Arthur L. “Artie” Aidala is a well-known criminal defense attorney in New York City, and the managing partner of Aidala, Bertuna & Kamins law firm. His clients have included high-profile figures like Rudolph Giuliani, Harvey Weinstein, Roger Ailes, Alan Dershowitz, and Lawrence Taylor.
Now, Aidala represents Ghislaine Maxwell in an appeal before the US Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. Maxwell, convicted of sex trafficking four minors in conspiracy with Jeffrey Epstein, was sentenced to 20 years in prison in June 2022.
Aidala accused the Department of Justice of prosecuting Maxwell “as a proxy” for Epstein and claimed that the 5-year statute of limitations barred the DOJ from bringing charges against Maxwell. The defense attorneys argue that the government’s attempts at expanding the statute of limitations back to the late 20th century failed as a matter of law. The case should be thrown out, he argued, since the court is obliged to hold the executive branch to its solemn and written promises.
Additionally, Aidala argued that the juror’s undisclosed experience tainted the jury, denying Maxwell a right to a “fair and impartial” trial. Aidala also claims that Maxwell was convicted on counts not charged in her indictment and that the court “made several errors in sentencing.” He requested re-sentencing or a “substantial” reduction in her sentence.
Furthermore, Maxwell was held in solitary confinement in the Brooklyn Metropolitan Detention Center, under inhumane conditions, from the time of her arrest, and the District Court denied four bail applications and dozens of applications to ameliorate her conditions of confinement ranging from sleep deprivation to lack of access to legal counsel and discovery to prepare for trial. The Frank Report previously wrote about the conditions at the Brooklyn MDC and how Maxwell was treated there.
In the appeal, Aidala and his law partner Diana Fabi Samson claimed “several errors” were made at Maxwell’s trial. They said that in its zeal to pin the blame for its own incompetence and for Epstein’s crimes on Maxwell, the government breached its promise not to prosecute her, charged her with time-barred offenses, resurrected and recast decades-old allegations for conduct previously ascribed to Epstein and other named assistants, and joined forces with plaintiffs’ attorneys, whose interests were financial, to develop new allegations out of faded, distorted, and motivated memories.
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