by federal prosecutors of recruiting and grooming girls for sexual encounters with Epstein between 1994 and 2004.
Epstein died in 2019 in a Manhattan jail cell while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges.
New York City’s medical examiner called the death a suicide.
