Ghislaine Maxwell in New York City, September 20, 2013.
Laura Kavanaugh | Getty Images
Claims by Ghislaine Maxwell, Jeffrey Epstein’s ex-girlfriend and longtime colleague, that his sex trafficking conviction was a “complete miscarriage of justice” were rejected Tuesday by a federal judge, who said her claims were based on “speculation, distortion, and/or outright falsehoods.”
In a written decision, Judge Paul A. Engelmayer said Maxwell’s habeas petition seeking release from a 20-year prison sentence was “patently without merit” by vacating the conviction because of “substantial new evidence.”
“Mr. Maxwell’s petition misses the point,” Engelmayer said. “There is no evidence that Maxwell is fighting a fair fight, which could jeopardize the outcome of her case.”
Maxwell argued in a habeas petition in December that exculpatory information from her 2021 trial was withheld and false testimony was presented to the jury.
She said the cumulative effect of the constitutional violations had resulted in a “complete miscarriage of justice.”
A request for comment was sent to Maxwell’s attorney Tuesday.
Habeas petitions are often filed as a last resort to protect against false imprisonment after appeals have been exhausted, as happened after Mr. Maxwell’s conviction and sentencing.
Billionaire investor Epstein was arrested in July 2019 on sex trafficking charges. He was ordered held until his trial, and in August 2019, he was found dead in his cell at a federal prison in New York, which was ruled a suicide.
Maxwell, a popular British socialite, was arrested a year later and found guilty of sex trafficking in December 2021. She was interviewed by the Department of Justice’s deputy commander in July 2025 and was transferred from a federal prison in Florida to a POW camp in Texas shortly thereafter.
