Ghislaine Maxwell has made another bid to overturn her conviction, this time arguing that a so-called 'Epstein loophole' should have protected her.
The Jeffrey Epstein case has been plunged back into the spotlight again in recent weeks following the Trump administration's apparent U-turn on its intentions to release all the FBI files related the case.
Specifically, it's a rumored 'client list' that has been causing uproar, after the FBI earlier this month said no such list existed, despite apparent comments made by Trump and his Attorney General Pam Bondi seemingly alluding to it.
As Epstein's accomplice Maxwell remains behind bars, the POTUS has ordered the justice department to release all grand jury testimony in Epstein's case.
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The convicted sex offender, who dated Maxwell on and off, was found dead in his cell at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in Manhattan, New York City in August 2019.
The disgraced financier had been arrested earlier in the year and died by suicide aged 66 while awaiting trial for charges related to sex trafficking - charges to which he pleaded not guilty.
What has Ghislaine Maxwell been convicted of?
Maxwell was sentenced to 20 years behind bars in 2022 after a jury found her guilty of luring teenage girls for convicted sex offender Epstein.
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The jury found her guilty of sex trafficking minors, conspiracy to entice a minor to travel to engage in illegal sex acts, and conspiracy to transport a minor with the intent to engage in criminal sexual activity.
The former socialite was also found guilty of conspiracy to commit sex trafficking of minors and of transporting a minor with the intent to engage in criminal sexual activity.
"This sentence sends a strong message that no one is above the law and it is never too late for justice. We again express our gratitude to Epstein and Maxwell’s victims for their courage in coming forward, in testifying at trial, and in sharing their stories as part of today’s sentencing," US Attorney Damian Williams said at the time.
What is the Epstein ‘loophole’?
In a filing issued on Monday (July 28), Maxwell asked the Supreme Court to overturn her sex trafficking conviction, citing a non-prosecution agreement with Epstein she says should have meant she would have avoided charges.
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Maxwell's attorneys are saying the federal government violated its own terms not to prosecute Epstein’s alleged co-conspirators, including the former socialite.
It all centers on charges of soliciting a minor for prostitution in 2008 which Epstein pleaded guilty to as part of said deal, which Maxwell’s team are now saying applies across the US, not just in the state of Florida.
What has Donald Trump said?
Ever since the Trump administration performed an unexpected U-turn on the Epstein files, the president has been asked often about the late financier.
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Theories have been swirling that the files contain an alleged 'client list' of the rich, famous, and powerful - but the FBI has since said there is 'no 'incriminating client list'.
When asked by the press about the controversy, Trump insisted he never once visited Epstein's private island, Little Saint James.
The POTUS told reporters on Monday (July 28): "By the way, I never went to the island. And Bill Clinton went there, supposedly, 28 times.”
"I did turn it down, but a lot of people in Palm Beach were invited to his island," he continued. "In one of my very good moments, I turned it down. I didn't want to go to his island."
Topics: Ghislaine Maxwell, Jeffrey Epstein, Sex Trafficking, US News, Crime
Callum Jones