#Ghislaine Maxwell attorney calls her federal indictment ‘meritless’

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Acting US Attorney Audrey Strauss speaks during a news conference to announce charges against Ghislaine Maxwell.
John Minchillo/AP

A lawyer for Jeffrey Epstein’s accused accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell called the criminal case against her “meritless” in a recent court filing — the first time her legal team has addressed the charges against her.

In the Thursday night filing, Colorado-based lawyer Laura Menninger blasted federal prosecutors in New York for bringing a six-count indictment accusing Maxwell of sex trafficking and perjury.

“The United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York on June 29, 2020 caused a meritless indictment to be issued against Ms. Maxwell,” Menninger wrote in the filing.

The filing is in response to a civil case brought by an unidentified woman, Jane Doe, who claims she was abused by Epstein as a teenager after being groomed by Maxwell and the multimillionaire financier.

The woman alleges the pair approached her at a summer camp in Michigan when she 13 years old. Epstein allegedly sexually abused her several times over the course of a number of years, according to the complaint.

“Maxwell also regularly facilitated Epstein’s abuse of Doe and was frequently present when it occurred,” the woman’s complaint states.

Maxwell has denied every allegation in the suit.

“Ms. Maxwell’s denials of factual allegations shall be interpreted the same as pleading not guilty to the various counts in any criminal indictment,” Menninger wrote in the filing.

The former socialite was arrested last week at a sprawling New Hampshire mansion and hit with the indictment.

She’s expected to be arraigned on the charges next Tuesday.