New batch of Epstein court documents unsealed

A fifth batch of documents containing details about the associates of late paedophile Jeffrey Epstein have been unsealed, hours after a third and fourth were also made public on Friday.

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. Actor Kevin Spacey and comedian Chris Tucker are also mentioned as potential passengers during a ride on Epstein’s private jet.

The naming of individuals does not necessarily indicate any wrongdoing.

Former president Trump, who was named only four times in the first batch of documents on Wednesday cropped up again during testimony from former Epstein employee Juan Alessi.

Mr Alessi also said that Mr Trump would sometimes come round for dinner at Epstein’s home but ate with Mr Alessi in the kitchen. Mr Trump did not get massages at the Palm Beach house because he had “his own spa”, Mr Alessi said.

Other documents released on Friday 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 – though later seemed to contradict herself.

“That first entry has President Clinton, Kevin Spacey, Chris Tucker, Jeffrey Epstein and the initials GM,” Maxwell was asked in her deposition. “Do you remember taking a trip with President Clinton during September of 2002?”

“I don’t remember the dates. I couldn’t testify to when we actually did it but I do remember the trip itself,” the transcription read.

Former president Clinton’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 documents concealed 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.