Ghislaine Maxwell was convicted of procuring teenage girls for Jeffrey Epstein
(Picture: PA Archive)The siblings of Ghislaine Maxwell say they are “profoundly shocked and troubled” after a judge rejected a new trial for the disgraced British socialite.
Maxwell, 60, was convicted last December on sex trafficking charges after recruiting girls for billionaire Jeffrey Epstein to sexually abuse from 1994 to 2004. Epstein took his own life in 2019 in a New York jail while awaiting his own sex trafficking trial.
Her legal team had sought a retrial after a juror, named as Juror No 50, failed to disclose he was sexually abused as a child in a pre-trial screening document.
Days after the verdict, Juror No 50 told media outlets he had shared his experience of abuse with other jurors after some had questioned recollections from two of Maxwell's accusers – prompting accusations of bias from Maxwell’s legal team.
However, US District Judge Alison Nathan ruled last week that the juror had not deliberately given wrong answers on a pre-trial questionnaire and “harboured no bias toward the defendant”.
As such, Maxwell’s conviction was upheld as she argued that Juror No 50 “could serve as a fair and impartial juror”.
In a statement, the “Maxwell family” said it would continue to focus on appealing Judge Nathan’s ruling.
“Our family is profoundly shocked and troubled by the denial of a retrial for our sister, Ghislaine Maxwell,” they said.
“The court's ruling in this matter is as tainted as the original verdict is unsafe.”
They cited the juror’s interviews with media outlets following the verdict as one of the many issues that would be brought up at the Court of Appeals in Manhattan.
“Our family is optimistic about Ghislaine's success on appeal,” they added.
Juror No 50 had answered “No” on a pre-trial screening document which included the question: “Have you or a friend or family member ever been the victim of sexual harassment, sexual abuse, or sexual assault?”
However, he claimed he “flew through” the questionnaire and did not remember being asked the question, which was No 48 on the form.
Judge Nathan questioned the Juror in a hearing earlier this year and analysed his responses in a written decision on Friday.
She concluded his rush to finish the questionnaire led to inaccurate answers, writing: “Juror 50's lack of attention and care in responding accurately to every question on the questionnaire is regrettable, but the Court is confident that the failure to disclose was not deliberate.
“The Court further finds that Juror 50 was not biased and would not have been stricken for cause even if he had answered each question on the questionnaire accurately.”
