Ghislaine Maxwell Seeks to Overturn 20-Year Sentence as Epstein Files Near Release. Ghislaine Maxwell, the convicted associate of sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, has asked a US federal court to vacate or reduce her 20-year prison sentence for sex trafficking. In a filing submitted in New York, Maxwell claims "substantial new evidence" has emerged from civil lawsuits, investigative reports and other documents showing she did not receive a fair trial. She argues that no reasonable jury would have convicted her if this information had been available. One key claim is that a juror allegedly failed to disclose a personal history of sexual abuse during jury selection, raising concerns about bias. The request comes after multiple failed appeals since her 2021 conviction. In October, the US Supreme Court declined to hear her latest appeal. The move also comes as the US justice department faces a 19 December deadline to release files related to federal investigations into Epstein under the newly passed Epstein Transparency Act. Maxwell filed the petition without a lawyer. Federal courts have declined to comment.