A U.S. appeals court has denied Ghislaine Maxwell’s request for an en banc review of her conviction for aiding financier Jeffrey Epstein in sexually abusing teenage girls. The 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Manhattan rejected Maxwell’s plea on Monday, upholding its previous decision to dismiss several arguments against her 2021 conviction. On September 17, a three-judge panel ruled that Maxwell’s role in recruiting and grooming underage girls for Epstein from 1994 to 2004 was pivotal, and that the abuse she facilitated caused significant harm. Maxwell, 62, is currently serving a 20-year sentence at a low-security prison in Tallahassee, Florida, with eligibility for release in 2037.
Maxwell’s lawyer, Arthur Aidala, expressed disappointment at the decision but remains cautiously optimistic that the U.S. Supreme Court might take up her appeal. Maxwell was convicted on five charges related to sex trafficking and abuse. Her defense had argued that a 2007 non-prosecution agreement Epstein reached with federal prosecutors in Florida should have shielded her from prosecution in New York. Maxwell’s legal team also sought to challenge a 1985 ruling concerning the scope of plea agreements, claiming it conflicted with other federal appeals court rulings and two Supreme Court decisions on immunity. Maxwell now plans to appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court.
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