Gilane Maxwell, an accomplice of controversial financier Jeffrey Epstein, has demanded that her sex trafficking conviction be overturned or reviewed.
In a petition filed with the court, the 64-year-old Maxwell claims that documents published under the Epstein Files Transparency Act reveal constitutional and legal violations. She asserts that these new records make her 2021 conviction “invalid, unsafe and unjustified.”
“No reasonable jury would have convicted me if these documents had been presented to the court or if the materials had been available for cross-examination and discrediting of witnesses,” Maxwell wrote in the petition.
Maxwell, who is currently serving a 20-year federal prison sentence in Texas, noted that due to limited internet access in detention, she relied on media reports to prepare her petition—a process she described as “an almost impossible task.”
The New York Federal Prosecutor’s Office responded that Maxwell’s claims are speculative and factually erroneous. Assistant U.S. Attorney Lara Pomerantz stated that the documents filed by the defense were based on baseless allegations of government misconduct.
“The defendant seeks to overturn the court’s decision, which is a solemn verdict of the jury. Her victims deserve final certainty,” the prosecutor’s office said in its objection.
The prosecution acknowledged that some documents now released were not provided to the defense prior to trial but emphasized that this did not affect the verdict. In response, Maxwell argued that the court should assess the “cumulative force” of the new records rather than consider each fact in isolation.
Maxwell was sentenced to 20 years in prison on June 28, 2022, for aiding and abetting the seduction of minors. Jeffrey Epstein died by suicide at a New York correctional facility in August 2019 after being arrested on sex trafficking charges involving minors.
The Epstein files began circulating publicly following legislation signed by the U.S. president on November 19, 2021, with full publication occurring on December 20, 2021. On February 14, 2022, former U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi released a list of over 300 prominent individuals mentioned in the files.
The documents included names of U.S. President Bill Clinton (the 42nd), former President Joe Biden (the 46th head of state), Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates, and singer Beyoncé.
