“Trying a pre-9/11 terrorism case in a post-9/11 era within blocks from the World Trade Center ensured that Mr al-Fawwaz could never receive a truly fair trial by a truly impartial jury,” she said at the time.

Sternheim, who is the former head of the New York Women’s Bar Association, also previously represented Minh Quang Pham, who was sentenced to 40 years in prison in 2016 for plotting to blow up London’s Heathrow Airport. She is the only female recipient of the New York Criminal Bar Association’s Award for excellence, and she holds “top secret” and “sensitive compartmented information” clearance that gives her access to certain classified government information. In addition, she has previously represented defendants facing international extradition.

Epstein committed suicide in prison last year while awaiting trial on various sex charges. Maxwell was arrested back in July and was subsequently remanded to prison until her trial, which is scheduled for July of 2021, after a judge ruled that she is a flight risk given her immense wealth and international connections. Aside from Sternheim, the British socialite has also hired Christian Everdell, a former assistant U.S. attorney who helped prosecute Mexican drug lord “El Chapo.”