(TheRedWire.com) – On December 29, 2021, a jury convicted Jeffrey Epstein’s enabler and former girlfriend, Ghislaine Maxwell, on five federal counts of sex trafficking. In early January, the conviction became questionable after the defense team learned a juror’s past could force a mistrial. The juror admitted he’d shared his own experience as the victim of a sexual assault to influence two jurors on the fence over two women who’d testified Epstein had groomed them as teenagers.
Defense attorneys allege the juror’s action created a compelling basis to overturn the jury’s verdict and call for a new trial.
Prosecutors offer to drop Ghislaine Maxwell's perjury charges if she is sentenced https://t.co/vZzCWWd4tE pic.twitter.com/K47qvQYr15
— The Hill (@thehill) January 12, 2022
On Monday, January 10, prosecutors and the defense informed US District Judge Alison Nathan that federal prosecutors would drop two perjury charges if the conviction is allowed to stand. The prosecutors say the agreement is in the best interest of the victims. The jury of six men and six women took six days of deliberation to decide Maxwell’s fate.
Prosecutors based the perjury charges against Maxwell on allegations she lied in a 2016 civil lawsuit deposition about her knowledge of Epstein’s inappropriate behavior. Judge Nathan gave Maxwell’s lawyers until January 19 to share why the court should overturn Maxwell’s conviction. Prosecutors have until February 2 to respond to the defense team’s position.
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