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Lawyer claims Ghislaine Maxwell must be woken up every 15 minutes to ensure she is alive

Lawyer claims Ghislaine Maxwell must be woken up every 15 minutes to ensure she is alive
Posted at 11:17 AM, Nov 25, 2020
and last updated 2020-11-25 14:17:12-05

NEW YORK — A lawyer for a British socialite charged with procuring teenage girls in the 1990s for financier Jeffrey Epstein to sexually abuse says her client's sleep is interrupted every 15 minutes in jail to ensure she is breathing.

Attorney Bobbi Sternheim told a Manhattan judge Tuesday that Ghislaine Maxwell faces more restrictive conditions than inmates convicted of terrorism or murder.

She asked a judge to intervene on her client's behalf. She said Maxwell has no history of mental health issues or suicidal thoughts.

Maxwell is being held without bail in a federal facility in Brooklyn as she awaits a July trial. Prosecutors declined to comment.

Maxwell's arrest earlier this year came less than a year after Epstein died by suicide while being held on sex trafficking charges. An investigation into Epstein's death remains open.

Epstein and Maxwell have been connected with powerful world leaders, including President Donald Trump, former President Bill Clinton and Prince Andrew.