Ghislaine Maxwell is seeking to “vacate, set aside, or correct her conviction and sentence” on federal sex trafficking charges linked to a sexual exploitation scheme for Jeffrey Epstein, according to a petition filed Wednesday.
The petition for a writ of habeas corpus, filed in federal court in the Southern District of New York, seeks to challenge her conviction over what the petition describes as “substantial new evidence.”
Among the issues raised in the petition are allegations of juror misconduct, collusion between victims' attorneys and the government, and violations of due process rights.
The evidence cited in the document comes in part from litigation against the Federal Bureau of Prisons, financial institutions and Epstein’s estate. The petition alleges that "exculpatory information was withheld, false testimony presented, and material facts misrepresented to the jury and the Court."
"The cumulative effect of these constitutional violations constitutes a complete miscarriage of justice, rendering Petitioner’s conviction invalid, unsafe and infirm," the petition says.
The Justice Department not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The petition was filed pro se, indicating that Maxwell is representing herself in the proceedings.
Maxwell, 63, was convicted in 2021 on multiple sex trafficking charges, including conspiracy to entice minors to travel to engage in illegal sex acts, conspiracy to transport minors to participate in illegal sex acts and sex trafficking of a minor.
She is serving a 20-year sentence at a minimum-security camp in Texas.
Maxwell previously appealed her conviction on the grounds that a nonprosecution agreement Epstein reached with authorities in Florida should apply to her case in New York. The U.S. Supreme Court rejected that appeal in October.
In a letter this month, Maxwell's attorney said a request from the Justice Department to unseal grand jury records from her criminal case would create "undue prejudice" and prevent “the possibility of a fair retrial" were her conviction to be overturned.
A federal judge granted the Justice Department request, ordering the release of transcripts, exhibits and other materials pursuant to the Epstein Files Transparency Act, which President Donald Trump signed into law Nov. 19.
Maxwell and her attorney met with Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche for nine hours over the summer amid public backlash to the Justice Department’s review of Epstein-related files. The review concluded that Epstein’s 2019 death while he was awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges was a suicide and that he did not maintain an incriminating client list used to blackmail prominent people.
Maxwell told Blanche that she never witnessed Trump acting inappropriately with anyone, according to a transcript of the conversation released by the Justice Department. She was moved from a low-level Florida prison to the minimum-security camp shortly after her interview with Blanche.
