Ghislaine Maxwell loses bid to overturn conviction

A US federal judge on Tuesday rejected Ghislaine Maxwell's bid to overturn her sex trafficking conviction.

Maxwell, 64, was sentenced to 20 years in prison. She is the only person convicted of a crime in connection with Jeffrey Epstein, who died in a New York jail cell in 2019 while awaiting trial.

Judge Paul Engelmayer said Maxwell's claims that her constitutional rights at trial and sentencing were violated were “all meritless and all or almost all are frivolous.”

Maxwell was convicted in 2021 of supplying underage girls to Epstein. The US Supreme Court declined last October to hear an appeal by Maxwell of her conviction.

President Donald Trump's administration has released large quantities of Epstein investigative files under a law passed last year, drawing renewed public attention to the case.

In February, Maxwell was subpoenaed by the House Oversight Committee to discuss her relationship with Epstein but refused to answer questions. Her lawyer said she would speak only if Trump granted her clemency.

Trump had a years-long relationship with Epstein. He initially opposed releasing the Epstein files, prompting accusations of a cover-up, and has denied any link to Epstein's crimes.