Ghislaine Maxwell not welcome in cushy Texas prison camp, says inmate: ‘Human trafficking is a violent crime’
Ghislaine Maxwell’s transfer to a minimum-security prison in Texas — commonly referred to as a ‘Club Fed’ — has upset her fellow inmates, who believe she shouldn’t be there given the nature of her crimes.
The disgraced British socialite and former girlfriend of the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein was quietly transferred this week from a stricter low-security prison in Tallahassee, Florida, to a prison camp 100 miles outside Houston, Texas.
Maxwell’s new prison mainly houses inmates convicted of “white-collar” crimes and minor offenses, and they are said to be angry about her presence.
She is serving a 20-year sentence for sex trafficking underage girls for Epstein, the financier and convicted pedophile, who was found dead in his prison cell in New York while awaiting trial in 2019.
A prisoner at Federal Prison Camp Bryan told The Telegraph that she was “disgusted” by Maxwell’s transfer, a feeling shared by many fellow inmates.
Julie Howell, 44, who is serving a one-year sentence for theft, told the outlet that “every inmate I’ve heard from is upset she’s here.”
“This facility is supposed to house non-violent offenders,” she added. “Human trafficking is a violent crime.”
When Maxwell arrived at the facility, prisoners were reportedly locked down and had the blinds closed in an apparent attempt to hide her from view.
Inmates at minimum-security institutions, also known as FPCs, enjoy a low prison guard-to-inmate ratio and minimal or no perimeter fencing.
FPC Bryan has a sports field, gym, arts and crafts activities, a theater program, and a program that allows inmates to play with puppies and train them to become service animals.
It is the same prison where Elizabeth Holmes, founder of Theranos, the fraudulent blood-testing company, is serving an 11-year sentence.
In recent weeks, President Donald Trump has faced mounting pressure from Democrats and his MAGA supporters to release all information related to Epstein, as he had promised during his campaign.
A reversal by Attorney General Pam Bondi’s Department of Justice and the FBI, which concluded that Epstein died by suicide and lacked a “client list” of influential individuals for whom conspiracy theorists claim he procured girls, sparked outrage.
The Trump administration has since attempted to calm the anger by requesting that judges release grand jury transcripts in the Epstein and Maxwell cases, although there has been no move to release files held by the FBI and DOJ.
Maxwell’s transfer occurred a week after she was interviewed by Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, fueling intense speculation that the Trump administration struck a deal with her.
During a nine-hour interview, Maxwell was reportedly questioned about dozens of billionaires, politicians, and other notable figures connected to the late sex offender.
Her lawyers state she is willing to testify before Congress in exchange for a presidential pardon or a commutation of her 20-year sentence—a possibility Trump has not ruled out, repeatedly asserting that he has the power to do so.
Her fellow inmates at FPC Bryan are worried about their safety, given the widespread threats against Maxwell and the lack of tight security on the prison grounds.
Howell said: “We have heard there are threats against her life and many of us are worried about our own safety because she’s here.”
Maxwell was moved in secret after being “bombarded” with death threats from rapists who accused her of being a “snitch,” The Daily Mail reports.
A source told the newspaper: “As soon as Ghislaine spoke to the government, she was considered a snitch by other inmates at Tallahassee. There were very real and very credible threats on her life.
“There were real fears inside Tallahassee that they could not guarantee her safety, which is why she was moved.”
In an email sent from prison to the Telegraph about Maxwell’s transfer, fellow inmate Howell wrote: “I am honestly shocked she was moved to a federal prison camp with her history and charges.”
Howell, a married mother of four and former professor, said her daughter was repeatedly trafficked from the age of 17, leading to her being “beaten, choked and eventually shot” as well as becoming pregnant, resulting in her mother adopting the child.
The traffickers were apprehended by the FBI and local law enforcement with Howell’s assistance and are now serving federal prison sentences of over 20 years.
Howell, who was convicted of stealing $1 million from her former employer, Tarleton State University, to fund her gambling addiction said: “I don’t blame anyone else for the actions that brought me to FPC Bryan, but I can definitely say that the circumstances that surrounded my daughter being shot were what sparked my spiral and addiction to gambling to escape my reality.
“Having Ms Maxwell here triggered all of those feelings.”
Howell also warned that Maxwell could be a flight risk, given how she evaded the authorities for months before her arrest: “This is a camp you can literally walk out of. I don’t care how many people she turns in; it doesn’t take away from her actions.
“As a mother of a sex-trafficking victim, I’m absolutely disgusted she’s in this facility. Regardless of her reasoning, I don’t think she belongs here.”
