US judge rejects Ghislaine Maxwell's bid to overturn sex trafficking convictions
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A US federal judge rejected Ghislaine Maxwell's bid to throw out her five felony convictions, calling her claims "meritless" and "frivolous". Judge Paul Engelmayer denied the post-conviction challenge in a 67-page opinion made public on Tuesday. Maxwell, 63, is serving a 20-year sentence for helping Jeffrey Epstein recruit and sexually abuse underage girls.
Key Facts
- Judge Paul Engelmayer denied Maxwell's post-conviction challenge in a 67-page opinion made public on Tuesday.
- Maxwell, 63, is serving a 20-year sentence and is eligible for release in 2037.
- The Second Circuit Court of Appeals upheld Maxwell's conviction in 2024, and the Supreme Court declined to hear a further appeal last October.
- Maxwell filed her petition under Section 2255, the federal statute allowing convicted defendants to challenge their sentences.
- Engelmayer wrote that the Epstein files released under the Epstein Files Transparency Act "far from exculpating her, it incriminates her or reinforces the correctness of the legal rulings Maxwell challenges."
Judge's Ruling
Judge Paul Engelmayer, who did not preside over Maxwell's original 2021 trial, called her filing a "lengthy and rambling petition". Engelmayer found that the material released under the Epstein Files Transparency Act worked against Maxwell rather than for her. He highlighted an apparent contradiction in Maxwell's account regarding her role in Epstein's household after 2002. Engelmayer described the case against her as "the epitome of a virtuous prosecution" and certified that any appeal of his ruling "would not be taken in good faith".
Maxwell's Claims
Maxwell, representing herself, claimed her constitutional rights at trial and sentencing were violated. Much of her petition leaned on records released under the Epstein Files Transparency Act, a law passed with near-unanimous congressional support in November 2025. On claims that Maxwell was unfairly singled out while other associates of Epstein went uncharged, Engelmayer noted she had not implicated any other person in the child sex abuse scheme. The judge also noted that Maxwell does not even concede Epstein's culpability in her own filing.
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US judge rejects Ghislaine Maxwell's bid to overturn sex trafficking convictions
