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... While her fellow inmates were confined to their dormitories after breakfast, Maxwell met with several visitors in the federal prison camp's chapel, according to people familiar with the matter.

Less than three weeks earlier, the Justice Department had moved Maxwell to Federal Prison Camp Bryan from a higher-security facility in Tallahassee, Fla. Under Federal Bureau of Prisons rules, prisoners with sex-crime convictions like Maxwell's don't ordinarily qualify to serve their time in such camps. ...

Maxwell's unexpected arrival upset the camp's usually relaxed atmosphere, leading to more frequent lockdowns, the addition of armed guards and other changes. Current and former inmates said in interviews that Maxwell appeared to receive unusually favorable treatment at times, sparking resentment from other inmates.

It couldn't be determined whom Maxwell met with in the chapel that day. Some prisoners heard the lockdown was needed to accommodate important visitors. David Markus, a lawyer for Maxwell, declined to comment.

One inmate recalled seeing Maxwell return to the Madison dormitory unit that day with a smile on her face. When that inmate asked Maxwell about the meeting, she said it went really well, but didn't share any other information.

Less than a week later, the Justice Department released a transcript of Blanche's July interview with Maxwell. A spokesman for the Justice Department, which oversees the Bureau of Prisons, declined to comment. ...

The warden called a "town meeting" for inmates. She warned that if inmates made threats to Maxwell, put her in any sort of danger or talked to the press about her, they would be shipped to a harsher facility, people familiar with the matter said.

The Journal sent more than 100 letters through the prison mail system to reach potential witnesses to Maxwell's stay in the facility. It conducted interviews with current and former Bryan inmates and people who are in touch with them, and consulted government records.

Christiane Irwin, a 46-year-old Texas accountant convicted of defrauding a law firm where she worked, said in a telephone interview she could discuss Maxwell only in general terms because of the prohibition.

One day after she spoke to a Journal reporter on a phone line monitored by prison officials, her prison email privileges were suspended. Within days, she had been moved to the higher-security Houston Federal Detention Center.

Her lawyer, Brandon Beck, said he learned of the move from the Journal and didn't know the reason. "The BOP is a black box," he said.

Inmates said another inmate was transferred after discussing Maxwell with someone outside the prison. ...