Ghislaine Maxwell’s legal team is calling for a new trial after one of the jurors who convicted her last week of five of six counts related to child sex trafficking told reporters that he was a victim of sexual abuse and had convinced other jurors to convict Maxwell.
Earlier, federal prosecutors who had presided over the case had asked U.S. District Judge Alison Nathan to conduct an inquiry into the juror’s statements and hold a hearing in a month. They also asked that the court ask the juror if he would like the court to appoint him a lawyer.
In a subsequent letter, members of Maxwell’s legal team requested that Nathan call for a new trial “without any evidentiary hearing,” writing that they believed the statements by the juror, the questionnaire and “other non-controverted facts,” should be deemed sufficient basis for a new trial.