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Ghislaine Maxwell’s appeal is in jeopardy as her estranged husband refuses to pay her $2million legal bill

  • Ghislaine Maxwell's estranged husband could be putting her appeal in jeopardy  
  • Scott Borgerson, 46, has been accused of failing to pay $900,000 in legal bills
  • He has also been accused of failing to provide $1m to challenge her conviction 
  • Maxwell's friends fear he could be delaying their divorce and accessing her cash

Ghislaine Maxwell's appeal against her 20-year jail sentence for sexual abuse lies in tatters – because her estranged husband has refused to pay her lawyers.

Scott Borgerson, 46, who secretly married Maxwell, 60, in 2016, controls her fortune after she transferred up to £20million into a trust fund before her arrest in 2020.

But Borgerson ended the relationship with Maxwell during a phone call to the New York prison where she was awaiting trial.

Now he has been accused of failing to pay a $900,000 legal bill to her defence team and provide the $1million required to challenge the conviction.

Until the cash is transferred, her legal team is unlikely to meet a January deadline, forcing her to face the prospect she might die behind bars.

Ghislaine Maxwell with her now estranged husband Scott Borgerson pictured at an NGO event. Maxwell's friends now fear her attempt at appeal could be in jeopardy over claims her husband is refusing to pay her legal costs
Ghislaine Maxwell with her now estranged husband Scott Borgerson pictured at an NGO event. Maxwell's friends now fear her attempt at appeal could be in jeopardy over claims her husband is refusing to pay her legal costs

 

Maxwell is pictured during exercise behind the wire fence of her prison in Florida earlier this year
Maxwell is pictured during exercise behind the wire fence of her prison in Florida earlier this year

Who is Daphne Barak? 

Daphne Barak is a renowned interviewer and documentary film maker, whose subjects have included Nelson Mandela, Donald Trump, Hilary Clinton, Johnny Depp and Michael Jackson among others.

Daphne's best-selling Saving Amy, based on her months' filming with Amy Winehouse and her family, is being adapted into a scripted eight part TV series by Halcyon Studios.

Daphne's interview with Ghislaine Maxwell will appear on CBS Paramount Plus later in the year.

Daphne's latest book, Struggling for One America, written with Erbil Gunasti, is published by Skyhorse Publishing and is available to buy.

 

Maxwell's pals fear he is delaying their divorce and her access to money as a negotiating ploy.

‘He thinks if he drags it out, she will give him most of the money,' said one. ‘She is in jail… not much she can do from there.'

But a legal source said: ‘He doesn't trust what Maxwell's lawyers are telling him.'

Maxwell and Borgerson reportedly met in Iceland in 2013.

Her relationship with San Diego billionaire Ted Waitt had collapsed and friends say she was vulnerable. Borgerson was still married to first wife Rebecca, mother of his young son and daughter.

The couple married three years later.

But in 2019, after her pal Jeffrey Epstein was found hanged in his cell while awaiting trial for sex abuse, Maxwell went into hiding, moving from house to house.

Few knew she and Borgerson had married till it was referenced by prosecutors at her 2020 trial.

‘Her brothers were astonished to find out that not only was she married, but she had made all her money over to Scott,' said a source close to the family.

He did not visit her in the New York jail once, say friends, and failed to attend any of the trial.

Colorado law firm Huddon, Morgan and Foreman, which acted for Maxwell in the trial, has filed a lawsuit against her and brother Kevin for nearly $900,000.

Court documents showed she received tens of millions of dollars from Epstein and had sold her New York home for $15 million.

Borgerson dismissed the claims as ‘fake '. He pointed to legal testimony from Huddon that he ‘expressed cooperation, transparency and honesty' in discussions.

 

This “Eyes on Trafficking” story is reprinted from its original location.

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PBJ Learning is a leading provider of online human trafficking training, focusing on and prevention education. Their interactive Human Trafficking Essentials is used worldwide to educate professionals and individuals how to recognize human trafficking and how to respond to potential victims. Learn on any web browser (even your mobile phone) at any time.

More stories like this can be found in your PBJ Learning Knowledge Vault.

 

EYES ON TRAFFICKING

This “Eyes on Trafficking” story is reprinted from its original online location.

ABOUT PBJ LEARNING

PBJ Learning is a leading provider of online human trafficking training, focusing on awareness and prevention education. Their interactive Human Trafficking Essentials online course is used worldwide to educate professionals and individuals how to recognize human trafficking and how to respond to potential victims. Learn on any web browser (even your mobile phone) at any time.

More stories like this can be found in your PBJ Learning Knowledge Vault.