William Barr says Ghislaine Maxwell's security has been 'locked up' so she doesn't meet the same fate as Epstein
Attorney General William Barr shared he had been very angry after learning of Jeffrey Epstein's suicide and insisted all the necessary precautions were being taken to ensure his accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell does not meet the same fate. Maxwell, a British socialite and heiress who was formerly Epstein's girlfriend and is now accused of being complicit in his sex crimes, was arrested by the FBI on Thursday, July 2. Senior law enforcement officials confirmed at the time that she had been taken into custody at her home in New Hampshire.
However, the news of her arrest was followed with concern from various quarters for her safety in prison considering it had proven fatal to Epstein - the multimillionaire financier had been arrested on federal charges for the sex trafficking of minors in Florida and New York in July 2019 and was found hanging in his cell a month later. Speaking during an interview with ABC News, Barr assured that Maxwell's security had been "locked up" to ensure she would neither be able to kill herself or be harmed.
"We have asked them [prison officials] to tell us specifically the protocols they're following and we have a number of redundant systems to monitor the situation," he revealed, adding he had been incensed when he learned of Epstein's death because he was confident in their case against him.
"I was livid obviously," he said. "I believed very strongly in that case and I was very proud of the work done by the department, the Southern District on that case, and as you recall, after he committed suicide, I said that I was confident that we would continue to pursue this case vigorously and continue to pursue anyone who was complicit in it. I was very happy we were able to get Ms. Maxwell."
Maxwell, 58, is currently in custody in Brooklyn but there are fears she could end up at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in Lower Manhattan where Epstein was jailed and eventually killed himself.
Steven Hoffenberg, a former friend and employer of Epstein, said Maxwell will struggle to cope with the "tough and hard" life behind bars and will "crack in two seconds." He said she will be "fully cooperating" with the FBI in its child sex probe and some of the world’s most powerful people, including Prince Andrew, maybe "very worried."
Barr said prosecutors "definitely" want to speak to Andrew, who has been accused of sleeping with Epstein's 'sex slave' Virginia Giuffre when she was 17, and that they have been trying to contact him.
"Definitely the department wants to talk to Prince Andrew. That's why the Southern District has been making efforts to communicate with him," the attorney general said. "We've made it clear that we'd like to communicate with him."
Maxwell is facing charges of Conspiracy to entice minors to travel to engage in illegal sex acts, Enticement of a minor to travel to engage in illegal sex acts, conspiracy to transport minors with intent to engage in criminal sexual activity, Transportation of a minor with intent to engage in criminal sexual activity, and two counts of perjury. If convicted on the more serious charges, she could face life in prison.