David Corn, Washington, D.C. bureau chief at Mother Jones, reported on Wednesday: “The Bureau of Prisons won’t explain why Ghislaine Maxwell was transferred to a cushy facility after she met with Deputy AG Todd Blanche. So we filed a FOIA request for documents on this—and now we’re suing.”
Corn thanked the Reporters Committee (RCFP), which also reported: “The lawsuit, filed by @rcfp attorneys on behalf of the Center for Investigative Reporting, alleges that the Federal Bureau of Prisons violated FOIA by unlawfully withholding records related to Ghislaine Maxwell’s prison transfer.”
NEW: The Bureau of Prisons won’t explain why Ghislaine Maxwell was transferred to a cushy facility after she met with Deputy AG Todd Blanche. So we filed a FOIA request for documents on this—and now we’re suing (thanks to @rcfp).https://t.co/IzflAr6DwI
— David Corn (@DavidCornDC) January 15, 2026
According to the complaint, which was filed on January 14: “In June 2022, Ghislaine Maxwell was sentenced to 20 years in prison after being convicted of conspiring with Jeffrey Epstein to recruit and groom girls that the disgraced financier abused. Three years later, after Maxwell and her attorneys met with high-ranking Justice Department officials, she was transferred to a less-restrictive prison. Government officials did not explain the reason for Maxwell’s transfer.”
Note: In July 2025, Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche — a former attorney for President Trump — traveled to Florida to interview Maxwell, who is trying to appeal her conviction. (In December, Blanche cited security concerns as the reason for Maxwell’s transfer.)
The Reporters Committee complaint noted: “In October 2025, the Center for Investigative Reporting submitted a Freedom of Information Act request to the Federal Bureau of Prisons seeking access to all records related to Maxwell’s transfer, including emails, memoranda, and transfer orders. More than a month later, the government estimated that it would take ‘up to 9 months’ to process the news outlet’s request. The Center for Investigative Reporting has since received no further communications from the government.”
Note: The director of the federal Bureau of Prisons is William K. Marshall III, who was sworn in by Blanche in April.