Ghislaine Maxwell filed an appeal to the Supreme Court on Monday, seeking to overturn her 2022 sex trafficking conviction by arguing she was unlawfully prosecuted under terms of Jeffrey Epstein’s 2007 non-prosecution agreement. The move comes just days after Maxwell met with Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, as the Trump administration faces bipartisan pressure over its stalled release of Epstein-related documents.
At the heart of Maxwell’s appeal is the claim that Epstein’s plea deal, made with the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Florida, extended immunity to unnamed co-conspirators nationwide. The agreement stated that the government would not prosecute “any potential co-conspirators… including but not limited to” four listed individuals. Maxwell was not named, but argues she was still protected.
Her legal team, David and Mona Markus, contend that the phrase “not limited to” includes Maxwell and that the agreement’s reference to “the United States” should shield her from prosecution in any federal jurisdiction.
The Department of Justice argues otherwise, stating the deal didn’t bind prosecutors in New York, where Maxwell was convicted. It maintains that Maxwell was not known to authorities at the time and had no legal claim to its terms.
Maxwell’s case could resolve conflicting rulings in federal appeals courts over the national scope of local plea deals. Meanwhile, speculation continues about a potential pardon, which Trump said Friday he hasn’t considered — but wouldn’t rule out.
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