‘She is not suicidal’: Lawyer says Ghislaine Maxwell placed on suicide watch ahead of Tues sentencing

With only days remaining before her sentencing hearing, the controversy surrounding Ghislaine Maxwell intensified after her attorney claimed she was placed on suicide watch without justification.

Since her arrest in June 2020, Maxwell has been held at the Metropolitan Detention Center (MDC) in Brooklyn, New York. For the duration of her trial that led to her December conviction on five criminal counts that included “recruiting and grooming teenage girls to be sexually abused,” by Jeffrey Epstein, she had been with the general population.

Ahead of her June 28 sentencing hearing, Maxwell’s attorney Bobbi Sternheim learned that her client was moved to suicide watch despite determining that the 60-year-old convict is “not suicidal.”

In a letter issued to U.S. District Judge Alison Nathan Saturday, Sternheim made the case that the sudden and unjustifiable change to Maxwell’s confinement, if not corrected, will require a delay to the hearing. “Currently, she is unable to properly prepare for sentencing,” because she is not permitted to possess legal documents, pens or paper, the attorney explained.

“Yesterday, without having conducted a psychological evaluation and without justification, the MDC placed Ms. Maxwell on suicide watch,” she wrote before adding, “Ms. Maxwell was abruptly removed from general population and returned to solitary confinement, this time without any clothing, toothpaste, soap, legal papers, etc. She was provided a ‘suicide smock’ and is given a few sheets of toilet paper on request. This morning, a psychologist evaluated Ms. Maxwell and determined she is not suicidal.”

Sternheim concluded that, “If Ms. Maxwell remains on suicide watch, is prohibited from reviewing legal materials prior to sentencing, becomes sleep deprived, and is denied sufficient time to meet with and confer with counsel, we will be formally moving on Monday for an adjournment.”

This is not the first effort from Maxwell’s defense to attempt to postpone her sentencing as earlier this year she had requested a new trial after a juror failed to disclose a history of experiencing sexual abuse. Nathan denied the request and at the time of this reporting has yet to issue a response to Sternheim’s letter.

The prosecution is seeking a minimum of 30 years in prison for Maxwell who could see up to 55 years. Meanwhile, the Daily Mail reported that the defense filed a sentencing submission last week seeking less five years stating, “Ms. Maxwell has always worked hard. Her many educational, occupational, and avocational accomplishments include becoming an Emergency Medical Technician (EMT), a helicopter pilot, a submersible pilot, a banker; partnering with the Cleveland Clinic to establish a telemedicine platform to enable people in remote areas to obtain quality medical treatment; helping develop the Clinton Global Initiative; and supporting a variety non-profit and charitable organizations.”

The Daily Mail also reported that Maxwell may have been receiving death threats, “One woman was going around openly bragging that she was going to murder Ghislaine for $1 million.”

Considering the mysterious circumstances surrounding the Aug. 10, 2019 death of Epstein who, after spending about a month on suicide watch ahead of his trial, was removed from that watch only to be found hanged in his cell, speculation has already begun that there is something sinister at play with MDC’s move of Maxwell.

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Kevin Haggerty

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