Ghislaine Maxwell has reportedly been moved to a prison in New York City, where she will face charges relating to Jeffrey Epstein‘s alleged sex-trafficking ring. Maxwell was arrested last week at her home in New Hampshire. Now, the Bureau of Prisons tells The Associated Press that she is back in NYC and in custody.
Maxwell has been transferred five days after her arrest in New Hampshire, and all eyes are on her and the Brooklyn prison where she is being held. Maxwell is accused of knowingly transporting underage girls across state lines to be sexually abused by Epstein. Since Epstein himself died by alleged suicide in a Manhattan prison last year, many pundits are watching Maxwell‘s time behind bars closely. Prosecutors have reportedly said that Maxwell “poses an extreme risk of flight.”
Videos by PopCulture.com
Maxwell has been indicted on multiple charges, all relating to the recruitment, grooming and transporting of girls for Epstein’s alleged sexual abuse. Some of her alleged victims were as young as 14 years old, and Maxwell is accused of taking part in this cycle of abuse from 1994 to 1997, while she herself was dating Epstein.
Prosecutors sent a letter to a judge on Sunday, saying that they were in communication with Maxwell’s defense attorney, Christian Everdell. They reportedly requested a bail hearing on Friday, where Maxwell will be arraigned.
Prosecutors do not want the wealthy heiress to be granted bail, noting that she has three passports and lots of international connections. They wrote that she has “absolutely no reason to stay in the United States and face the possibility of a lengthy prison sentence.”
Maxwell is currently being held at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn. Former Bureau of Prisons official Jack Donson spoke to reporters, speculating that it was a “conscious decision” to hold Maxwell in a different prison from the one where Epstein died. It is rare but not unheard of for a high profile suspect to be held in a different borough from the one where they are being prosecuted.
Donson noted that the Brooklyn prison where Maxwell is being held has a long history of “screw ups,” including prolonged power outages, mistreatment of inmates and “unprofessional” exchanges between the staff and the incarcerated. However, he also believes that Maxwell will be watched extra closely to avoid an outcome like the one that befell Epstein.
Maxwell reportedly has a camera fixed to the wall in her cell, and has guards watching her constantly. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, she now faces a 14-day quarantine period and testing for the virus. She is due in court on Friday, but it is not clear whether she needs to attend in person.
