A federal judge in Manhattan rejected Ghislaine Maxwell's latest attempt to overturn her 2021 sex trafficking conviction and win release from prison, calling her claims meritless and largely frivolous.

U.S. District Judge Paul A. Engelmayer issued the 67-page decision Tuesday denying Maxwell's habeas corpus petition. The filing, submitted last December while Maxwell represented herself, argued that newly released documents from the Jeffrey Epstein investigation proved constitutional violations at her trial and sentencing.

Engelmayer wrote that Maxwell's assertions were "demonstrably meritless" and "generally based on speculation, distortions, and/or outright falsehoods." He noted that the vast majority of her arguments were procedurally barred because they had already been raised and rejected on direct appeal or could have been raised earlier.

The judge also addressed Maxwell's reliance on materials released under the Epstein Files Transparency Act. He determined that the purported new evidence was largely irrelevant to the charges against her. To the extent it was relevant, the materials incriminated Maxwell or reinforced the correctness of prior legal rulings rather than supporting her claims of error.

"There is no fact that Maxwell fairly puts in dispute that has any potential to disturb the outcome of her trial," Engelmayer stated.

Maxwell, 64, was convicted in December 2021 of recruiting and grooming underage girls for Epstein's sexual abuse. She received a 20-year sentence in 2022. Her direct appeals were exhausted after the Supreme Court declined to hear her case.

She is currently serving her sentence at the Federal Prison Camp in Bryan, Texas. The ruling leaves her with limited remaining legal options to challenge her conviction.

Engelmayer denied a certificate of appealability, concluding that Maxwell had not made a substantial showing of the denial of a constitutional right. He further certified that any appeal would not be taken in good faith.