US court upholds conviction of British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell for sex trafficking

A U.S. court on Tuesday upheld the conviction of embattled British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell for her involvement in sex trafficking. Maxwell is alleged to have helped the late businessman Jeffrey Epstein abuse underage girls.

Maxwell’s lawyers argued that her convictions violated a deal Epstein reached with federal prosecutors 15 years ago and violated the statute of limitations. They also cited a miscarriage of justice and a miscalculation of the range of federal sentencing guidelines as reasons to throw out her conviction and sentence.

But the ruling by the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New York said Epstein’s non-prosecution agreement with federal prosecutors in Florida did not prohibit federal prosecutors in New York from bringing a case. They also found that Maxwell’s charges fell within the statute of limitations.

Maxwell, 62, was found guilty in December 2021 of luring young girls to Epstein so he could abuse them between 1994 and 2004. In June 2022, she was sentenced to 20 years in prison.

Epstein sexually abused children hundreds of times over a decade, exploiting vulnerable girls as young as 14. Prosecutors say his longtime companion, Maxwell, aided and abetted the abuse.

In 2019, he committed suicide while awaiting trial.

Epstein and Maxwell’s ties to royals, presidents and billionaires didn’t figure prominently in her trial, but the mention of friends like Bill Clinton and Donald Trump showed how the pair exploited their connections to impress their prey.

The trial revolved around allegations from just a handful of Epstein’s accusers. Four testified that they were abused in the 1990s and early 2000s at Epstein’s mansions in Florida, New York, New Mexico and the Virgin Islands.

Maxwell is serving her sentence in a low-security federal prison in Tallahassee, Florida.