Ghislaine Maxwell put on suicide watch, being closely monitored amid fears she might meet same fate as Epstein
Ghislaine Maxwell is reportedly on suicide watch, far from her life of luxury and inside a cramped jail cell. Sources have told The Sun that the British socialite and media heiress is being closely monitored at the Merrimack County Jail, in New Hampshire, which is reportedly just an hour away from the palatial $1 million home she was situated at prior to her arrest. Maxwell's pals revealed she had almost $20 million in the bank and had been spending time cooking, boxing, and reading books at the sprawling 156-acre estate. However, the 58-year-old's every move is being closely monitored inside the lock-up.
According to The Sun, Merrimack County Jail was at the center of a COVID-19 scare in March after a prison officer tested positive for the disease. “Given the death of Jeffrey Epstein in jail, everybody is obviously concerned about making sure nothing happens to Ghislaine Maxwell," a prison source told the outlet. "Her security is a top priority. The case is being handled extremely sensitively.”
Maxwell is facing multiple counts of child grooming and perjury related to Epstein’s child sex trafficking ring, a charge that carries a 35-year prison sentence.
"A British woman — thought to be Maxwell — was heard sobbing from jail before her court appearance on Thursday," according to The Sun. "She was heard saying: 'What the f* is going on… Seriously, what the f*?'"
FBI spokesman Marty Feely revealed that Ghislaine was taken into custody around 8:30 a.m. on Thursday and charged with sex trafficking minors for late financier Jeffrey Epstein. She helped the pedophile financier groom girls as young as 14 for sex between 1994 and 1997, prosecutors have alleged.
The Sun reported that she could be transferred to New York City on Monday, July 6, after which she can either be locked up at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in Lower Manhattan - the same prison where her former boyfriend and convicted pedophile Jeffrey Epstein committed suicide last year. At the time, he had been awaiting trial on several sex trafficking cases. The charges against Ghislaine are, "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."
Should she be convicted, she could face life in prison on one of the most serious charges; transportation of a minor with intent to engage in criminal sexual activity, which holds a minimum sentence of 10 years. We had earlier reported that social media has been calling for Ghislaine Maxwell to be kept on a strict suicide watch, as this chance of justice for Epstein's victims should not be thwarted which could happen if Ghislaine kills herself as Epstein did.
While speaking at a press conference yesterday, acting US Attorney Audrey Strauss was asked whether any special measures were being taken to make sure Ghislaine's safety while in custody. In response to this, Strauss said, "As you know, we are sensitive to that concern and certainly we'll be in dialogue with the Bureau of Prisons about it."