Ghislaine Maxwell has been placed on suicide watch just days before her sentencing, her lawyer says
Ghislaine Maxwell has been placed on suicide watch in federal jail, her attorney said Saturday.
Maxwell "is not suicidal," but is in solitary confinement and was given a "suicide smock."
Maxwell is set to be sentenced on June 28; federal prosecutors have sought at least 30 years.
An attorney representing convicted sex trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell said in a court filing Saturday evening that her client has been placed on suicide watch just days before her scheduled sentencing.
Maxwell, the longtime Jeffrey Epstein associate, was found guilty of sex trafficking and conspiracy late last year after a jury trial. She is due to be sentenced on June 28 and prosecutors have requested she spend a minimum of 30 years in prison.
But Maxwell's attorney, Bobbi Sternheim, submitted a letter to US District Judge Alison Nathan on Saturday stating that she would seek to postpone Maxwell's sentencing if her client remains on suicide watch.
Maxwell "is not suicidal," Sternheim emphasized in the letter. She said staff at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, New York, placed her client on suicide watch on Friday "without having conducted a psychological evaluation and without justification."
Jail staff also "abruptly removed" Maxwell from the general population and placed her in solitary confinement, Sternheim wrote, "this time without any clothing, toothpaste, soap, legal papers, etc."
She added that jail staff provided Maxwell with a few sheets of toilet paper and a "suicide smock," meaning a large piece of thick, tough fabric that can't be cut, torn, twisted, or otherwise fashioned into a noose. Sternheim said Maxwell was also not permitted to possess and review legal documents, nor was she even permitted to have paper or a pen.
"This has prevented her from preparing for sentencing," Sternheim wrote.
Sternheim added that a psychologist evaluated Maxwell Saturday morning and determined Maxwell was not suicidal.
"If Ms. Maxwell remains on suicide watch, is prohibited from reviewing legal materials prior to sentencing, becomes sleep deprived, and is denied sufficient time to meet with and confer with counsel, we will be formally moving on Monday for an adjournment," Sternheim wrote.
Nearly three years ago, Epstein died by suicide in a Manhattan jail after being arrested on sex-trafficking charges.
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