Extortion, yoga, moldy food: Inside Ghislaine Maxwell's life behind bars in Tallahassee

USA Today

5 days ago

Although the meeting with the Department of Justice isn't occurring there, eyes are turning to the state capital's federal women's prison that houses Ghislaine Maxwell, former girlfriend to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and herself a convicted sex trafficker.
Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche is meeting with Maxwell at the federal courthouse in downtown Tallahassee July 24 in an effort to find any stones that might've been left unturned in the high-profile Epstein case. The DOJ is hoping to uncover names of other accomplices that were involved in the sex-trafficking scheme, and Maxwell might be investigators' best source of information.
In December 2021, Maxwell, 63, was convicted of luring and grooming teenage girls to be sexually abused and exploited by Epstein — the wealthy financier who died by suicide while in custody and awaiting trial in 2019.
The meeting with the DOJ was originally said to be taking place at the prison, but instead Maxwell spent a day beyond the steel bars she's now been living behind.
Maxwell has been in Tallahassee for three years
The disgraced British socialite was transferred to Federal Correctional Institution Tallahassee in 2022; Florida was a state where some of the crimes for which she was convicted occurred.
For three years, Maxwell worked to entice young girls to visit Epstein's Palm Beach residence, "to engage in sex acts with Epstein, after which Epstein, Maxwell, or another employee of Epstein's would give the victims hundreds of dollars in cash," as previously reported.
FCI Tallahassee, at 501 Capital Circle N.E., is a low-security federal correctional institution for women with a men's detention center. It houses over 1,200 altogether, according to the Federal Bureau of Prisons database.
Just last year, Maxwell was moved to the prison's "honor dorm" for being on her best behavior. The cushier living quarters are reserved for 30 to 40 of the best-behaved inmates, and because there are so few occupants, she is almost guaranteed her own room with more storage.
Maxwell spends her time behind bars teaching etiquette, yoga
Inmates housed inside the federal institution have access to a variety of "leisure time activities" and classes. People can participate in everything from yoga, Pilates, "arts and crafts programs to intramural team sports such as softball, basketball, and volleyball," according to FCI Tallahassee's handbook.
In 2023, Maxwell reportedly started teaching an etiquette class, according to The Daily Mail. She also taught a yoga class and held a position at the prison library.
Apprenticeship programs in cooking, painting, woodworking among others are also offered at the prison.
Extortion attempt leaves Maxwell fearing for safety in prison
Two years ago, Maxwell ran into issues with two women known within the prison walls as "Las Cubanas."
Maxwell is a vegan and arranged for a kitchen worker to sneak her extra fruit, vegetables and tofu in exchange for items she bought with her commissary orders, as previously reported by The Daily Mail.
The violent inmates found out and threatened to tattle unless Maxwell spent her entire commissary limit on items for them.
The convicted sex trafficker reported the duo for trying to extort her, landing them 47 days in solitary confinement.
But when they were released back into the prison's general population, fears of retaliation rose, leading Maxwell to refuse using the shower stalls and to be assigned a guard to escort her to and from her prison library job.
In response to the threat, the pair was moved to a different unit, but a source told the Daily Mail the two have a reputation within the prison's walls for being mean and holding a grudge.
Inspector General report details horrific conditions inside women's prison
The U.S. Department of Justice's Office of the Inspector General conducted an "unannounced inspection" this May 2022 and released the full 50-page report later in the fall.
Inspectors were met with "alarming" conditions, including inmates being served moldy or rotten food and living with "black substances" on walls and ceilings, as previously reported.
Food was found to pose an immediate risk to inmates' health, as rotten food was consistently served and stored in areas with rat droppings and insect infestation. In a survey, more than half of inmates noted that they are frequently served outdated food.
The prison dorms weren't any more desirable with "black substances" growing and collecting in various areas feminine products being used in places to soak up water from cracks and leaks consistently found throughout the living spaces.
"According to inmates, in advance of a BOP correctional audit performed just prior to our unannounced visit, staff had painted over the housing unit ceilings that contained the black substance," the report said.
Elena Barrera is a reporter for the Tallahassee Democrat, a member of the USA TODAY NETWORK – Florida. She can be reached at [e-mail]. Follow her on X: @elenabarreraaa.