Prosecutors Ask Judge to Dismiss Maxwell's Conviction Appeal

Federal prosecutors have urged a judge to reject Ghislaine Maxwell’s latest attempt to overturn her 2021 sex trafficking conviction, arguing that newly released documents related to Jeffrey Epstein fail to undermine the jury’s verdict. The government’s opposition, filed this week, calls Maxwell’s claims procedurally barred and without merit.

Maxwell, who is representing herself, filed an amended petition in April seeking to vacate her conviction and 20-year sentence. She contends that millions of records released under the Epstein Files Transparency Act reveal constitutional violations that deprived her of a fair trial. Specifically, she alleges that lawyers for Epstein’s accusers effectively acted as “de facto prosecutors” for the government, that prosecutors failed to conduct an adequate independent investigation, and that evidence was withheld. She cited the government’s failure to interview retail billionaire Leslie Wexner, who employed Epstein, as an example.

In a 101-page response, prosecutors from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York argued that Maxwell’s claims either recycle issues already rejected on appeal or are based on speculation and a...