Employees at a US federal prison have been dismissed for improperly accessing and leaking information about the conditions of convicted sex trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell, according to her legal representative.
The development follows claims from a prominent Democrat that Maxwell was receiving 'concierge-style treatment' at the low-security Camp Bryan prison facility, including custom meals and unusual assistance from the warden.
Terminations and Alleged Preferential Treatment
In a statement released on Friday, one of Maxwell's lawyers, Leah Saffian, confirmed that staff at Camp Bryan 'have been terminated for improper, unauthorized access' to an email system used by inmates. This action came after private correspondence between Maxwell and her attorneys was made public.
The leak prompted detailed allegations from Representative Jamie Raskin, the ranking member on the House Judiciary Committee. In a letter to then-President Donald Trump, Raskin outlined what he described as extensive special treatment for Maxwell.
He claimed that, based on information received by Democratic committee staffers, Maxwell was being waited on 'hand and foot'. The alleged privileges included:
- Customised meals delivered directly to her.
- Access to a service dog in training for recreation.
- The use of Warden Tanisha Hall as a 'personal secretary' to help review and edit documents.
Raskin's letter also suggested Maxwell was in the process of filing a Commutation Application with the Trump administration.
Maxwell's Own Words and Legal Pushback
Private emails from Maxwell, subsequently published by NBC News, shed further light on her experience at Camp Bryan. In one message to a relative, she praised the institution, calling it 'well managed' and 'well run' with an 'excellent Warden'.
'The food is legions better, the place is clean, the staff responsive and polite,' she wrote, adding that she felt much happier and safer, as if she had dropped 'through Alice in Wonderlands looking glass.'
In another email to her lawyer, Maxwell detailed a workaround for document delays she had devised with Warden Hall. To meet a Supreme Court deadline, the warden allegedly agreed to have documents scanned to her, which she would then return with Maxwell's edits, a process Maxwell described as 'fantastic as it saves days and days.'
However, Maxwell's lawyer, Leah Saffian, has pushed back against the narrative. In her Friday statement, she criticised Representative Raskin for not fact-checking the 'so called "whistleblower"'.
Saffian also explicitly denied that Maxwell has requested a commutation or pardon. Instead, she stated Maxwell is preparing a Habeas petition with a federal court in New York, related to prisoners' rights and presenting new evidence not available at her 2021 trial.
Broader Context and Official Responses
Ghislaine Maxwell is currently serving a 20-year prison sentence for her role in a decade-long scheme to sexually exploit and abuse minor girls with the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Her transfer to the minimum-security Camp Bryan occurred after a meeting with the Justice Department earlier this year, a move that followed backlash against the Trump administration's handling of Epstein-related government files.
When questioned about a potential pardon for Maxwell, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt stated that it was 'not something [Trump's] talking about or even thinking about at this moment in time.'
The Justice Department and Camp Bryan have been contacted for comment on the recent terminations and allegations.
