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A US federal judge has rejected a bid by Ghislaine Maxwell, a key accomplice of notorious sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, to throw out her conviction on sex trafficking charges.
Maxwell, 64, has been sentenced to 20 years in prison and is the only person convicted of a crime in connection with Epstein, who died in a New York jail cell in 2019 while awaiting his own trial.
In his ruling, Judge Paul Engelmayer said that Maxwell’s claims that her constitutional rights at trial and sentencing were violated “are all meritless and all or almost all are frivolous.”
“Nearly all its claims are procedurally barred; the overwhelming testimonial and documentary evidence adduced at trial conclusively established her guilt; and her petition’s claims are demonstrably meritless, and generally based on speculation, distortions, and/or outright falsehoods,” Engelmayer wrote.
Maxwell was convicted in 2021 of supplying underage girls to Epstein, whose ties to powerful business executives, politicians, celebrities and academics have fuelled years of scrutiny and conspiracy theories.
- Under a new law passed last year, President Donald Trump’s administration released vast troves of investigative files relating to Epstein, drawing huge public attention to the case.
High-profile figures including Britain’s former Prince Andrew have been publicly disgraced for their associations with Epstein.
In February, Maxwell was subpoenaed by the House Oversight Committee to discuss her relations with Epstein but refused to answer any questions. Her lawyer stated she would only speak if Trump granted her clemency.
Last October, the US Supreme Court declined to hear an appeal by Maxwell of her sex trafficking conviction.
Trump, who also had a years-long relationship with Epstein, initially opposed releasing the so-called Epstein files, prompting accusations of a cover-up that dogged his first year back in office.
The Republican has denied any link to Epstein’s crimes.
Additional sources • AP, AFP