By Luc Cohen

NEW YORK (Reuters). The British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell was sentenced on Friday in her sex abuse trial. But, the judge said that she still considers Maxwell’s request for an overturning of her conviction due to concerns about a juror.

Maxwell, 60, was convicted https://www.reuters.com/world/us/maxwell-jury-resume-deliberations-after-judge-warns-omicron-risk-2021-12-29 on Dec. 29 on five counts of sex trafficking and other charges for recruiting and grooming teenage girls for the late financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein to abuse between 1994 and 2004. Maxwell could spend up to 65 years prison time when Alison Nathan, U.S. District Judge in New York sentences her.

Maxwell’s lawyers said last week they would request a new trial https://www.reuters.com/world/us/ghislaine-maxwells-prosecutors-seek-inquiry-into-jurors-sexual-abuse-claim-2022-01-05 after one of the jurors in the case told Reuters and other media that he shared his experience of being sexually abused as a child during deliberations, and that his account helped sway jurors who were skeptical of Maxwell’s accusers.

Maxwell’s attorneys did not respond immediately to Friday’s request for comment. Manhattan U.S. Department of Justice declined to comment.

Concerns were raised by the comments made to media by the juror. He did not reveal his abuse on a pre-trial screening questionnaire asking if he, or any member of his family, had ever been victims of sexual abuse.

The juror, who asked to be identified by his first and middle names, Scotty David, said https://www.reuters.com/world/us/some-ghislaine-maxwell-jurors-initially-doubted-accusers-juror-says-2022-01-05 he did not remember seeing the question. In November, Nathan followed-up questions did not ask him about his personal experience with sexual abuse.

Maxwell would not be guaranteed https://www.reuters.com/world/us/no-guarantee-new-maxwell-trial-after-jurors-revelations-experts-say-2022-01-07 a new trial even if the juror indicated on the form that he had not been sexually abused, legal experts told Reuters last week. Experts said that jurors who lie to gain access to the panel are more likely to be found in cases where judges have overturned juror dishonesty verdicts.

Maxwell’s lawyers have until January 19 to file a formal motion to reopen the case. Prosecutors will have until February 2 to reply. Nathan is being asked by the prosecution to conduct an investigation into the actions of the juror.

Epstein, 66 years old and awaiting his trial for sex crime charges in Manhattan in 2019, committed suicide in a Manhattan jail cell.