Dec. 1 (UPI) — A woman who accuses Jeffrey Epstein of sexually abusing her when she was 14 years old told jurors Tuesday the late financier’s closest associate Ghislaine Maxwell participated in grooming her for him.
In a New York City court room during the second day of Maxwell’s trial on sex trafficking and other charges, the woman identified by the pseudonym Jane testified that she was attending a Michigan summer camp when she met the pair in the summer of 1994.
She said Maxwell was walking her Yorkie dog and began talking to her. Epstein soon after joined the conversation.
After that first meeting, a relationship followed with Maxwell, Jane testified, stating the older woman took her to the movies and shopping.
Maxwell grew to become something of a big sister figure to her, Jane said.
However, soon after the relationship turned to abuse, she testified, explaining that one day after Epstein told her he could introduce her to a talent agent he pulled her on top of him on a couch and “proceeded to masturbate.”
“I was frozen in fear,” Jane testified, stating she didn’t tell anyone of the encounter because “I was terrified and felt gross and I felt ashamed.”
She then testified that later Maxwell, 59, joined her and Epstein in his bedroom where the two fondled one another and encouraged her to join. Maxwell, Jane said, showed her how to massage Epstein.
Jane testified that orgies later were held at Epstein’s New York City, New Mexico and Palm Beach, Fla., homes, describing the sexual encounters to include “kissing, oral sex on each other, oral sex on Jeffrey, full on intercourse.”
During the cross examination, which is to continue on Wednesday, Laura Menninger, Maxwell’s defense attorney, questioned why she didn’t tell the authorities about her client’s involvement until after Epstein died by suicide at a New York jail on Aug. 10, 2019.
“I don’t know,” she said. “They did despicable things to me and I didn’t want to talk about them.”
Jane is one of four woman who prosecutors say Maxwell groomed for Epstein.
Earlier Tuesday, Larry Visoski, a pilot for Epstein, testified that he flew high-profile men aboard the late financier’s plane, including former Presidents Bill Clinton and Donald Trump as well as violinist Itzhak Perlman, Prince Andrew, Maine Sen. George Mitchell, Ohio Sen. John Glenn and Kevin Spacey.
None of the men are accused of wrongdoing, and Visoski, who testified on Monday as well, said Tuesday that Epstein introduced him to Jane on his plane prior to a flight from Palm Beach in the 1990s.
He said she looked like “a mature woman” and that he can’t recall if he ever flew her.
“I can’t visualize her sitting in the passenger compartment like I would say President Clinton,” he said. “It was a long ago.”
He told the jury during cross examination that he never saw sexual activity on the plane and when asked if he’d seen any sex involving minors, he replied: “Absolutely not.”
