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United States v. Maxwell Docket: Federal Trial Record, Conviction, Sentencing, Appeals, and the Epstein Files Transparency Fight

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ByEpsteinWiki
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Snapshot

CourtListener United States v. Maxwell is the public docket mirror for the federal criminal prosecution of Ghislaine Maxwell in the Southern District of New York. The case was filed on June 29, 2020, under case number 1:20 cr 00330. CourtListener lists the case as terminated on June 29, 2022, one day after Maxwell was sentenced to 240 months in prison. (CourtListener)

This docket matters because it is the official legal trail for the only federal trial conviction connected to Jeffrey Epstein’s trafficking operation. It documents the indictment, superseding indictment, protective orders, bail litigation, trial filings, verdict, sentencing, appeal history, grand jury unsealing fight, Epstein Files Transparency Act disputes, and Maxwell’s later collateral attacks on her conviction.

Why This Docket Matters

The Maxwell docket is one of the most important court records in the Epstein archive because it is where the federal government actually put part of the Epstein operation before a jury. Unlike Jeffrey Epstein, who died before trial in 2019, Maxwell was tried, convicted, sentenced, and appealed.

The court later summarized the case clearly. Maxwell was indicted on June 29, 2020, on charges arising from her facilitation of and participation in Epstein’s abuse of minor girls. A superseding indictment followed on March 29, 2021. Her trial began on November 29, 2021, and ended on December 29, 2021, with convictions on five felony counts. (U.S. District Court)

For EpsteinWiki, this docket is not just a case file. It is the courtroom record that confirms how prosecutors proved Maxwell’s role, which evidence reached the jury, which evidence remained sealed, and how later fights over disclosure and victim privacy unfolded.

Important Points

  1. The docket is for United States v. Maxwell in the Southern District of New York, case number 1:20 cr 00330. CourtListener Maxwell docket
  2. CourtListener lists the case as filed on June 29, 2020, and terminated on June 29, 2022. CourtListener Maxwell docket
  3. The Department of Justice announced on July 2, 2020, that Maxwell had been arrested and charged in Manhattan federal court with offenses connected to Jeffrey Epstein’s abuse of minors. (Department of Justice)
  4. DOJ said the indictment alleged that Maxwell and Epstein exploited girls as young as fourteen between at least 1994 and 1997. (Department of Justice)
  5. A superseding indictment was returned on March 29, 2021, adding related charges. (U.S. District Court)
  6. Maxwell’s trial began on November 29, 2021. The trial included testimony from four women who described abuse by Epstein and Maxwell, along with testimony from employees, law enforcement, and documentary evidence. (U.S. District Court)
  7. The court later identified trial evidence that included Epstein and Maxwell’s black address book, private plane flight logs, and FedEx records. (U.S. District Court)
  8. On December 29, 2021, Maxwell was convicted on five felony counts, including sex trafficking conspiracy and sex trafficking of a minor. (U.S. District Court)
  9. On June 28, 2022, Judge Alison J. Nathan sentenced Maxwell to 240 months in prison. (U.S. District Court)
  10. Maxwell appealed, and the Second Circuit affirmed her conviction on September 17, 2024. (U.S. District Court)
  11. The Second Circuit denied rehearing on November 25, 2024. (U.S. District Court)
  12. The Supreme Court denied Maxwell’s petition for certiorari on October 6, 2025. (U.S. District Court)
  13. DOJ moved on July 18, 2025, to unseal grand jury transcripts and exhibits in Maxwell’s case, arguing public interest and transparency. (U.S. District Court)
  14. On August 11, 2025, the court denied DOJ’s request to unseal grand jury material, finding that the grand jury materials would not meaningfully reveal new information. (U.S. District Court)
  15. On December 9, 2025, the court modified the protective order to allow releases required by the Epstein Files Transparency Act, while adding a certification process meant to protect victim privacy. (U.S. District Court)

The Criminal Case

The criminal case against Maxwell charged her with helping Epstein recruit, groom, and abuse minor girls. DOJ described Maxwell as someone who played a critical role in the grooming and abuse of minor victims in locations including New York, Florida, and New Mexico. DOJ also stated that Maxwell was charged with perjury connected to sworn deposition testimony from 2016. (Department of Justice)

The trial did not cover every allegation in the Epstein universe. It focused on specific charged conduct and specific victims. That limitation matters because a criminal docket is not the whole network. It is the part of the network prosecutors chose to prove beyond a reasonable doubt.

The Trial Evidence

The later SDNY order summarized the trial record. It said the trial included testimony from four women who described abuse they suffered as girls at the hands of Epstein and Maxwell. It also included testimony from people who worked for Epstein or Maxwell, law enforcement testimony, and corroborating physical and documentary evidence. (U.S. District Court)

The evidence named by the court matters for researchers. Epstein and Maxwell’s black address book, flight logs, and FedEx records were not internet rumors. They were part of the trial evidence described by the federal court. That makes the docket a key anchor for separating proven courtroom evidence from loose public speculation.

The Conviction and Sentence

Maxwell was convicted on five felony counts on December 29, 2021. The court listed those counts as conspiracy to entice minors to travel to engage in illegal sex acts, conspiracy to transport minors with intent to engage in illegal sexual activity, transportation of a minor with intent to engage in illegal sexual activity, participation in a sex trafficking conspiracy, and sex trafficking of a minor. (U.S. District Court)

On June 28, 2022, Maxwell was sentenced to 240 months in prison. DOJ said the sentence held Maxwell accountable for crimes against children and thanked Epstein and Maxwell’s victims for testifying and sharing their stories. (Department of Justice)

The Appeal Record

The docket remained important after sentencing because Maxwell continued to challenge her conviction. The Second Circuit affirmed her conviction on September 17, 2024. Rehearing was denied on November 25, 2024. The Supreme Court denied her petition for certiorari on October 6, 2025. (U.S. District Court)

That means Maxwell’s direct appeal path ended. Later filings, including collateral challenges, are different from a direct appeal. They do not erase the conviction unless a court grants relief.

