Where is Ghislaine Maxwell now and how long will she serve in prison?

Ghislaine Maxwell and her relationship with disgraced US financier Jeffrey Epstein is the subject of new Netflix documentary Ghislaine Maxwell: Filthy Rich.

Much like the recent documentaries about the murder of Grace Millane and the Soham murders, TV producers are keen to satisfy the public appetite for a true crime documentary when it comes to Ghislaine Maxwell. Her name has rarely been out of the press since July 2019 - when the FBI announced the arrest of the since-deceased businessman Jeffrey Epstein. An ex-boyfriend of the British socialite, Epstein was arrested on charges of sex trafficking. And further details later came to light of Maxwell's involvement and grooming of young girls in the gruesome ordeal - leading to her evential arrest and trial.

The Epstein scandal - as it's become known - has led to further legal issues for other high profile figures, with the Queen herself having to pay a £12 million settlement for a lawsuit brought against son Prince Andrew. As a result of his connections with Epstein and Maxwell, plus an alleged incident with an under-age girl - allegations he vehemently denies - the royal has stepped back from public duty and has had several patronages removed. Though Prince Andrew remains a prince for the time being. As for Maxwell, we share where the socialite is now and how long she's set to serve behind bars.

Where is Ghislaine Maxwell now?

Ghislaine Maxwell is currently serving time at the all-female, low-security prison FCI Tallahassee in Florida. The 60-year-old was sentenced on June 28, 2022 and moved to her current facility in late July.

The former British socialite was found guilty of five out of six charges by a jury on December 29, 2021. These charges include conspiracy to entice minors to travel to engage in illegal sex acts, conspiracy to transport minors to participate in illegal sex acts, transporting a minor to participate in illegal sex acts, sex trafficking conspiracy, and sex trafficking of a minor.

In addition to the prison sentence, Maxwell was sentenced to a further five years of supervised release and ordered to pay a $750,00 fine (£610,000).

According to the Federal Bureau of Prisons, the 60-year-old was being held at the Brooklyn Metropolitan Detention Center in New York whilst awaiting trial. She spent just under two years at the Brooklyn prison, following her arrest in July 2020. 

Lawyers for Maxwell claim that their client received hostility from prison guards during her time at the Brooklyn facility - which they described as an unsavoury environment.

"[She] has been subject to physical and emotional abuse by the correction officers, poor and unsanitary living conditions, insufficient nutrition, difficulties reviewing the millions of legal discovery documents in the case against her, and sleep deprivation," her lead attorney, Bobbi C Sternheim, wrote in court papers.

The US Bureau of Prisons declined to comment "about the conditions of confinement for any particular inmate". However they did add that they were "committed to ensuring the safety and security" of inmates and took "allegations of staff misconduct seriously". 

Before moving to Florida, Maxwell's lawyers initially requested for her to serve her sentence at the Danbury Federal Correctional Institute in Connecticut. But this was ultimately denied by the Bureau of Prisons.

According to the Daily Mail whilst the Brooklyn prison was claimed to be tough, Maxwell did bond with some in-mates. A source told the publication that the 60-year-old "had already impressed other inmates by teaching them yoga and English." As for life in her current prison, Maxwell is one of 755 female-only prisoners. In-mates get woken up each day at 6am and must carry an identification card with them at all times.

How long will Ghislaine Maxwell serve?

Ghislaine Maxwell received a 20-year prison sentence in late June this year. It's been confirmed that she won't be eligible for parole until 17 July 2037 - which will make her 78-years-old.

Maxwell was taken to court and found guilty for recruiting and grooming four girls between 1994 and 2004. These girls were then forced against their will to "massage" and perform sex acts on Maxwell's former boyfriend Jeffrey Epstein - against their will.

When handing out the sentence, Judge Alison J Nathan called Maxwell's past behaviour as "heinous and predatory". "Ms Maxwell worked with Epstein to select young victims who were vulnerable and played a pivotal role in facilitating sexual abuse," she added.

During the Maxwell trial, four former alleged victims came forward to testify. An additional victim, Sarah Ransome, did not testify in court but gave a statement post-sentencing. 

"Ghislaine must die in prison because I've been in Hell and back for the last seventeen years," she said. "I was 10 years old when Liz Stein was being trafficked. I was 10. That is how long this sex trafficking ring has been going on for. And it should have just taken one survivor to come forward for us to be taken seriously. It should not have been this hard."

What happened to Jeffrey Epstein?

Disgraced US financier Jeffrey Epstein took his own life behind bars on August 10, 2019. Epstein was being held in custody at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in New York at the time, awaiting trial for sex trafficking charges.

His cause of death was confirmed as suicide by hanging on August 16 by New York City's Chief Medical Examiner Barbara Sampson. However, lawyers for Epstein challenged this conclusion and launched their own investigation with pathologist Michael Baden.

In October 2021, Baden contradicted Ms Barbara Sampson's conclusion, claiming evidence suggested that he was strangled rather than committed suicide. Speculation around Epstein being strangled arose around a broken bone in the neck - the hyoid bone. Baden maintains that this is "extremely unusual in suicidal hangings and could occur much more commonly in homicidal strangulation."

The Medical Examiner ruled out the claims and his official cause of death remains "Suicide by Hanging".

Does Ghislaine Maxwell have children?

No, Ghislaine Maxwell does not have any children. However there are reports that she is a stepmother to two children from a former relationship she had with millionare businessman Scott Borgerson, the CEO of Cargometrics.

Several media reports suggest the two secretly wed in 2016. An anonymous source told The Daily Mail in 2019: "Scott left his wife for Ghislaine around five years ago." The publication also revealed that Maxwell had been living with Borgerson at his $3 million mansion in Manchester-By-Sea prior to her arrest.

Borgerson was previously married to wife Rebecca. The two tied the knot in May 2001 in a Palm Beach ceremony and later divorced in 2015. They share two children together - a son and daughter. However, Borgerson has always denied a relationship with Maxwell, claiming they are instead old friends.

Ghislaine Maxwell net worth:

Ghislaine Maxwell's net worth is estimated as $20 million by Celebrity Net Worth. In addition to her own income, Ghislaine inherited a large undisclosed sum from her late millionare father Robert Maxwell - who died in mysterious circumstances in November 2021.

Maxwell is also seeking money from Jeffrey Epstein's estate. She filed a lawsuit in March 2022, seeking money to cover her attorneys' fees and security costs. According to The Daily Beast, Epstein's estate was worth over $650 million when he died - but is now valued at closer to $190 million.

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