Ghislaine Maxwell's federal prison hit with major COVID outbreak -- and it may help her get bail: report

Coronavirus is surging at the federal prison in Brooklyn holding Ghislaine Maxwell, the NY Daily News reported Thursday.

"Confirmed COVID cases have skyrocketed at Brooklyn’s federal jail, with 55 new cases confirmed between Tuesday and Thursday, according to numbers obtained by the Daily News. The Metropolitan Detention Center, home to high-profile inmates like Ghislaine Maxwell, had a total of 25 confirmed cases since March as of Tuesday, but now has a total of 80 cases, according to the most recent numbers compiled by the Bureau of Prison and shared with The News," the tabloid reported.

While jail staff are required to get their own tests, 49 staff have tested positive.

"The outbreak could point to an explanation why MDC’s most high-profile inmate, Ghislaine Maxwell, seeks to reargue why she should receive bail. The accused madam for Jeffrey Epstein, who recently went into quarantine after a jail staffer in her unit tested positive for coronavirus, has argued the restrictions she faces make it difficult to prepare for trial," the NY Daily News reported. "The reasons for her renewed bail application have been kept under seal but her attorneys have demanded Warden Heriberto Tellez explain to the court the reasons for her harsh confinement. The high number of positive COVID-19 tests is likely to cause a flurry of applications for release from the jail, as has happened at other jails and prisons with coronavirus outbreaks, like FCI Fort Dix in New Jersey."

Read the full report.