The Grand Jury Unsealing Fight

In 2025, DOJ sought to unseal grand jury transcripts and exhibits from the Maxwell case. DOJ argued that public interest in Epstein and Maxwell justified release. The court rejected that request on August 11, 2025. (U.S. District Court)

The court’s reasoning matters. It said the premise that the grand jury materials would reveal meaningful new information was demonstrably false. The grand juries had met briefly, heard summary testimony from law enforcement, and returned indictments. The court found that the evidence was already largely public because of the Maxwell trial. (U.S. District Court)

For EpsteinWiki, this is a major clarity point. Grand jury secrecy is real, but the court was also saying the grand jury record was not the hidden master file people imagined. The stronger evidence trail remains the trial record, discovery, FBI files, financial records, flight records, witness statements, and other investigative materials.

The Epstein Files Transparency Act Fight

After the Epstein Files Transparency Act passed in November 2025, the Maxwell docket became important again because the protective order in the criminal case covered discovery materials. DOJ asked the court to modify that order so it could release records required by the Act. The court granted DOJ’s motion and added victim privacy safeguards. (U.S. District Court)

The court required the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York to personally certify, in a sworn declaration filed on the docket, that any protected discovery to be released had been rigorously reviewed for victim privacy. The certification had to address personally identifiable information, personal files, medical files, and similar privacy concerns. (U.S. District Court)

That is crucial. The docket became a battleground between transparency and survivor protection. Public release matters, but survivor privacy matters too. A serious archive has to hold both.

The Court’s Limit On EFTA Oversight

On January 21, 2026, the court issued another order explaining that the Maxwell criminal case did not give the court authority to supervise DOJ’s compliance with the Epstein Files Transparency Act as a whole. The court said the criminal case was effectively closed after conviction, sentencing, appeal, and Supreme Court denial, with only Maxwell’s later pro se collateral petition still outstanding. (U.S. District Court)

The court explained that its December 2025 order only modified the protective order that applied to discovery in the Maxwell criminal case. It did not give the court broad power to police DOJ’s full compliance with the Epstein Files Transparency Act. (U.S. District Court)

For researchers, this matters because not every Epstein file is controlled by the Maxwell docket. Some records are Maxwell criminal discovery. Some are Epstein investigation records. Some are DOJ or FBI materials outside the criminal discovery set. Some are congressional materials. Do not collapse all of them into one bucket.

Epstein Data Evidence Connections

Epstein Data EFTA02731082 is relevant to the Maxwell prosecution record and should be reviewed alongside any summary of Maxwell’s role in the abuse scheme.

Epstein Data EFTA00008631 is relevant to survivor related trial and investigative material connected to Maxwell’s role.

Epstein Data EFTA00011172 is relevant to Maxwell’s 2020 arrest and the federal case entry point.

Epstein Data EFTA00143419 is relevant to the modeling related evidence trail connected to Maxwell and Epstein.

Epstein Data EFTA00146704 is relevant to victim related allegations involving modeling claims and recruitment pathways.

Epstein Data EFTA00077895 is relevant to redacted coconspirator questions and should be handled carefully as a redacted evidence item, not a guilt list.

Epstein Data Congressional Reading Guide is relevant because it organizes major evidence categories that researchers should use alongside the Maxwell docket.

Epstein Data Congressional Subpoena Guide is relevant because later congressional work builds from issues raised by the criminal docket, including witness testimony, document production, and subpoena power.

What This Article Does Not Claim

This article does not claim that every Epstein related allegation was litigated in Maxwell’s criminal trial.

This article does not claim that every person named in Maxwell evidence committed a crime.

This article does not claim that the grand jury materials contain a hidden client list.

This article does not claim that the Maxwell docket controls all Epstein Files Transparency Act records.

This article does show that United States v. Maxwell is the central criminal docket for the federal prosecution that produced the only trial conviction connected to Epstein’s trafficking operation. It is a foundation record for EpsteinWiki.

Key Takeaways

  1. The CourtListener docket is a public access tool for tracking United States v. Maxwell in the Southern District of New York.
  2. Maxwell was indicted in June 2020 and arrested in July 2020.
  3. DOJ alleged that Maxwell helped Epstein recruit, groom, and abuse minor girls.
  4. A superseding indictment was returned in March 2021.
  5. Maxwell’s trial began in November 2021.
  6. Four women testified about abuse they suffered as girls.
  7. The trial record included the black address book, private plane flight logs, and FedEx records.
  8. Maxwell was convicted on five felony counts in December 2021.
  9. Maxwell was sentenced to 240 months in prison in June 2022.
  10. The Second Circuit affirmed her conviction in September 2024.
  11. The Supreme Court denied review in October 2025.
  12. DOJ later tried to unseal Maxwell grand jury materials, but the court denied that request in August 2025.
  13. The Epstein Files Transparency Act later required new action on Maxwell discovery materials protected by the criminal case protective order.
  14. The court added a certification requirement to protect victims before release of protected discovery materials.
  15. The docket is essential because it separates courtroom proof from rumor, while also showing how much of the Epstein record remains outside the trial record.

Internal EpsteinWiki Links

Source List

gov.uscourts.nysd.539612.863.0Download
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