Martha Stewart's Prison Punishment Claim Disputed By Government Agency

Martha Stewart's claimed prison punishment of no food or water for 24 hours has been disputed by the Federal Bureau of Prisons (FBOP).

In the 83-year-old's upcoming Netflix documentary Martha, set for an October 30 release on the streaming service, Stewart tells the cameras that after "lightly" brushing a guard's key chain she was severely reprimanded, according to People.

The FBOP insists it has strict rules regarding prisoner treatment and addressing any complaints. It stressed every prisoner is given three meals a day.

It told Newsweek: "The FBOP confines offenders in facilities that are safe and humane. Every individual is provided with the basic necessities of life including regular meals three times a day and access to potable water regardless of where they are housed.

"We respectfully decline to address allegations from 2004. Generally speaking, FBOP has important practices in place to review any placement in restrictive housing and takes seriously, and refers to appropriate investigative authorities, allegations of retaliation against adults in custody."

Newsweek has reached out to Stewart's representative for further comment.

Martha Stewart at her 100th Book Party Celebration in New York City on October 16, 2024. Prison authorities are disputing her claim in a new Netflix documentary that she went without food and water for... Astrid Stawiarz/Getty Images

Through her Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia empire, founded in 1997, Stewart has enjoyed enormous success in the publishing, broadcasting, e-commerce and merchandising sectors, while generations of TV viewers will remember her hosting Martha Stewart Living and The Martha Stewart Show.

In 2004, the businesswoman was found guilty of conspiracy and obstruction of justice among other charges in the infamous ImClone stock trading case, resulting in five months jail time at Alderson Federal Prison Camp in West Virginia.

Stewart recalls in the Netflix piece: "I had to do all that c**p that you see in the movies. You can't even believe that that's what you're going through," before personal letters are brought to life via narration.

"Today I saw two very well-dressed ladies walking and I breezed by them, remarking on the beautiful warm morning and how nice they looked. When I realized from the big silver key chain that they were guards, I lightly brushed the chain. Later I was called in to be told never, ever touch a guard without expecting severe reprimand.

"I was dragged into solitary for touching an officer. No food or water for a day. This was Camp Cupcake, remember? That was the nickname. Camp Cupcake. It was not a cupcake."

She went on to write about the "very poor" nutritional value in any of the food served behind bars.

"There are many starches and many carbs, many fat foods. No pure anything. Everything was terrible."

After being released in March 2005, it took seven years for Stewart to ascend to chairwoman status in her company before it was acquired by Sequential Brands in 2015 and again sold on to Marquee Brands four years later.