The documents feature emails, depositions and lists of witnesses relating to the case.
The court documents relating to Jeffrey Epstein’s human trafficking and sexual abuse case have been slowly released to the public throughout the week.
As many as 153 names appeared in the documents, though it doesn’t automatically imply a link to criminal activities. Many of the names come up in passing or in non-salacious settings, according to Senior U.S. Judge Loretta A. Presta. The documents highlight the federal charges against Epstein and his partner Ghislaine Maxwell.
Some of the names included, like former President Bill Clinton and Prince Andrew, were already known to have links to Epstein. Most of the people publicly named have denied any wrongdoing or knowledge of Epstein’s criminal activities.
According to NPR, the documents are coming out now due to the persistence of both the victims and a local newspaper.
Dozens of women stepped forward to accuse Epstein and Maxwell of preying on them when they were teenagers. One of the well-known is Virginia Giuffre, who sued Maxwell for defamation in 2015 – Maxwell called her a liar for claiming to be a victim.
Judge Preska eventually ordered for some records to be released in full as people hadn’t objected. For other records, the person’s identity was already widely known.
Journalist Julie K. Brown and the Miami Herald fought for the documents to be released. Brown tracked down more than 60 women in her year-long investigation of Epstein, and later revealed the full story behind the sweetheart deal cut by Epstein’s legal team.
The Miami Herald published “Perversion of Justice” in November 2018, an investigative series that highlighted Epstein’s sex trafficking ring and subsequent abuse.
Here are the main takeaways from the now-released documents:
Various Men Dubbed “John Doe” Have Their Identities Revealed
The released documents reveal the identities of various John Does, including former President Al Gore and late New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson.
Other notable names include former U.S. Presidents Donald Trump and Bill Clinton, actor Kevin Spacey and former Israeli Prime Minister Enid Barack. Lawyer Alan Dershowitz, who helped Epstein get his non-prosecution in Florida, was also named.
Giuffre accused Dershowitz of sexually assaulting her, though he denied the allegations. She later settled her dispute with him in 2022, saying she may have been mistaken.
Magician David Copperfield was named in the documents, which describe the time he had dinner at Epstein’s home with a young girl.
One of the victims quoted former President Clinton saying that he “likes them young,” a clear reference to the age of the victims.
Sjoberg Describes the Abuse She Endured and Witnessed
Johanna Sjoberg was another victim featured in the documents. She testified that Maxwell approached her on her college campus when she was only 20 years old. Maxwell wanted to hire Sjoberg to be her personal assistant.
When Sjoberg began working with Maxwell, she realized her “true job” was to complete sex acts with Jeffrey Epstein. She worked as a massage therapist from 2001 until 2006.
She confirms that she knew Giuffre was underage when she met her on the trip to New York with Epstein in 2001. Sjoberg knew this because when Giuffre couldn’t get into a casino, she asked her age – Giuffre admitted to being only 17 years old.
“At the time, I had the impression that she did not have a family or she walked away from her family,” Sjoberg said. “And it seemed to me, you know, they had just sort of adopted her, not as a child, but they would take care of her.”
She also testified that she saw Giuffre when she was only 17 in Epstein’s New York mansion with Prince Andrew and Ghislaine.
Sjoberg later said that Epstein would have up to three massages every day from three different girls. She notes that Epstein said he needed three orgasms a day as “it was biological, like eating.”
She described the time when Maxwell explained why she herself doesn’t give Epstein massages.
“She (Maxwell) said she didn’t have the time or the desire to please him as much as he needs and that’s why there were other girls around,” Sjoberg said in testimony.
Sjoberg notes that Maxwell would ask her to essentially recruit other girls to perform the massages. She testified that she was naked for up to 50% of the massages she personally performed, for which she was paid $200. If those massages included sexual acts, she was paid more than the usual amount.
The Small Players: Who Were the Everyday Joes that Helped With or Witnessed the Abuse?
With everyone focusing on the celebrity names listed throughout the court documents, there’s not much talk about the everyday players.
A list features the scheduled interviews with Epstein’s various associates, including employees and alleged co-conspirators.
Two of Epstein and Maxwell’s alleged co-conspirators mentioned throughout the documents include Nadia Marcinkova and Sara Kellen – also known as Sarah Kensington or Sara Vickers.
The list for future witnesses notes that Marcinkova helped with the recruitment process and Kellen was present during the time Giuffre was with Epstein and Maxwell.
Another name that’s been mentioned numerous times in various documents is Emmy Taylor, Maxwell’s “assistant.” The list puts the word in quotations as Sjoberg once testified that Maxwell referred to her as “my slave.”
In one of the many instances that Taylor was on Epstein’s private jet, Maxwell woke her up as the plane was landing. Taylor proceeded to unzip Epstein’s pants, but Maxwell told her to prepare for the plane’s landing.
Other notable witnesses include:
Jo Jo Fontanella, Epstein’s butler
Ross Gow, Maxwell’s press agent
Dave Rogers, one the pilots for Epstein’s jet
Maria and Juan Alessi, husband and wife who were part of Epstein’s household staff
Jean Luc Brunel, a model scout who owned both a modeling agency and management company; he received financing from Epstein
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