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Jeffrey Epstein’s chief personal pilot told jurors on Tuesday that he never witnessed any sexual activity on planes he piloted for the millionaire pedophile, ABC News reports.
The pilot, Lawrence Paul Visoski Jr., was the prosecution’s first witness to testify in the trial of Ghislaine Maxwell, who is facing federal sex-trafficking charges in New York.
Visoski flew Epstein’s private jet, dubbed the “Lolita Express,” for more than 25 years, making approximately 1,000 trips from 1991 to 2019. Prosecutors believe that the plane was used to transport victims between Epstein’s homes in New York, Florida, New Mexico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
Despite being a witness for the prosecution, much of Visoski’s testimony appeared to benefit the defense.
Visoski testified that he never saw any sexual activity on the plane, according to the Associated Press. He said he would typically remain in the cockpit but would at times use a bathroom or get coffee during flights, which would allow him to see activity in the plane.
Maxwell’s defense attorney, Christian Everdell, asked Visoski what he observed on the plane after flights. Visoski said he never saw any evidence of sex, sex toys or condoms, according to the AP.
Asked if he ever saw sexual acts with underage girls, Visoski replied, “Absolutely not,” the AP reports.
Visoski further said that Epstein never told him to remain in the cockpit during flights and also encouraged him to use a bathroom at the rear of the plane, which would require him to walk through much of the fuselage.
The pilot also testified that he never saw children on planes who were not with their parents.
Visoski did acknowledge that he saw a female who alleges that Epstein sexually abused her when she was a teenager, but the pilot said he thought she was “mature” at the time. Visoski also testified that he flew planes carrying former presidents Donald Trump and Bill Clinton, Prince Andrew, and former U.S. Sen. John Glenn.
Meanwhile, in response to questions by the prosecution about the nature of the relationship between Maxwell and Epstein, Visoski said the connection was “more personal than business” and added that he “wouldn’t even categorize it as romantic.” He said he never saw them hold hands or kiss, according to CNN.
Rather, the pilot said, the duo appeared more “couple-ish,” CNN reports.
Maxwell had been managing Epstein’s properties at the time Visoski met her in 1991. The pilot became so close to Epstein that his daughter reportedly got married at Epstein’s ranch in New Mexico, according to the Daily Mail. Epstein reportedly also paid for Visoski’s daughter to attend college and gave Visoski 40 acres of his New Mexico property, the AP reports.
Prosecutors said in their opening statement on Monday that Maxwell and Epstein collectively forged a “pyramid scheme of abuse” by paying poor underage girls for sex, according to CNN. The government has described Maxwell as a “lady of the house” who was intimately involved in Epstein’s affairs.
Maxwell was arrested in July 2020 and has pleaded not guilty to the charges, which include child enticement, conspiracy to entice minors to travel to engage in illegal sex acts, transportation and conspiracy to transport minors with intent to engage in criminal sexual activity. She faces up to 70 years in prison if convicted on all counts.
Epstein was arrested in July 2019 on sex-trafficking charges and was later found dead in his jail cell about a month later. His death was ruled a suicide.
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[Feature Photo: In this courtroom sketch, Lawrence Paul Visoski Jr., who was one of Jeffrey Epstein’s pilots, testifies on the witness stand during Ghislaine Maxwell’s sex trafficking trial, Monday, Nov. 29, 2021, in New York. (AP Photo/Elizabeth Williams)
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