Ghislaine Maxwell lawyers ask judge to scrap new indictment

Lawyers for British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell have urged a judge to dismiss a rewritten indictment against her (Jim James/PA)

Lawyers for British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell have urged a judge to dismiss a rewritten indictment against her, saying prosecutors merely want to blame her for the sex crimes of former boyfriend Jeffrey Epstein.

The papers, dated May 7, were filed publicly on Tuesday in Manhattan federal court. They are among numerous approaches — so far unsuccessful — that defence lawyers have taken to try to nullify charges alleging their client recruited teenage girls from 1994 to 2004 for Epstein to sexually abuse.