Alleged accomplices of Jeffrey Epstein, Ghislaine Maxwell, detained in ‘well-run’ jail, say local attorneys

(Reuters) – Ghislaine Maxwell, an alleged accomplice to Jeffrey Epstein, is being held in a New Hampshire jail where she is likely to be separated from other inmates and under constant surveillance, local attorneys said.

A source familiar with Maxwell’s case said she is being held at the Merrimack County Jail, a medium-security facility 20 miles from the luxurious home where she was arrested Thursday.

Federal prosecutors in Manhattan accused Maxwell, 58, of attracting minors so that Epstein could sexually abuse them. She is expected to be transferred to New York to appear in court next week, a spokesman for the US Attorney’s Office in Manhattan said.

Epstein was awaiting trial on federal child trafficking charges between 2002 and 2005 when he was found hanged in a New York City jail in August. Forensic doctors concluded that his death was suicide.

“Given what happened to Epstein and the special attention to this case, I would imagine there are orders from very high up to keep a close eye on her,” said Andrew Winters, a New Hampshire defense attorney who is not involved in Maxwell’s defense and who is familiar. with jail

Maxwell is likely in his own detention cell where he can be observed at all times, said Ted Lothstein, another New Hampshire criminal defense attorney.

“They are going to keep her in the tightest security imaginable,” said Lothstein, who frequently visits the prison but does not represent British high society.

A jail aide directed requests for comment to a spokeswoman for the U.S. Marshals Service, who declined to comment on Maxwell’s conditions. Maxwell’s attorney, Larry Vogelman, also declined to comment on his conditions.

The jail is a “well-run” and “low-key” facility, Lothstein said, and “a much better jail than where they will send him in New York City.”

Lothstein said new inmates at the Merrimack County Jail are generally in a reserve area for their first days there, where jail staff can closely monitor some surrounding cells.

“There is nothing there,” Lothstein said of the reserve area. “You cannot interact with anyone in any other cell.”

After a psychological examination and a risk assessment, the inmates are transferred to the general population. Women are held in a separate unit from men.

Given Maxwell’s profile and the impending transfer to New York, she will likely never be transferred to the general New Hampshire prison population, Lothstein said.

Despite the lack of access to company and television in the central reservation area, Maxwell is “probably happy to be there” and not in the women’s unit, where she would likely be threatened and insulted, Lothstein said.

“Anyone accused of child sexual abuse is the number one public enemy in terms of how other prisoners perceive them,” Lothstein said. “I would expect it to fall directly into that category.”

Winters said Maxwell would also be less likely to contract coronavirus in the central reservation area, away from the general prison population.

In March, a county official told the Concord Monitor that the jail was taking steps to mitigate the spread of the virus, which at the time had about 170 inmates and 115 employees.

That month, a correctional officer in jail tested positive for the virus, the official told the newspaper.

Overall, the facility has a “good reputation” for its security and professionalism from staff and administrators, Winters said.

“If I had to do time, that’s where I would like to do it,” Winters said.