Ghislaine Maxwell asked a federal court on Dec. 17 to set aside her sex trafficking convictions and 20-year prison sentence, citing “newly discovered evidence.”
Maxwell was an associate of the late Jeffrey Epstein, a convicted sex offender who died in custody in 2019 while under indictment for sex trafficking.
She was convicted in December 2021 in New York state on five counts of sex trafficking, including conspiracy to traffic minors. In June 2022, she was sentenced to 20 years in prison.
Maxwell, who is representing herself, filed a habeas corpus petition with the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York.
A habeas corpus petition allows a prisoner to challenge their detention. The Latin phrase itself means “you have the body.” Federal judges receive such petitions from inmates who claim their federally protected rights were violated….