Ghislaine Maxwell loses bid for new trial
STORY: Ghislaine Maxwell lost her bid to overturn her sex trafficking conviction on Friday, even after a juror acknowledged falsely stating before the trial that he had not been sexually abused.
The man, known in court papers as Juror 50, had falsely said in a pretrial questionnaire that he was not a victim of sexual abuse, and Maxwell's lawyers had argued that justified granting her a new trial.
But U.S. Circuit Judge Alison Nathan ruled on Friday that the juror had testified truthfully at a hearing last month, when he said that he had rushed through the questionnaire and made a mistake, but did not lie on purpose to get on the panel.
The judge called his failure to disclose his prior abuse during the jury selection process “highly unfortunate, but not deliberate," adding, “The court further concludes that Juror 50 harbored no bias toward the defendant and could serve as a fair and impartial juror."
In a statement, Juror 50's lawyer said he “does not consider himself a victim and does not let his past define him."
Adding that "He listened to the evidence and was fair and impartial. This is what justice requires, not more."
Lawyers for Maxwell did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
The 60-year-old was convicted in December of helping the late financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein sexually abuse teenage girls. She faces up to 65 years in prison.
