Ghislaine Maxwell’s legal team will claim that her accusers had ‘faded distorted and motivated memories’ as she begins her appeal against a 20-year sentence that was handed down to her in 2022 for aiding Jeffrey Epstein’s pedophile ring.
Ghislaine Maxwell was described as ‘dangerous’ during her trial as jurors were told details of how she helped entice vulnerable teenagers to Epstein’s various properties for him to sexually abuse.
One of the details that Maxwell’s lawyers will argue surrounded juror Scotty David who allegedly failed to disclose that he had been sexually abused in his pre-trial questionnaire.
Judge Alison Nathan said at sentencing that Maxwell was ‘central’ to Epstein’s heinous crimes, not a ‘proxy.’
‘Ms Maxwell worked with Epstein to select young victims who were vulnerable and played a pivotal role in facilitating sexual abuse,’ the judge said.
Earlier this month, MailOnline reported that Maxwell was ‘focused and motivated’ for her appeal. The disgraced socialite serving her time in a minimum security prison in Tallahassee.
‘It’s unusual for someone to have such a grasp of a complex case like this. It’s unique. But she’s focused and motivated and that motivates us. It definitely puts some fire in our belly,’ her brother Ian said.
The US government lawyers said Maxwell’s appeal arguments ‘fall far short of establishing Judge Nathan abused her discretion’ in her decision not to overturn the jury’s verdict.
They will also argue that her sentence was not unfair and that her arguments to the contrary are ‘so cursory and undeveloped’ that they should be dismissed.
She was convicted of five offenses, including sex trafficking minors, conspiracy to entice a minor to travel to engage in illegal sex acts, and conspiracy to transport a minor with the intent to engage in criminal sexual activity.
Maxwell has been incarcerated since July 2020, despite numerous attempts from her defense counsel to have her released on bail.
Epstein was found dead in his cell at a federal jail in Manhattan in August 2019 while he awaited trial on sex trafficking charges.
The death was ruled a suicide.
Last month, it was reported that grand jury transcripts from a 2006 Florida investigation into underage girls will be released publicly later this year under legislation signed into law Thursday by Gov. Ron DeSantis.
A local judge cited the new law in denying the release of the records for now.
The measure, which takes effect July 1, would carve out a limited exception to the secrecy that generally shrouds grand jury testimony in specific cases such as that involving Epstein, DeSantis said at a signing ceremony in Palm Beach, Florida, where many of the crimes took place at Epstein’s home.
‘There needs to be a mechanism in some of these rare circumstances where people can get the truth,’ the Republican governor said. ‘This is in the interest of justice to disclose this. We don’t think we can just turn a blind eye.’
Infamously, Trump’s Labor Secretary Alexander Acosta signed off on a cushy deal for Epstein.
In 2008 that allowed him to escape more severe federal charges and instead plead guilty to state charges of procuring a person under 18 for prostitution and solicitation of prostitution.
He was sentenced to 18 months in the Palm Beach County jail system, followed by 12 months of house arrest. He was required to register as a sex offender.
‘What happened was clearly wrong and the punishment was wholly inadequate for the crime,’ DeSantis said.
Epstein 2018 was charged with federal sex trafficking – where he also had a mansion that was a scene of abuse – after the Miami Herald published a series of articles that renewed public focus on the case, including interviews with some victims who had been pursuing civil lawsuits against him.
