A federal appeals court on Tuesday will weigh Ghislaine Maxwell‘s bid to overturn her 20-year prison sentence for helping the disgraced late financier Jeffrey Epstein sexually abuse teenage girls.
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit is slated to hear oral arguments over Maxwell’s appeal after her attorneys filed to have her conviction overturned. Arguments are scheduled for 2 p.m. ET, according to the docket reviewed by the Washington Examiner, and the court is not expected to rule immediately.
Authorities found Epstein dead in a Manhattan jail in August 2019 and ruled his death a suicide, just over a month after he was arrested and charged with sex trafficking. Since then, his victims have recouped hundreds of millions of dollars from his estate and from lawsuits against banks accused of handling transactions that financed his sexual crimes.
A jury in Manhattan found Maxwell, 62, guilty on sex trafficking charges in December 2021, agreeing with prosecutors’ allegations that she groomed four girls for Epstein to rape and, in some cases, committed sexual abuse herself as well.
“She then manipulated the victims and normalized sexual abuse through her involvement, encouragement, and instruction,” U.S. District Judge Alison Nathan, who presided over Maxwell’s trial, said before sentencing her to 20 years in prison with a $750,000 fine.
Maxwell maintains that she is innocent.
“Despite the many helpful and positive things I have done in my life, and will continue to do, to assist others during my sentence, I know that my association with Epstein and this case will forever and permanently stain me,” Maxwell said during her sentencing hearing. “It is the greatest regret of my life that I ever met Jeffrey Epstein.”
Maxwell’s lawyers wrote in her appeal that prosecutors targeted her after Epstein’s death because there was a “public outrage” that demanded prosecutors place the blame on someone.
Defense lawyers also say that prosecutors waited too long to bring the charges and that Maxwell was immune under a 2007 nonprosecution agreement between Epstein and federal prosecutors in Florida.
If the judges agree with her counsel’s arguments, Maxwell could be set free or face another trial.
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Prosecutors argue that Maxwell’s appeal has no basis and have pointed to the exorbitant damages paid to her victims, and they say that the 20-year sentence should not be moved to ensure those who abuse and sexually traffic victims are held accountable under the law.
Maxwell is presently being housed in a low-security prison in Tallahassee, Florida, and she is eligible for release in July 2037. She is not expected to make an appearance in court during the oral arguments.
