The Supreme Court on Monday rejected Ghislaine Maxwell’s appeal to overturn her criminal conviction for her role in recruiting and grooming teenage girls for sexual abuse by Jeffrey Epstein. Maxwell argued she should have been shielded from prosecution under a plea agreement Epstein made with authorities. As a result, Maxwell’s 20-year sentence remains in place. JUST IN – Supreme Court rejects Ghislaine Maxwell’s appeal of her criminal conviction for recruiting and grooming underage girls for Epstein — NBC pic.twitter.com/aTeQ8cMxNp — Disclose.tv (@disclosetv) October 6, 2025 NBC News has more: Maxwell lawyer David Oscar Markus argued in court papers that an agreement Epstein made with the then-U.S. attorney in the southern district of Florida, Alex Acosta, not to prosecute him or potential co-conspirators should apply to one of the three counts in her case, which was prosecuted in New York. “We’re, of course, deeply disappointed that the Supreme Court declined to hear Ghislaine Maxwell’s case,” Markus said in a statement. “But this fight isn’t over. Serious legal and factual issues remain, and we will continue to pursue every avenue available to ensure that justice is done,” he added. At issue in Maxwell’s appeal was whether the terms of a so-called nonprosecution agreement apply only in the district where it was negotiated or also bind federal prosecutors nationwide. The Justice Department asked the Supreme Court to reject Maxwell’s appeal, with Solicitor General D. John Sauer noting in his brief that under internal policies, the U.S. attorney would have needed to obtain permission from superiors if the agreement were to apply outside his district. There is no evidence that occurred, he added. According to CBS News, Justice Department officials unsuccessfully petitioned a federal court in New York to unseal grand jury documents in the Epstein case. Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche previously met with Maxwell to discuss her relationship with Epstein. Today, I met with Ghislaine Maxwell, and I will continue my interview of her tomorrow. The Department of Justice will share additional information about what we learned at the appropriate time. — Todd Blanche (@DAGToddBlanche) July 24, 2025 CBS News noted: Epstein’s lawyers and then-U.S. Attorney Alex Acosta entered into the deal after a federal investigation into allegations Epstein engaged in sexual abuse of underage girls. In exchange for avoiding federal charges, Epstein agreed to plead guilty to two state prostitution charges and serve an 18-month prison sentence. The agreement specified that if Epstein fulfilled all of its terms, he would not be prosecuted “in this district,” the Southern District of Florida. It also contained a so-called co-conspirators clause, which stated that if Epstein satisfied the deal’s conditions, the U.S. would “not institute any criminal char[g]es against any potential co-conspirator of Epstein, including but not limited to” four of his assistants. A Justice Department official in West Palm Beach later told the department’s Office of Professional Responsibility the provision was “highly unusual,” and a former prosecutor who handled the case said she didn’t consider that Epstein may have been trying to protect anyone other than his four assistants, according to court records. Acosta went on to serve as labor secretary during Mr. Trump’s first term, but he resigned in 2019 amid scrutiny of his handling of the nonprosecution agreement with Epstein. He stepped down shortly after Epstein was indicted on federal sex trafficking charges in New York.