Acting U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York Audrey Strauss speaks during a news conference in July 2020 to announce charges against Ghislaine Maxwell for her role in the sexual exploitation and abuse of multiple minor girls by Jeffrey Epstein. On Tuesday, a federal judge turned down an request by Maxwell to overturn her conviction and prison sentence. File photo by Jason Szenes/EPA-EFE
Aug. 25 (UPI) -- A federal judge on Tuesday denied Ghislaine Maxwell's attempt to overturn her conviction and prison sentence, slamming the petition as "demonstrably meritless."
In the the ruling, U.S. District Judge Paul A. Engelmayer said the petition by Maxwell, a co-conspirator of the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, was "generally based on speculation, distortions and/or outright falsehoods."
"There is no fact that Maxwell fairly puts in dispute that has any potential to disturb the outcome of her trial," Engelmayer wrote.
Maxwell sought to overturn her five felony convictions on the stance that her due process rights were violated, claiming the documents released by the Department of Justice this year supported this. She also made claims of juror misconduct, inaccurate evidence and "selective prosecution" on the part of the Justice Department.
