Ghislaine Maxwell finally files petition she’s been promising for months, but what she’s claiming and when she filed it is raising eyebrows

Ghislaine Maxwell has asked a federal judge to overturn her sex trafficking conviction and release her from her 20-year prison sentence. She filed a habeas petition on Wednesday, claiming that “substantial new evidence” shows constitutional violations ruined her 2021 trial.

According to AP News, Maxwell argues that important information proving her innocence was kept from the jury. She also claims witnesses gave false testimony during the trial. She claims these problems combined to create a “complete miscarriage of justice.”

The filing in Manhattan federal court says new evidence has come from civil lawsuits, government documents, investigative reports, and other records released after her trial ended. Maxwell’s team argues this evidence shows constitutional violations that made her trial unfair. They claim no reasonable juror would have convicted her if they had seen all the evidence.

Maxwell’s petition arrives just before massive document dump

The timing is notable because Maxwell filed her petition two days before thousands of records in her case become public. President Trump signed the Epstein Files Transparency Act after months of public pressure. The law requires the Justice Department to release Epstein-related records by December 19.

The DOJ will release 18 categories of investigative materials from the sex trafficking probe. These include search warrants, financial records, victim interview notes, and data from electronic devices. Similar issues around withholding evidence in high-profile cases have sparked controversy in other federal proceedings.

Maxwell’s legal strategy seems contradictory. Her attorney David Markus says Maxwell “does not take a position” on whether the documents should be unsealed. However, he also argued against releasing them, claiming it would create “undue prejudice.” Markus says if Maxwell gets a new trial, the public release would make a fair retrial impossible because the records contain “untested and unproven allegations.”

This argument is difficult to reconcile with Maxwell’s claim that the government hid evidence proving her innocence. A habeas petition is a legal request asking a court to review whether someone’s imprisonment is lawful. It challenges constitutional violations and is typically used after all appeals are exhausted.

Federal Judge Paul A. Engelmayer granted the Justice Department’s request to release the materials last week. The judge noted the materials only identify Epstein and Maxwell as having sexual contact with minors. Maxwell, a British socialite, was arrested a year after Jeffrey Epstein died in his jail cell in August 2019. His death was ruled suicide.

She was convicted in December 2021 and recently moved from a Florida prison to a Texas prison camp. The jury selection process in celebrity cases often presents unique challenges for high-profile defendants.