The Supreme Court on Monday refused to hear an appeal from Ghislaine Maxwell, the former associate of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, who sought to have her conviction overturned based on an earlier non-prosecution agreement Epstein made with federal authorities.
Maxwell, who is serving a 20-year federal prison sentence handed down in 2022 for her role in grooming and sexually abusing underage girls alongside Epstein, argued in her April appeal that the 2007 non-prosecution agreement Epstein secured with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida should have granted her immunity from later charges.
She was subsequently charged by prosecutors in the Southern District of New York.
Court Upholds Lower Ruling on Scope of Agreement
The 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals had previously ruled against Maxwell, finding that the agreement with Florida prosecutors did not obligate or bind authorities in New York.
The Justice Department echoed this position to the Supreme Court in a brief, stating that Maxwell “was not a party to the relevant agreement,” which was solely between Epstein and the Florida U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Maxwell’s legal team contended that appeals courts across the country have taken differing approaches regarding whether a non-prosecution agreement with the United States should be nationally binding.
READ: Washington Rep. Jayapal Can’t Stop Screaming At Top Of Her Lungs At Kash Patel Over Epstein Answers
Background of Epstein and Related Developments
Epstein pleaded guilty in 2008 to state prostitution charges in Florida. He was indicted on federal sex trafficking charges in New York in July 2019 but died by suicide in prison a month later.
The Trump administration defended the charges and conviction at the Supreme Court. Separately, Maxwell met with the Justice Department this summer, stating she “never witnessed anything untoward” in former President Donald Trump’s friendship with Epstein and denied hearing any allegations that Trump acted inappropriately.
Maxwell was transferred to a minimum-security prison camp shortly after the interview with the deputy attorney general was completed.
The Epstein case continues to draw scrutiny. Recently, the House Oversight Committee released records from the case, including a note bearing Trump’s name that was part of a collection of letters gifted to Epstein for his 50th birthday.
Trump has repeatedly denied writing the letter, while some Republicans and his supporters have called for greater transparency in the overall case.
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