U.S. files superseding indictment against Ghislaine Maxwell

JULY 10, 2020 / 11:12 AM / UPDATED 3 HOURS AGO

NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. prosecutors have filed a superseding indictment against Ghislaine Maxwell, the former girlfriend and longtime associate of the late financier Jeffrey Epstein.

The indictment was made public on Friday in Manhattan federal court, and like the original indictment accused Maxwell of six criminal counts. Maxwell has been charged with luring underage girls so Epstein could sexually abuse them.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-people-ghislaine-maxwell-superseding-idUSKBN24B2D7

what it means

Can the indictment be amended (changed) to charge different or new crimes?

Technically speaking, an indictment cannot be “amended” once it has been returned by the grand jury, because that would violate the defendant’s Fifth Amendment right to be indicted by a grand jury. However, it is also true that prosecutors do frequently alter the crimes charged, or even add new charges, during the course of a criminal proceeding.

Prosecutors accomplish this by filing what is called a “superseding” indictment. A superseding indictment is just like any other indictment, and it must be obtained the same way as the original indictment—through a grand jury. The superseding indictment can include different charges, new charges, or add new defendants. Once the grand jury returns a superseding indictment, the superseding indictment replaces (supersedes) the original indictment.

https://www.burnhamgorokhov.com/criminal-defense-resources/federal-criminal-process/federal-indictments-faqs