Ghislaine Maxwell’s legal team files for retrial

A new trial request for Jeffrey Epstein’s convicted offsider has been lodged after a juror identified himself as a child sex abuse victim.

Ghislaine Maxwell, right, the disgraced British socialite convicted of recruiting and grooming young girls to be sexually abused by the late US financier Jeffrey Epstein, left. Picture: Johannes Eiselle/AFP

Ghislaine Maxwell’s legal team has requested a new trial after a juror identified himself as a child sex abuse victim.

In a letter to the court the team filed a “motion for a new trial … and accompanying exhibits under seal”. Her lawyers said: “For the reasons set forth in the motion, we request that all submissions pertaining to Juror No 50 remain under seal until the court rules.”

Maxwell, 60, was convicted last month on five charges involving the trafficking, enticement and transportation of teenagers to be sexually abused by Jeffrey Epstein, the convicted sex offender who took his own life in 2019.

The daughter of Robert Maxwell, the British press baron, faces decades in prison. Days after the verdict one of the jurors said that he drew on his experiences as a child sex abuse victim to persuade other jurors of Maxwell’s guilt.

His disclosure raised questions about whether he had correctly answered a questionnaire for prospective jury service candidates. Had he answered yes to a question on the form, it would be expected to result in follow-up questions by the judge in her chambers, before lawyers from both sides.

The juror appeared unable to recall the questions and told Reuters that he “flew through” the form. Damian Williams, US lawyer for the Southern District of New York, appeared to confirm that the form was completed incorrectly when he asked the court to conduct an inquiry. He suggested that the juror be offered a court-appointed lawyer.

Christian Everdell, Maxwell’s lawyer, wrote to Judge Alison Nathan soon afterwards, saying that there were “incontrovertible grounds for a new trial”. He asked the court to suspend all other proceedings.

The Times