Ghislaine Maxwell, the ex-girlfriend and assistant of billionaire pedophile Jeffrey Epstein, is woken up every 15 minutes in her cell to make sure that she is still alive and has not committed suicide. Her lawyer claims that she is being treated worse than inmates who have been convicted of murder and terrorism.
Suicide watch
The suspected child sex trafficker and former girlfriend of Jeffrey Epstein is currently being held at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn while she awaits trial, according to The Sun.
The 48-year-old socialite has a flashlight shone by the warden into her cell every 15 minutes. This is to make sure that she is still breathing, as they want to prevent another situation similar to Jeffrey Epstein, who died under suicide watch.
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Bobbi Sternheim, the lawyer of Maxwell, said that she has no history of mental health issues or suicidal ideation, and she also has no criminal history, according to New York Post.
The filing states that Maxwell is overmanaged under conditions that are more restrictive than inmates housed in the correctional facility or those convicted of terrorism and capital murder and incarcerated at FCI Florence ADMAX, the most restrictive facility operated by the BOP.
This report came after federal prosecutors informed the judge on November 23 that Maxwell had a possible COVID-19 scare and claimed that she was receiving better treatment than other inmates.
However, Sternheim has now asked the judge to intervene on Maxwell's behalf to improve her conditions at the detention center. In her request, Sternheim made no direct reference to Epstein taking his life back in August 2019 in his cell at a federal prison in Manhattan, New York.
US District Judge Alison J Nathan had instructed prosecutors and defense lawyers to confer next week over Sternheim's request that the warden in the Brooklyn facility addresses the concerns directly.
A spokesperson for prosecutors declined to comment. A message for comment was sent to the Federal Bureau of Prisons press office.
Maxwell has pleaded not guilty to charges that she procured three girls for Jeffrey Epstein to abuse and sell to their friends in the mid-1990s. Maxwell has been held without bail while she waits for a trial.
Maxwell in quarantine
On November 23, prosecutors notified the judge that Maxwell was put in quarantine last week for 14 days after someone who works in her jail area tested positive for the coronavirus. Maxwell may not meet her defense team while in quarantine.
In their letter, the prosecutors said that the 13 hours a day that Ghislaine Maxwell gets to review trial materials on a laptop computer is more time than any other prisoner is given.
However, the letter bothered Sternheim. She said that Maxwell faces burdens unmatched by other inmates and has been mistreated.
Sternheim noted that prosecutors' latest evidence was over one million documents, and Ghislaine Maxwell lacked enough time to go over the material that will be used in court.
Prosecutors also claimed that Ghislaine Maxwell was initially quarantined without any soap or toothbrush, and medical staff had eventually stopped checking in on her. There is also a 24/7 surveillance camera installed in her cell, according to Sky News.
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