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Case 1:20-cr-00330-PAE Document 282 Filed 05/14/21 Pagelof2
USDC SDNY
DOCUMENT |
ELECTRONICALLY FILED
UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT nica
SOUTHERN DISTRICT OF NEW YORK DATE FILED:_5/14/21
United States of America,
_y_
20-CR-330 (AJN)
Ghislaine Maxwell,
ORDER
Defendant.
ALISON J. NATHAN, District Judge:
On April 29, 2021, counsel for Ghislaine Maxwell wrote to the Court requesting that the
Court address her sleeping conditions, with particular emphasis on counsel’s representation,
unsupported by affidavit or other factual showing, that guards are shining a flashlight in
Maxwell’s eyes every 15 minutes at night. Dkt. No. 256. Defense counsel claims that the
flashlight surveillance in Maxwell’s eyes is disrupting her sleep, which in turn is impacting her
ability to prepare for and withstand trial. The Court sought more information by ordering the
Government to confer with legal counsel for the Bureau of Prisons and to respond to certain
questions. Dkt. No. 257. In response, the Government states that MDC staff conduct flashlight
checks of all inmates as a matter of course. Dkt. No. 270. As reported by the Government,
inmates housed with cell mates in the Special Housing Unit are checked with flashlights every
30 minutes. Inmates housed with others in the general population are checked multiple times per
night at regular intervals. The Government further reports that to conduct the checks, flashlights
are pointed at the ceiling of the cell to confirm that the inmate is present, breathing, and not in
distress. As the Government explains, there are a number of neutral reasons why BOP’s
flashlight checks of Maxwell are relatively more frequent than those of other inmates, including
that Maxwell is housed alone, the nature of the charges, and the potential stress for inmates that
DOJ-OGR-00004130