Convicted sex trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell has apparently settled into her new life as inmate #02879-509 at the Federal Correctional Institute in Tallahasse, where she has cultivated a clique of influential inmates who ensure her protection, the Daily Mail reports, citing an inside source.
 |
| 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 |
While the notorious madam reportedly threw a tantrums when she arrived - refusing to eat and complaining about how her clothes fit, she appears to be settling in - making friends with notorious double-murderer Narcy Novak, a 65-year-old Florida woman serving life without parole for hiring a hitman to murder her hotelier husband Ben Novak Jr. and his elderly mother Bernice in an attempt to control the family estate.
Maxwell, 60, also hangs out with con woman Linda Morrow, who helped her plastic surgeon husband scam $44 million out of insurers by classifying cosmetic procedures as medical necessities. After fleeing to Israel, the now-70-year-old Coachella Valley native was deported to the US in 2019 and jailed for 8 years.
 |
| Maxwell is popular figure among her fellow inmates and has even befriended infamous double killer Narcy Novack (left) and con-woman Linda Morrow, sources say |
"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," said 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."
"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."
Maxwell, who works just six hours a day in the prison library, spends her time strolling around the manicured grounds of the prison, where she's got daily access to an array of sporting facilities. One Daily Mail journalist spotted Maxwell going for an hour-long jog in the Florida sunshine.
 |
| Maxwell often completes eight to ten laps of the running track before heading to her job at the prison's library and education center where she works from 7am to 10am |
A typical day for Maxwell begins at 5am, when inmates are woken and served breakfast on a Styrofoam tray - typically grits, oatmeal or toast. She then often does eight to ten laps around the track before heading to the prison's library and education center, where she works from 7am to 10am.Then, after lunch, she works from noon to 3pm, after which she can swap her standard prison uniform for gray 'personal athletic clothing' purchased from the commissary, the Mail reports.
She spends her free time taking pottery and crochet classes - the latter of which are taught by Novak.
"She and Linda are learning crochet and cross stitch with Novak. Ghislaine also likes pottery. She's outside on the track most days but the other ladies generally stay inside," said the insider, adding "So far there have been no complaints about her. She's polite, she's well behaved, she goes to work on time every day."
"If you ask her for a book in the library she will find whatever it is you need. The general opinion of her is that she's a nice lady."
Then, before the 9pm lights out, Maxwell will often take a "leisurely walk around the athletics track, where she was photographed this week by DailyMail.com enjoying a twilight stroll."
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.' -Daily Mail
Maxwell was originally supposed to serve her 20-year sentence at the Federal Correctional Institute (FCI) Danbury, the Connecticut prison that inspired Orange is the New Black, but was instead shipped 1,000 miles south in late July to Florida.
FCI Tallahasse, where she will spend until July 17, 2037 unless released earlier, is an "elegant, red-brick building behind the rolls of jagged razor wire looks more akin to a high school or college campus," according to the report.
 |
| 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 |
According to the report, Maxwell's friendship with Novak has proven extremely useful, as the double-murderer is the head orderly for the dormitory where the disgraced socialite beds down with 100 other inmates in pods that consist of four 'cubes' equipped with bunk beds and no doors.
"The units are basically like a warehouse so it's hard to escape from that. But Ghislaine hasn't been attacked yet and it's gotten much better lately because she is always with Novak," said a source. "Novak commands respect, people don't mess with her. Her, Ghislaine and Linda seem to band together because they are the most high profile prisoners here."
