Ghislaine Maxwell is being held under “unique precious circumstances” in a federal prison in New York, where she has been subjected to surveillance over the clock and various body scans, her lawyers argued in a new court hearing.
Maxwell has been incarcerated at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn since early July on charges of recruiting and caring for girls as young as 14 for the late financier Jeffrey Epstein for abuse.
Epstein died of suicide last summer while awaiting trial on charges of sexual trafficking, and Maxwell’s lawyers say the Bureau of Prisons treated her less than other inmates as a result.
“It has been established that Ms. Maxwell’s BOP treatment is a reaction to the circumstances surrounding Mr Epstein’s pretrial detention and death,” the presidency said Monday night.
Maxwell wants to be removed from solitary confinement and placed in the general population of the jail so she can prepare for her upcoming trial, the submission says.
Maxwell’s lawyers say she is under surveillance 24 hours a day “by security cameras and by multiple prison guards, many of whom appear to be non-regular MDC staff.”
“These prison guards are constantly observing Ms. Maxwell and taking notes on her about every activity, including her phone calls with Defense Adviser,” the guard said.
Her cell is searched several times a day and she is forced to undergo various body scans, according to her lawyers.
She was only recently taken off by suicide guards, in which she was awakened every few hours at night and forced to wear special clothing, her lawyers said.
“Mrs Maxwell is not seeking special treatment from the MDC; however, she asks that she not be particularly unfavorable in her treatment in detention, especially when it comes to her preparation of her defense on conduct that presumably took place more than 25 years ago, ”the submission states.
The Bureau of Prisons declined to comment on the court’s submission.
“For privacy, security and safety reasons, the Bureau of Prisons (BOP) does not disclose information about an individual’s conditions of detention,” a spokesman said.
Maxwell, a longtime confidant of Epstein, was arrested July 2 at a remote mansion in New Hampshire. Prosecutors said in the mid-1990s the shame financier helped sexually abuse young girls and even took part in some abuse. She pleaded guilty.
In the same court statement, Maxwell’s lawyers asked the judge to compel the government to include the identities of the three suspected victims in the indictment.
“That Ms Maxwell and defense attorney can significantly investigate the proven conduct and conduct that is now more than 25 years old,” the submission states.
The submission goes on to note that the alleged abuse took place at multiple locations – including New York, Florida, New Mexico and the United Kingdom – and that Epstein was accused of sexually abusing dozens, if not hundreds, of suspected victims.
“The defense need not speculate which of these individuals are victims 1-3 referred to in the indictment,” the submission said.
