Ghislaine Maxwell speaks at the Arctic Circle Forum in Reykjavík, Iceland, October 2013.
The Arctic Circle via Reuters
British Socialist Ghislaine Maxwell is “withering” in prison because of harsh conditions, which include alleged physical abuse by a guard and an obligation to scrub the shower walls after reporting abuse, her lawyer says. in a new letter to a federal judge.
“It is impossible to exaggerate the detrimental effect of the conditions in which Ms. Maxwell is being held,” attorney Bobbi Sternheim wrote to Manhattan District Court Judge Alison Nathan.
“He is withering a shell of his former weight loss, hair loss and loss of ability to concentrate,” Sternheim wrote about Maxwell, accused of crimes related to the alleged recruitment and preparation of underage girls who they were later sexually abused by eccentric investment adviser Jeffrey Epstein, and perjury.
The lawyer says Maxwell’s “overload” and constant surveillance by guards at Brooklyn Federal Prison, in an apparent effort to prevent him from committing suicide while locked up, as Epstein did in 2019, “affect the their resilience and effectiveness in preparing defense and consultation with a lawyer “.
Maxwell, 59, pleaded not guilty in the case in which she was charged in July 2020, a year after Epstein’s arrest on charges of child sex trafficking.
Epstein, 66, died in what has been officially declared a hanging suicide a month after his arrest at Manhattan Federal Prison.
Maxwell, whom Nathan has twice denied bail, who considered her a flight risk, will have to stand trial later this year.
His lawyers are dedicated to trying to get more access to a laptop to prepare for his trial.
Sternheim’s letter, the last in a series of complaints about Maxwell’s prison conditions, underscores the fact that his life over the past seven months has been very different from his days with Epstein, when they left. socialize with people from former Presidents Donald Trump and Bill Clinton. , and British Prince Andrew.
Sternheim complained that the “whims and delays” in moving Maxwell to about 50 feet from an isolation cell are one of the problems that impair his ability to prepare properly for trial.
The lawyer said Maxwell’s frequent police checks, which have physically searched him about 1,400 times since July 6, have not resulted in any smuggling.
“Maxwell continues to be at the mercy of a revolving group of security guards who are used to guarding hundreds of inmates, but who now focus their undivided attention exclusively on a pre-trial, respectful, middle-aged detainee,” Sternheim wrote. .
“Recently, out of sight of the security camera, Ms. Maxwell was placed in her solitary confinement cell and physically abused during a search search. When she requested that the camera be used to capture the occurrence, a guard replied “no.”
“When Ms. Maxwell stepped back in pain and said she would report the abuse, she was threatened with disciplinary action,” Sternheim wrote.
“A week later and while the same team was in charge, Mrs Maxwell was retaliated against for reporting the abuse: a caretaker ordered Mrs Maxwell to take a shower to clean, disinfect and scrub the walls with a broom. Maxwell’s request for the camera to record the guard alone with her in the confined space was again denied. “
Maxwell’s vigilance is so strict, Sternheim said, that “guardians forbid” Maxwell to be placed in certain areas of his 6-foot-by-nine-foot cell, including the indication not to be placed on the left or left. right on your toilet.
The lawyer also said Maxwell “continues to have serious problems with the food provided to him,” including repeatedly denying some or all parts of his meals.
“During his detention, he has never received properly heated food,” Sternheim wrote.
Maxwell is routinely fed in a container that is not intended for use in the microwave, but staff do so anyway, the lawyer said.
“Mrs. Maxwell’s food either doesn’t thaw the food or disintegrates it and melts the plastic container, which makes the food inedible,” Sternheim wrote.
“Although the guards eventually recognized serious problems with the food, they continued to cook Mrs. Maxwell’s food in the microwave, making the food edible and dangerous for consumption and leaving Mrs. Maxwell without food or replacement. “.
“Late last week, guards informed Ms. Maxwell that in the future, her food would be heated in a thermal oven, like that of the rest of the inmates. While this may mean an improvement, it doesn’t nothing to correct seven months of deprivation affecting their nutrition and detrimental to their health, ”the lawyer wrote.
Sternheim also noted that prosecutors have confirmed that guards point a flashlight at the roof of Maxwell’s cell “every 15 minutes, approximately 9:30 to 6:30 p.m.”
“It’s hard to verbally convey the power of a light bouncing off a concrete ceiling in a 6-by-nine-foot concrete box in Ms. Maxwell’s eyes, which disrupts her sleep and her ability to spend a quiet night. ·the”.
“The attenuating effects of sleep deprivation are well documented,” the lawyer wrote.