A U.S. appeals court has upheld Ghislaine Maxwell's 2021 conviction for sex trafficking related to her role in helping Jeffrey Epstein sexually abuse underage girls between 1994 and 2004. The 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that a 2007 non-prosecution agreement between Epstein and federal prosecutors in Florida did not protect Maxwell from prosecution in New York. Maxwell, 62, is serving a 20-year sentence and had argued that she was being scapegoated for Epstein's crimes, as he died by suicide in 2019 while awaiting trial. The court found her indictment was within the statute of limitations and affirmed that she played a central role in facilitating the abuse. Maxwell's defense also claimed the trial was tainted by juror misconduct, which the court dismissed. The ruling reinforces accountability for those involved in Epstein's criminal activities.