Judge denies Ghislaine Maxwell's sex-trafficking appeal, calls claims 'meritless'

Ghislaine Maxwell's attempt to vacate her 2021 sex-trafficking conviction has been decisively rejected by a federal judge. US District Judge Paul Engelmayer dismissed her claims, labeling them as "demonstrably meritless, and generally based on speculation, distortions, and/or outright falsehoods."

Maxwell, a former British socialite, sought to overturn her conviction and subsequent 20-year prison sentence. Her legal team argued that crucial evidence was withheld during her trial and cited alleged juror misconduct. However, Judge Engelmayer's 67-page decision found no substantial basis to support these assertions.

The judge concluded that Maxwell failed to demonstrate that her constitutional rights were violated during the proceedings that led to her conviction. Her role in the sex-trafficking crimes connected to the late financier Jeffrey Epstein was the basis for the original guilty verdict.

This ruling effectively upholds Maxwell's conviction and sentence, closing a significant chapter in the legal fallout from the Jeffrey Epstein scandal. The decision reaffirms the findings of the original trial, denying Maxwell's bid for post-conviction relief.

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demonstrably meritless, and generally based on speculation, distortions, and/or outright falsehoods