Maxwell to seek new trial after reports of juror's sex abuse

In this courtroom sketch, Ghislaine Maxwell, center, sits in the courtroom during a discussion about a note from the jury, during her sex trafficking trial, Wednesday, Dec. 29, 2021, in New York. (AP Photo/Elizabeth Williams) (Elizabeth Williams)

NEW YORK ā€“ Ghislaine Maxwell, convicted last week of conspiring to recruit and groom teenage girls to be abused by Jeffrey Epstein, plans to request a new trial after a juror in her case revealed he was a victim of sexual abuse, her defense lawyers said Wednesday.

The lawyers said in a letter to U.S. District Judge Alison J. Nathan that ā€œbased on undisputed, publicly available information, the Court can and should order a new trial without any evidentiary hearing.ā€

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The judge late Wednesday set a schedule for the defense to ask for a new trial, saying it should make the request by Jan. 19, with prosecutors replying by Feb. 2.

She asked them to address whether ā€œan inquiry of some kindā€ is permitted or required. Nathan also said she will offer a court-appointed lawyer for the juror.

The judge's order came after defense lawyers said Maxwell ā€œintends to request a new trialā€ with a submission that will include all known undisputed remarks of the juror, along with recorded statements and the questionnaire all jurors filled out.

ā€It is clear to Ms. Maxwell that based on this record alone a new trial is required,ā€ they said, urging that all trial jurors be examined to evaluate their conduct if a hearing occurs.

In interviews published Tuesday and Wednesday by The Independent and the Daily Mail, one juror described a moment during the deliberations when he told fellow jurors in Maxwell's trial that, like some of the victims of the late financier Epstein, he had been sexually abused as a child. And he said he convinced other jurors that a victimā€™s imperfect memory of sex abuse doesnā€™t mean it didnā€™t happen.

ā€œI know what happened when I was sexually abused. I remember the color of the carpet, the walls. Some of it can be replayed like a video,ā€ he said he told the jury, according to The Independent. ā€œBut I canā€™t remember all the details, there are some things that run together.ā€

The judge denied a request by another defense lawyer who wrote a separate letter asking her to suspend all other post-trial motions in the case.

In their own letter to Nathan, even prosecutors said those reports ā€œmerit attention by the Court.ā€ The juror was identified only by his first and middle name in the articles.

Prosecutors suggested in their letter that Nathan schedule a hearing in about one month, along with a schedule for lawyers to file briefs regarding the applicable law and the scope of the hearing.

ā€œThe Government respectfully submits that any juror investigation should be conducted exclusively under the supervision of the Court,ā€ prosecutors wrote.

Potential jurors in Maxwell's case were asked to fill out a questionnaire asking: ā€œHave you or a friend or family member ever been the victim of sexual harassment, sexual abuse, or sexual assault?ā€

Quoting from the press reports, prosecutors said the juror asserted that he ā€œflew throughā€ the questionnaire and didnā€™t recall being asked if heā€™d been a victim of sex abuse.

Epstein killed himself in jail in 2019 as he awaited a sex trafficking trial.

No sentencing date has been set after the conviction of Maxwell, 60, and she is still facing trial on perjury charges.


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