Supreme Court Denies Ghislaine Maxwell's Appeal

Fri Oct 10 2025 18:23:06 GMT+0300 (Eastern European Summer Time)

The U.S. Supreme Court has declined to hear Ghislaine Maxwell's appeal, leaving her conviction for sex trafficking and involvement in Jeffrey Epstein's criminal activities intact.

On the first day of its new term, the Supreme Court dismissed an appeal by Ghislaine Maxwell challenging her conviction related to sex trafficking and the abuses committed by Jeffrey Epstein. Maxwell's legal team argued that a prior non-prosecution agreement should shield her from prosecution. Her 20-year prison sentence remains unchanged as she continues to serve her time in a minimum-security facility.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday declined to hear an appeal from Ghislaine Maxwell, the imprisoned former confidante of Jeffrey Epstein, keeping her sex trafficking conviction intact. This decision comes on the first day of the new term for the justices.

Maxwell’s attorneys argued that she should not have faced trial due to a non-prosecution agreement from 2007 which they claimed also protected potential co-conspirators of Epstein from federal charges. Despite these claims, the court did not explain its reasons for rejecting the appeal.

Maxwell is currently serving a 20-year sentence in a minimum-security prison camp in Texas after being moved from a low-security federal prison in Florida. She was found guilty of sex trafficking a minor among other charges during a high-profile trial that revealed the extent of Epstein's abuses.

The interest surrounding Maxwell's case intensified following Epstein's arrest on sex trafficking charges in 2019, and the controversies that surrounded the Trump administration’s handling of the case, particularly regarding the release of documents related to the investigation.

Maxwell maintains her innocence, with one of her lawyers asserting she should never have been tried. This battle echoes the broader discussions surrounding Epstein's affluent circle and the implications of her conviction in light of the associated scandals.

The outcome of this appeal is considered significant as Maxwell’s conviction continues to symbolize the consequences of sexual exploitation and the fight for justice among victims of high-profile individuals.