Ghislaine Maxwell's prosecutors offer to drop perjury charges if retrial not granted

The prosecutors in UK socialite Ghislaine Maxwell’s sex trafficking case are prepared to drop the pending perjury counts when she is sentenced if she is not granted a retrial in her Manhattan federal court. According to The Guardian, in a letter dated  January 10, the prosecutors said that they were prepared to dismiss the perjury counts in an effort to bring rapid closure for victims of Maxwell and her ex-partner Jeffrey Epstein, instead of suffering the trauma of a possible second trial. 

Prosecutor willing to drop Maxwell's perjury charge

As per the report, Maxwell’s prosecutors said in the letter, “In the event, the defendant’s post-trial motions are denied, the government is prepared to dismiss the severed perjury counts at the time of sentencing, in light of the victims’ significant interests in bringing closure to this matter and avoiding the trauma of testifying again”.

Prosecutors also called for Maxwell’s sentencing to take place “approximately three to four months from today’s date”. The latest development in Maxwell’s case came after she was convicted of five counts on December 29, 2021, for grooming young girls to be sexually abused by Epstein. Some of the victims of Maxwell and Epstein were as young as 14 when they were subjected to abuse.

Prosecutors remarks came in reference to the two perjury counts for allegedly lying under oath during civil litigation that involved sexual claims against her, stated the media outlet. United States Judge Alison Nathan, who is presiding over Maxwell’s case, previously ruled that the former British socialite would be tried separately for the perjury counts. 

Maxwell's lawyers called for a retrial

Prosecutors’ offer ahead of Maxwell’s sentencing came after the defence lawyers called for her sex-trafficking convictions to be scrapped after a juror shared his own experiences of sexual abuse during the deliberations in the high-profile sex. According to The Independent, Maxwell’s attorney Christian Everdell told Judge Alison Nathan that the juror’s remarks had swayed other members of the jury to convict Maxwell and present “incontrovertible grounds for a new trial”.

On December  29, 59-year-old Maxwell was found guilty of five of six charges for her involvement in grooming young girls to be sexually abused by Epstein in his mansions across the United States. 

Maxwell’s attorney asking for convictions against the UK socialite to be thrown out came as the prosecutors asked Judge Nathan to “conduct an inquiry” into the comments made in three interviews. As per the report, the US Judge has agreed to hear the defence’s arguments for a retrial which will be held later this month. 

The juror, who spoke to multiple media outlets separately, including The Independent, revealed that he was a victim of sexual abuse and that he empathized with victims of Maxwell and disgraced US financier Jeffrey Epstein. The juror reportedly asked to be identified only by his first name, Scotty David, told the media outlet, “I know what happened when I was sexually abused. I remember the colour of the carpet, the walls. Some of it can be replayed like a video.”

Citing the remarks of the juror, Maxwell’s attorney called for convictions to be overturned immediately. In his call, Everdell wrote, “Among other things, the juror told reporters that he disclosed to the other members of the jury during deliberations that he was a victim of sexual abuse and further described his memory of those events,” as per the report.

(Image: AP)