Ghislaine Maxwell, the elite socialite that groomed young women for royals and billionaires, won’t spend her 20 years in maximum security prison.
Maxwell has been sent to the low-security lockup in Florida just miles from where she helped billionaire Jeffrey Epstein sexually abuse underage girls. She’s eligible for release on July 17, 2037.
While confined at FCI Tallahassee, Mawell “can take part in an inmate talent show, continue teaching fellow inmates yoga or learn a trade like baking, plumbing or cosmetology,” The Daily Mail reported.
Epstein, who died in prison in 2019 while awaiting trial, sexually abused children hundreds of times over more than a decade, exploiting vulnerable girls as young as 14. Prosecutors said he couldn’t have done so without the help of Maxwell, his longtime companion.
A jury in December convicted Maxwell, 60, of sex trafficking, transporting a minor to participate in illegal sex acts and two conspiracy charges. Her 20-year sentence was shorter than the term sought by prosecutors.
Over the past 17 years, scores of women have accused Epstein of abusing them, with many describing Maxwell as the madam who recruited them.
The allegations against Epstein first surfaced in 2005. The FBI and local police had, at the time, amassed evidence of sexual misconduct with many underage girls.
But under a deal with federal and state prosecutors in Florida, later criticized as lenient, Epstein pleaded guilty to prostitution-related charges involving just one girl and served 13 months in prison, much of it in a work-release program. Afterward, he was required to register as a sex offender.
In the years that followed, many women sued Epstein over alleged abuse. One, Virginia Giuffre, claimed that Epstein and Maxwell had also pressured her into sexual trysts with other powerful men, including Britain’s Prince Andrew. All of those men denied the allegations, and Giuffre ultimately settled a lawsuit against Andrew out of court.
Federal prosecutors in New York revived the case against Epstein after stories by the Miami Herald in 2018 brought new attention to his crimes. He was arrested in 2019, but died in prison just a month later.
Eleven months after his death, Maxwell was arrested at a New Hampshire estate. Since then, she had been jailed in a federal facility in New York City where she frequently complained to the court through her lawyers about the harsh treatment.
According to The Daily Mail —
FCI Tallahassee, which opened in 1938, has a population of 755 inmates and only houses women. The FCI stands for Federal Correctional Institute.
According to the prison handbook, Maxwell will be woken up at 6am every day and be issued an inmate identification card that she must wear at all times.
Each period of the day is announced over the tannoy and includes exercise sessions and work periods.
Staff may search inmates’ cells at any time for contraband or stolen property and each prison shares a cell with one other person.
The prison handbook says that the only approved uniform is: khaki pants, khaki shirt, underwear, bra, socks, and authorized shoes.
A khaki dress is also permitted.
Maxwell will be allowed to wear a plain wedding band, however her marriage to former tech entrepreneur Scott Borgerson is over and they are thought to be in the process of divorcing.
Upon arrival, Maxwell was issued basic items like deodorant, a bar of sap, socks, bottle of shampoo, toothpaste and a towel.
While at the MDC Maxwell had already impressed other inmates by teaching them yoga and English – she will likely continue to do so in her new prison.
According to one prison consultant, Zoukis Consulting Group, yoga is available to inmates at FCI Tallahassee as well as pilates, weights, softball, flag football and frisbee – English is also taught for those who want to learn.
Maxwell will be able to keep herself entertained by taking part in the prison talent show or watching movies.
There is also a track for running – Maxwell is known to be a keen jogger.
Maxwell will be able to continue learning Russian – her lawyers have said she started doing so in the MDC to keep herself entertained – in the recreational library.
Among the apprenticeships that Maxwell can do are: electrician, baker, horticulturist and plumber, though it is not clear which local companies she would potentially work for.
Cosmetology is also offered as a trade for inmates to learn, a pursuit which may include massage. Maxwell’s convictions were based on underage girls being brought to Epstein for sexualized massages.
The Horn editorial team and the Associated Press contributed to this article