NEW YORK – Ghislaine Maxwell’s siblings said on Tuesday they were “deeply shocked and confused” when a judge dismissed a new trial for the British social site on sex trafficking charges despite having revealed that a juror who helped convict her failed to disclose that he had sexually abused her as a child.
In a statement, the “Maxwell family” said it is focused on appealing to US District Judge Alison J. Nathan last Friday’s ruling that Maxwell was not found guilty of charges she was a recruiter. key teenage girls for financier Jeffrey Epstein to have sex. abuse from 1994 to 2004.
The judge said she concluded that the December sentencing of Maxwell, 60, of sex trafficking and other charges remained in effect because jurors did not knowingly give incorrect answers on the questionnaire. asked the jury and because he “has no prejudice against the defendant and can serve as a fair and impartial juror. ”
Maxwell’s family members said: “Our family is deeply shocked and confused by our refusal to have a retrial against our older sister, Ghislaine Maxwell. “The court’s ruling in this matter is not as clear-cut as the original ruling is unsafe.”
The statement said that the issue of the 50th Jury’s disclosures to the media after the trial will be one of many that will be appealed to the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Manhattan.
“Our family is optimistic about Ghislaine’s success on appeal,” they wrote.
The 50th Grand Jury’s media interviews days after the verdict came after a month-long trial in which Maxwell was portrayed as a key ingredient in a sex abuse conspiracy by Epstein. At times, prosecutors said, Maxwell was involved in the abuse.
After the conclusion of the trial, the juror, identified in court papers as only Juror Number 50, said publicly that he had been abused as a child and had persuaded several panels to judge that the victim’s imperfect memory of the abuse does not mean that there is no ‘not happening.
He was among potential jurors in the case, who filled out a 50-page questionnaire that included one question: “Have you or a friend or family member been a victim of sexual harassment sex, sexual abuse or sexual assault?”
The jury marked “No.”
The jury said in an interview that he did not remember being asked that question, which was number 48 on the application.
After dismissing the defense’s request that she immediately order a new trial, the judge conducted an extraordinary hearing in which she questioned the jurors.
His responses were analyzed by the judge in her written decision last Friday.
She said she concluded that his rush to complete the questionnaire had resulted in incorrect answers.
“Juror 50’s lack of attention and care in correctly answering every question on the questionnaire is regrettable, but the Court is confident that the failure to disclose was not intentional,” she wrote. “The court also found that Juror 50 was unbiased and would not be charged with cause even if he correctly answered each question on the questionnaire.”
Defense attorneys have insisted that they will use one of a limited number of “strikes” that would allow them to remove certain jurors for any reason to force him off the jury.
In their statement, Maxwell’s family members said the judge failed to uphold “the paramount interest of justice” by severely restricting the questioning of jurors and had “effectively ensured the roll the dice” by granting him immunity from prosecution for perjury.
Epstein was 66 years old when he committed suicide in 2019 while awaiting trial for sex trafficking in Manhattan.
Associated Press journalist Danika Kirka reports from London.
