(NewsNation) — A U.S. appeals court in New York heard oral arguments related to Ghislaine Maxwell’s 2021 conviction and 20-year prison sentence for helping disgraced late financier Jeffrey Epstein sexually abuse teenage girls.
Ian Maxwell, Ghislaine Maxwell‘s brother, said the Justice Department and FBI enabled his sister’s conviction, contributing to an unfair trial.
In a Tuesday interview on NewsNation’s “Elizabeth Vargas Reports,” Ian Maxwell contended that his sister has maintained her innocence since the beginning and accused the federal government of dishonoring agreements made with Epstein, which included benefits for both named and unnamed individuals involved in the case.
“The fact is that if American citizens cannot rely on an agreement they enter into with the government, then what can they rely on? That’s a fundamental point,” Ian Maxwell said.
The appeal, according to Ian Maxwell, raised significant issues, including the statute of limitations, whether the trial violated agreements made in a non-prosecution agreement (NPA) and allegations of juror misconduct.
Ian Maxwell believes that if the court upholds the terms of the NPA, his sister will be exonerated.
“Effectively, she should never have been prosecuted; she would be exonerated on the spot,” Ian Maxwell said.
Regarding the issue of juror misconduct, Ian Maxwell highlighted that several jurors failed to disclose prior experiences of sexual abuse, potentially depriving the defense of an impartial jury. He suggested that this alone should warrant a mistrial and a retrial.
As for the victims, Ian Maxwell noted that they had opportunities to address the court during the trial and through the Epstein compensation fund. He acknowledged their suffering but emphasized that his sister is also a victim of what he described as an abusive process.
“Now my sister is herself a victim of an abusive process that has taken place here. And she’s entitled to her justice, just as much as the victims hope that they are entitled to that,” Ian Maxwell said.
Jurors found Maxwell, 62, guilty in December 2021 of five charges for recruiting and grooming four underage girls for Epstein to abuse between 1994 and 2004. She was sentenced to 20 years in prison, and at her sentencing, the judge said Maxwell’s conduct in luring the girls was “heinous and predatory.”
Maxwell is housed at a low-security prison in Tallahassee, Florida. She is eligible for release in July 2037. She has refused to apologize to her victims, instead maintaining her innocence.
Earlier this year, hundreds of documents were unsealed containing information about Epstein and his associates. Maxwell was named in those documents.
Epstein was found dead in his cell at a federal jail in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges.
The court has yet to decide on Ghislaine Maxwell’s appeal.
NewsNation’s Dray Clark contributed to this report.