Former socialite and ex-girlfriend of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, Ghislaine Maxwell, has reportedly complained to authorities that she is receiving worse treatment than other inmates while in jail. She is currently awaiting trial after being charged with six offences relating to the abuse of multiple underage girls, all of which she has strongly denied having any involvement with.
As reported by The New York Times, Maxwell's legal team sent a letter to a US district judge objecting to her being placed in "uniquely onerous" conditions, under 24-hour watch in a private cell (rather than being able to mix with others) and numerous body scans. Her lawyer has said she ought to be treated like any other pre-trial detainee and that her treatment is a reaction to Epstein's death while in prison (which many believe was not actually by suicide).
The US authorities to whom Maxwell's team complained have rejected the claims, saying she has been isolated from other inmates for her own safety and that it was appropriate to closely monitor new inmates who have a "strong likelihood" of spending a lengthy amount of time in prison.
Specifically, Maxwell has been charged with:
- Conspiracy to entice minors to travel to engage in illegal sex acts
- Enticing a minor to travel to engage in illegal sex acts
- Conspiracy to transport minors with intent to engage in criminal sexual activity
- Transporting a minor with intent to engage in criminal sexual activity
Maxwell was finally apprehended and arrested by the FBI in July this year, after a global manhunt."Maxwell slithered off to a gorgeous property in New Hampshire... We moved when we were ready and the arrest happened [this morning] without incident," said FBI assistant director Bill Sweeney, during a subsequent press conference.
Recently, as the case is being further investigated, court documents were unsealed showing an email exchange between Maxwell and Epstein. In one such message, the multi-millionaire paedophile (and former associate of Prince Andrew and Donald Trump) tells her that she's "done nothing wrong".
Everyone's clicking on...
The conversation, that took place in 2015, shows Maxwell attempting to distance herself from any romantic relationship with Epstein (who by that point was already convicted of procuring an underage girl for prostitution and of soliciting a prostitute). She writes, "I would appreciate it if Shelley would come out and say she was your g'friend - I think she was from end 99 to 2002." It is currently not known who Shelley is.
Sign up to our newsletter to get more articles like this delivered straight to your inbox.
Jennifer Savin is Cosmopolitan UK's multiple award-winning Features Editor, who was crowned Digital Journalist of the Year for her work tackling the issues most important to young women. She regularly covers breaking news, cultural trends, health, the royals and more, using her esteemed connections to access the best experts along the way. She's grilled everyone from high-profile politicians to A-list celebrities, and has sensitively interviewed hundreds of people about their real life stories. In addition to this, Jennifer is widely known for her own undercover investigations and campaign work, which includes successfully petitioning the government for change around topics like abortion rights and image-based sexual abuse. Jennifer is also a published author, documentary consultant (helping to create BBC’s Deepfake Porn: Could You Be Next?) and a patron for Y.E.S. (a youth services charity). Alongside Cosmopolitan, Jennifer has written for The Times, Women’s Health, ELLE and numerous other publications, appeared on podcasts, and spoken on (and hosted) panels for the Women of the World Festival, the University of Manchester and more. In her spare time, Jennifer is a big fan of lipstick, leopard print and over-ordering at dinner. Follow Jennifer on Instagram, X or LinkedIn.
