The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday turned down Ghislaine Maxwell’s appeal of her criminal conviction for getting teenage girls ready for sexual assault by Jeffrey Epstein.
Maxwell’s conviction on three counts and her 20-year prison sentence are still in effect because of the judgment, NBC News reported.
Maxwell’s lawyer, David Oscar Markus, said in court papers that an agreement Epstein made with Alex Acosta, the U.S. attorney for the southern district of Florida at the time, not to prosecute him or any potential co-conspirators should apply to one of the three counts in her case, which was tried in New York.
“We’re, of course, deeply disappointed that the Supreme Court declined to hear Ghislaine Maxwell’s case,” Markus said in a statement. “But this fight isn’t over. Serious legal and factual issues remain, and we will continue to pursue every avenue available to ensure that justice is done,” he added.
Maxwell’s appeal pertained to whether the provisions of a “nonprosecution agreement” solely apply in the district where it was made or if they also apply to federal prosecutors across the country.
The Justice Department petitioned the Supreme Court to turn down Maxwell’s appeal.
Solicitor General D. John Sauer wrote in his brief that if the agreement were to apply outside of his district, the U.S. attorney would have been required to get authorization from his superiors. He said there was no proof that it happened.
In 2022, Maxwell was found guilty of three counts for helping Epstein find and groom his victims, some of whom were as young as 14 years old.
Prosecutors said she would make friends with the girls and then help them get to Epstein’s homes. She was sometimes there when the abuse happened.