Federal Judge Denies Ghislaine Maxwell’s New Trial Request

Federal Circuit Judge Alison Nathan denied former associate of Jeffrey Epstein, Ghislaine Maxwell’s request for a new trial on Friday after determining a juror testified “credibly and truthfully.”

Maxwell was convicted in December of  2021 of  five of the six charges brought against her, including conspiring to sex traffic minors and multiple counts of conspiring to entice minors to travel across state lines to engage in illegal sexual activity. Maxwell’s defense requested a new trial in January of 2022 after a juror confessed to being unsure if he disclosed his own experience of sex abuse as a child during the jury selection process.

Maxwell’s request was denied after the court held a “uncommon post-trial hearing,” Nathan wrote. The court found that Juror 50 “testified credibly at the hearing,” and that the “inaccurate answers” in his questionnaire were due to him “misunderstanding some of the questions.”

While Nathan noted that it was “highly unfortunate” that the juror did not disclose his past history of sexual abuse during the selection process, but it was not “deliberate.”

“The Court further concludes that Juror 50 harbored no bias toward the Defendant and could serve as a fair and impartial juror,” Nathan said in the order. “The requirements for a new trial under McDonough are not satisfied. The Defendant’s motion for a new trial pursuant to Rule 33 is therefore DENIED.”

LATEST VIDEO