Ghislaine Maxwell has appealed to the Supreme Court to overturn her sex-trafficking conviction, arguing that she should be protected by a non-prosecution agreement made between Jeffrey Epstein and federal authorities. Maxwell, sentenced to 20 years in prison in 2022, claims the agreement should shield her from prosecution. Her attorneys assert that the government must uphold its promises, referencing an agreement Epstein made in exchange for pleading guilty to state prostitution charges in 2008.
Maxwell's appeal follows a decision by the 2nd US Circuit Court of Appeals, which ruled that the Florida agreement does not apply to New York authorities. Maxwell's legal team contends that different courts have interpreted the national applicability of such agreements inconsistently, urging the Supreme Court to address this issue.
The Justice Department, defending Maxwell's conviction, stated in a brief that Maxwell was not a party to the original agreement, which involved only Epstein and the Florida U.S. Attorney's Office. The Supreme Court is expected to decide this fall whether to hear Maxwell's case.