US judge throws out Ghislaine Maxwell's 'meritless' bid to overturn sex-trafficking conviction
The 64-year-old was sentenced to 20 years in prison in 2021 for luring young girls for Jeffrey Epstein to sexually abuse
Ghislaine Maxwell's latest attempt to overturn her sex-trafficking conviction has been thrown out by a US judge.
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The 64-year-old was sentenced to 20 years in prison in 2021 for luring young girls for Jeffrey Epstein to sexually abuse.
Maxwell appealed against her five felony counts, arguing her constitutional rights had been "violated in multiple respects".
But on Tuesday, a federal judge in New York rejected her challenge, describing the claims as "meritless" or "frivolous".
Maxwell had argued the release of the so-called Epstein Files by the US Justice Department earlier this year supported her appeal.
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But the judge ruled that the raft of files "incriminates her or reinforces the correctness" of her conviction.
The judge continued that her appeal fell "very far from the mark" and added: "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 no fact that Maxwell fairly puts in dispute that has any potential to disturb the outcome of her trial."
Maxwell is currently serving a 20-year-long prison sentence at the Federal Prison Camp in Bryan, Texas, a minimal security women's prison.
She was found guilty in December 2021 of being an accomplice in Epstein's scheme to sexually traffic and exploit female minors.
Earlier this year Maxwell appeared virtually in front of the House Oversight Committee but refused to answer questions about Epstein.
In a post on X after the questioning, Maxwell's legal representative, David Markus, said his client would be "prepared to speak fully and honestly if granted clemency by President Trump".
Following the hearing, House Oversight Committee Chairman Representative James Comer said: "Unfortunately, she had an opportunity today to answer questions that every American has, questions that would be very important in this investigation, and she chose to invoke her Fifth Amendment."
The House Oversight Committee forced Maxwell to sit for a recorded deposition as part of its ongoing investigation into the US government’s handling of the cases against Epstein and Maxwell.
Some lawmakers have accused officials of covering up information to protect other high-profile individuals.