A federal appeals court on Tuesday upheld the conviction of Ghislaine Maxwell, the former socialite found guilty of assisting Jeffrey Epstein in his sex trafficking operation, meaning that Maxwell will remain in a Florida prison serving a 20-year sentence, Fox News reports.
The 2nd US Circuit Court of Appeals in Manhattan rejected Maxwell’s appeal, which argued for a review of the statute of limitations, a prior non-prosecution agreement, alleged juror misconduct, and her sentence. The court found her sentence “procedurally reasonable.”
Maxwell’s lawyer, Arthur Aidala, expressed disappointment with the ruling and announced their intention to appeal to the US Supreme Court.
“We are cautiously optimistic that Ghislaine will get the justice she deserves from the Supreme Court,” he said.
Maxwell, 62, was convicted in December 2021 on five charges related to her role in recruiting and grooming underage girls for Epstein between 1994 and 2004. Her defense argued that a juror’s undisclosed history of sexual abuse compromised the jury and that her sentence was excessive.
The appeals court, however, rejected these arguments, affirming the convictions and upholding her sentence.
The Epstein scandal has continued to reverberate through the world, with unsealed court documents revealing a network of high-profile individuals potentially connected to Epstein’s trafficking operation. These documents list over 150 names, including politicians, celebrities, and business leaders, raising serious questions about the extent of Epstein’s network and the potential complicity of others.
Epstein himself died by suicide in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges.
