LAWYERS FOR BRITISH socialite Ghislaine Maxwell are arguing a court decision that freed Bill Cosby from prison backs up tossing out her sex trafficking case.
In court papers filed today, the lawyers said the former girlfriend of Jeffrey Epstein is in a “similar situation” as Cosby because both were covered by non-prosecution deals at the time they were charged in sex abuse cases.
Cosby was convicted in 2018 on charges of drugging and sexually assaulting Andrea Constand in 2004, when she was a Temple University employee.
He was released earlier this week after Pennsylvania’s highest court found prosecutors violated his rights by reneging on an apparent promise not to charge him.
The same principle applies to Maxwell’s case because she was covered by a non-prosecution agreement Epstein signed with federal prosecutors in Florida in the late 2000s, her lawyers said.
It is the latest among numerous approaches — so far unsuccessful — that the lawyers have taken to try to nullify charges alleging Maxwell recruited teenage girls from 1994 to 2004 for Epstein to sexually abuse.
She has pleaded not guilty.
A spokesperson for the US attorney’s office in Manhattan declined comment today.
Maxwell is set to go on trial later this year.
Separately, a sprawling New Mexico ranch belonging to Epstein is on the market for 27.5 million US dollars (€23.2 million).
The 12-square mile Zorro Ranch was put up for sale by Epstein’s estate and includes a 26,700-square foot mansion and a private airstrip with a hangar and helipad, according to the listing by Neil Lyon Group at Sotheby’s International Realty Santa Fe.
The listing was reported by the Wall Street Journal, which said proceeds from the sale would go towards compensating those who filed claims against Epstein and paying taxes and creditors.
Epstein purchased the property in southern Santa Fe County in 1993. Besides the mansion, the ranch includes several other residences, including an off-the-grid cabin, the Santa Fe New Mexican reported.
Epstein did not face any charges tied to New Mexico, but news reports have said court documents and civil cases accused him of sexually assaulting teenage girls and women at the property.
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