Ghislaine Maxwell said she was “much happier” after being moved to a minimum-security prison, emails show.
The British socialite and former girlfriend of Jeffrey Epstein was relocated to a prison camp 100 miles outside Houston, Texas, in August from a stricter low-security prison in Tallahassee, Florida, where she was serving a 20-year jail sentence for procuring underage girls for the paedophile financier.
Days after moving to FCP Bryan, she sent a series of enthusiastic emails to friends and family praising the cleanliness and safety of the new facility, where inmates mostly serve time for non-violent offenses and white-collar crimes.
In emails obtained by the House of Representatives’ judiciary committee, Maxwell said the food was “legions better” and that “everyone can breathe a sigh [of relief]”, comparing the sharp difference between the two prisons to climbing through “Alice in Wonderland’s looking glass”.
“The institution is run in an orderly fashion which makes for a safer more comfortable environment for all people concerned, inmates and guards alike,” wrote Maxwell, NBC News reported.
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Maxwell’s unexpected move to the all-women’s prison camp triggered outrage among the families of Epstein’s victims and some inmates who claimed the child sex-trafficker was receiving preferential treatment.
The move came days after she was interviewed by Todd Blanche, Donald Trump’s deputy attorney general, leading to intense speculation that some sort of deal has been cut.
Inmates at prison camp Bryan benefit from a low prison guard-to-inmate ratio, limited to no perimeter fencing and can enroll in a puppy training program – although Maxwell is barred owing to the nature of her crimes.
It is the same prison facility where Elizabeth Holmes, the founder of Theranos, is serving her 11-year sentence.
Following her move, Maxwell expressed her relief to relatives about being at a quieter facility, free from violence and with polite staff.
“My situation is improved by being at Bryan,” she wrote in one email, according to NBC.
“The kitchen looks clean too – no possums falling from the ceiling to fry unfortunately on ovens, and become mingled with the food being served,” she wrote in another, complaining about the conditions at her former jail.
She also praised the prison camp warden Tanisha Hall as a “true professional”. “I feel like I have dropped through Alice in Wonderland’s looking glass,” Maxwell told a relative, adding: “I am much much happier here and more importantly safe.”
“Bryan is a different beast in every possible respect to Tal. It is a well-managed well-run institution with an excellent Warden who leads from the top. She is a true professional and the best representative of the BOP I have met,” Maxwell wrote.
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The emails were shared with the House Judiciary Committee after Congressman Jamie Raskin, the top Democrat on the committee, wrote to the prison warden to ask about Maxwell’s alleged “VIP treatment”.
Mr. Raskin’s letter cited claims, reported by The Wall Street Journal, that Maxwell had been granted unique perks such as meals sent to her room, late-night workouts, and freedom to shower after other inmates have already gone to bed.
Mr. Raskin also raised concerns that other inmates have been threatened with retaliation if they speak about Maxwell to the media. An inmate who told The Telegraph they did not want “disgusting” sex offenders like Maxwell at the prison was moved days later.
“While prison officials may limit inmates’ First Amendment rights to preserve security and order, you have provided no such justification for why prison security requires a ‘Ghislaine Maxwell’ gag order,” Mr. Raskin wrote.
Emails sent by Maxwell suggest the prison warden helped her to coordinate visits and difficulties with her legal battles.
In one correspondence with her lawyer in September, the sex trafficker allegedly said she spoke to the prison warden when she had a problem receiving documents in time for her Supreme Court appeal deadline.
“Her creative solution was that you EM/scan it to her and she will scan back my changes!” Maxwell wrote, referring to her lawyer contacting the warden. “Of course that is fantastic as it saves days and days.”
Maxwell was interviewed by the Justice Department in late August as the administration came under extreme pressure to fulfill its promise to release the Epstein Files.
The department later released transcripts in which Maxwell said she never witnessed any inappropriate conduct by Trump or any other prominent figures in Epstein’s orbit.
The paedophile financier died by suicide in a New York prison cell in 2019 but has since become a source of intense scrutiny among Trump supporters owing to the horrific nature of his crimes and his cadre of wealthy associates.
After the Supreme Court in October declined to hear Maxwell’s appeal of her criminal conviction, Mr. Trump suggested he “would have to take a look” at whether he would consider granting her a pardon.
David Oscar Markus, Maxwell’s lawyer, said: “There’s nothing journalistic about publishing a prisoner’s private emails, including ones with her lawyers. That’s tabloid behaviour, not responsible reporting.
“Anyone still interested in that kind of gossip reveals far more about themselves than about Ghislaine. It’s time to get over the fact that she is in a safer facility. We should want that for everyone.”
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