NEW YORK, June 30 (Reuters) - The U.S. government has urged an appeals court to uphold Ghislaine Maxwell's conviction and 20-year prison sentence for helping the disgraced late financier Jeffrey Epstein sexually abuse teenage girls.
Circuit Court of Appeals in Manhattan, federal prosecutors said none of Maxwell's legal arguments about the fairness of her trial held merit.
Epstein committed suicide at age 66 in August 2019 in a Manhattan jail cell, where he was awaiting trial for sex trafficking.
Maxwell's accusers have said she and Epstein at first made them feel welcome in their orbit, before Epstein began demanding sexualized massages.
Reporting by Jonathan Stempel and Jack Queen in New York; edting Robert BirselOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
Persons:
Ghislaine, Jeffrey Epstein, Maxwell, Arthur Aidala, Epstein, Robert Maxwell, massages, Britain's Prince Andrew, JPMorgan Chase, Jes Staley, Jonathan Stempel, Jack Queen, edting Robert Birsel
Organizations:
YORK, U.S, Circuit, JPMorgan, Barclays, Deutsche Bank, US, Islands, Thomson
Locations:
Manhattan, Tallahassee , Florida, Beach , Florida, New York