Ghislaine Maxwell has been placed on suicide watch prior to her sentencing, although she isn’t suicidal, says her lawyer.
TW: This article contains details that some people may find upsetting.
Now, Jeffrey Epstein, who made a name for himself with elite investment bank Bear Stearns, before founding his own investment firm, was first convicted for a range of crimes in 2005.
Then, in 2008, he was convicted of running an underage p*********** ring connected to a number of high-powered individuals. Epstein served just thirteen months for this conviction.
From there, it got worse…
On July 6th 2019, Epstein was arrested again for trafficking minors in the states of Florida and New York and was held awaiting trial in a New York prison.
This was a huge breakthrough for many of his victims.
Epstein had managed to get away with vile and criminal acts for the majority of his life, most likely a result of his money and social clout. For his victims, there was finally hope of justice being done.
And many believed his conviction could uncover other high profile and wealthy sex offenders.
Epstein had numerous friends in high places, many of which were known to travel to his elusive island, where the majority of his crimes took place.
One of them, controversially, being Prince Andrew from the British Royal Family.
Of course, all of Epstein’s high-profile friends have denied any involvement in this scandal, but people aren’t too convinced.
However, before Epstein could dish the dirt on his friends…
He was found dead in his Manhattan prison cell, apparently as a result of hanging.
It was ruled as suicide, though some people aren’t convinced by that.
But because of the nature of his crimes, plus the connections Epstein had to the political and social elite, some have other suspicions about what really happened.
Anyway, in the months following his death, the investigation fell silent.
Progress seemed to be sparse, but then, the release of Jeffrey Epstein: Filthy Rich on Netflix catapulted the whole thing back into the spotlight.
Victims spoke out about what they had endured.
They each gave detailed similar, yet horrifying tales of being assaulted while giving Epstein and his friends “massages.”
It also outlined the involvement of Epstein’s ex-girlfriend and close friend…
Ghislaine Maxwell.
In the months following Epstein’s death, Maxwell remained firmly hidden and out of the public eye…
And, at that time, she wasn’t reprimanded or publicly questioned for her involvement in the scandal.
But, it was reported in July 2020 that Maxwell had finally been arrested by the FBI in New Hampshire.
She was taken to a hearing where she was described as a flight risk, so was therefore ordered to remain in custody while being transferred to New York for a detention hearing.
Maxwell was charged with the crimes of enticement of minors and trafficking of underage girls.
She also faced many other charges including repeatedly lying about her involvement in the trafficking ring during a 2016 deposition.
As you’d expect, Maxwell’s time in prison hasn’t been an easy one.
The former socialite’s lawyer, Bobbi Sternheim, argued that Maxwell is facing tougher jail conditions than inmates convicted of murder or terrorism.
Sternheim said Maxwell is effectively being kept in solitary confinement and is “excessively and invasively” monitored twenty-four hours a day.
Along with video surveillance in her cell, cameras also follow her movements when she is allowed to leave it.
Last year, her lawyer spoke out about her jail condition in the hopes that it could gain her some sympathy.
Though it didn’t work as effectively as he’d hoped.
During a court hearing just 2 week prior, Sternheim renewed Maxwell’s request for bail ahead of her trial on November 29th 2021.
In the court documents, she described Maxwell’s jail as “inappropriate,” Yahoo reported.
“The surveillance rivals scenes of Dr. Hannibal Lecter’s incarceration despite the absence of the cage and plastic face guard,” she wrote.
The Guardian added that Sternheim also said that “Maxwell’s conditions of detention for the past 16 months continue to be reprehensible and utterly inappropriate for [a] woman on the cusp of turning 60 with no criminal record or history of violence,” when speaking of her time at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn.
“It is unwarranted, unrelenting, and utterly inappropriate,” Sternheim wrote.
“[She] has been subject to physical and emotional abuse by the correction officers, poor and unsanitary living conditions, insufficient nutrition, difficulties reviewing the millions of legal discovery documents in the case against her, and sleep deprivation.”
Maxwell also spoke out herself.
Maxwell reportedly told the Daily Mail: “I used to take a shower every day but I’ve stopped because of the creepy guards who stand close and stare at me the whole time. I used to go to the loo with an open sewer drain and a friendly rat would regularly visit.”
“I told the guards, but nothing was done until the rat popped out and charged a guard who screamed in terror.”
“Finally, the sewer drain was covered.”
And so, the opening arguments of Ghislaine Maxwell’s trial began.
And she appeared to be pretty relaxed about the situation.
Although she wore a mask throughout the proceedings, Maxwell could be seen laughing and chatting with her defense lawyers…
Which included Leah Saffian, Christian Everdale, and Bobbi Sternheim, who she talked to during the hearing.
At one point Ghislaine even waved to her sister Isabel Maxwell, who was sitting behind her, up in the public gallery.
Her actions have caused many to feel as though she’s remorseless for the crimes she’s been charged with.
From trial drawings, many people also noticed not just Maxwell’s actions but her appearance.
It was noted that Maxwell entered the court with freshly dyed hair while wearing a jumper, black trousers, and heels – an outfit that is a far cry from her orange prison attire.
The trial was well underway and many horrifying revelations were emerging.
From pictures of the inside of Epstein’s house to a booklet of rules that staff were made to follow.
Another shocking revelation was made, too.
And it involved photos that were shared during Maxwell’s trial…
The pictures, which were later posted on social media, showed Maxwell and Epstein enjoying an affluent life together…
Pictured jet setting, on vacation, and holding each other in a warm embrace, clearly not what Maxwell wanted the court to see.
Over a dozen photos of the pair together were revealed by the prosecution, set to show the deep connection the pair had together…
That ultimately led to the unthinkable. Prosecutor Alison Moe said: “These photographs show their close relationship throughout time. Given the change in hairstyles, the people in the photographs are clearly ageing.”
But then, a decision was finally made…
The court found Ghislaine Maxwell guilty on all but one count.
She will be charged up to sixty-five years in prison meaning she could be 125 years old by the time she sees freedom again.
And now, 6 months after she was found guilty, Maxwell is pleading to be given a shorter sentence.
She claims that other inmates are threatening to kill her.
Prosecutors have said they think Maxwell should spend twenty years behind bars instead of the maximum fifty-five.
But on Wednesday, June 15, her lawyers argued for less time.
In a statement obtained by Insider, they claim that her life could be in danger if she stays in prison.
It reads: “One of the female inmates in Maxwell’s housing unit told at least three other inmates that she had been offered money to murder Maxwell and that she planned to strangle her in her sleep.”
Her lawyers also claimed that Maxwell suffered abuse as a child, revealing that her father, “a man of large physical stature with a booming voice,” would often “explode, threaten, and rant at the children until they were reduced to pulp.”
The statement continued: “Mr. Maxwell was relentless, with children ending up in tears, punishments being doled out, and the whole family in utter distress.”
They also tried to put all the blame on Epstein, writing: “Indeed, had Ghislaine Maxwell never had the profound misfortune of meeting Jeffrey Epstein over 30 years ago, she would not be here.”
Maxwell faces a maximum of fifty-five years behind bars and is set to be sentenced on June 28.
Now, Maxwell has been placed on suicide watch, according to her lawyer.
Although, Maxwell’s lawyer claims she isn’t suicidal.
Her lawyer, Bobbi Sternheim, claims that she is not suicidal.
Sternheim wrote:
“Yesterday, without having conducted a psychological evaluation and without justification, the MDC placed Ms. Maxwell on suicide watch. She is not permitted to possess and review legal documents and is not permitted paper or pen. This has prevented her from preparing for sentencing.”