THE Supreme Court has rejected Ghislaine Maxwell’s appeal to overturn a conviction relating to 𝓈ℯ𝓍-trafficking for former boyfriend Jeffrey Epstein.
Maxwell’s 20-year sentence will remain in place after she was found guilty of recruiting and grooming young women and girls with Epstein.
Maxwell’s lawyer, David Oscar Markus, argued that she should not have faced prosecution because of a deal that Epstein made with federal prosecutors in Florida in 2008.
The then-US attorney pledged not to prosecute Epstein or potential co-conspirators.
Following the ruling, Markus said: “We’re, of course, deeply disappointed that the Supreme Court declined to hear Ghislaine Maxwell’s case.
“But this fight isn’t over. Serious legal and factual issues remain, and we will continue to pursue every avenue available to ensure that justice is done.”
At the heart of the court’s decision was whether Epstein’s non-prosecution agreement applied across the US or only in the district where it was negotiated.
The Justice Department asked the Supreme Court to throw out the appeal, arguing that the US attorney would have needed to apply to his superiors in order for the agreement to apply nationwide.
Solicitor General D. John Sauer said there was no evidence that had happened.
British-𝐛𝐨𝐫𝐧 socialite Maxwell was convicted in 2022 of three counts relating to her role as Epstein’s assistant groomer of victims as young as 14.
Slippery Maxwell would win the girls’ trust with promises of money and glamorous careers before carting them off the Epstein’s island of horrors or another of his lairs.
She sometimes even watched on as Epstein abused the girls, prosecutors alleged.
Trump ‘was never inappropriate with anybody’, Ghislaine Maxwell told DOJ as Epstein pal’s interview transcript released
Epstein’s criminal scheme was thrust back into the spotlight earlier this year as pressure mounted for Trump to release all the files relating to the disgraced financier.
In July, Maxwell was interviewed by federal agents as part of a probe into the sick racket, and the possible involvement of others.
Under questioning, she asserted that President Trump was “never inappropriate with anybody”.
This came amid unfounded accusations that Trump’s refusal to release all the files is because he is somehow implicated in them.
Maxwell also claimed the infamous photo of Prince Andrew and his late accuser Virginia Giuffre was a fake.
She further insisted that Andrew had never had 𝓈ℯ𝓍 with Giuffre – despite her accusations that they did when she was underage.
Asked about the accusation Andrew used her London house to have 𝓈ℯ𝓍 with Giuffre in 2001, she said:
“The issue is, could Andrew have come to the house to see me or see Epstein, and say ‘hi’ and she had been there? Yes.
“I can’t say that that didn’t happen. But what I can absolutely, categorically say is that I never, at any time, set Andrew up to have relations with her or any other human being ever.
“And I can categorically state that her characterization of whatever may or may not have happened, could — physically would just no.”
The Justice Department and FBI concluded there was no Epstein “client list” – touted by conspiracy theories as containing the names of powerful people also implicated in Epstein’s crimes.
The government also said there was no doubt Epstein 𝓀𝒾𝓁𝓁ed himself in 2019 – contradicting claims he was 𝓀𝒾𝓁𝓁ed.
Andrew must come clean, says Lisa Bloom
by Katie Davis, Chief Foreign Reporter (Digital)
POWERHOUSE civil rights attorney Lisa Bloom has dealt with cases against her fair share of predators in her time.
But few make her stomach churn as much as Jeffrey Epstein.
For decades, Ms Bloom has built a formidable reputation championing female underdogs against wealthy alpha males.
When she first got a phone call from one of Epstein’s victims, however, Ms Bloom had no idea of the depths of depravity she was dealing with.
“Jeffrey Epstein is one of the most prolific predators I think we have ever seen,” Ms Bloom told The Sun.
“It really does shock the conscience. It’s really very deeply disturbing.”
More than 2,000 days have passed since Andrew’s pledge to speak to authorities, and he maintains he knew nothing of Epstein’s 𝓈ℯ𝓍 trafficking.
Ms Bloom blasted Andrew’s continued silence and said: “Shame on him.”
She added: “Prince Andrew should be ashamed of himself. He should apologise to the victims.
“He should do what he said he would do years ago, which is cooperate with the authorities, give them whatever information he has about Epstein.
“The fact that he does not do that suggests he has something to hide.
“And the fact that he continues to not do that shows he’s probably going to hide that for the rest of his life.”
