Just days after Ghislaine Maxwell petitioned a judge for immediate release from her 20-year prison sentence, newly unsealed grand jury transcripts from her sex trafficking trial have resurfaced, bringing renewed attention to the victims whose testimonies were crucial in her conviction.
Maxwell, known as a British socialite and publishing heiress, was found guilty of sex trafficking in December 2021. This conviction came after four women testified in a New York City federal court, detailing the abuse they suffered at the hands of Maxwell and the late financier Jeffrey Epstein during the 1990s and early 2000s.
The transcripts reveal an encounter described by an unnamed agent, highlighting how a young girl unexpectedly met Epstein and Maxwell. During this meeting, Epstein learned she was from Palm Beach, Florida, and mentioned his practice of awarding scholarships, prompting them to ask for her contact information.
Following this initial meeting, the girl, accompanied by her mother, visited Epstein’s estate for tea. Impressed by Epstein’s claims of philanthropy, the mother reportedly likened him to a “godfather,” according to the agent’s account.
The agent further detailed how the girl became a frequent visitor to the estate, where Epstein and Maxwell allegedly “groomed” her with gifts, trips to the cinema, and financial support. Epstein reportedly paid for her voice lessons and provided money for her to assist her financially struggling mother.
The agent said the girl began regularly going to the estate as Epstein and Maxwell “groomed” her with gifts and trips to the movies, and Epstein began paying for voice lessons and giving her money that he said she should give to her struggling mother.
The agent said the girl thought her relationship with Epstein and Maxwell was strange, “but Maxwell normalised it for her. She was like a cool, older sister and made comments like, ‘This is what grownups do.’”
Eventually, the agent testified, the girl saw Maxwell topless at the pool.
After she revealed that she hoped to be an actor and a model, Epstein told her he was best friends with the owner of Victoria’s Secret and that she’ll have to learn to be comfortable in her underwear and not be a prude, the agent said.
Then, the agent said, the girl asked Epstein what he meant by that and the financier pulled her into his lap and masturbated.
After that, the agent added, the girl’s encounters with Epstein began to include sexual contact, particularly in his massage room.
Maxwell was sometimes there with other girls, the agent said. One of the girls would begin massaging Epstein and Maxwell would tease the girls, the agent said.
“She’d grab the girl’s breasts, and she would direct the girls on what to do,” the agent said, relaying the girl’s account.
Maxwell’s attitude during the encounters was ”very casual; she acted like this was normal,” the agent said.
The released testimony appeared to reflect the testimony at Maxwell’s 2021 trial by a woman who testified under the pseudonym “Jane.”
At trial, Jane said Maxwell also participated in group sessions between multiple females and Epstein that usually began with Epstein or Maxwell leading them all into a bedroom or a massage room at the Palm Beach residence.
