.
Receive daily email updates from our reporters across the United States.
Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US
Updated sets of unsealed court papers related to Jeffrey Epstein continue to expose a variety of well-known people whose names were mentioned multiple times in different materials, including notes at the bottom of pages.
Included in the group are two ex-presidents of the United States, namely Donald Trump and Bill Clinton, as well as Prince Andrew. These three individuals have been photographed with and have had connections with the dishonored financier in the past.
Some other individuals mentioned are attorney Alan Dershowitz, illusionist David Copperfield, Michael Jackson, and Leonardo DiCaprio.
Although the individual’s identity is revealed in the court documents, it does not necessarily imply their involvement or knowledge of any illegal actions by Epstein.
in a courtroom in New York
This image, acquired on December 8, 2021, from the US District Court for the Southern District of New York, does not have a specific date. It displays British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell and American financier Jeffrey Epstein in a New York courtroom as evidence for a trial.
The United States District Court for the Southern District of New York.
Ghislaine Maxwell
It is not surprising that Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein’s accomplice, appears the most frequently, with over 1000 mentions in the first five sets of documents.
The name of the British socialite is mentioned numerous times throughout the files, which are part of a 2015 US defamation case brought by Virginia Giuffre against her. However, the name “Maxwell” appears even more frequently, often in relation to legal issues and footnotes.
Mentions of Maxwell were present in the papers, as other individuals were questioned about her connection to Epstein in their respective testimonies.
A large portion of the data in the third and fourth sets of evidence, which were made public on Friday, was extracted from Maxwell’s own testimonies. This included inquiries about her interactions with Prince Andrew and Ms Giuffre, as well as with former president Bill Clinton and others.
As of June 2022, she has been sentenced to 20 years in prison for her involvement in the sex trafficking of underage girls.
married in 1986
In 1986, Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson tied the knot.
Over 100 mentions have been made of Prince Andrew in various documents. In the initial group, he was referred to as the Duke of York 67 times using his royal title, but he also appears as “Andrew” in other instances, such as in Maxwell’s deposition.
Evidence regarding the duke’s supposed behavior is extensively described in the records, a significant portion of which he has previously refuted.
According to Johanna Sjoberg, a victim of Jeffrey Epstein, the duke allegedly touched her breast while they were both sitting on a couch in the billionaire’s Manhattan apartment in 2001.
Andrew’s name was mentioned in testimony regarding his infamous visit to Tramp nightclub in London. This event was a major topic of discussion during his 2019 televised interview with journalist Emily Maitlis.
In the interview, the duke stated that he has an unusual medical issue that prevents him from sweating. This was his response to Ms. Guiffre’s allegations that he was sweating in the club.
Andrew has consistently denied the claims against him, and Buckingham Palace has stated that all allegations against the duke are completely false.
According to former Epstein employee Juan Alessi, Sarah Ferguson, also known as the Duchess of York, allegedly visited Epstein’s New York residence with her ex-husband Andrew.
Andrew was also referenced in the most recent set of papers, unveiled on Monday and Tuesday. The latter included a statement from Epstein himself.
The discredited money manager was questioned about whether he had tried to extort money from Andrew following his supposed sexual encounter with Ms Giuffre. She stated that she was given $15,000 in exchange for having sex with the duke.
The person inquired if they had instructed Ms. Giuffre to provide them with information about Prince Andrew’s actions in order to have leverage over him. Epstein invoked the fifth amendment for most of the questioning.
He was questioned about his knowledge of Andrew’s sexual preferences and whether Ms. Giuffre had mentioned specific behavior that Prince Andrew requested before engaging in sexual intercourse.
Former US President Bill Clinton arrives prior to a tribute service for former US First Lady Rosalynn Carter, at Glenn Memorial Church in Atlanta, Georgia, on November 28, 2023
Bill Clinton
Clinton’s name was mentioned 83 times in the first two batches of documents, though the number is now well over 100 also. Both he and Andrew are known to have been associated with Epstein previously.
According to Ms Sjoberg’s testimony, Epstein claimed that Clinton had a preference for young girls.
Prior to the release, there were reports that Clinton would appear in the redacted documents under the pseudonym “John Doe 36” over 50 times, as reported by the New York Post.
According to reports, a number of mentions of the previous president were thought to be connected to Ms. Giuffre’s initial efforts to persuade him to give testimony against Epstein and Maxwell.
The second set of evidence revealed that the ex-president had traveled in Epstein’s personal helicopter with Maxwell and Ms. Giuffre, and had tried to intimidate Vanity Fair into not reporting on allegations of Epstein’s sex trafficking.
According to the documents, Ms. Giuffre alleged that Clinton had visited the magazine’s office and urged them not to mention “his close associate J.E.”
Just before the papers were made public, Clinton was spotted in Mexico with his wife, Hillary Clinton, whose name is now listed in the documents as well.
In the most recent release, which was made available on Monday, Sarah Ransome, a victim of Epstein, described the reported sexual involvement between an unidentified friend and the ex-president. She stated that her friend was “required to engage in sexual activity with Clinton at Epstein’s residence in New York, near 5th Avenue, multiple times.”
