Ghislaine Maxwell, the convicted associate of Jeffrey Epstein, has asked a federal judge to set aside her 2021 s**-trafficking conviction and 20-year prison sentence, saying new evidence shows she did not get a fair trial. AP News reports Maxwell’s move was filed Wednesday in Manhattan federal court just days before a massive release of Epstein-related documents required by the Epstein Files Transparency Act signed by President Donald Trump.
In a habeas petition filed on her own behalf, Maxwell wrote that “substantial new evidence” has emerged from litigation against the FBI, financial institutions, Epstein’s estate and other sources. According to KVSP Power 103.5, she said that evidence shows “exculpatory information was withheld, false testimony presented, and material facts misrepresented to the jury and the Court.”
Maxwell’s filing lists nine separate grounds for overturning her conviction, including alleged juror misconduct and suppression of evidence during her original trial. “In the light of the full evidentiary record, no reasonable juror would have convicted her,” she wrote in the 50-page document.
The filing came two days before records in her case were scheduled to be released publicly as a result of U.S. President Donald Trump’s signing of the Epstein Files Transparency Act.https://t.co/mmlgyvdtpg
— Globalnews.ca (@globalnews) December 18, 2025
She argued that the cumulative effect of constitutional violations amounted to a “complete miscarriage of justice.” Maxwell is serving her sentence at a federal prison after being found guilty of s** trafficking minors and related offenses tied to Epstein’s s**-abuse network.
Maxwell’s petition comes as the Justice Department prepares to publicly release broad categories of investigative materials, including search warrants, financial records and victim interview notes, under the law Trump signed last month. Those disclosures are scheduled for mid-December.
Her legal challenge follows years of unsuccessful attempts to overturn her conviction. Maxwell’s direct appeals were exhausted, and the Supreme Court declined to hear her case in October 2025. By turning to a habeas petition, she is seeking extraordinary relief based on what she says are newly uncovered issues in her prosecution.
Uea..Uh, NO NO NO NO HELL NO!
Epstein associate Ghislaine Maxwell asks court to set aside her convictionhttps://t.co/bdG1x7AnWw
— Maximus Ultra Magamus (@RealDaddyJuicey) December 18, 2025
In her petition, Maxwell alleged that some jurors were biased and that lawyers for Epstein’s victims may have “conspired and colluded” improperly with government investigators. She also called into question the fairness of how evidence was presented during her 2021 trial. per ABC 17 NEWS
Maxwell said many of the facts she now cites were unavailable at trial but have surfaced through civil suits, investigative reporting and recent disclosures related to the Epstein case. She asked the court not only to vacate her conviction but also to hold an evidentiary hearing to explore these claims further.
Ghislaine Maxwell’s lawyer warns unsealing Epstein files could spark retrialhttps://t.co/CuMAtrT4vh
— NiftyGPT (@NIFTY_GPT) December 18, 2025
Her filing was submitted in the Southern District of New York, where Judge Paul A. Engelmayer has overseen aspects of the Epstein-linked cases. The timing as per AP News, which is just before the mandated release of Epstein files, could affect how parts of that disclosure process move forward, though Maxwell’s petition does not automatically delay the release.
Maxwell’s request highlights ongoing legal contention over her 2021 conviction. She continues to argue that errors, withheld information and other issues deprived her of a fair trial, while prosecutors maintain her conviction was sound and supported by extensive evidence. If anything, Ghislaine Maxwell’s latest attempt at getting out of jail, proves that she has tenacity and grit despite all evidence pointing to her.
