Maxwell's lawyers request a retrial citing concerns about the impartiality of the juror

Lawyers for Ghislaine Maxwell, pictured with her former boyfriend Jeffrey Epstein, have requested a retrial. (Photo by Johannes EISELE / AFP)

Ghislaine Maxwell's attorneys have requested a retrial following concerns regarding a juror's probable refusal to report his victim status of child sexual assault before the trial.

Maxwell was convicted of five counts of sex trafficking and other offenses for recruiting and grooming adolescent girls for sexual meetings with her ex-boyfriend Jeffrey Epstein. In August 2019, he was discovered dead in his prison cell while awaiting trial on sex abuse accusations.

Maxwell, 60, faced the threat of spending the next 65 years in jail when her New York trial concluded on December 29 with a guilty verdict.

She is scheduled for sentencing in June.

However, her attorneys expressed alarm after one of the jurors – who has not been identified publicly – admitted to informing his fellow members that he had been sexually molested as a youngster. He claimed he persuaded others on the jury to convict Maxwell based on his own experiences.

Late Wednesday evening, attorneys for the socialite announced that they had requested a new trial.

"Today, counsel for Ghislaine Maxwell filed her motion for a new trial," her defense attorney, Bobbi C Sternheim, wrote to US District Judge Alison J. Nathan in a letter.

Sternheim requested in the letter that any contributions relating to "Juror No 50" be kept confidential until the court determines the application.

Maxwell's attorneys stated earlier this month that there were "incontrovertible grounds" for a new trial after a juror revealed himself as a victim of child sexual assault.

The following day, Maxwell's lawyers wrote to the judge requesting a new trial, and Todd Spodek of New York filed an appearance in Maxwell's case on behalf of Juror No 50. Spodek did not respond to a request for comment and has not divulged his Maxwell client's name.

Publish : 2022-01-20 14:13:00

Give Your Comments