An appeal was filed on Thursday at the 2nd Regional Court of Appeal. Maxwell, 60, pleaded guilty to five of six federal charges against her in December: sex trafficking of a minor, transportation of a minor for the purpose of criminal sexual activity and three related conspiracy counts. He was only convicted of three charges after the judge agreed that two of the conspiracy charges he faced were repeat offences. At Maxwell’s sentencing in June, defense attorney Bobbi Sternheim, as she had during the trial, laid the blame on Epstein. “We all know that the person who should have been sentenced today avoided responsibility, avoided his victims, avoided absorbing their pain and receiving the punishment he truly deserved,” Sternheim said. “Jeffrey Epstein left Ghislaine Maxwell holding the whole bag”. The judge, Alison Nathan, dissented. “Miss Maxwell is not being punished in Epstein’s position,” he said. “Miss Maxwell is being punished for the part she played.” Maxwell did not testify at her trial but spoke briefly at her sentencing, acknowledging she had been convicted but not accepting responsibility. “I’m sorry for the pain you experienced,” Maxwell said. “I hope my conviction… will see you through.” Epstein, who pleaded guilty in 2008 to state prostitution charges, was indicted on federal sex-trafficking charges in July 2019. He died by suicide in prison a month later. Maxwell has been in custody since her July 2020 arrest, and prosecutors said she received credit for two years served. Maxwell’s month-long trial last year alternated between disturbing testimony from victims of sexual abuse and illuminating testimony about some of Epstein’s connections with high-profile celebrities. Prosecutors alleged that Maxwell and Epstein conspired to create a scheme to lure young girls into sexual relationships with Epstein from 1994 to 2004 in New York, Florida, New Mexico and the US Virgin Islands. Four women testified during the trial that Epstein abused them and that Maxwell facilitated and sometimes participated in the abuse. Her defense, meanwhile, in addition to arguing that she was a scapegoat, also attacked the memories and motivations of women who say they were sexually abused. According to the Bureau of Prisons website, Maxwell is being held at a federal detention center in Brooklyn. CNN’s Mark Morales, Sonia Moghe and Eric Levenson contributed to this report.
