'Never seen this before': Prison consultant shocked by Maxwell receiving BOP waiver for transfer

03 August

Ghislaine Maxwell's mugshot at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, NY in 2022 (Image: Wikimedia Commons)

Ghislaine Maxwell's sudden move to a minimum‑security federal prison camp in Bryan, Texas, long considered off‑limits to sex offenders, has shocked legal watchers. According to MSNBC justice correspondent Ken Dilanian, a prison consultant who frequently advises the Bureau of Prisons (BOP) told him he "had never seen this done before for a sex offender.”

Earlier this week, Maxwell was relocated from FCI Tallahassee — a low‑security facility with a double‑fence perimeter — to Federal Prison Camp Bryan, a minimum‑security, dormitory‑style camp with no perimeter fencing, typically reserved for white‑collar offenders such as Elizabeth Holmes.

According to court documents and federal prison experts, Maxwell was "technically ineligible" for such a move. Sex offenders usually must serve at least part of their sentence in medium‑ or higher‑security custody unless the BOP makes a specific waiver. Public records show a waiver was issued in Maxwell’s case, an exceptional step for someone convicted of sex trafficking.

Days before the transfer, Maxwell spent 1 and a half days in Tallahassee answering questions about nearly 100 individuals tied to Jeffrey Epstein’s network. The discussions were led by Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche as part of a sweeping cooperation effort reportedly backed by the Trump administration.

Maxwell’s lawyers have since pursued three legal paths: a Supreme Court appeal claimed to be based on Epstein’s 2008 non‑prosecution agreement; requests for congressional immunity in exchange for testimony; and a presidential pardon or commutation.

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