Ghislaine Maxwell, the 62-year-old British socialite convicted of trafficking underage girls for Jeffrey Epstein, was moved to Federal Prison Camp Bryan, a minimum-security facility in Texas, earlier this week.
Newsweek contacted Maxwell’s attorney for comment via email on Saturday outside of regular office hours.
Why It Matters
President Donald Trump has been under intense pressure over the Epstein case since July 6 when the Department of Justice and FBI released a joint statement asserting he had “no incriminating ‘client list'” and died by suicide. Conspiracy theorists, including a section of Trump’s Make America Great Again (MAGA) movement, have long maintained that Epstein was murdered to cover up the involvement of prominent figures in his abuse.
The Wall Street Journal later reported Trump had been told his name appeared “multiple times” in the so-called Epstein files by Attorney General Pam Bondi, which the White House dismissed as “fake news.” Trump also said he would be “allowed” to pardon Maxwell, though he added that “it’s something I have not through about” as the issue continues to cause a rift between the president and some of his supporters.
What To Know
In 2022, Maxwell was sentenced to 20 years in prison after being found guilty of child sex trafficking, though she continues to maintain her innocence. Prosecutors said the offenses were carried out in cooperation with Epstein, the New York financier and convicted sex offender who committed suicide in a New York federal jail in 2019.
Maxwell initially served her sentence at the Federal Correctional Institution in Florida, a low-security prison, but, this week, the Bureau of Prisons told Newsweek that she has been transferred to Bryan. This was confirmed by David Oscar Markus, Maxwell’s attorney, though he declined to comment further.
In total, 635 inmates are held at Federal Prison Camp Bryan, the vast majority of which are women convicted of nonviolent offenses, according to the facility’s official website. Other detainees include Elizabeth Holmes, the billionaire founder of Theranos, who was convicted of fraud; and former Real Housewives of Salt Lake City star Jen Shah. Overall, the site covers 37 acres, with inmates housed in dormitories.
A prison handbook for the Bryan prison, seen by the BBC, indicates Maxwell will be required to wear khaki-colored shirts and pants and get up at 6 a.m. each day.
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Prisoners are primarily housed in two person cells in dormitory-style facilities, according to Pink Lady Prison Consultants, an advocacy group led by former prisoners.
All prisoners are expected to work, earning between 12 cents and $1.15 per hour. A range of educational programs are also available, including classes on business skills and foreign languages.
The handbook says inmates can also play sports, attend religious services and access televisions. Visitors are allowed during the weekend and holidays, though with limited physical contact.
Prisoners can be sanctioned if they break a number of rules, including not keeping their cells clean; leaving an area during one of the five-a-day roll calls; and sleeping past the designated wake-up time.
For each meal, prisoners are allotted one hour, with the menu compiled by the Federal Bureau of Prisons, including macaroni, tacos, hotdogs and hamburgers.
British newspaper The Daily Telegraph reported that facilities available at the Bryan prison include a gym, yoga classes and a ‘puppy program,’ which involves prisoners training service dogs in collaboration with Canine Companions.
What People Are Saying
In a statement released on Friday the Bureau of Prisons said: “We can confirm Ghislaine Maxwell is in the custody of the Federal Bureau of Prisons at the Federal Prison Camp (FPC) Bryan in Bryan, Texas.”
The family of Virginia Giuffre, one of Epstein’s victims who died by suicide earlier this year, expressed their “horror and disgust” at the move, which they said was made “without any notification to Maxwell’s victims.”
The family added: “This is the justice system failing victims right before our eyes. The American public should be outraged by the special treatment afforded to a pedophile and a criminally charged child sex offender.”
Speaking to The Daily Telegraph Julie Howell, a Bryan prisoner, said the facility is “nothing like you see on TV or in the movies because it’s a camp, which only houses nonviolent offenders.”
Maxwell’s move came after she was interviewed by Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche on July 25 about Epstein’s activities and who else was involved.
What Happens Next
Trump is likely to continue facing pressure from some of his supporters to release more information about the Epstein case.
Maxwell could be offered a pardon or reduced sentence in exchange for giving more details about Epstein’s associates, but such a move would almost certainly be highly controversial.
