Ghislaine Maxwell quietly moved from Florida prison to less harsh lockup in Texas as lawyers seek Trump pardon: report

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a day ago

Jeffrey Epstein's long-time associate Ghislaine Maxwell has reportedly been moved from her prison in Florida to another institution in Texas, The New York Sun reports.
Maxwell is currently serving a 20-year sentence for her role in helping Epstein recruit, groom and abuse young girls. She was being held at a federal prison in Tallahassee. Now, she's at the Federal Prison Camp Bryan in southeast Texas, a Bureau of Prisons spokesperson told the Sun.
The Florida prison was classified as a minimum security prison with a detention center that housed nearly 1,200 men and women. She was being housed in an 'honor dorm' for the best-behaved inmates, and activities included yoga and pilates.
Her new prison is an all-female prison camp that houses 600 inmates. It has limited perimeter fencing and is home to fraudster Elizabeth Holmes and reality star Jen Shah.
Maxwell was temporarily placed at a federal prison in Oakdale, Louisiana, before she was moved to Texas, the Sun reports.
Maxwell was thrust back in the spotlight during the fallout over the release of the Epstein files. Trump's administration said no more information would be released despite promises during the campaign. That angered his base and created weeks of tension with his supporters as Democrats attacked the White House over the nondisclosure. In recent weeks, DOJ officials met with Maxwell to discuss the files and Epstein, and that has fueled speculation of a pardon for the British socialite.
'Well, I'm allowed to give her a pardon, but nobody's approached me with it,' Trump said Monday. 'Nobody's asked me about it.'
Maxwell's attorney, David Oscar Markus, told The Independent he could 'confirm that she is being moved' but declined to comment further.
Maxwell asked Congress Tuesday to push for a pardon so she could 'testify openly and honestly' before lawmakers, ABC News reports. Her request is on the heels of the House Oversight Committee subpoenaing Maxwell last week, setting her deposition date for August 11.
Markus said Maxwell would invoke her Fifth Amendment right and decline to testify if certain conditions aren't met. These include granting Maxwell immunity and interviewing her outside of the prison where she's carrying out her sentence.
"Ms. Maxwell cannot risk further criminal exposure in a politically charged environment without formal immunity. Nor is a prison setting conducive to eliciting truthful and complete testimony," Markus wrote to House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer.
"Of course, in the alternative, if Ms. Maxwell were to receive clemency, she would be willing — and eager — to testify openly and honestly, in public, before Congress in Washington, D.C.,' Markus said. 'She welcomes the opportunity to share the truth and to dispel the many misconceptions and misstatements that have plagued this case from the beginning.'
Maxwell has also petitioned the Supreme Court to consider an appeal of her conviction. The Justice Department urged the court to reject her request last month, The Washington Post reports. Markus also asked the House Oversight Committee to postpone Maxwell's deposition until the Supreme Court has decided whether to take her case.
Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche also interviewed Maxwell last week. Maxwell 'never invoked a privilege' and 'never refused to answer a question,' Markus said Friday.
Lawmakers subpoenaed Maxwell as the Trump administration faces blowback for its handling of the Epstein files. Democrats and Trump's MAGA supporters alike have called for the administration to release more information on the disgraced financier.
The criticism comes after Justice Department and FBI released a joint memo last month indicating there would be no further disclosures in the Epstein investigation. The memo claimed Epstein never kept a 'client list' containing the names of his alleged associates. Attorney General Pam Bondi had suggested the client list was on her desk in February.
The agencies also confirmed Epstein died by suicide in a New York City jail cell, following years of conspiracy theories surrounding his death. Epstein died in August 2019, a month after he was arrested for federal sex trafficking charges.
That announcement angered Trump's base, who had long latched onto conspiracies about his death or the people he was connected to, including politicians and the wealthy.
As tensions rose around Epstein last month, The Wall Street Journal reported Bondi notified Trump in May that his name appears in the Epstein files. The report came days after a reporter asked the president if Bondi told him his name appeared in the files.
Appearing in the files also does not indicate that an individual has committed any wrongdoing.
The Journal also reported Trump wrote an alleged 50th birthday card to Epstein in 2003, which included a drawing of a naked woman. The card ended with the wish, 'may every day be another wonderful secret.' Trump denied the claims, telling the outlet, 'I never wrote a picture in my life.' The president has sued the newspaper and its publishers for $10 billion.