Not long after it was first reported that Ghislaine Maxwell had been moved to one of the country’s most flexible federal detention facilities, a private Facebook group dedicated to current and former federal prison staff exploded in shock and rage.
The federal prison camp in Brian, Texas is one of the seven lowest security dorm-style federal security facilities that do not normally house prisoners like Maxwell, who have been convicted of a sex crime and are serving a long sentence.
“As a retired BOP employee, this makes me sick,” one person wrote on the Facebook page of “Prison Staff and Retirement.”
“When are sex offenders allowed at camps?” another wrote. “I don’t care who she smells. She’s a human trafficker.”
NBC News reviewed screenshots of the page provided by one of the group’s members. Facebook groups are only open to those who pass the extensive review process to ensure that they are actually current or former BOP staff, according to members with knowledge of how it is managed.
Vito Maraviglia, a retired federal prison special investigation agent, said in an interview that she could not recall cases of sex offenders being transferred to prison over 27 years. Putting Maxwell meant it would make her easier to get away, or someone outside would target her on the camp grounds, Maravilia said.
“There’s no logic to me there,” he added. “I don’t pass the smell test.”
Former Prison Bureau Interior Secretary Robert Hood said in an email to NBC News that Maxwell’s Bryan’s move to camp was a “tragedy of justice.”
Hood, who also served as an observer at the ADX Florence “Super Max” prison in Colorado, wrote, “Relocating sex offenders who will serve the country club setting for 20 years to the country club setting is offensive to others who are doing similar crimes.”
Maxwell recruits and grooms a teenage girl and sentences her to 20 years in prison for being sexually abused by her confidant Jeffrey Epstein. Her lawsuit has attracted new attention in recent weeks as a choir of right-wing influencers, Trump supporters and critics critics critics critics critics critics the administration’s decision not to release all federal files related to Epstein.
Maxwell was trapped in a low-security facility in Tallahassee, Florida, which housed men and women. However, after she and her attorney answered questions from Associate Attorney General Todd Blanche for nine hours over two days, she was moved to a minimum security federal prison camp for all women in Texas last week.
Josh Repide, the regional vice president of the Federal Union of Prison Officers, including Maxwell’s new home, said inmates would like to provide time at Brian’s prison camp.
“Have you heard of the old ‘club’ they were talking about? This is one of those places,” says Lepird. “If you’re an inmate, it’s really the perfect place to have your time.”
More programs are available to inmates held at the facility, including those that include training service dogs for people with disabilities. Lepird said. They also have the freedom to roam the ground surrounded by small fences, not razor wires or walls.
The risk of fleeing is one reason why violent offenders and others who committed violent crimes are not placed in camps like Brian, according to current and former federal prison officials.
As previously reported by NBC News, the Bureau of Prisons rules require that sex offenders be detained in at least a low-level security prison, such as FCI Tallahassee, unless exemption is granted. In accordance with the waiver policy, only the administrator of the BOP designation and statement calculation center can make that decision.
Union official Lepird said he found it “very strange” to have inmates like Maxwell moving there.
“The best thing I can say is that there’s some kind of cooperation involved,” he speculated.
The Prison Bureau confirmed the transfer of Maxwell but has not explained it. The spokesman did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Maxwell’s lawyer David Oscar Marx also has not answered questions about the transfer.
A wealthy investor, Epstein died in a New York City prison in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges. His death was considered a suicide. However, the discovery has little to help alleviate conspiracy theorists and others who believe Epstein was killed to protect other powerful men involved in his trafficking ring.
Comments by Attorney General Pam Bondi further encouraged doubt. In February, Bondi told Fox News that Epstein’s client list was “sitting on my desk right now” and waiting for reviews and releases (she later said she was referring to the entire file). However, on July 6, the DOJ and the FBI announced that Epstein’s thorough case review had not revealed any evidence that it criminally investigated other individuals and caused a fierce backlash from some of Trump’s most enthusiastic supporters.
Controversy consumed headlines and with President Trump’s president, Blanche was sent to talk to Maxwell. This is a very unusual move by a senior Justice Department official. However, it remains unclear what was discussed and what the next step would be.
Questions also surfaced about Maxwell’s credibility, given that the prosecutor and the judge who oversaw her 2021 trial said she made multiple false statements under oath.
However, Maxwell’s transfer was met with relief by at least one person other than the convicted sex offender himself.
In a private Facebook group, members who identified themselves as staff at the Florida facility where Maxwell was detained said they wouldn’t miss her.
“I’m happy to be able to get rid of her,” the person wrote. “She’s an absolute pain in her butt.”
