U.S. judge rejects Ghislaine Maxwells bid to overturn sex trafficking conviction
A U.S. District judge on Tuesday rejected Ghislaine Maxwell’s bid to overturn her 2021 sex trafficking convictions, calling her claims “meritless” and “frivolous” in a 67-page ruling.
Judge Paul Engelmayer of New York dismissed Maxwell’s habeas petition, which argued that newly released Department of Justice files in the Jeffrey Epstein case proved her constitutional rights were violated during her trial and sentencing. The judge stated that the evidence Maxwell cited was “largely irrelevant” and, where relevant, “incriminates her or reinforces the correctness of the legal rulings” she challenged .
Engelmayer wrote that Maxwell’s arguments were based on “speculation, distortions, and/or outright falsehoods” and that no disputed fact could alter the trial’s outcome. He noted that many of her claims were already rejected on appeal or could have been raised earlier .
Maxwell, 63, is serving a 20-year sentence for recruiting and grooming young women and girls for Epstein, who died by suicide in a New York jail in 2019 while awaiting trial. She was convicted on five felony counts in December 2021, and the Second Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the verdict in 2024. The U.S. Supreme Court declined to review her case in October 2025 .
In her petition, Maxwell claimed prosecutors withheld exculpatory evidence and presented false testimony, calling her conviction a “complete miscarriage of justice.” She also argued that the Epstein Files Transparency Act, passed in November 2025, revealed new evidence supporting her appeal. However, Engelmayer found that the materials undermined her position, including a July 2025 interview where Maxwell described managing Epstein’s properties years after she claimed to have left his household .
Maxwell, a British socialite and Epstein’s former girlfriend, was transferred to a minimum-security prison in Texas last year after her interview with then-Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche. She is eligible for release in 2037 .
The judge denied her request for an evidentiary hearing, stating there was “no fact that Maxwell fairly puts in dispute that has any potential to disturb the outcome of her trial” .
Follow us for live European news
- 2
- 1
- 1
- 1
- 1
- 1
- 1
- 1
2 further sources not geolocated
Articles
Epstein-Komplizin Ghislaine Maxwell bleibt in Haft
orf.at · about 2 hours ago
US judge rejects Ghislaine Maxwells miscarriage of justice claims Maxwell, a British socialite, was convicted of sex trafficking in December 2021.
thejournal · about 2 hours ago
Judge rejects Ghislaine Maxwells frivolous attempt to throw out trafficking convictions after Epstein files release In anything, Maxwells latest meritless attempt to escape her sentence only further incriminates her, judge says
independent · about 2 hours ago
Judge rejects Ghislaine Maxwells bid to overturn conviction The longtime companion and co-conspirator of the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein argued that her due process rights were violated.
politico.eu · about 2 hours ago
Gerichtsentscheidung: Einspruch von Epstein-Vertrauter gegen Urteil abgelehnt Ein Einspruch von Ghislaine Maxwell zu ihrer Haftstrafe scheitert. Ein Bundesrichter weist ihre Vorwürfe als „unbegründet ab.
handelsblatt · about 2 hours ago
![Ghislaine Maxwells bid to overturn conviction rejected A federal judge rejected Ghislaine Maxwells bid to overturn her conviction, finding her claims — including arguments based on newly released Epstein files — were frivolous.Why it matters: The blistering opinion says the evidence of Maxwells guilt is "overwhelming" and new evidence hurt more than helped her.What theyre saying: "Maxwells claims are all meritless and all or almost all are frivolous," U.S. District Judge Paul Engelmayer wrote in a 67-page opinion."The vast majority are procedurally barred — either because Maxwell made and lost the same arguments on direct appeal, or because she could have made such arguments on appeal but elected not to do so." "And the purported new evidence to which Maxwell points, principally materials released under the [Epstein Files Transparency Act,] is largely irrelevant to the charges against Maxwell and does not support her claims of error." "On the contrary, to the extent it is relevant, far from exculpating her, it incriminates her or reinforces the correctness of the legal rulings Maxwell challenges."](https://images.axios.com/b5FJ6r30BRAGWa48VjjTQ0eDbk8=/0x261:4256x2655/1366x768/2026/08/25/1787674804422.jpg)
Ghislaine Maxwells bid to overturn conviction rejected A federal judge rejected Ghislaine Maxwells bid to overturn her conviction, finding her claims — including arguments based on newly released Epstein files — were frivolous.Why it matters: The blistering opinion says the evidence of Maxwells guilt is "overwhelming" and new evidence hurt more than helped her.What theyre saying: "Maxwells claims are all meritless and all or almost all are frivolous," U.S. District Judge Paul Engelmayer wrote in a 67-page opinion."The vast majority are procedurally barred — either because Maxwell made and lost the same arguments on direct appeal, or because she could have made such arguments on appeal but elected not to do so." "And the purported new evidence to which Maxwell points, principally materials released under the [Epstein Files Transparency Act,] is largely irrelevant to the charges against Maxwell and does not support her claims of error." "On the contrary, to the extent it is relevant, far from exculpating her, it incriminates her or reinforces the correctness of the legal rulings Maxwell challenges."
axios · about 2 hours ago
US judge denies Ghislaine Maxwells frivolous bid to throw out conviction US judge rejects Maxwells claims that newly released Epstein files could help overturn her sex-trafficking convictions.
aljazeera · about 2 hours ago
Ghislaine Maxwell loses bid to throw out conviction for aiding Jeffrey Epstein reut.rs/4xukuo7
bluesky_Reuters · about 2 hours ago
US convicts ex-Philips engineer for exposing X-ray secrets to competitor Dutch electronics giant saw right through ex-engineers plot, albeit over a year after it all unravelled
the register · about 2 hours ago
Affaire Epstein : Un juge américain rejette la demande de Ghislaine Maxwell visant à annuler sa condamnation Un juge américain a rejeté la demande de Ghislaine Maxwell visant à annuler sa condamnation à 20 ans de prison pour exploitation sexuelle, rapportent mardi plusieurs médias américains. Selon le juge, ses arguments sont "infondés" et "fantaisistes". ...
la libre · about 2 hours ago
Ghislaine Maxwell får på ny afvist appel mod fængselsdom
dr.dk · about 2 hours ago