Convicted sex trafficker and Jeffrey Epstein associate was transferred without explanation after unusual visit by Trump’s Deputy Attorney General
Washington, D.C. – Late last week, Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Courts Subcommittee, sent a letter to Federal Bureau of Prisons’ Director William Marshall demanding more information on the transfer of Ghislaine Maxwell to a minimum-security prison camp in Texas.
Maxwell, a close associate of the notorious and politically-connected child sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein, was convicted in 2021 of 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. Maxwell is serving a 20-year prison sentence.
In late July, under public pressure for the Trump Justice Department’s role in covering up files related to the Epstein case, Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche – a former personal criminal defense attorney for President Donald Trump – met with Maxwell to discuss her knowledge of Epstein’s associates and victims and her role in the child sex trafficking scheme. As Whitehouse and Judiciary Committee Ranking Member Dick Durbin (D-IL) wrote in a letter to Blanche, it “is highly unusual, if not unprecedented” for the second highest-ranking official at the Justice Department to conduct such an interview instead of a line prosecutor familiar with the case.
One week after two days of meetings with Deputy Attorney General Blanche, Maxwell was transferred to the minimum-security prison camp.
“Ms. Maxwell was transferred without explanation and in possible violation of standard Bureau policy. Against the backdrop of the political scandal arising from President Trump’s relationship with Jeffrey Epstein, Ms. Maxwell’s abrupt transfer raises questions about whether she has been given special treatment in exchange for political favors,” wrote Whitehouse.
Bureau of Prisons policy requires individuals convicted of sex offenses to be placed, at a minimum, at low-security facilities, not minimum-security facilities. A Bureau of Prisons administrator would normally be required to approve a waiver for such an unusual transfer.
“Congress has a strong oversight interest in knowing whether these procedures were followed in transferring Ms. Maxwell and whether that transfer was part of a political deal. A federal statute sets forth the factors that the Bureau must consider when determining where and how to house people within the Bureau’s custody. These factors include the level of security needed to house that person safely and the person’s rehabilitation, medical, and faith-based needs. The factors do not include whether the person can provide the President with political favors,” added the Senator. “Longstanding Bureau policy provides that ‘members of Congress may be advised of designations in response to official inquiries for their official use.’”
Whitehouse requested all documents related to the redesignation and transfer of Ghislaine Maxwell by August 28th.
The text of the letter is below and a PDF is available here.
August 7, 2025
William K. Marshall III
Director
Federal Bureau of Prisons
320 First St. NW
Washington, DC 20534
Dear Director Marshall:
I write to request information related to the recent redesignation and transfer of Ghislaine Maxwell to a minimum-security Bureau of Prisons facility. Ms. Maxwell was transferred without explanation and in possible violation of standard Bureau policy. Against the backdrop of the political scandal arising from President Trump’s relationship with Jeffrey Epstein, Ms. Maxwell’s abrupt transfer raises questions about whether she has been given special treatment in exchange for political favors.
On July 24 and 25, 2025, following public criticism of the Justice Department’s refusal to release files related to Jeffrey Epstein, Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche met with Ms. Maxwell to discuss her knowledge of Epstein’s associates and victims. That meeting was unusual. Such a meeting would ordinarily be conducted by an FBI agent or member of the local U.S. Attorney’s Office, not the Deputy Attorney General. The meeting was doubly unusual because of Mr. Blanche’s former role as President Trump’s personal criminal attorney and the ongoing political scandal resulting from the Wall Street Journal’s report that Ms. Maxwell assembled a birthday book for Epstein that included a personal note from President Trump.
Against that backdrop, roughly one week after Mr. Blanche’s meetings, Ms. Maxwell was suddenly transferred from a low-security facility in Tallahassee, Florida, to a minimum-security prison camp in Bryan, Texas. Ms. Maxwell is serving a 20-year sentence for participation in a scheme with Epstein to traffic and sexually exploit minors. By default, Bureau policy requires individuals like Ms. Maxwell, whose criminal history involves sex offenses, to be placed, at a minimum, at low-security facilities because they “are not appropriate for placement at an institution which would permit inmate access to the community (i.e., MINIMUM security).” Ordinarily, Bureau officials in Tallahassee would need to request waiver of this policy as part of their request to transfer Ms. Maxwell to a minimum-security facility, subject to approval by Bureau officials in Grand Prairie, Texas.
Congress has a strong oversight interest in knowing whether these procedures were followed in transferring Ms. Maxwell and whether that transfer was part of a political deal. A federal statute sets forth the factors that the Bureau must consider when determining where and how to house people within the Bureau’s custody. These factors include the level of security needed to house that person safely and the person’s rehabilitation, medical, and faith-based needs. The factors do not include whether the person can provide the President with political favors.
Longstanding Bureau policy provides that “members of Congress may be advised of designations in response to official inquiries for their official use.” Accordingly, please provide the following information to assist with my inquiry into the propriety of Ms. Maxwell’s transfer.
All documents related to the redesignation and transfer of Ghislaine Maxwell from FCI Tallahassee to FPC Bryan, including any documents involving:
- Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, any member of the Office of the Deputy Attorney General, or any other Department of Justice official not employed by the Bureau of Prisons.
- Requests, and the disposition of such requests, for the redesignation and transfer of Ms. Maxwell.
- Requests, and the disposition of such requests, for waiver of any Public Safety Factors associated with Ms. Maxwell’s designation or redesignation.
- Any decision to waive, as applied to Ms. Maxwell, the standard procedures for submissions of an inmate transfer request as detailed in Chapter 7 of the Bureau’s Program Statement 5100.08, Inmate Security Designation and Custody Classification.
- Any transfer codes associated with Ms. Maxwell’s redesignation and transfer.
- Ms. Maxwell’s security point score; custody level; and any requests for, applications of, and reasons for Management Variables associated with Ms. Maxwell’s placement as of June 1, 2025.
- Ms. Maxwell’s security point score; custody level; and any requests for, applications of, and reasons for Management Variables associated with Ms. Maxwell’s placement as of August 1, 2025.
Please provide any response no later than August 28, 2025. Thank you for your attention to this matter.
