US judge denies Ghislaine Maxwell request for new trial
Former Jeffrey Epstein associate was convicted of child sex trafficking late last year
New York: A request for a new trial by Ghislaine Maxwell, the former Jeffrey Epstein associate who was convicted of child sex trafficking late last year, was denied Friday by a federal judge in New York.
Maxwell’s lawyers filed for a retrial in January after juror Scotty David — identified by his first and middle names — told media outlets he had persuaded fellow panelists to convict the 60-year-old by recalling his own experiences as a sex abuse victim.
Maxwell, a disgraced British socialite, was convicted of recruiting and grooming young girls to be sexually abused by the late US financier Jeffrey Epstein, and faces potential life imprisonment at her sentencing trial in June.
In late February, it was revealed in court documents that the juror, referred to as Juror 50, had marked “no” on a pre-trial questionnaire that asked “Have you or a friend ever been the victim of sexual harassment, sexual abuse, or sexual assault?”
Judge Alison Nathan quizzed Juror 50 under oath on March 8 about that error.
In her ruling Friday, she said Juror 50’s “failure to disclose his prior sexual abuse during the jury selection process was highly unfortunate, but not deliberate.”
“The Court further concludes that Juror 50 harbored no bias toward the Defendant and could serve as a fair and impartial juror,” Nathan added.
“The Defendant’s motion for a new trial... is therefore denied,” she concluded.