The disgraced British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell, serving time for her role in Jeffrey Epstein's abuse of teenage girls, has reportedly sparked deep resentment among fellow inmates after receiving special Christmas privileges at her low-security US prison.
VIP Treatment at FPC Bryan
Sources claim that while other prisoners at the Federal Prison Camp (FPC) Bryan in Texas received only marginal festive concessions, Maxwell was pampered with extra comforts. The 64-year-old, who celebrated her birthday on Christmas Day, is said to have been granted "more than double" the standard monthly phone allowance of 300 minutes to contact her family.
"She’s living a completely different life to the rest of those inside," a source told the Mirror. "Then you’ve got Maxwell being treated like a VIP. It felt to many like she was given her own phone." The perceived preferential treatment has caused significant anger, with inmates describing a feeling of "one rule for her and another for everyone else."
A Catalogue of Alleged Perks
The reported Christmas phone time is just one in a series of alleged privileges that have set Maxwell apart. Other claimed bonuses include:
- Being allowed to play with service dogs in training, an activity normally strictly forbidden for both inmates and staff.
- Receiving exemptions from basic rationing, including on toilet paper, where she can allegedly request as much as she wants while others are limited to two rolls a week.
- Having customised meals, including a vegetarian Christmas dinner of carrots, cauliflower, cabbage, and roast potatoes, delivered directly to her cell by senior staff.
- Enjoying private, cordoned-off visitor meetings with refreshments, where guests were allegedly permitted to bring computers into the facility.
Democratic Congressman Jamie Raskin, ranking member of the House Judiciary Committee, has written to officials citing a whistleblower's account of this preferential treatment. The letter alleges that FPC Bryan Warden Tanisha Hall acted as Maxwell's "personal administrative go-between," handling documents far quicker than for other prisoners.
Contrast and Consequences
The festive comforts stand in stark contrast to Maxwell's previous incarceration at the far stricter FCI Tallahassee in Florida last Christmas. Her transfer to the more lenient FPC Bryan came just days after she spoke favourably to Donald Trump's deputy attorney general about Trump's friendship with Jeffrey Epstein, a move that raised eyebrows among victims' advocates and lawmakers.
Since her arrival, Maxwell has reportedly made little effort to integrate, instead becoming a symbol of perceived privilege. Her alleged time playing with a service puppy was described by sources as "the final straw" and a "slap in the face" to mothers missing their children.
The claims have reignited fury among victims of Epstein and Maxwell, who argue that any hint of leniency undermines faith in the justice system. While the Bureau of Prisons has denied any favouritism, these reports emerge as Maxwell is said to be seeking a commutation of her sentence. She was convicted in 2021 for recruiting and grooming underage girls for Epstein, who died in custody in 2019 while awaiting trial.
