Ghislaine Maxwell has claimed in court documents that 25 male associates of Jeffrey Epstein reached “secret settlements” to avoid prosecution. The allegation was made in a habeas corpus petition filed on December 17 by Maxwell’s attorneys, seeking to overturn her criminal conviction. The full petition was published online by Courthouse News Service.
Maxwell, a British socialite and longtime associate of Epstein, was convicted in 2021 on five counts related to sex trafficking and grooming minors, and sentenced to 20 years in prison. Epstein died in jail in 2019, in what was ruled a suicide, while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges.
The petition states: “New evidence reveals that there were 25 men with which the plaintiff lawyers reached secret settlements - that could equally be considered as coconspirators.” The individuals were not named, and Maxwell claims she was unaware of their identities. Her lawyers argue that these settlements support her appeal, stating that if the jury had known of the “collusion between the plaintiff’s lawyers and the government to conceal evidence,” they would not have convicted her.
The claims come amid the mandated release of Epstein files under the Epstein Files Transparency Act, signed into law by President Donald Trump in November. The act required the Department of Justice to release all files by December 19, but only a small portion, heavily redacted, has been published so far. Attorney General Pam Bondi has said hundreds of DOJ lawyers are working on the review, but could not provide a specific completion date.
Among the already released files, high-profile individuals such as Trump, former President Bill Clinton, and former Treasury Secretary Larry Summers are named. Trump has described the Epstein files as a “hoax,” while some Democrats, including Congressman Ro Khanna, have accused the DOJ of a “flagrant violation” of the law for missing the deadline.
