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Topics: Jeffrey Epstein, Donald Trump, Crime
Madison Burgess
Topics: Jeffrey Epstein, Donald Trump, Crime
The family of Ghislaine Maxwell have broken their silence with an unexpected statement after the FBI and DOJ announced the conclusion of the Jeffrey Epstein case.
The disgraced British socialite, 63, was found guilty in December 2021 of luring young girls to massage rooms for sex offender Jeffrey Epstein between 1994 and 2004.
Epstein’s right-hand woman was subsequently sentenced to 20 years in prison at the federal court in the southern district of New York in June 2022.
And now, as the case is back in the limelight due to the findings of a joint investigation by the FBI and US Justice Department, Maxwell’s family have spoken out.
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For those not up to speed, earlier this month the FBI finally released the CCTV footage from the convicted sex offender's prison cell from the day of his death, as well as making a number of conclusions about the case.
The memo outlined that there was no evidence that Epstein 'blackmailed prominent individuals’ and also confirmed he was not murdered during his 36-day stay at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in Manhattan, despite the longstanding conspiracy theories.
Maxwell’s family have frequently claimed she ‘did not receive a fair trial’, but legal appeals against her sex trafficking convictions have been rejected by the courts.
In a new statement, her family have claimed her innocence and said that 'government misconduct' could be used to challenge her imprisonment.
They said: “Our sister Ghislaine did not receive a fair trial.
“Her legal team continues to fight her case in the courts and will file its reply in short order to the government’s opposition in the US Supreme Court.”
According to the statement, she is planning to ‘file a writ of habeas corpus', which would ‘allow her to challenge her imprisonment’.
This is a court order that requires a person in custody to appear before a judge to determine if their detention is lawful.
They continued: “This allows her to challenge her imprisonment on the basis of new evidence such as government misconduct that would have likely changed the trial’s outcome.”
Maxwell’s lawyer David Oscar Markus, said: “I’d be surprised if President Trump knew his lawyers were asking the Supreme Court to let the government break a deal.
“He’s the ultimate dealmaker and I’m sure he’d agree that when the United States gives its word, it should keep it.
“With all the talk about who’s being prosecuted and who isn’t, it’s especially unfair that Ghislaine Maxwell remains in prison based on a promise the US government made and broke."
And Maxwell’s family said they 'profoundly concur' with his comments.
During her three-week trial in 2021, prosecutors described Maxwell as ‘dangerous', and jurors were told details of how she helped entice vulnerable teenagers to Epstein’s various properties for him to sexually abuse.
They heard the disturbing details from victims who were as young as 14 years old when the abuse happened between 1994 and 2004 at Epstein’s homes in Florida, New York and New Mexico.
Jurors deliberated for five days before finding Maxwell guilty on five out of six counts and she was also fined $750,000 for her crimes.