US News

Federal judge rejects Ghislaine Maxwell's petition to overturn sex-trafficking conviction

U.S. District Judge Paul Engelmayer dismissed Maxwell's habeas corpus challenge, labeling her claims procedurally barred and meritless.

Updated Aug 25, 2026 · 16:44 UTC7 reports

The short version

A federal judge in New York denied Ghislaine Maxwell's post-conviction habeas petition seeking to set aside her 2021 sex-trafficking conviction and 20-year prison sentence.
U.S. District Judge Paul Engelmayer ruled that her arguments were procedurally barred, based on speculation, and that newly released documents from the federal Epstein investigation incriminate her rather than clear her.
The ruling leaves Maxwell serving her sentence at a federal prison camp in Texas, with the court warning that further appeals would not be taken in good faith.

U.S. District Judge Paul Engelmayer denied Ghislaine Maxwell's habeas corpus petition to vacate her 2021 sex-trafficking conviction and 20-year prison sentence in a 67-page decision.[CBS News · The Guardian]
Judge Engelmayer characterized Maxwell's claims as demonstrably meritless, frivolous, and largely procedurally barred because they were or could have been raised on direct appeal.[Fox News · CBS News · The Guardian]
Maxwell argued that her constitutional rights were violated, citing issues such as a juror's undisclosed sexual abuse history, alleged withheld evidence, and government documents released under the Epstein Files Transparency Act.[The Guardian · PBS NewsHour · NBC News]
The judge ruled that materials disclosed under the Epstein Files Transparency Act were mostly irrelevant or reinforced Maxwell's guilt rather than exculpating her.[Fox News · BBC News]
Maxwell raised a 2007 non-prosecution agreement between Jeffrey Epstein and Miami federal prosecutors, though the court noted she was not named in that deal.[CBS News · The Guardian]
Maxwell was convicted on five felony counts in December 2021 for her role in procuring and abusing minor girls alongside Jeffrey Epstein and is currently incarcerated in Bryan, Texas.[Fox News · CBS News · The Guardian]