Ghislaine Maxwell joins famous prisoners in move to Texas prison camp
Ghislaine Maxwell joined Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes and celebrity housewife Jen Shah at a federal prison camp in Texas this week. The government hasn't said why they transferred the convicted sex trafficker and confidante to Jeffrey Epstein from a low-security prison in Florida to a less restrictive minimum-security prison near Texas A & M University.
The former British socialite, 63, is one of the most powerful prisoners in American history. The transfer comes as Maxwell's attorneys are pressing the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn her conviction while also seeking a pardon or commutation for her from President Donald Trump in exchange for her cooperation in the Epstein investigation and broader sex trafficking matters.
Maxwell spent two days last week talking to Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche – Trump's former personal defense lawyer – at a courthouse near the Tallahassee prison where she was serving a 20-year sentence for sex trafficking linked to Epstein.
Officials would only confirm that they had transferred Maxwell to the federal prison camp in Bryan, Texas, not why. Typically, prisoners are moved due to a change in supervisory or medical needs or as a security measure to keep an inmate safe, says Donald Murphy, a Bureau of Prisons spokesman.
Moving from a low-security to a minimum-security prison typically provides more freedom within the prison. This could mean more free time for recreational activities or work. Minimum-security facilities typically house nonviolent, first-time offenders or those who have worked their way down from a higher-security prison due to good behavior, according to a prison consultant.
Ghislaine Maxwell From a life of privilege to prison
Maxwell attorney David Oscar Markus told USA TODAY that 'Ghislaine was moved to Bryan, Texas, but we have no other comment' as to why the transfer was made and who requested it. Both facilities are federal prisons. The Texas prison is slightly smaller and holds about 600 women.
Low-security prisons typically serve people sentenced to 10 years or less, making Maxwell an exception. Her release date is 2037.
In Florida, Maxwell taught yoga and etiquette classes and worked in the library.
The Texas facility holds a call center that employs inmates. It also offers classes such as horticulture and plumbing and cosmetology. The cosmetology may include massage. Maxwell's convictions came from her recruitment of underage girls to give Epstein massages. He then sexually abused them.
Holmes, who is serving an 11-year sentence for fraud and conspiracy linked to the collapse of Theranos, earns 31 cents an hour helping soon-to-be released women write résumés and apply for government benefits at the Texas prison camp, according to an article in People magazine.
Holmes has been able to keep a mostly vegan diet in prison. Maxwell is also a vegan, and People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals lobbied to ensure that she had vegan meals in prison.
Josh Meyer contributed to this report.
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