24 February 2023 , 19:32
640
0
Teen sex trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell has hired a new lawyer she hopes will overturn her conviction - rapist Harvey Weinstein’s high-powered female attorney.
The disgraced British socialite has appointed famed New York lawyer Diana Fabi-Samson to her team.
The lawyer is a former Assistant District Attorney in Manhattan prosecuting major crimes, including murder, armed robbery, and bank fraud.
A source told the Mirror: "Given the nature of the crimes she was convicted of, Ghislaine has been keen to have women on her legal team.
"There is no doubting Fabi-Samson’s credentials when she is not practising she is an adjunct professor in law.
Fuming Susanna Reid shuts down interview with Prince Andrew's ex over wild claim
Attorney Diana Fabi Samson, left, walks with Harvey Weinstein as they arrive at a Manhattan courthouse in 2020 (Mark Lennihan/AP/REX/Shutterstock)"She is well respected in legal circles however her expertise was not enough to save Weinstein from conviction in New York."
Mother of four Fabi-Samson one was of the movie mogul’s trio of formidable female lawyers – the others being Marianne Bertuna and Donna Rotunno.
They acted on behalf of the disgraced millionaire during his New York rape case which ultimately led to him being convicted of rape and sexual assault.
He was handed a 23 year prison sentence in 2020.
Maxwell seen outside FCI Tallahassee Florida in Tallahassee on October 24 last year (Matt Symons / Mirrorpix)Maxwell is said to be mounting an £8.5 million appeal against her prison sentence, drawing from funds secured through a recent divorce settlement.
The 61-year-old is currently serving 20 years in the US after being found guilty of procuring girls for Prince Andrew’s paedophile pal Jeffrey Epstein to abuse.
The financier took his own life in August 2019 as he awaited trial for sex trafficking.
Maxwell, the daughter of crooked media tycoon Robert Maxwell, is reported to have recently reached a settlement with her ex-husband Scott Borgerson.
Maxwell is said to be mounting an £8.5 million appeal against her prison sentence (TalkTV)It was claimed he previously refused to release money from Maxwell’s £16.5 million trust.
She sought the funds to pay an outstanding £730,000 legal fee and hire Weinstein’s lawyer to work on her own appeal.
Ghislaine Maxwell 'in solitary confinement after TalkTV interview from jail'
Maxwell is currently serving her sentence in the federal female prison in Tallahassee, Florida.
A jail source told the Mirror: “In recent weeks, Ghislaine has had a spring in her step.
“It would seem to tie in with her now having money to fund her appeal which ultimately she thinks will be successful.”
Prince Andrew and Virginia Giuffre seen in a photo with Maxwell (US District Court - Southern Dis)Fabi-Samson was not part of Weinstein’s team for the recent rape case against him California.
Only on Thursday he was sentenced to a further 16 years behind bars after being convicted of rape in California.
The predatory producer will have to serve the punishment AFTER he has served his 23-year term imposed in New York.
However, Weinstein 70, is hoping an appeal against his Manhattan verdict will be successful after the city’s highest court agreed to hear his case.
In the Los Angeles trial, a jury found him guilty in December of three counts related to the accuser known as Jane Doe 1: forcible rape, forcible oral copulation and sexual penetration by foreign object.
Maxwell has been moved to FCI Tallahassee, a low-security prison in Florida (Google)The jury found Weinstein not guilty of sexual battery by restraint involving a second accuser, identified as Jane Doe 2, and was unable to reach verdicts for allegations involving Jane Doe 3 and Jane Doe 4.
A jury of eight men and four women reached the guilty verdict after nine days of deliberation.
Before being handed 16 years, Weinstein pleaded for “mercy” moments before he was sentenced.
He told the court: "This is a made-up story. Jane Doe 1 is an actress. She can turn the tears on.
"Please don’t sentence me to life in prison. I don’t deserve it. There are so many things wrong with this case.
"There are too many loopholes. Too many things wrong with this case.
"This is a set-up. This is not the way to act in this situation."
He closed his remarks by saying: "I beg your mercy."