Maxwell Says Epstein Files Show Her Rights Were Violated

Ghislaine Maxwell claims that documents released this year in connection with Jeffrey Epstein show her rights were violated before she was convicted of helping him sexually abuse teenage girls.

US prosecutors reject her latest claims as baseless or filed too late.

In an amended petition made public on Wednesday, Maxwell said lawyers representing Epstein’s accusers acted as “De Facto Prosecutors and agents of the government”, violating her right to due process.

She also accused prosecutors of failing to properly follow witnesses and evidence, including by not interviewing Leslie Wexner, the retail billionaire who hired Epstein to manage his personal finances. Maxwell said the omissions led to “misrepresentations to judges and the jury resulting in an unsafe conviction”, and also alleged gaps in witness testimony and government suppression of evidence.

US Attorney Jay Clayton in Manhattan, whose office prosecuted Maxwell, said most of her claims were late, while the rest were speculative, misstated the record or the law, or failed to show that her trial was unfair.

Maxwell was convicted in December 2021 on five charges of recruiting and grooming underage girls for Epstein to abuse between 1994 and 2004. She is serving a 20-year sentence. The US Supreme Court rejected an earlier appeal in October.

(Reuters, bak)