Inmate Says She Was Punished For Speaking Out About Epstein Co-Conspirator Ghislaine Maxwell: Report
A former inmate says she was punished for speaking to the media about Jeffrey Epstein co-conspirator Ghislaine Maxwell.
Maxwell was sentenced to 20 years in prison in 2022 for her role in Epstein’s scheme to exploit and abuse multiple minor girls. Epstein, a former financier with ties to prominent individuals, killed himself while awaiting trial on charges in 2019.
The allegations against Maxwell stretched from at least 1994 through 2004. Prosecutors said that Maxell “assisted, facilitated, and participated” in abuse of girls and that she helped “recruit, groom, and ultimately abuse victims.” Despite the seriousness of the charges, Maxwell was transferred to a minimum-security prison camp in Bryan, Texas, in August 2025.
CNN reported that one of the inmates at Bryan, Julie Howell, decided to send a comment to the media regarding Maxwell’s arrival. She was serving a one-year sentence for embezzling $1 million from Tarleton State University while she was an associate professor there.
“Every inmate l’ve heard from is upset she’s here. This facility is supposed to house non-violent offenders. Human trafficking is a violent crime. She helped find, groom, and traffick [sic] children for Epstein,” Howell wrote in an email that she sent to a reporter. The email was shared with CNN.
“We have heard there are threats against her life and many of us are worried about our own safety because she’s here. We had to be locked down in our units with the blinds closed because she’s here so she’s causing us to lose the little freedom we have in here, all because she’s cooperating with authorities,” the email added.
The network reported that, after sending the email, Howell was confronted by the prison warden, who was upset at the extensive media coverage the message generated.
“She came in and asked what I was thinking, said that her phone was blowing up all weekend; I ruined her weekend; I shouldn’t have talked to them,” Howell told the network.
Howell says she was then transferred to a facility in Houston that housed male and female inmates of varying security levels, adding that she viewed the transfer as punishment for speaking out.
Another inmate, who spoke to CNN on the condition of anonymity, said inmates got the message to keep their mouths shut about Maxwell: “Somebody in my [dorm] made a comment: ‘You know, this is what happens when you bring a pedophile to a camp.’ And [the warden] started screaming: ‘Don’t ever make that comment. I never want to hear you say that again.'”
Inmates also told the outlet that Maxwell appeared to receive special treatment. They noted that meals and water were delivered to her, she was escorted by armed guards and was allowed unlimited access to toilet paper.
Maxwell was moved to Bryan about a week after meeting with Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche. The meeting was held in July 2025 as the Trump administration grappled with criticism over the handling of the Epstein files.
“At the time that I met Ms. Maxwell, there was a tremendous amount of scrutiny and publicity towards her. And the institution she was in, she was suffering numerous and numerous threats against her life,” Blanche told Meet the Press. “So the (Bureau of Prisons) is not only responsible for putting people in jail and making sure they stay in jail, but also for their safety.”
“She’s doing 20 years because she was convicted. And the fact that she was moved, she might be moved to another institution tomorrow if security requires it. And that’s true of any federal inmate across this country,” Blanche said.
