Ghislaine Maxwell’s prison ordeal
The disgraced socialite is fighting to be released from prison after a court denies her fourth bail application
IT’S hard to believe the woman peering out of the photo was once a glossy social butterfly, equally at home among the billionaires, politicians and celebrities who frequented London and New York high society. This woman is pinched and wrinkled, her hair grey and a nasty bruise smudged beneath one eye – a million miles from the flawless, designer-clad personality the world is used to seeing.
The snapshot, released by her lawyer, Bobbi Sternheim, is the first glimpse the public has had of Ghislaine Maxwell (59) since her arrest in July last year on charges of sex-trafficking underage girls for her late billionaire ex-boyfriend, Jeffrey Epstein (YOU, 16 July 2020).
Until now, the disgraced daughter of late British publishing tycoon Robert Maxwell had only been seen in court sketches as no cameras or recording devices are permitted at hearings.
Her legal team included the photo of
Ghislaine with a black eye in a court filing as part of their ongoing concerns about her treatment at New York’s Metropolitan Detention Centre (MDC).
Ghislaine has previously protested about her “hellhole” jail conditions, claiming she’s being mistreated.
She says prison guards have even gone so far as to stand over her while she uses the toilet and have accused her of not flushing, leading to an unbearable stench in her cell.
But Ghislaine has denied this, saying the smell is caused by rotting pipes. She claims the facility is so filthy even her salad has mould on it.
Her lawyers say that since being taken into custody she’s endured more than 1 400 body searches and was physically abused when she was shoved into her cell by a guard prior to a pat-down probe.
When Ghislaine reported the incident, she claims guards ordered her to clean, sanitise and scrub the walls of a shower.
Guards also allegedly shine a light on her every 15 minutes day and night to make sure she’s still breathing and hasn’t tried to kill herself. It’s the reason Ghislaine has resorted to covering her eyes with a sock or towel while sleeping, and this, her defence team argue, might’ve led to the bruised eye.
Sternheim claims her client has been hesitant to report the injury for fear of intimidation.
“While Ms Maxwell is unaware of the cause of the bruise, she’s grown increasingly reluctant to report information to the guards for fear of retaliation, discipline and punitive chores,” a letter from her lawyer says.
“However, there’s concern that the bruise might be related to the need for Ms Maxwell to shield her eyes from the lights projected into her cell throughout the night.”
The letter adds that guards had threatened to move her to separate quarters if
she couldn’t explain the bruise.
“No guard addressed the bruise until Ms Maxwell, who has no mirror, caught a reflection of her aching eye in the gleam of a nail clipper. At that point MDC staff confronted Ms Maxwell regarding the source of the bruise, threatening to place her in the SHU [special housing unit – solitary confinement] if she didn’t reveal how she got it.”
Prisoners are sometimes put in solitary confinement if they’ve been injured by other inmates, Sternheim said.
Ghislaine’s brother, Ian (65), released a statement saying he was “shocked my sister’s guards didn’t immediately refer her for proper medical care.
“Instead they bullied and harassed her, effectively blaming the victim. The simple solution is to review the round-theclock security camera footage to see what might’ve occurred.”
Sternheim believes these ongoing incidents of mistreatment have resulted in Ghislaine “withering to a shell of her former self – losing weight, losing hair and losing her ability to concentrate”.
THE elusive Ghislaine was eventually arrested in July last year, after FBI agents found her hiding out on a remote property in New Hampshire in the US.
The charges she faces are grave. She’s alleged to not only have recruited underaged girls for Epstein (66), who killed himself in a New York prison in August 2019, but also engaged in acts of abuse herself.
She reportedly ran a network of sub-recruiters who were instructed to target young, financially desperate women for Epstein and his cronies.
The most high-profile man linked to their operation is Britain’s Prince Andrew, who’s had a spectacular fall from grace over his links to Epstein.
Ghislaine faces six charges that include the transportation of a minor with intent to engage in criminal sexual activity and perjury. If found guilty she could spend up to 35 years in jail.
She’s pleaded not guilty and has attempted to be released from custody four times. But each time a court has denied her applications, saying she poses a flight risk.
Late last year the disgraced socialite with the cut-glass British accent threw everything into her efforts to get out of jail, even lodging a multi-million dollar bail bid that included waiving her extradition rights.
The proposed bail package consisted of a $22,5m (then R337m) personal recognisance bond secured by $8m (then R120m) in property and $500 000 (then R7,5m) in cash. The package represented all of her and husband Scott Borgerson’s assets, including their three homes.
But the judge turned it down, saying the offer didn’t assure her appearance at future hearings.
Her fourth failed attempt to be set free has left her legal team heartbroken. They argue Ghislaine has been more “ruthlessly vilified” than actor Bill Cosby and movie producer Harvey Weinstein, both convicted sex offenders, and say the harsh conditions she’s been subjected to are unwarranted.
“There’s no evidence she’s suicidal,” says attorney David Markus, who’s also on her legal team. “Why is the bureau of prisons doing this? They’re doing it because Jeffrey Epstein died on their watch.
“And again, she’s not Jeffrey Epstein. This isn’t right.”
G HISLAINE’s legal team consists of heavyweights in the business. Sternheim is a leading criminal defence lawyer who’s represented several high-profile clients. One of her most famous clients is Khalid al-Fawwaz, a senior Al-Qaeda terrorist who served as an aide to Osama bin Laden.
Sternheim represented Al-Fawwaz in 2015 on charges of conspiracy in the twin embassy bombings that took place in Kenya and Tanzania in August 1998 and killed 224 people. He was found guilty and sentenced to life imprisonment.
In fighting Ghislaine’s case, Sternheim is joined by Markus, one of the top-rated white-collar crimes attorneys in Florida in the US. He says they’re now considering their options for their next legal step.
The lawyers believe she deserves bail because her “horrific” jail conditions make it impossible to prepare for her trial, which starts later this year.
“It’s impossible to prepare for trial when you’re getting no sleep,” Markus told the court. “We just want a fair opportunity, a fair chance so she can get ready for the trial of her life.” Ian didn’t mince his words, describing his sister’s prison as a “house of horrors”.
“We’re confident, once this is over, it’ll be the prosecutor who has a proverbial black eye.”
‘SHE’S WITHERING TO A SHELL OF HER FORMER SELF’