Clinton has denied any wrongdoing and has not been formally accused or charged with any crime in connection to Epstein, despite the allegations made against him by Ms Ransome. None of the other individuals mentioned by Ms Ransome have been accused or charged with any crime either.
During the legal testimony, Ms. Ransome stated that her friend eventually spoke to the police in 2008 about the incident, but nothing was done and she was treated poorly, being called a derogatory term and accused of lying.
Several months after the incident, Ms. Ransome stated that her friend claimed to have been contacted by Special Agents Forces Men who were sent by Hilary Clinton personally to safeguard her 2008 presidential campaign.
She testified that she was heavily pressured and physically disturbed, but fortunately she had taken photos as proof. Afterwards, she was compelled to sign a confidentiality agreement, preventing her from publicly accusing her husband.
Ms. Ransome stated during her testimony that the friend received a significant payment directly from the Clinton Foundation in exchange for her silence.
During the questioning of Epstein, Clinton was also present and was asked about their relationship and if they had traveled together internationally.
During her statement, Maxwell affirmed that at no point was President Clinton ever on Epstein’s private island of St Little James.
She stated that she does not think he ever visited that island, and she believes it is completely made up and a blatant falsehood.
Donald Trump
Clinton is not the only former commander-in-chief to appear in the documents. Donald Trump was named a handful of times in several batches, the latest of which contain allegations from Ms Ransome.
According to Ms Ransome’s testimony, her friend, who she did not name, was among the numerous girls who engaged in sexual activities with Donald Trump, including at Epstein’s residence in New York.
She shared with me about her casual “friendship” with Donald. It was clear that Mr. Trump was attracted to her and she mentioned how he constantly talked about her “perky nipples.” She went on to describe the physical harm Mr. Trump allegedly caused to the victim’s nipples, and stated that she witnessed the resulting injury.
I am aware that Jen and Trump had a sexual relationship at Jeffrey’s mansion in New York on multiple occasions. I met up with Jen for coffee before she was supposed to meet with both Trump and Epstein at his mansion.
Jeffrey Epstein on the left and Donald Trump on the right
A representative for Trump stated to The Independent: “These unfounded allegations have been completely withdrawn as they are plainly untrue and hold no validity.”
In a recently released deposition, Ms Giuffre stated that she never witnessed Mr Trump engaging in any sexual abuse involving minors.
There was another mention of Mr. Trump that did not accuse him of any misconduct, but rather showed the positive relationship he had with Epstein.
According to the testimony of another victim, Johanna Sjoberg, it was alleged that Epstein contacted the former president and then went to one of his casinos in Atlantic City, New Jersey after his private plane was redirected there.
During the flight, Ms. Sjoberg reported that the pilots informed her that they were unable to land in New York as originally scheduled due to the presence of the disgraced financier on board.
“According to the testimony, Jeffrey suggested, ‘Let’s call Trump and head to the casino – I can’t remember the name, but we’ll go there.’ During questioning, Ms. Sjoberg was asked if she had ever given Mr. Trump a massage, to which she answered ‘no’.”
Additional references to Mr. Trump were included in the documents that were released on Friday, as Mr. Alessi stated that he had chauffeured Maxwell to the ex-president’s residence at Mar-a-Lago.
According to Mr. Alessi, there were occasions when Mr. Trump would have dinner at Epstein’s residence, but he would eat in the kitchen with Mr. Alessi. Mr. Alessi also mentioned that Mr. Trump did not receive massages at the Palm Beach house because he had his own spa.
Richard Branson
The wealthy individual from the United Kingdom was previously listed in Maxwell’s infamous “little black book”, which was revealed during her trial in 2021. However, there were no allegations of misconduct against him.
On Monday, Mr. Branson’s name was mentioned once more in the recently released documents, along with Prince Andrew and Bill Clinton, in the testimony of Ms. Ransome. She stated that an unidentified friend had engaged in sexual activity with Clinton, Prince Andrew, and Richard Branson on different occasions.
Ms. Ransome swore that Epstein had recorded these incidents and that she had personally viewed the videos. She stated that the recordings clearly showed the men’s faces.
A representative for Mr. Branson addressed email allegations by referencing a 2019 article in The New Yorker which reported that Ms. Ransome had confessed to making up the allegations of a sex tape in order to “gain attention” for Epstein.
A representative from Virgin Group stated that in a 2019 article from The New Yorker, Ransome confessed to fabricating the tapes. The spokesperson also confirmed that Sarah Ransome’s allegations are without merit.
The statement stated that all accusations made by Sarah Ransome are completely denied. In 2016, Ms. Ransome took back her claims and in 2019, after resolving her claims with Epstein and Maxwell, she confessed to The New Yorker that the ‘tapes’ were fabricated. These allegations have no evidence and are without reason.
Jeffrey Epstein’s behaviors were repulsive and we stand behind the pursuit of justice for the numerous victims affected by his misconduct.
