Crime Stories with Nancy Grace - Epstein Files: Justice Department Asks Supreme Court to Uphold Ghislane Maxwell's Sentence | Crime Alert 6AM 07.16.25

Episode Date: July 16, 2025

As the Justice Department faces news scrutiny over the Jeffrey Epstein case, the Feds urge the Supreme Court to deny Ghislaine Maxwell’s appeal. A man camping in Idaho is mistaken for Travis Decker, the fugitive accused of killing his daughters. An Indianapolis mother is charged with trying to sell her baby for sex. A California farmworker dies after falling from a greenhouse roof during a chaotic immigration raid. A jury orders a Georgia hotel to pay $40 million to a sex trafficking survivor after the staff let the crimes happen. Drew Nelson reports.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Crime Alert, Hourly Update, Breaking Crime News Now. I'm Drew Nelson, yet more scrutiny on the Jeffrey Epstein case. The Justice Department urging the Supreme Court to deny Gailen Maxwell's appeal. On Monday, federal lawyers asked the court to leave her sex trafficking conviction in place. The request coming as pressure grows over how the DOJ has handled the Jeffrey Epstein case files. 63-year-old Maxwell is serving 20 years in prison. A New York jury found her guilty in 2021 on five charges, including sex trafficking of a minor and conspiracy.

Her release is set for 2037. She's currently being held in Tallahassee, Florida. In her appeal, Maxwell argued that the case should be thrown out. She said she was protected under Epstein's 2007 plea deal. She also claimed the statute of limitations had run out. The said she was protected under Epstein's 2007 plea deal. She also claimed the statute of limitations had run out. The second court rejected her arguments, but she told the Supreme Court that different courts have ruled differently on the issue.

She said justices should step in to clarify. Her lawyer, David Oscar Marcus, took aim at President Trump, quote, He's known as the ultimate dealmaker, and I'm confident that he would agree that the government should uphold its promises. Marcus went on to say it was, quote, particularly unjust for Maxwell to stay in prison over a, quote, broken promise from the government. The DOJ filing comes after it told the public there was no new information in Epstein's case. Some reports claim Congress may call on Maxwell to testify.

Sources say she is open to it. Her lawyer did not reply to media requests for comment. More crime and justice news after this. A man camping in Idaho is mistaken for Travis Decker, the man accused of killing his three daughters, triggering a massive law enforcement response. The man named Nick was camping in Bear Creek on July 5th when someone thought he looked like Travis Decker. Your instinct isn't to think that was me.

So my first thought was, oh my God, we spent the night next to a murderer. That is frightening. That's Nick on Idaho 6 News. Decker, of course, wanted for the murder of his three daughters in Washington. Officers questioned him for 30 minutes. They examined his tattoos, glasses, hat, beard, shirt and earrings. He was eventually cleared. Decker, age 32, is still missing. He served in the Army from 2013 to 2021 and has survival training. Police say he killed Peyton, Evelyn and Olivia during a court ordered visit on May 30. Their bodies were found on June 2 at a campsite in Chelan County. They had zip ties and plastic bags on their heads. Cause of death listed as asphyxiation.

Decker's truck was found nearby with two bloody handprints. Google searches from his phone showed he looked up, quote, how to relocate to Canada and quote jobs Canada Decker's ex-wife Whitney says she wants him found quote Dead or alive he is white 5'8 190 pounds black hair brown eyes and tattoos But he may have changed his looks a twenty thousand dollar reward is being offered anyone with tips should call 800-336-0102 an Indianapolis mother is charged with trying to sell her baby for sex. Morgan D. Stapp, 32 years old, was arrested on July 8. She's accused of offering her 7-month-old daughter for abuse in exchange for $400.

The FBI started looking into her case last November. Snapchat reported messages from her account, one message saying, quote, you can f*** her for $400. I'll provide my address. I live alone. She later said her account was hacked. A search warrant found 7,000 messages from her account over three days. She had asked people to buy nude photos so she could, quote, buy diapers for the baby.

She added over 400 users during that time. She's being held on a $200,000 bond with her first court date set for Friday. A California farm worker dies after falling from a greenhouse roof during a chaotic immigration raid. Jaime Alaniz, age 57, died two days after falling 30 feet during a federal raid at Glasshouse Farms near Camarillo. His family said he broke his neck and skull and lost a lot of blood. Doctors found no brain activity.

His wife came from Mexico to say goodbye and his family chose to take him off life support at that time. Alonise had worked there for 10 years. He always sent money to his daughter and wife in Michoacan. Her niece wrote on GoFundMe, quote, They took one of our family members. We need justice. The fundraiser has collected over $164,000. The raid began early Thursday at glass house sites in Camarillo and Carpinteria. Federal agents and National Guard troops carried out search warrants. DHS said they arrested 319 people and rescued 14 minors from forced labor. Agents wore helmets and camouflage as protesters clashed with law enforcement outside the property. Smoke bombs were used.

One protester fired a gun. During the raid, Alanis called his family and said he was hiding. They believed he fell while running from agents. A DHS official said, quote, although he was not being pursued by law enforcement, this individual climbed up to the roof of a greenhouse and fell 30 feet. Four U.S. citizens were also arrested during the protests. United Farm Workers said some U.S. citizens were forced to delete photos from their phones. Glasshouse Farms says they followed the law. President Trump praised the raids. Governor Gavin Newsom of California called them chaos, fear, and terror. DHS says the investigation is

still ongoing. At least 10 migrant children were found at Glasshouse Farms. A jury orders a Georgia hotel to pay $40 million to a sex trafficking survivor, including $30 million punitive damages. The woman, known as J.G., was 16 when she was trafficked at the United Inn in Decatur, Georgia. She said she was raped more than 200 times in the course of 40 days in 2018. J.G. said the hotel let it happen. Housekeepers cleaned her room many times a day, seeing condoms and doing nothing about

it. A law alert with her name and photo even came out while she was still there and nothing was done. The night manager had warned the traffickers about police and even helped them change rooms to avoid being detective. Detectives called the hotel one of the top five sex trafficking spots in the county. J.G. says she still has nightmares and flashbacks. This case is setting a legal precedent as the verdict is expected to influence other

cases. More trials are scheduled this year, including one involving a super-aid hotel in Tucker, Georgia. Authorities say this is the first civil sex trafficking case under the Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act to reach a jury verdict. For the latest crime and justice news, follow Crime Alert's hourly update on your favorite podcast app. With this Crime Alert, I'm Drew Nelson.