Key Points
- Ghislaine Maxwell has been put on suicide watch and may be requesting a postponement of her sentence due on Tuesday.
- Maxwell reported Brooklyn jail staff threatened her safety.
This article contains references to suicide/self-harm.
Ghislaine Maxwell reported Brooklyn jail staff threatened her safety, prompting employees to place her on suicide watch, prosecutors said on Sunday, arguing there was no need to delay her sentencing on sex trafficking charges.
for her December conviction for helping her then-boyfriend Jeffrey Epstein, the globe-trotting financier and convicted sex offender, abuse girls between 1994 and 2004. Prosecutors have argued she deserves between 30 and 55 years in prison.
Ghislaine Maxwell in New York City in 2014. Source: Getty
On Sunday, prosecutors said no delay was needed because the 60-year-old had her legal documents and could get the same amount of sleep.
They said Maxwell was transferred after reporting threats to her safety by MDC staff to the federal Bureau of Prisons' inspector general.
Maxwell refused to elaborate about why she feared for her safety, prosecutors said. She told psychology staff she was not suicidal.
Her lawyers did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The Bureau of Prisons said it does not comment on any particular inmate's confinement conditions.
Prosecutors said the jail's warden will oversee an investigation.
"Given the defendant's inconsistent accounts to the (inspector general) and to psychology staff, the Chief Psychologist assesses the defendant to be at additional risk of self-harm, as it appears she may be attempting to be transferred to a single cell where she can engage in self-harm," prosecutors said in a court filing.
Epstein killed himself in 2019 in a Manhattan jail cell while awaiting trial.
The sentence will be imposed by U.S. Circuit Judge Alison Nathan in Manhattan federal court. Maxwell wanted less than 20 years and argued she was being scapegoated for Epstein's crimes.
Readers seeking crisis support can contact Lifeline on 13 11 14, the Suicide Call Back Service on 1300 659 467 and Kids Helpline on 1800 55 1800 (for young people aged up to 25). More information and support with mental health is available at and on 1300 22 4636.
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