STORY-TRÅD·politik

Ghislaine Maxwell's bid to overturn conviction rejected

A federal judge rejected Ghislaine Maxwell's bid to overturn her conviction, finding her claims — including arguments based on newly released Epstein files — were frivolous.Why it matters: The blistering opinion says the evidence of Maxwell's guilt is "overwhelming" and new evidence hurt more than helped her.What they're saying: "Maxwell's claims are all meritless and all or almost all are frivolous," U.S. District Judge Paul Engelmayer wrote in a 67-page opinion."The vast majority are procedurally barred — either because Maxwell made and lost the same arguments on direct appeal, or because she could have made such arguments on appeal but elected not to do so." "And the purported 'new' evidence to which Maxwell points, principally materials released under the [Epstein Files Transparency Act,] is largely irrelevant to the charges against Maxwell and does not support her claims of error." "On the contrary, to the extent it is relevant, far from exculpating her, it incriminates her or reinforces the correctness of the legal rulings Maxwell challenges."Catch up quick: Maxwell was convicted of sex trafficking in December 2021.Engelmayer wrote that the government proved she had been "instrumental in an approximately decade-long scheme with Epstein to entice, groom, transport, and traffic numerous young women and underage girls to engage in sexual activity with Epstein."The 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld her conviction, and the U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear her appeal last October. Zoom out: Maxwell is trying to overturn her 20-year sentence, making 10 claims of constitutional and legal errors at her trial and sentencing. Engelmayer rejected every claim and denied Maxwell's request for an evidentiary hearing, writing that there is "no fact that Maxwell fairly puts in dispute that has any potential to disturb the outcome of her trial."An attorney who formerly represented Maxwell did not immediately respond to Axios' request for comment.This is a breaking news story and will be updated.