NEWSGhislaine Maxwell's First Photo From Prison Reveals Unexplained Black Eye — See The Picture
A new photo of Ghislaine Maxwell with what appears to be a black eye has been released by her lawyers. This is the first photo to emerge of Maxwell since she was arrested last summer.
The photo of Maxwell with the bruise emerged on Thursday, April 29, amid her battle with the Brooklyn federal jail she is being held in.
Her attorneys said she did not know the cause of the bruising, but suspected that it may be related to her getting poor sleep, as Metropolitan Detention Center staff reportedly shine a flashlight into her cell every 15 minutes during the night.
The former socialite was said to be unaware of the bruise until she saw her reflection in nail clippers. Staff then allegedly threatened to place her in solitary confinement if she did not say how it happened.
Maxwell's attorney Bobbi Sternheim included the photo in a filing in which he asked Judge Alison Nathan to order the Bureau of Prisons to stop shining the light at night. Maxwell is said to cover her eyes with a sock or towel to shield herself from the light.
"While Ms. Maxwell is unaware of the cause of the bruise, as reported to medical and psych staff, she has grown increasingly reluctant to report information to the guards for fear of retaliation, discipline, and punitive chores. However, there is concern that the bruise may be related to the need for Ms. Maxwell to shield her eyes from the lights projected into her cell throughout the night," Sternheim wrote.
- Ghislaine Maxwell Pleads Not Guilty To Sex Trafficking Minors In Rare Public Appearance, Lawyer Says She's 'Looking Forward' To Fighting Charges: Report
- Ghislaine Maxwell's Lawyers Plead With Judge For Leniency As Sentencing Hearing Looms
- Ghislaine Maxwell Claims Prison Mistreatment, From Rats In Cell To 'Creepy Guards' Watching Her Shower
Maxwell's attorney David Oscar Markus agreed.
"It’s no surprise that she may have been unintentionally injured trying to keep the light out of her eyes at night. She may have been in that stage of half sleep while being tortured with shining lights. Please keep in mind that it’s been ten months of bad sleep, inedible food, and undrinkable water in solitary confinement. For absolutely no reason. How would you look?" Markus wrote.
Earlier this week, Maxwell was reportedly denied bail for the fourth time. She is currently being held as she awaits her trail later this year but has pleaded not guilty to procuring, grooming and trafficking underage victims of Jeffrey Epstein.
Maxwell appeared in court on Friday, April 23, where she pleaded not guilty to new sex-trafficking charges, as previously reported by OK!. Prosecutors reportedly filed a superseding indictment against Maxwell that added two new charges — sex trafficking minors and sex trafficking conspiracy, which are related to "minor victim-4."
Maxwell now faces a total of eight counts of such charges. She was charged in July 2020 for her alleged involvement with Epstein and the alleged abuse of minors.
