The United States Supreme Court on Monday declined to hear an appeal from Ghislaine Maxwell, the former partner of Jeffrey Epstein, dismissing her argument that she should have been protected from prosecution under a plea deal Epstein negotiated with federal authorities.
Maxwell, who was sentenced to 20 years in federal prison in 2022 for orchestrating a long-running scheme with Epstein to groom and sexually abuse underage girls, filed her Supreme Court appeal in April.
She contended that she should have been covered by a non-prosecution agreement Epstein secured when he pleaded guilty in Florida, but prosecutors in New York later charged her.
“We’re, of course, deeply disappointed that the Supreme Court declined to hear Ghislaine Maxwell’s case,” Maxwell’s lawyer, David Oscar Markus, said. “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.”
The 2nd US Circuit Court of Appeals in New York had previously ruled against Maxwell, determining that the Florida agreement did not bind New York authorities.
Her attorney has pointed out that courts have reached differing conclusions on whether a non-prosecution agreement with the federal government applies nationwide.
Epstein pleaded guilty in 2008 to state prostitution charges and faced federal sex trafficking indictments in July 2019, but he died by suicide in prison a month later.
The Justice Department, defending Maxwell’s conviction at the Supreme Court, noted that she “was not a party to the relevant agreement. Only Epstein and the Florida USAO were parties.”
Maxwell, meanwhile, told the department during a summer interview that she never observed inappropriate behavior in Donald Trump’s friendship with Epstein and had never heard of any allegations against him.
Shortly after the interview with the deputy attorney general, Maxwell was moved to a minimum-security prison camp.
Some Republican lawmakers and Trump supporters have pushed for greater transparency in the Epstein case.
Last month, the House Oversight Committee released tens of thousands of documents from the investigation, including a note with Trump’s name, part of a series of letters given to Epstein for his 50th birthday.
Trump has repeatedly denied authoring the note.
When asked about the possibility of pardoning Maxwell, Trump told CNN, “You know, I haven’t heard the name in so long. I can say this, that I’d have to take a look at it.”
Pressed further about whether he was actively considering her pardon, Trump said, “I wouldn’t consider it or not consider, I don’t know anything about it. I will speak to the DOJ.”
He also noted, “a lot of people have asked me for pardons,” referencing Sean “Diddy” Combs, who was sentenced on Friday to more than four years in prison for transportation to engage in prostitution.
On the seriousness of Maxwell’s crimes, which include child sex trafficking, Trump seemed noncommittal.
“I mean, I’m going to have to take a look at it,” he told CNN. “I have to ask DOJ, I didn’t know they rejected it. I didn’t know she was even asking for it, frankly.”
