DENIED

Ghislaine Maxwell Pins Hopes on Pardon After Supreme Court Smackdown

The decision ends Maxwell’s effort to have her criminal conviction overturned.

Ghislaine Maxwell vowed to continue her “fight” for freedom after the Supreme Court on Monday declined to hear an appeal challenging her conviction for crimes relating to Jeffrey Epstein.

Maxwell is currently serving a 20-year prison sentence over a scheme to help Epstein groom and sexually abuse girls. The court’s decision brings her effort to overturn her conviction to an end.

“We’re, of course, deeply disappointed that the Supreme Court declined to hear Ghislaine Maxwell’s case,” said Maxwell’s lawyer, David Oscar Markus, in a statement. “But this fight isn’t over. Serious legal and factual issues remain, and we will continue to pursue every avenue available to ensure that justice is done,” he added.

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Maxwell’s lawyer filed a petition in April, asking the Supreme Court justices to overturn her conviction, arguing that charges filed against her in 2020 violated an agreement Jeffrey Epstein made with federal prosecutors in 2008.

Epstein pleaded guilty to state criminal charges in Florida that year as part of a nonprosecution agreement with the U.S. attorney’s office in Miami. Under the agreement, Epstein avoided federal charges by pleading guilty to the state offenses.

The deal also included a co-conspirator’s clause stating that no criminal charges would be brought against “any potential co-conspirator of Epstein” if he complied with the terms of the agreement.

Maxwell was charged in a New York federal court with conspiring with Epstein to sexually abuse minors.

The Justice Department stated in a brief to the Supreme Court over the summer that Maxwell was “not a party to the relevant agreement,” noting that the agreement was only between Jeffrey Epstein and the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Florida.

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A federal district court had previously rejected Maxwell’s appeal. On Monday, the Supreme Court did not provide a reason for declining to hear the appeal.

In August, Maxwell was transferred from a Florida prison to a minimum-security facility in Texas after discussions with Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, a former personal attorney to President Donald Trump.

Maxwell’s new prison houses other high-profile inmates and operates as a dorm-style facility, offering amenities such as a game room and arts and crafts classes. Many of Maxwell’s family members live in Texas, allowing for more frequent visits. She also has access to video calls with her family.

The Epstein case has continued to draw significant public attention, as the Trump administration has not released all federal documents related to Epstein despite earlier promises to do so.

When asked by reporters about the possibility of pardoning Maxwell, Trump said he was “allowed to do it,” adding that it is something he has “not thought about.”

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