Ghislaine Maxwell, the woman battling federal sex trafficking charges for her alleged role in helping Jeffrey Epstein recruit and sexually abuse young girls, was spotted with a black eye in her first prison photo.
Her attorney, Bobbi Sternheim, filed the photo and additional documents in court. In a letter to the judge, Sternheim said her client's injury has caused issues with prison guards over her refusal to reveal how she got the bruise. She said Maxwell only noticed the bruise after seeing her reflection on a nail clipper because she doesn't have a mirror.
"Last night, she was confronted by MDC staff due to a visible bruise over her left eye," Sternheim wrote. "No guard addressed the bruise until Ms. Maxwell, who has no mirror, caught a reflection of her aching eye in the glean of a nail clipper. At that point, MDC staff confronted Ms. Maxwell regarding the source of the bruise, threatening to place her in the SHU (Special Housing Unit) if she did not reveal how she got it."
According to reports, Maxwell has been sleep-deprived as she awaits trial behind bars. Her attorneys believe the bruise appeared because she's been forced to cover her eyes with a sock or towel every night because guards shine lights in her cell every 15 minutes.
"It's no surprise that she may have been unintentionally injured trying to keep the light out of her eyes at night," said attorney David Marks. "She may have been in that stage of half-sleep while being tortured with shining lights. Please keep in mind that it's been 10 months of bad sleep, inedible food, and undrinkable water in solitary confinement. For absolutely no reason. How would you look?"
Ghislaine Maxwell has pleaded not guilty to sex trafficking and other charges and faces trial this summer.
Source: New York Post
