NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
Ghislaine Maxwell is asking a federal judge to throw out her conviction, claiming in a newly filed petition that juror misconduct, suppressed evidence and behind-the-scenes coordination between prosecutors and victims’ lawyers corrupted the trial that put her behind bars.
Maxwell, the longtime associate and convicted accomplice of Jeffrey Epstein, filed the sweeping habeas motion pro se on Wednesday, arguing that “newly discovered evidence” proves she never received a fair trial. The 63-year-old is serving a 20-year prison sentence after her 2021 conviction on sex-trafficking and conspiracy charges tied to Epstein’s decades-long abuse network.
Her filing arrives as the Department of Justice faces growing pressure to comply with the newly enacted Epstein Files Transparency Act, which requires the release of long-sealed investigative documents connected to Epstein and his associates.
President Donald Trump signed the transparency bill last month that ordered the DOJ to release all of its hundreds of thousands of Epstein-related records within 30 days. The administration faces a Dec. 19 deadline to release its files related to Epstein.
EPSTEIN FILES TO GO PUBLIC AS TRUMP SAYS HE SIGNED LAW AUTHORIZING RELEASE OF RECORDS
A central claim in Maxwell’s latest petition targets Juror #50, who publicly revealed after the verdict that he had been sexually abused as a child — a detail he did not disclose on his juror questionnaire.
Maxwell said the omission was intentional and improperly influenced the deliberations, and she suggested other jurors may also have withheld similar personal histories. Federal courts have previously ruled that the juror’s error did not justify a new trial, but Maxwell argued new statements contradict earlier findings and warrant renewed scrutiny.
Maxwell also challenged the authenticity of physical evidence used at trial, particularly the massage table introduced to establish the interstate-commerce element of the charges. She claimed newly unsealed grand jury testimony conflicts with law enforcement accounts of how and where the table was seized and points to labeling and paperwork discrepancies that, she argues, raise questions about whether the exhibit shown to jurors was the same item recovered in the 2005 Palm Beach search.
The petition further accuses prosecutors of withholding exculpatory material, including internal FBI notes, grand jury records and information about Epstein’s properties and financial transactions. Maxwell contends that access to this material would have allowed her defense to more aggressively challenge key witnesses and the government’s theory of the case.
FEDERAL JUDGE ORDERS UNSEALING OF EPSTEIN CASE GRAND JURY RECORDS
Maxwell also alleges that private attorneys representing Epstein’s accusers played an unusual and inappropriate role in shaping the prosecution’s approach. According to the filing, these lawyers worked closely with federal authorities, supplied investigative materials, communicated with witnesses and helped influence the development of the case before trial.
The petition again raises Maxwell’s long-standing argument that Epstein’s 2007 non-prosecution agreement in Florida should have shielded her from federal charges.
She claims newly surfaced internal documents show the agreement was intended to cover “potential co-conspirators,” including her, and asserts that prosecutors concealed drafts and communications that would have supported her position. Courts, however, have repeatedly rejected the argument that the Florida deal barred her prosecution in New York.
Maxwell also points to confidential civil settlements involving other individuals linked to Epstein, arguing that more prominent figures escaped scrutiny while she became the centerpiece of the government’s case.
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
She additionally describes the pretrial conditions at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn as “harsh,” citing near-solitary confinement and frequent overnight checks that she says impaired her ability to participate in her defense.
Maxwell’s petition lands just as the Justice Department prepares to release a new tranche of Epstein-related records under the transparency act — a process that could be affected by ongoing litigation surrounding her case and her claims about withheld materials.
Fox News Digital reached out to Maxwell’s attorney.
Stepheny Price covers crime, including missing persons, homicides and migrant crime. Send story tips to [email protected].
Read the full article here
