Ghislaine Maxwell’s conviction could be thrown out as prosecutors called for an inquiry after one of her jurors admitted he was sexually abused.
The move has left the British socialite’s legal team almost certain to launch an appeal against last week’s guilty verdict potentially leading to a mistrial being called, Mirror.co.uk reports.
In their request for an inquiry, Maxwell’s prosecutors said if an inquiry is to be carried out, juror Scotty David should be asked “whether he would like counsel to be appointed in connection with it”.
On Wednesday, Jan 5, US prosecutor Maurene Comey wrote to trial judge Alison Nathan asking for an inquiry to be held.
She wrote: “While the Court instructed jurors that they were free to discuss their jury service with anyone of their choosing, some of the statements, as related in the media, merit attention by the court.
“In particular, the juror has described being a victim of sexual abuse.
“Assuming the accuracy of the reporting, the juror asserted that he ‘flew through’ the prospective juror questionnaire and does not recall being asked whether he had been a victim of sexual abuse, but stated that ‘he would have answered honestly’.
