Ghislaine Maxwell Files Final Bid For Freedom Amid Epstein Files Drop: ‘Justice Requires Transparency’

Ghislaine Maxwell is making one last effort to get out of prison after her previous appeals were rejected or declined.

The former British socialite was convicted of five criminal counts, including sex trafficking of a minor, in 2022, after victims testified that she had “groomed” them for abuse by the late pedophile Jeffrey Epstein, who died in jail while awaiting trial in 2019.

The 63-year-old, who is serving 20 years at a minimum security prison in Bryan, Texas, filed a habeas petition in federal court in New York on Wednesday, December 17, as first reported by ABC News, arguing that her constitutional rights were violated, resulting in unlawful conviction and imprisonment.

In the petition, which she filed herself, Ghislaine argued that the prosecution withheld evidence and that lawyers for Epsteins’ victims “conspired and colluded” with prosecutors. She also alleges that the prosecution suppressed grand jury testimony, tampered with witnesses and withheld evidence, which has come to light through other trials and through Congress’ release of Epstein documents.

“This petition does not simply ask for review — it demands accountability,” her family said in a statement shared on their website. “No one should be imprisoned on a verdict built on hidden evidence, flawed procedure, and legal error. Justice requires transparency. The rule of law demands redress.”

Following a 2024 appeal, the U.S. Court of Appeals upheld her conviction, while the Supreme Court declined to hear her appeal in October. Ghislaine filed her most recent petition pro se, or without a lawyer.

The Department of Justice was set to release more documents related to the Epstein investigation on Friday, December 19. However some evidence may be withheld if it “would jeopardize an active federal investigation or ongoing prosecution,” according to the Epstein Files Transparency Act.

Her brother Ian Maxwell previously gave an exclusive interview with the National Enquirer about what he called a government “stitch-up” regarding Ghislaine.

“The fix was in when — following Ghislaine’s arrest — the DOJ held a press conference, which branded her guilty before she had taken one step into any courtroom,” Ian said, accusing prosecutors of “concealing critical evidence” which he says “would have materially impacted the outcome of her trial.”

Furthermore, Ghislaine is a citizen of France, a non-extradition country, he points out. “That her conscience was entirely clear is shown by the fact she never took the Fifth nor left the U.S. after Epstein died.”