Ghislaine Maxwell blocked from puppy training program in federal prison camp
Ghislaine Maxwell's testimony postponed
The scheduled congressional deposition of Ghislaine Maxwell, a co-conspirator of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, is indefinitely postponed, House Oversight Chair James Comer said Friday. The House Oversight chair also rejected an immunity request from Maxwell. Spencer Kuvin, the Chief Legal Officer Of Goldlaw who represented nine of Jeffrey Epstein's victims speaks with LiveNOW's Josh Breslow about that and what happens next.
Ghislaine Maxwell will not be allowed to participate in a puppy-raising program at her new lower security federal prison camp in Texas, NBC News reports.
Canine Companions, a nonprofit that trains and pairs service dogs with those who need them, offers puppy-raising programs in various prisons across the country, including Federal Prison Camp Bryan where Maxwell has moved.
But the nature of her conviction bars her from having contact with the puppies in the program, the company’s CEO says.
Maxwell was convicted in 2021 of luring teenage girls to be sexually abused by the disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein, and was sentenced to 20 years in prison.
Why can’t Maxwell have a prison puppy?
What they're saying:
"We do not allow anyone whose crime involves abuse towards minors or animals — including any crime of a sexual nature," Paige Mazzoni, CEO of Canine Companions, told NBC News. "That’s a hard policy we have, so she will not be able to."
FILE - Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell attend de Grisogono Sponsors The 2005 Wall Street Concert Series Benefitting Wall Street Rising, with a Performance by Rod Stewart at Cipriani Wall Street on March 15, 2005 in New York City. (Photo by Joe
"Those are crimes against the vulnerable, and you’re putting them with a puppy who is vulnerable," she said.
Why was Maxwell transferred?
Big picture view:
Maxwell’s case has been the subject of heightened public focus since an outcry over the Justice Department’s statement last month saying that it would not be releasing any additional documents from the Epstein sex trafficking investigation.
RELATED: Justice Department weighs release of Ghislaine Maxwell interview
What we know:
Before her transfer to Federal Prison Camp Bryan on Aug. 1, Maxwell had been held at a low-security prison in Tallahassee, Florida.
Minimum-security federal prison camps house inmates the Bureau of Prisons considers to be the lowest security risk. Some don’t even have fences.
Signage is displayed near the entrance to Federal Prison Camp Bryan on August 01, 2025 in Bryan, Texas. Jeffrey Epstein's former girlfriend, Ghislaine Maxwell, has been transferred from a federal prison in Florida to Federal Prison Camp Bryan in Sout
What we don't know:
Both the federal Bureau of Prisons and her attorney David Oscar Markus declined to explain why she was transferred, but the move came a week after Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche interviewed Maxwell at a Florida courthouse.
RELATED: Ghislaine Maxwell willing to answer more questions if she gets immunity
Canine Companions prison program
The backstory:
The Canine Companions prison puppy-raising program started in 1995 in Oregon, and has since expanded to 25 correctional facilities in eight states: Alabama, Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Oregon, Texas and Washington.
The organization has been growing its prison-based programs amid a national shortage of service dogs. Mazzoni told NBC that prisoners who participate in the program have a lower recidivism rate, and the puppies raised in prison programs have a higher service dog graduation rate than dogs raised in traditional homes.
"It’s because there’s so much discipline and time in prison to spend really focusing on training the dogs," Mazzoni said.
Will Maxwell speak with Congress?
What's next:
The powerful House Oversight Committee issued a subpoena for Maxwell to testify on Aug. 11, part of a growing congressional investigation into the Epstein case. But Rep. James Comer, the committee’s chairman, said her testimony has been postponed indefinitely while her appeal to the Supreme Court is pending. Comer said the committee has rejected Maxwell’s request for immunity in exchange for her testimony.
Meanwhile, the Justice Department is considering releasing the audio file and transcript of Blanche’s interview with Maxwell.
The Source: This report includes information from NBC News, The Associated Press and previous LiveNow from FOX reporting.