Friday 11 November 2022 03:41 PM Ghislaine Maxwell seen walking with galpal as cushy regimen at Florida prison ... trends now
They had hoped she would spend the next two decades locked away in grim solitude for grooming young girls for her pedophile lover Jeffrey Epstein to sexually abuse.
But Ghislaine Maxwell's victims will be outraged to learn that her new life behind bars at a low-security Florida prison is anything but the bleak, hellish punishment the 60-year-old predator may deserve.
DailyMail.com has spoken to well-placed sources at Federal Correctional Institute Tallahassee who paint an extraordinary picture of Maxwell's cushy regimen – which includes pottery sessions, board game tournaments and crochet lessons from a notorious double murderer.
They reveal the disgraced socialite works just six hours a day in the prison library leaving her with an abundance of downtime to stroll around the manicured grounds with a clique of influential inmate friends to ensure her protection.
She's also got daily access to an enviable array of sporting facilities including the 400-meter running track where this week DailyMail.com spotted the carefree con going for an hour-long jog in the Florida sunshine.
Ghislaine Maxwell is adapting well at the low-security Federal Correctional Institute Tallahassee, where she has surrounded herself with influential inmate friends to ensure her protection, DailyMail.com has learned
The disgraced British socialite, who has been serving her 240-month sentence at the Florida detention center since July this year, initially struggled to cope with her new life behind bars, refusing to eat and complaining bitterly to prison authorities that her clothes didn't fit, sources said
DailyMail.com spotted the carefree convict going for an hour-long jog around the 400-meter running track of the facility in the Florida sunshine earlier this week
She is said to have used her privileged upbringing to boost her popularity among the 755-strong female population
The 60-year-old works just six hours a day at the prison library, leaving her downtime to stroll around the manicured grounds of the Florida facility
FCI Tallahassee opened in 1938 and is a low security United States Federal Prison for female inmates
Insiders say Maxwell has used her privileged upbringing to boost her popularity among the 755-strong female population – drawing on her Oxford University education and literary savviness to recommend novels and history books.
In fact, cell-mates in Unit B South think the British heiress is so smart they recently nominated Maxwell to represent them in a checkers competition – part of an Olympics-style 'battle of the units' tournament, held annually.
'There is everything from kickball to hula-hoop but she was selected for the 40 and over checkers,' dished an insider.
'You want the best players and she has a reputation for being smart. The winning unit gets a really good meal, chicken wings, pizza, that sort of thing. It's much better than the usual food.
'It's a big deal. Nobody cares what you're in for so long as you win.'
Maxwell, daughter of disgraced UK newspaper magnate Robert Maxwell, was convicted in December 2021 of five counts of grooming minors for longtime confidante Epstein, who hanged himself in 2019.
After two years locked up at the fortress-like Metropolitan Detention Center in New York, where she complained of maggot infested meals and inhumane treatment, Maxwell was expected to serve her time in Federal Correctional Institute (FCI) Danbury – the Connecticut prison that inspired Orange is the New Black.
But without any explanation she was instead shipped 1,000 miles south in late July to the Sunshine State, where warped Epstein abused many of his victims at his Palm Beach mansion.
FCI Tallahassee – potentially Maxwell's home until at least July 17, 2037 – is surrounded by a maze of 30 ft fences and cameras but the elegant, red-brick building behind the rolls of jagged razor wire looks more akin to a high school or college campus.
The notorious madam was tearful and withdrawn when she first arrived, refusing to eat and complaining bitterly to prison authorities that her clothes didn't fit.
But four months on, inmate 02879-509 has taken up several fun new hobbies, made friends and come out of her shell, an insider told DailyMail.com.
Four months into her sentence, Maxwell, also known as inmate 02879-509, has taken up several fun new hobbies, made friends and come out of her shell
The prison offers a wide range of activities including Pilates, yoga, weights, and frisbee but DailyMail.com understands that Maxwell and her cronies usually opt for pottery and crochet classes
Her cell mates in Unit B South think the British heiress is so smart they even recently nominated Maxwell to represent them in a checkers competition, according to insiders
Maxwell's day begins at 5am, when inmates are woken up daily. Before lights out at 9pm she often heads outside for a leisurely walk around the athletics track
'Ghislaine cried a lot when she first arrived. You could hear her yelling that everything was inhumane. She walked around like a zombie, her eyes were always puffy,' added one recently released prisoner.
'She sat down next to me in the canteen, took one look at her food and declared "I can't eat this", and stormed off.
'She would ask people if they wanted their pieces of fruit and basically lived off apples, bananas, oranges, sometimes spinach or collard greens.
'Now she has some friends and is eating more. She's bubbly, you see her smiling. She makes a point of saying good morning. You can see she's visibly more comfortable.'
Prior to her 2019 arrest at her hideaway
