Ghislaine Maxwell wearing 'paper attire' in jail, not given clothes or bed sheets so she can't die like Epstein
Federal officials reportedly took as many precautions as possible to ensure that Jeffrey Epstein's longtime confidante Ghislaine Maxwell doesn't take her own life. An official familiar with the situation told The Associated Press how authorities took away the British socialite's clothes and sheets and had her wear paper attire while in custody. According to the news agency, steps taken to bolster Maxwell's safety and security as she's remanded in custody at a federal jail in New York City are far more sophisticated than the measures that were taken by federal officials when they arrested her in New Hampshire last week.
The official told AP how the Department of Justice has implemented additional safety protocols and that federal officials have been specifically tasked with ensuring that Maxwell has adequate protection and the prison is following all protocols.
Federal agents weren't sure Epstein's alleged girlfriend would be at her New Hampshire home when they arrested her. The official added that some investigators were convinced she had already fled the United States to evade authorities and avoid prosecution.
The U.S. Marshals Service, which took Maxwell into custody after her arrest, implemented a number of suicide-prevention protocols like taking away her sheets and other safety measures fearing she would suffer the same fate as Epstein.
The 66-year-old pedophile financier died under mysterious circumstances while in federal custody in Manhattan last summer. While the official verdict is that Epstein killed himself, some suspicious circumstances indicate he may have been murdered. Attorney General William Barr described his death as the result of a "perfect storm of screw-ups."
Maxwell is being held at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, which is across the Brooklyn Bridge from where the billionaire pedophile was held.
The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity due to the ongoing nature of the investigation, said there were several other protocols put in place such as ensuring Maxwell has a roommate in her cell at all times, along with surveillance cameras to monitor them.
Maxwell was arrested last Thursday on charges that she procured at least three girls, one of them being 14 at the time, for Epstein, who was accused of sexually abusing dozens of girls, often minors, for decades.
Maxwell is the daughter of late British media mogul Robert Maxwell and a longtime close associate of Epstein. According to the indictment against her, she is accused of facilitating his crimes and often participating in the abuse. Maxwell has been described by a number of Epstein's victims as his chief enabler, who roped in young girls for him to abuse. So far, she has denied any wrongdoing and called the allegations against her "absolute rubbish."
A team of federal agents arrested the British media heiress at her $1 million estate in New Hampshire. Investigators said they had been tracking her movements all along and knew she had been hiding out in various locations in New England.
As we previously reported, prosecutors revealed how Maxwell had switched her email address, was ordering packages on someone else's name, and had registered a new phone number under an alias "G Max".