Les Wexner
On Tuesday, the last set of papers, which were made public, included allegations from Virginia Giuffre that she was trafficked to Les Wexner, the former CEO of Victoria’s Secret.
In a 2016 deposition by Ms Giuffre, it was revealed that Mr Wexner has been accused of engaging in sexual activities with underage girls, marking the first time he has faced such allegations.
According to the documents, Ms. Giuffre alleged that she was forced to engage in sexual activities with Mr. Wexner between three and ten times while being recruited by Epstein and Maxwell. Ms. Giuffre stated that Maxwell instructed her to wear lingerie for Mr. Wexner, but Maxwell has strongly denied this in her own testimony.
During a previous police questioning, Ms. Giuffre was asked why she stated that she did not trust Mr. Wexner to tell the truth. She explained that this was due to his past actions which she deemed as inappropriate.
“He engaged in sexual activities with underage individuals,” Ms Giuffre explained.
A representative for Business Insider stated that Mr. Wexner was not aware of and did not take part in any of the reprehensible actions committed by Epstein against his victims. It was also noted that Mr. Wexner had never met Ms. Guiffre and any statements suggesting otherwise were false.
The Independent has requested a response from the L Brands group.
David Copperfield
According to initial records, American illusionist David Copperfield was mentioned six times and had allegedly shared meals with Epstein on several occasions.
David Copperfield, a magician, was present at the 2018 Footwear News Achievement Awards held at IAC Headquarters in New York City on December 4, 2018.
One section of an exhibit stated: “During a dinner at Epstein’s, David Copperfield was accompanied by a young-looking girl. Johanna [Sjoberg] inquired about the girl’s school, but did not recognize the name as a college. She suggested that the girl may have been of high school age.”
“Johanna relayed that Copperfield had asked her if she knew about girls being compensated for recruiting other girls.”
The connection between Copperfield and Epstein has been acknowledged before, as seen in a 2019 piece from The New York Times. The article discusses Maxwell’s involvement in procuring underage girls for the convicted investor.
Hollywood stars
Several other prominent Hollywood figures were mentioned in various sections of the documents, although they only appeared once or twice during Ms. Sjoberg’s testimony.
Ms. Sjoberg was questioned about her interactions with guests at Epstein’s home, such as George Lucas, the creator of Star Wars (mentioned once) and actor Kevin Spacey (mentioned twice). She stated that she does not recall meeting either individual.
She cannot recall meeting British supermodel Naomi Campbell, who is mentioned once in the records. Other notable names in the industry were Cate Blanchett, Leonardo DiCaprio, and Cameron Diaz.
The spokesperson for Diaz stated to The Independent that she never crossed paths with Jeffrey Epstein, nor did she have any connection to him, regardless of any mention or implication of their supposed acquaintance.
Representatives for both DiCaprio and Blanchett have refuted any involvement with the pedophile.
The late musician Michael Jackson is mentioned twice in the conversation, after Ms. Sjolberg is questioned about meeting anyone famous while with Epstein. She confirms that she did meet Jackson.
Last Friday, Spacey and comedian Chris Tucker were once again mentioned in regards to being possible passengers on a flight on Epstein’s personal plane.
In the last set of papers, additional well-known individuals were mentioned, such as supermodel Heidi Klum and Bianca Jagger, spouse of Sir Mick Jagger, the lead singer of The Rolling Stones.
In a 2016 testimony, Sarah Ransome, who has accused Epstein of wrongdoing, stated that she reached out to human rights advocate Ms Jagger for assistance.
Alan Dershowitz
Alan Dershowitz, attorney for Epstein, is mentioned numerous times, although in certain instances it is only in footnotes related to legal issues.
On the other hand, some sources state that the ex-Harvard Law School professor was among a group of “influential people” who were involved in sexual encounters with young women, multiple times, according to Epstein.
Ms. Sjoberg was questioned about engaging in sexual activities with Mr. Dershowitz specifically in the back of a limousine during her testimony. She denies that this occurred.
Ms Guiffre accused Mr Dershowitz of sexual abuse, stating that Epstein had trafficked her to him for sex. Mr Dershowitz has strongly denied these allegations.
Before the documents were made public, he stated that he desired for all documents and “paperwork” pertaining to Epstein to be disclosed to the public – claiming that it will demonstrate his innocence.
Sharon Churcher
Sharon Churcher, a British journalist, was featured in more than 300 instances in the second set of documents, which were released on Thursday. This was her initial inclusion in the documents.
According to the response filing, Ms. Churcher was the only source for information about the original Epstein story from Giuffre. Maxwell also alleged that she assisted Virginia Giuffre in fabricating sexual assault accusations against the Duke of York.
In a 2016 document, Maxwell’s attorneys argued that Ms. Churcher should be required to provide testimony as part of the case.
According to the document, she played a significant and hands-on role in altering those narratives over a period of time and in inventing and inserting scandalous information about notable individuals. This included fabricating a claim about Plaintiff having a sexual relationship with Alan Dershowitz.
Mentions of Ms Churcher were mentioned in subsequent groups, while Ms Guiffre was giving her deposition.
Source: independent.co.uk
