The ex-partner of the late American multimillionaire Jeffrey Epstein, Ghislaine Maxwell, has failed in her application for a new trial. Judge Alison Nathan said Friday in New York, according to media reports, that a jury’s false statements in a questionnaire did not lead to a flawed trial. This paves the way for Maxwell’s conviction on June 28. The 60-year-old faces several decades in prison.
Maxwell was charged with six counts, including trafficking for abuse. She was found guilty of these and four other charges in late December.
played a central role
As a helper to her ex-partner Epstein, the British woman played a central role in building his ring for the sexual abuse of young girls, the jury in New York ruled. After the conviction, her lawyers officially requested a new trial.
Jury gave false information
A juror had previously stated in interviews that he himself had been a victim of sexual abuse. However, he had ticked ‘no’ in a questionnaire that specifically asked candidate jurors if they had experienced sexual abuse. Maxwell’s attorneys argued that if the jury had told the truth, “he would have been disqualified and disfellowshipped for good reason.”
Judge Nathan dismissed Maxwell’s claim Friday that this undisclosed fact deprived her of a fair and impartial jury during the trial. She pointed out that the bar for overturning a conviction is high and only occurs “in the most exceptional circumstances.”
Source: Krone
I’m Wayne Wickman, a professional journalist and author for Today Times Live. My specialty is covering global news and current events, offering readers a unique perspective on the world’s most pressing issues. I’m passionate about storytelling and helping people stay informed on the goings-on of our planet.
