The Sunday Telegraph - 11.08.2019

The Sunday Telegraph Sunday 11 August 2019 ** 3

cured hundreds of girls and young

women from around the world for sex

with them and powerful leaders and

politicians, including the Duke of York.

The Duke categorically denies any sug-

gestion of impropriety with minors and

all the allegations made against him

were struck out by the court in 2015.

A Florida state senator told The Sun-

day Telegraph that Ms Maxwell should

“absolutely” be brought to the US for

questioning. Democrat Lauren Book

said: “In life and in death, Jeffrey Ep-

stein did everything he could to escape

accountability and silence survivors.

And he didn’t do it alone. All the money

in the world can’t erase the truth. There

are still questions to be asked and indi-

viduals to be held accountable.”

Ms Book, herself a sexual assault sur-

vivor, said she expected more women

to come forward with accusations. Ep-

stein’s death is likely to raise questions

about what happens to sex trafficking

charges, which he denied, and how

someone reportedly on suicide watch

was able to take their own life.

The news has given rise to wide-

spread speculation on social media

among conspiracy theorists pointing

how apparently convenient his death

might be to those who were accused of

operating in tandem with Epstein.

Legal commentators said his death

need not stop the investigation, with

some pointing out that police can now

search his estate and properties with-

out applying for a search warrant.

Epstein avoided federal criminal

charges in 2008 after prosecutors bro-

kered a deal that allowed him to plea to

solicitation of prostitution from a mi-

nor and serve 13 months in jail.

Among the most explosive claims in

witness statements and depositions

forming part of the 2,000 pages of

court documents is that Ms Maxwell

procured 17-year-old Virginia Roberts

Giuffre for the Duke of York to have sex

with him at her town house in London,

something he categorically denied.

In another claim in the documents it

is alleged that in 2001 the Duke touched

the breast of a young woman called Jo-

hanna Sjoberg, then 21, while the group

was at Epstein’s home. A judge de-

scribed Ms Giuffre’s claims about the

Duke of York as “immaterial and im-

pertinent” in 2015.

The material in the documents re-

leased on Friday was gathered as part

of a defamation suit brought by Ms Gi-

uffre against Ms Maxwell that was set-

tled for an undisclosed sum in 2017.

Some of the other prominent figures

Ms Giuffre claims in the documents

that she was told to have sex with in-

clude Bill Richardson, 71, the former

New Mexico governor, former senator

George Mitchell, 85, Tom Pritzker, 69,

the Hyatt hotels magnate, and Alan

Dershowitz, 80, Epstein’s lawyer.

All the men named by Ms Giuffre

have issued denials, with some of them,

including Dershowitz, insisting that

they had never met her.

No charges have been filed against

anyone other than Epstein.

The documents allege that Ms Max-

well assisted Epstein in luring young

girls from schools, colleges and spas

around Palm Beach County to provide

sexual services for him and his guests.

In a sworn statement, Ms Maxwell

refused to answer questions about

whether she saw Epstein with any un-

der age girls. She denied that she ever

had sex with Ms Giuffre, calling her a

liar.

Under questioning Ms Maxwell

stated: “Again, Virginia is absolutely to-

tally lying. This is a subject of defama-

tion about Virginia and the lies she has

told.”

Her lawyers did not respond to re-

quests for comment and there was no

response at her home in Belgravia, cen-

tral London.

The Duke of York has repeatedly de-

nied Ms Giuffre’s allegations. A Buck-

ingham Palace spokesman said: “Any

suggestion of impropriety with under-

age minors is categorically untrue.”

Jeffrey Epstein, left,

in 2000 with

Donald Trump and

his girlfriend (and

future wife) Melania

Knauss, and British

socialite Ghislaine

Maxwell above,

Epstein with the

Duke of York; top

right, Jennifer Araoz

claims Epstein

raped her when she

was just 15; right,

protesters outside

court in New York

last month

GETTY IMAGES; JAE DONNELLY

July 6 2019

Epstein arrested at a

private airport in

New Jersey. Days

later federal

prosecutors charge

him with sex-

trafficking involving

under-age girls. He

faces up to 45 years

in jail if convicted.

July 12 2019

President Donald

Trump’s labour

secretary Alexander

Acosta resigns amid

criticism of his

handling of the

2008 plea deal with

Epstein.

July 25 2019

Epstein is placed on

suicide watch after

being found days

before unresponsive

and with injuries to

his neck at the

Metropolitan

Correctional Center

in New York City.

August 9 2019

A Manhattan court

releases 1,200 pages

of documents

relating to a 2015

defamation case

brought by Epstein’s

alleged victim

Virginia Giuffre,

formerly Roberts,

against his former

girlfriend, Ghislaine

Maxwell. They detail

lurid claims of

alleged abuse

carried out by

Epstein.

August 10 2019

Epstein is found

dead at the

Metropolitan

Correctional Center.

The US Department

of Justice describes

the death as an

“apparent suicide”

and says the FBI is

investigating.

August 12 2019

A second tranche of

documents relating

to the Guiffre v

Maxwell case is

due to be released.

Death of

financier

Epstein’s

final days

‘I hope the authorities will

prosecute his accomplices

and enablers, and ensure

redress for his victims’

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