London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Jun 18, 2026

Maxwell’s new digs: Fla. prison known for yoga, music, abuse

Maxwell’s new digs: Fla. prison known for yoga, music, abuse

Ghislaine Maxwell, the jet-setting socialite turned convicted sex trafficker, is off to Florida to serve a 20-year federal prison sentence for helping financier Jeffrey Epstein sexually abuse underage girls — returning to the same state, but a far cry from the posh lifestyle, where she committed some of her crimes.
Maxwell, 60, was moved last week to FCI Tallahassee, a low-security federal prison in Florida’s capital, from the Brooklyn federal jail where she’d spent the last two years under close watch in light of Epstein’s 2019 jail suicide, the federal Bureau of Prisons said.

It wasn’t clear whether Maxwell would be held in restrictive housing or under other special precautions, given her notoriety and long-standing concerns about her well-being behind bars.

Maxwell, who was convicted last December in Manhattan and sentenced in June, repeatedly complained about her treatment at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, her home since her July 2020 arrest.

Maxwell and her lawyers complained that jail officers were flashing a light into her cell every 15 minutes, interrupting her sleep, and subjecting her to hundreds of searches and pat downs. She also claimed that a guard at the Brooklyn facility physically abused her and that she was punished for complaining about it.

A message seeking comment was left with Maxwell’s lawyers.

Maxwell, who once consorted with royals, presidents and billionaires as the daughter of a British publishing magnate, was convicted of luring teenage girls for Epstein to abuse.

Her monthlong trial featured sordid accounts of the sexual exploitation of girls as young as 14, told by four women who described being abused as teens in the 1990s and early 2000s at Epstein’s palatial homes in Florida, New York and New Mexico.

Maxwell’s new home, FCI Tallahassee, is about 360 miles (580 kilometers) from Epstein’s since-demolished mansion in glitzy Palm Beach where prosecutors say some of the abuse occurred.

The prison, opened in 1938, has about 820 male and female inmates. According to an inmate handbook, people locked up at the facility have access to a wide range of classes and activities, including painting, leather, art and ceramics, musical instruments, team sports such as softball, basketball and volleyball.

The prison also offers yoga, Pilates, movies and an inmate talent show, according to prison consulting firm Zoukis Consulting Group.

Maxwell is joining a short list of notable people who’ve served time at FCI Tallahassee, including Maria Butina, the Russian secret agent who tried to infiltrate conservative U.S. political groups, and Colleen LaRose, known as “Jihad Jane” for providing material support to terrorists. Butina was released in 2019 and deported to Russia. LaRose was released in 2018.

Like many federal prisons, as The Associated Press has reported, FCI Tallahassee has had its share of employees committing crimes in recent years — including sexual abuse of inmates.

In March, former FCI Tallahassee recreation specialist Jimmy Lee Highsmith was sentenced to four years in prison for sexually abusing an inmate between March 2014 and September 2018.

In August 2021, former FCI Tallahassee food service foreman Phillip Golightly was sentenced to two years in prison for sexually abusing an inmate in November 2019.

In 2006, a correctional officer and a federal agent were killed in a gun battle on the prison’s grounds. The officer opened fire as agents attempted to arrest him and several other officers on charges they gave contraband to female inmates in exchange for sex, officials said.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Cornwall Clergy Raise £40,000 for Church Repairs Through Everest-Themed Charity Challenge
UK Business and Social Landscape Reflects Strain From Geopolitical and Domestic Pressures
Tensions Grow in UK Over Sikh Kirpan and Religious Symbolism in Public Debate
Energy Price Cap Increase Set to Lift UK Household Bills by 13 Percent
University of Reading Ranked 196th in QS World University Rankings
UK Maritime Archaeologists Identify 17th-Century Dutch Shipwreck Off Devon Coast
Oxford Union Islam Debate Sparks Protest From Faith Leaders in UK
UK Social Cohesion Debate Intensifies After Religious Prejudice Survey Findings
UK SME Lending Rises Despite Geopolitical Uncertainty and Cautious Outlook
Foreign Demand for UK Gilts Remains Sensitive to Global Inflation Trends
Labour Party Faces Leadership Pressure After Weak Local Election Results in UK
Transport Costs Drive Inflation Pressure as Petrol Prices Push Up UK CPI
British Chambers of Commerce Cuts Growth Forecast as Middle East Conflict Weighs on Investment
UK Economy Grows 0.6 Percent in First Quarter but Outlook Remains Weak
Bank of England Holds Interest Rates at 3.75 Percent as Inflation Risks Persist
Energy Price Cap Rise Expected to Keep UK Inflation Above Target Through 2026
Health Authorities Warn of Rising Cases of Seasonal Respiratory Illnesses
BAE Systems and Rolls-Royce Advance Multi-Nation Fighter Aircraft Programme
National Archives Publish Declassified Documents on Cold War Energy Security Planning
British Retail Spending Rises Despite Continuing Cost-of-Living Pressures
Wales Launches Social Housing Pilot to Address Affordability Pressures
British Energy Companies Commit £5 Billion to Geothermal and Hydrogen Projects
Northern Ireland Debates Cross-Border Healthcare Partnership With the Republic of Ireland
UK Establishes National Artificial Intelligence Safety Centre With Leading Universities
UK Reports Decline in Small Boat Crossings After Expanding Intelligence Cooperation With France
Scottish Parliament Launches Inquiry Into Delays to Renewable Energy Projects
National Crime Agency Dismantles Alleged Multi-Million-Pound Money Laundering Network in London
Transport Strikes Disrupt Rail and Bus Services Across Northern England
United Kingdom and European Union Open New Security Dialogue on Defense and Border Cooperation
Bank of England Holds Interest Rates at 5% as Services Inflation Remains Elevated
UK Government Unveils Major National Health Service Reform Focused on Decentralization and Performance Funding
Government Advances New Airport Slot Rules to Ease Airline Operating Constraints
BBC Opens Flagship Science-Fiction Franchise to Competitive Production Bids
Chancellor Meets City Leaders Amid Concerns Over Gilt Market Liquidity
Rathbones Shares Fall Seventeen Percent After Regulatory Review Reveals Compliance Failings
United Kingdom Joins Group of Seven Initiative Using Artificial Intelligence and Quantum Computing for Cancer Research
Parliament Debates Doubling Tax Allowance for Pensioners After Major Public Petition
Measles Cases Exceed Seven Hundred in London and the West Midlands
British Military Leadership Faces Parliamentary Scrutiny After Defence Secretary's Sudden Resignation
House of Lords Begins Debate on Steel Industry Nationalisation Legislation
Parliament Advances Bill to Abolish NHS England and Create Single Patient Records
Parliament Fast-Tracks National Security Bill to Expand Powers Against Foreign Threats
United Kingdom and European Union Set July Summit to Deepen Post-Brexit Cooperation
United Kingdom Imposes Seventy New Sanctions on Russia and Expands Support for Ukraine's Nuclear Sector
United Kingdom Announces Social Media Ban for Children Under Sixteen
0British Government Investigates Reports of Russian Warship Firing Warning Shots Near Isle of Wight
UK Supreme Court Revises Legal Definition of Deprivation of Liberty
King’s Birthday Honours Recognise Contributions Across Science, Culture and Public Service
UK Ministry of Defence Reports Interdiction of Russian Shadow Fleet Vessel
UK and US Launch Joint Regulatory Programme for Medicines and Healthcare Products
×