Ghislaine Maxwell’s lawyer tell appeals judges that Jeffrey Epstein’s Florida plea deal protects her

By LARRY NEUMEISTER
Associated Press

NEW YORK (AP) — Ghislaine Maxwell’s lawyer has asked a federal appeals court to toss out her sex trafficking conviction and 20-year prison sentence, saying Jeffrey Epstein’s 2007 non-prosecution deal with a U.S. attorney in Florida should have prevented her prosecution. The argument by attorney Diana Fabi Samson was repeatedly challenged by one judge on the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Tuesday before the three-judge panel reserved decision. Lawyers for the British socialite Maxwell are challenging her conviction on multiple grounds, but the only topic discussed during oral arguments was whether the deal Epstein struck in Florida protected Maxwell. Samson said it did. A prosecutor said it didn’t.