LAST RESORT

Ghislaine Maxwell Tries Hail Mary Freedom Bid to Grab Trump’s Eye

The Epstein accomplice is trying to appeal her case to the Supreme Court.

Ghislaine Maxwell tried to butter up to the Trump administration Friday by asking the Supreme Court to overturn her sex-trafficking conviction despite her 20-year prison sentence for helping Jeffrey Epstein abuse young girls.

“I just wish her well, frankly,” Trump said about the jailed Epstein accomplice back in 2020.

Maxwell, 58, recruited girls for the infamous child sex offender’s vile sex ring, serving as both his ex-lover and partner in crime. She groomed and trafficked minors for more than a decade for Epstein, who later died by suicide in prison. She was convicted in 2021 on five counts of aiding him in his abuse.

Now, she’s asking for a get-out-of-jail-free card from the president, who once had a close relationship with the former financier. The president even once called the pedophile a “terrific guy” in a conversation with New York Magazine in 2002, hinting at his interest in women “on the young side.”

Maxwell argues that she was covered by a non-prosecution agreement that the government made in Florida with her former partner, and on Friday begged the high court to take another look at her case.

A federal appeals court already rejected her argument that the Florida agreement, arranged in 2007, prevented her from prosecution in New York. So on Friday she decided to take it to upper management.

Her attorneys argued: “Despite the existence of a non-prosecution agreement promising in plain language that the United States would not prosecute any co-conspirator of Jeffrey Epstein, the United States in fact prosecuted Ghislaine Maxwell as a co-conspirator of Jeffrey Epstein.”

Maxwell is behind bars as she awaits her trial. An indictment alleged that Maxwell groomed victims to endure sexual abuse and was even sometimes there when Epstein abused them. It also alleged she lied during a 2016 deposition in a civil case.

Epstein had deep ties with high-profile figures that included Trump, former President Bill Clinton, Prince Andrew, retail mogul Leslie Wexner, and more.

“I’ve met her numerous times over the years, especially since I lived in Palm Beach, and I guess they lived in Palm Beach,” Trump said of Maxwell.

The British socialite and her ex have both long had ties with the world of the rich and famous. During their love affair, Maxwell flew on Epstein’s private jet and made a home for herself in his New York and Florida mansions before finally landing on her own Manhattan townhouse.

A former employee of Epstein’s mansion told The New York Times in 2019 that Maxwell was the “lady of the house,” and another Epstein party-goer said she “seemed to be half ex-girlfriend, half employee, half best friend, and fixer.”

Four women testified at trial that Maxwell had talked them into giving Epstein massages that turned sexual. They were enticed with gifts and promises about how Epstein could help them financially or by connecting them to elite circles.

The Supreme Court may now decide her fate. It is ruled by a conservative majority, with six Republican appointees that include Chief Justice John Roberts and Justices Neil Gorsuch, Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito, Brett Kavanaugh, and Amy Coney Barrett.

Maxwell and her attorneys argue that the Supreme Court should determine whether a non-prosecution arrangement in one district can be enforced in another.

“A defendant should be able to rely on a promise that the United States will not prosecute again, without being subject to a gotcha in some other jurisdiction that chooses to interpret that plain language promise in some other way,” defense attorney David Markus wrote.

Maxwell is currently incarcerated in a Tallahassee prison and eligible for release in 2037.

See more of our coverage in your search results.

ADD THE DAILY BEAST ON GOOGLE

Kenneal PattersonBreaking News Intern

Got a tip? Send it to The Daily Beast here.