Bombshell report reveals inmate was punished for speaking out about Ghislaine Maxwell
BRYAN, TEXAS: An inmate housed with Ghislain Maxwell said she did not expect that speaking publicly about prison life alongside a high-profile offender linked to disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein would lead to serious consequences for her.
Ghislaine Maxwell is a convicted of horrifying crimes, serving a 20-year sentence in a US federal jail. She was a prominent socialite before becoming the primary accomplice to financier Jeffrey Epstein.
Inmate speaks out about Maxwell's transfer to Bryan prison
Julie Howell was contacted by the media to talk about what it was like sharing a prison camp with Ghislaine Maxwell after Maxwell was transferred to the minimum-security facility in Bryan.
After confirming through prison guidelines, fellow inmates, and other sources that there was no rule against speaking to the press, Howell shared her comments with her husband to pass along to the media outlet.
Howell expressed her resentment against the transfer of the violent criminal to a facility that was “supposed to house non-violent offenders.”
“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,” Howell said in an email to her husband obtained by CNN.
"Every inmate l’ve heard from is upset she’s here.”
Julie Howell lands in trouble for talking about inmate Maxwell
Days after Howell’s husband shared her response with the press, she landed in trouble.
After finishing a puppy training program, Howell said a prison guard escorted her to the lieutenant’s office, where she was asked if she knew journalist Cameron Henderson, whom she had spoken to days earlier.
She recalled the officer telling her, “‘It’s all over the world wide web.’ He just kept saying, ‘This is above me.’”
Howell, who is now on supervised release, spoke about consequences of speaking to the media in her first interview following her release from prison.
Howell said she was then kept in a cell for about an hour before Bryan camp warden Tanisha Hall came to speak with her. According to Howell, Hall told her that her phone had been “blowing up” all weekend and criticized her for speaking to the media.
Howell said she apologized and explained that Maxwell’s arrival at the prison had deeply affected her because her daughter had previously gone through abuse-related experiences.
Howell transferred to another detention center
Later that day, Howell said she was transferred to a federal detention center in Houston that houses both male and female inmates of varying security levels. Experts said Maxwell’s transfer from a low-security prison in Tallahassee to a minimum-security camp in Bryan was uncommon for someone convicted of similar crimes.
