ABD’de hakim, Ghislaine Maxwell’in mahkumiyet kararına itirazını reddetti

New York federal judge, John Smith, rejected Ghislaine Maxwell’s appeal against her 20‑year sentence. The judge described Maxwell’s 2021 conviction‑vacating petition as “baseless” and “groundless.” Maxwell argued that her constitutional rights were violated, but the judge said the appeal was “long and disorganized” and that most of its claims could not be reviewed procedurally. The judge affirmed that the witnesses and documents presented at trial proved Maxwell’s guilt.

Maxwell had claimed that documents released by the U.S. Department of Justice earlier this year proved she had been wrongfully convicted. The judge stated that those documents did not exonerate Maxwell but actually reinforced the conviction. The judge also said Maxwell’s allegations were based on speculation, distortion, or false statements and warned that any further appeals would not be treated as “good‑faith” applications.

Maxwell was convicted in 2021 for aiding Jeffrey Epstein in the sexual abuse of minors, having directed some girls, some as young as 14, to Epstein between 1994 and 2004. Epstein died in prison in 2019. In February 2023 Maxwell participated in a House Oversight Committee hearing via video link, declined to answer questions, and invoked her right to remain silent. She had previously requested a pardon from President Donald Trump, but the Senate adopted a resolution rejecting Trump’s pardon last month.