In her appeal, Maxwell’s lawyers said prosecutors scapegoated her because Epstein was dead and “public outrage” demanded that prosecutors pin blame somewhere.
The lawyers also said the government waited too long to bring charges, and that Maxwell was immune under a 2007 non-prosecution agreement between Epstein and federal prosecutors in Florida.
In addition, Maxwell’s lawyers said the trial was tainted because one juror failed to disclose he had been sexually abused as a child.
Prosecutors believe the appeal is meritless.
I’ve served on a jury. There’s no convenient, private moment to raise your hand, in the middle of a group of strangers, and say “yes, sorry, I was raped as a child,” and such a person shouldn’t be expected to air their greatest traumas in a public setting.
You’re right. That’s a competent attorney’s job to ask it.