Ghislaine Maxwell is reportedly preparing a $10 million appeal against her 20-year prison sentence, drawing on funds secured through a recent divorce settlement.
The Daily Mail exclusively reported, citing an unnamed source close to the family, that Maxwell has reached a divorce settlement with her ex-husband Scott Borgerson, who previously refused to release any money from Maxwell’s $20 million trust. Maxwell sought the funds to pay an outstanding attorney’s fee of $878,302 and hire Harvey Weinstein’s attorneys to work on her appeal.
After reaching the divorce settlement, the source noted that the 60-year-old Maxwell is “ready to react” and that “her lawyers are confident she has compelling reasons to appeal.”
Maxwell was sentenced to 20 years in prison last June “for her role in a sexual conspiracy [sic] exploiting and abusing multiple underage girls with Jeffrey Epstein over the course of a decade,” the Justice Department said. He is serving time at Florida’s low-security federal prison, FCI Tallahassee.
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Ghislaine Maxwell, seen with Jeffrey Epstein at an event at Cipriani Wall Street on March 15, 2005, in New York City, is allegedly organizing a $10 million appeal. (Joe Schildhorn/Patrick McMullan via Getty Images)
Maxwell and Borgerson, an American tech millionaire, met in Iceland in 2013 and married in 2016, the Mail reported. Prior to his arrest, he took control of the rest of her fortune.
This included about $15 million from the sale of their New York home.
Borgerson reportedly ended their relationship via phone call in July 2020 in a New York City jail, where Maxwell was awaiting trial.
After a month-long jury trial, Maxwell was found guilty on December 29, 2021 of conspiracy to induce minors to travel to engage in unlawful sexual acts, conspiracy to transport a minor to participate in unlawful sexual acts, transport a minor to participate in unlawful sexual acts illegal sex, sex trafficking conspiracy and sex trafficking of a minor. Following his conviction, Borgerson reportedly refused to release the funds to Maxwell who sought to hire Colorado law firm Haddon, Morgan and Foreman and an additional $1 million to launch an appeal, the Mail reported.
Ghislaine Maxwell was convicted in December 2021 of sex trafficking. (SDNY)
In the new divorce settlement, Maxwell is said to receive about $10 million, most of which will go to her appeal. Arthur L. Aidala, the attorney representing Weinstein in his appeal, told PageSix.com that “the trial judge made mistakes” in Maxwell’s case, claiming the disgraced British socialite was “mistreated” and “malnourished” during her incarceration.
The Mail reported that Aidala is drafting Maxwell’s 30-page appeal, which will not be about proving his innocence, but rather “whether the judge who decided the case made the correct legal decision”. The appeal must be presented by 28 February. It currently contains approximately 22,000 words, but her attorneys are working to reduce it to meet court restrictions.
Ghislaine Maxwell plans to appeal her 20-year prison sentence. (Sylvain Gaboury/Patrick McMullan)
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The state will then have three months to respond to the appeal. Maxwell’s defense will then have another month to file a response. A hearing could take place as early as July on the matter.
Fox News Digital reached out to Aidala and the Haddon, Morgan and Foreman firm for comment on Monday but did not receive a response in time for publication.
