Ghislaine Maxwell appeal: Case back in court as Epstein associate appeals conviction

At the hearing on Tuesday in New York, Ghislaine Maxwell’s lawyers argued that the disgraced socialite should not have been prosecuted in 2019, as she was protected by provisions from a prior non-prosecution agreement (NPA) made by Florida prosecutors with late paedophile Jeffrey Epstein.

The deal was made by former federal prosecutor Alex Acosta, and resulted in a jail sentence and a sex offender registration for the disgraced financier.

Under the 2008 NPA, Epstein pleaded guilty to state charges in Florida of soliciting and procuring a minor for prostitution. That allowed him to avert a possible life sentence, instead serving 13 months in a work-release program. He was required to make payments to victims and register as a sex offender.

Epstein was later charged by federal prosecutors in Manhattan for nearly identical allegations in 2019, but he took his own life while in federal custody as he awaited trial.

Ghislaine Maxwell’s lawyers argued that by not honouring the terms of a 2008 plea agreement made between prosecutors in Florida and Jeffrey Epstein would “strike a dagger in the heart of the trust between the government and its citizens.”

During the appeal hearing on Tuesday in a New York federal court house, attorney Diana Fabi Samson told the court that the Department of Justice (DOJ) was looking into the possibility of “corruption” in the plea agreement.

“This case, count six is a count that is covered by that plea agreement in time in charge, and by the particular person who was interviewed in the Florida investigation,” she said.

“That charge should be precluded by the non prosecution agreement and should be dismissed. Denying the viability of this plea agreement strikes a dagger in the heart of the trust between the government and its citizens regarding plea agreements.”

Ghislaine Maxwell should have been protected by “immunity provisions” from a previous non-prosecution agreement in Florida, her attorneys have argued.

During an appeal hearing in New York federal court on Tuesday, Diana Fabi Samson referenced the 2008 non prosecution agreement, made by state prosecutors with Jeffrey Epstein in Florida.

In the agreement — also known as an NPA — Epstein pleaded guilty to state charges in Florida of soliciting and procuring a minor for prostitution. That allowed him to avert a possible life sentence, instead serving 13 months in a work-release program.

Epstein was later charged by federal prosecutors in Manhattan for nearly identical allegations in 2019.

“In the end, Ms. Maxwell was prosecuted for crimes that she as a third party beneficiary to the plea agreement in Florida should not have been prosecuted,” Ms Samson said.

Maxwell was not present in the court room on Tuesday, but was reportedly listening remotely from her jail cell in Florida.

Ghislaine Maxwell’s appeal in her 2021 sex trafficking conviction has begun, with the disgraced socialite’s attorney Diana Fabi Samson addressing the three judges.

We’ll bring you updates from the courtroom shortly.

At her 2021 trial, four witnesses testified about the abuse they suffered at the hands of Ghislaine Maxwell and Jeffrey Epstein.

Here’s what they said, Rachel Sharp writes

Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell palled around with presidents, movie stars and royalty, hosting household names aboard private jets and at palatial properties all over the world.

Those decades-long connections formed a key role in Maxwell’s conviction for sex-trafficking at a federal courthouse in Manhattan in December 2021.

As her appeal begins in New York today, here’s a look back at some of the famous names embroiled in the scandal:

Disgraced British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell returns to the spotlight today as lawyers launch an appeal over her conviction for sex trafficking in 2021.

Maxwell, 62, was sentenced to 20 years behind bars last year, after being found guilty of five counts of trafficking and abusing young girls over decades with the late paedophile Jeffrey Epstein.

Her appeal, which is taking place at a federal court in New York, is set to begin at 2pm.

Follow the updates from The Independent here:

Judge Alison Nathan, who presided over the trial in 2021, said Maxwell’s behaviour had been “heinous and predatory”.

The court heard harrowing testimony from victims who described how Maxwell had lured them to Epstein’s homes where they were abused.

Maxwell was found guilty of recruiting and grooming four teenagers for sexual abuse by Epstein, who was her boyfriend at the time, and who killed himself in prison in 2019 while awaiting his own sex trafficking trial.

At Maxwell’s trial, a victim impact statement was read on behalf of Virginia Giuffre. She did not testify.

In it, Ms Giuffre, who has subsequently settled a sexual assault case against Prince Andrew, said:

“I want to be clear about one thing: without question, Jeffrey Epstein was a terrible paedophile. But I never would have met Jeffrey Epstein if not for you. For me, and for so many others, you opened the door to hell.”