Third batch of Epstein court documents unsealed

FILE PHOTO: Jeffrey Epstein appears in a photo taken for the NY Division of Criminal Justice Services' sex offender registry

The third batch of documents containing details about the associates of late paedophile Jeffrey Epstein have been unsealed.

Two previous sets of documents were released on Wednesday and Thursday, after US judge Loretta Preska ordered the unsealing of filings in a lawsuit brought by Epstein victim Virginia Giuffre against Ghislaine Maxwell – the disgraced financier’s former girlfriend and accomplice.

High profile figures already named include Prince Andrew, magician David Copperfield and former US presidents Donald Trump and Bill Clinton. The naming of individuals does not necessarily indicate any wrongdoing.

Friday’s batch of documents included transcripts of Maxwell’s questioning over her interactions with Prince Andrew and Ms Giuffre. Maxwell was asked if she had introduced the duke to any unerage girls, including Ms Guiffre.

Maxwell claimed she didn’t remember whether she had introduced Virginia Giuffre to Prince Andrew, or whether Giuffre had stayed at her London home.

She was also quizzed about a now-notorius alleged visit to Tramp nightclub in London, which became a focal point of a 2019 sit-down television interview between Andrew and journalist Emily Maitlis. During the interview Andrew claimed he has a “peculiar medical condition” whereby he cannot sweat – in response to Ms Guiffre’s claims he was perspiring in the club.

Maxwell went on to say that she had no recollection of Giuffre during the London trip, despite a picture of the two together with Prince Andrew saying otherwise. “So I have seen her reports and I have seen the plane reports,” Maxwell said. “I see she says she was on that but again, I really have no recollection of her.”

When cofronted with police reports in which Ms Giuffre claimed that she was instructed by Epstein to recruit girls – Epstein had allegedly told Ms Giuffre that “the younger [girls were], the better” – Maxwell described Ms Giuffre as “an awful fantasist”.

In the deposition, Maxwell also said she didn’t remember whether she was the one who introduced the royal to Johanna Sjoberg, who would later allege Prince Andrew fondled her breast.

Responding to questions about Ms GIuffre’s claims, Maxell called Ms Giuffre “an awful fantasist.”

Elsewhere in the documents released on Friday denied she had ever flown former president Bill Clinton in one of Epstein’s helicopters – contrary to claims made by Ms Giuffre.

The former president’s name now features around 100 times in the unsealed documents, with the second batch containing new claims involving him.

Among them, it was alleged that Clinton once “walked into” the offices of Vanity Fair magazine and pressured them not to write about “his good friend J.E”.

A spokesperson for the magazine’s former editor Graydon Carter said it “categorically did not happen”. Mr Clinton’s spokesperson has previously insisted he knew nothing about Epstein’s crimes and the former president has vehemently denied any wrongdoing.

Maxwell discussed her relationship with hedge fund billionaire Glenn Dubin and his wife, scientist and former Miss Sweden Eva Dubin.

Maxwell, who claimed to be friends with Ms Dubin, was asked whether she had ever sent Virginia Giuffre to the couple’s condo.

Before Maxwell’s deposition was unsealed on Friday, a spokesperson for the Dubins denied any wrongdoing by the couple. The spokesperson also pointed out that Epstein victim Johanna Sjoberg said in a previously unsealed deposition that nothing inappropriate happened while she gave a massage to the couple.

“The Dubins strongly deny these allegations, as we first said in 2019, when these unsubstantiated statements first surfaced as part of this same civil court proceeding,” a statement read.

The documentsconcealed the identities of over 100 victims, associates, or friends of Epstein, each identified as “J Doe” along with a distinctive identifying number. Now, those monikers are being replaced with real names, with the exception of sex abuse victims.

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