Ghislaine Maxwell, Jeffrey Epstein's accomplice in sex trafficking, loses appeal.
In 2021, Maxwell was found guilty of aiding Epstein's abuse during the years 1994 to 2004.
On Tuesday, a federal appeals court affirmed Ghislaine Maxwell's conviction for facilitating Jeffrey Epstein's sex trafficking offenses.
The 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Manhattan ruled that Ghislaine Maxwell will remain in a Florida prison, where she will continue to serve her 20-year sentence for procuring teen girls as victims for Epstein between 1994 and 2004.
Arthur Aidala, Maxwell's lawyer, expressed disappointment in the ruling but indicated that they would explore other options with the U.S. Supreme Court.
""We are cautiously optimistic that Ghislaine will receive justice from the Supreme Court of the United States, despite our disappointment with the court's decision and our disagreement with the outcome," Aidala stated."
In December 2021, Maxwell, 62, was found guilty in federal court of five charges related to recruiting and grooming underage girls for Epstein.
In March, Maxwell's attorneys filed an appeal to the court, challenging the statute of limitations, the violation of a prior non-prosecution agreement, allegations of juror misconduct, and Maxwell's sentencing.
The British socialite contended in her appeal that the jury that presided over her trial was tainted by a juror who did not reveal that he had been sexually abused as a child, and that the court handed Maxwell an unduly harsh sentence to appease public fury.
The appeals court upheld Maxwell's convictions and deemed her sentence "procedurally reasonable" in a ruling on Tuesday.
The unsealed court documents detailing the sex trafficking empire have had a lasting impact on the reputations of the individuals implicated in the Epstein scandal.
The documents contain references to over 150 individuals, including former Presidents Clinton and Trump, magician David Copperfield, Prince Andrew, former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak, actor Kevin Spacey, lawyer Alan Dershowitz, the late New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, and former Vice President Al Gore, among others.
In 2019, at the age of 66, Epstein took his own life in a Manhattan jail cell, just five weeks after being arrested and charged with sex trafficking.
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