Overview
- A newly unsealed amended habeas petition that became public on Wednesday argues that documents released under the Epstein Files Transparency Act change the evidentiary record and require vacatur or an evidentiary hearing.
- Maxwell contends the records show prosecutors failed to investigate key leads and that lawyers for Epstein’s accusers acted as de facto prosecutors, citing items such as a letter where a former federal prosecutor said, “I did what I could.”
- Federal prosecutors filed a near-100-page rebuttal saying many of Maxwell’s claims are speculative, procedurally barred, or misstate the record and conceded only that some materials were not available to her trial team before 2021.
- U.S. District Judge Paul Engelmayer is reviewing the competing filings and has so far declined Maxwell’s request to force the DOJ to provide her copies of the released files or to immediately order broad discovery.
- Maxwell has exhausted direct appeals, represents herself, is serving a 20-year sentence in Bryan, Texas, and faces a high legal bar for habeas relief with limited options left if her petition is denied.