A former girlfriend of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein is accusing a guard of abusing her in the jail where she’s being held on sex trafficking charges.
Ghislaine Maxwell is “at the mercy of a revolving group of security officers who are used to guarding hundreds of inmates but now focus their undivided attention exclusively on one respectful, middle-aged female pretrial detainee,” Maxwell’s attorney wrote to a federal judge in a letter this week.
In one recent instance, out of view of security cameras, Maxwell was physically abused during a pat-down when being placed in her isolation cell, attorney Bibbi Sternheim said.
“When she asked that the camera be used to capture the occurrence, a guard replied ‘no.’ When Ms. Maxwell recoiled in pain and when she said she would report the mistreatment, she was threatened with disciplinary action. Within a week and while the same team was in charge, Ms. Maxwell was the subject of further retaliation for reporting the abuse: a guard ordered Ms. Maxwell into a shower to clean, sanitize, and scrub the walls with a broom. Ms. Maxwell’s request to have the camera record the guard alone with her in the confined space was again denied,” the letter states.
The Metropolitan Detention Center, where Maxwell is being held in New York, told The Epoch Times via email: “For privacy, safety, and security reasons, we do not comment on a specific inmate’s conditions of confinement. However, we can share that allegations of misconduct are thoroughly reviewed and appropriate action is taken if such allegations are proven true, including the possibility of referral for criminal prosecution when appropriate.”
The filing came in a case that dates back to 2019, when the former Epstein associate was arrested for allegedly helping lure women for him to abuse, including minor girls.
Government lawyers, though, say Maxwell is being treated well.
In a letter to the judge earlier this month, assistant U.S. attorneys Maurene Comey, Alison Moe, and Lara Pomerantz say Maxwell is receiving more time to review discovery in her case than any other inmate at the federal lockup, and as much, if not more, time as any other inmate to communicate with her lawyers.
Staffers are conducting two pat-down searches of Maxwell per day, prosecutors say: once when she’s moved from her isolation cell to the day room each morning, and again when she returns to the cell. The defendant must remove her mask and open her mouth briefly so staffers can make sure she’s not smuggling anything in her mouth.
In addition, prison workers search Maxwell’s cell for contraband once a day and conduct a body scan once per week.
