Ghislaine Maxwell is woken every 15 minutes in jail to prevent suicide

Ghislaine Maxwell, who has been charged with helping Jeffrey Epstein sexually abuse underage girls, is living under extreme conditions.

Accused sex trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell is roused by a torch every 15 minutes in her cell to make sure she hasn’t killed herself like Jeffrey Epstein.

She is being subjected to more onerous conditions than the Bureau of Prison’s (BOP) most dangerous inmates, according to a letter written by her lawyer on Tuesday.

“She is overmanaged under conditions more restrictive than inmates housed in 10-South, the most restrictive unit in the MCC (Metropolitan Correctional Centre); or individuals convicted of terrorism and capital murder and incarcerated at FCI Florence ADMAX, the most restrictive facility operated by the BOP,” the filing states.

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Ghislaine Maxwell is in prison awaiting trial. Picture: AFP

Ms Maxwell is being held without bail while she awaits trial on various charges including sex trafficking, perjury and charges that she groomed underage girls to be abused by her and former boyfriend Epstein.

The lawyer’s letter is in response to a filing from federal prosecutors on Monday informing the judge that Ms Maxwell had a COVID-19 scare after possible exposure to an infected staffer and had been placed in quarantine.

The government’s letter, which said Ms Maxwell had tested negative for the virus, stated that she had received more favourable treatment than other inmates.

But the British socialite’s lawyer, Bobbi Sternheim, wrote that just the opposite was true and rattled off a lengthy list of complaints about the conditions of her confinement.

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The letter addressed to US District Judge Alison Nathan stated that Ms Maxwell had to endure two nasal swabs under the threat of a 21-day quarantine if she declined – and was never informed of the results.

“Ms Maxwell was ordered to remove her COVID-protection mask for an in-mouth inspection, further risking exposure to the virus,” Ms Sternheim wrote.

Ms Maxwell was also initially quarantined without soap or a toothbrush, and medical staff had ceased checking on her daily since she was put in isolation, the letter stated.

While staff are not supposed to enter Maxwell’s cell during quarantine, an unidentified man entered to take photos of her and a guard to conduct a search, the lawyer wrote.

Ms Sternheim said the situation was no better pre-quarantine.

“Ms Maxwell has spent the entirely [sic] of her pre-trial detention in de facto solitary confinement under the most restrictive conditions where she is excessively and invasively searched and is monitored 24 hours per day,” the letter said.

Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell. Picture: Joe Schildhorn/Patrick McMullan via Getty Images

Prince Andrew, Virginia Roberts Giuffre and Ghislaine Maxwell pictured together inside the London Mews home of Ms Maxwell. Picture: Screengrab/Channel 9/60 Minutes

In addition to a camera in her cell, another device records her every movement when she leaves even during in-person legal visits, according to the filing.

“And despite non-stop in-cell camera surveillance, Ms Maxwell’s sleep is disrupted every 15 minutes when she is awakened by a flashlight to ascertain whether she is breathing,” Ms Sternheim wrote.

The letter requested that the judge summon Warden Heriberto Tellez for a full account of her client’s “disparate treatment”.

Her lawyers wrote in a previous letter that she was being subjected to especially onerous conditions to ensure she didn’t meet the same fate as Epstein, who killed himself in custody while awaiting trial on sex-trafficking charges.

This story was published by the New York Post and reproduced with permission.