The Observer - 11.08.2019

• The Observer
  News 11.08.19 3

Donald Trump

Trump called Epstein a

“terrifi c guy” and “a lot of

fun to be with”. Epstein

paid two visits to the

president’s Mar-a-Lago

Club in Palm Beach, Florida,

in 1997 and 2000, posing

for photos with Trump on

both occasions (pictured above).

Epstein’s personal address book,

leaked in 2009, contained 14 phone

numbers for Trump and members

of his staff , according to reports.

Last month, footage emerged of

a friendly exchange between the

two men at a party in 1992. Trump

is shown pointing out women to

Epstein. “Look at her back there

• she’s hot,” he appears to say. At
  one point , Trump says something
  to Epstein that makes him double
  up with laughter. After Epstein’s
  arrest, Trump said: “I was not a fan
  of his, that I can tell you.”

Bill Clinton

Th e former

president, left,

praised Epstein

for his intellect

and charitable

work in magazine

interviews. Flight

logs revealed that

Clinton took at least 26 trips on

Epstein’s private plane, reportedly

nicknamed the “Lolita Express”.

Alan Dershowitz

Th e Harvard emeritus law

professor , famous for defending

celebrity clients such as the

American footballer

OJ Simpson, has also

been linked to Epstein.

Dershowitz was

reportedly identifi ed

as having

participat ed in

Epstein’s sex ring

by at least two

of the women

engaged in a

2007 case against

Epstein, allegations

he has dismissed

as “unequivocally and

completely false ”.

Leslie Wexne r

Th e billionaire

behind the Victoria’s

Secret lingerie chain

hired Epstein in 1991

to manage his money.

Epstein reportedly made more

than $200m from the deal. But last

week Wexner said the fi nancier

had “misappropriated” more than

$46m. “I am embarrassed that, like

so many others, I was deceived

by Mr Epstein,” he said in a letter

to Wexner Foundation trustees.

“I know now that my trust in

him was grossly misplaced and I

deeply regret having ever crossed

his path.”

Ghislaine Maxwell

Maxwell, the daughter of the

late press baron Robert Maxwell,

has never denied her friendship

with Epstein. In documents fi led

by Virginia Giuff re ’s lawyers, one

accuser claimed that Maxwell had

“recruited her under the guise of

a legitimate assistant position,

but asked her to perform sexual

massages for Epstein”. Maxwell

has denied the claims.

Prince Andrew

Th e prince, below was a longtime

friend of Epstein, with their

relationship dating back to the

early 1990s. Th e two men had

reportedly been seen partying

together in St Tropez and Th ailand.

According to court documents in

2015, one of Epstein’s accusers

said she had been ordered

to give the prince

“whatever he required,”

although offi cials at

Buckingham Palace

ha ve issued

outright

denials of

all such

allegations

made against

the Duke of

York.

ABOVE

One of fi nancier

Jeffrey Epstein’s

properties on

Little St James

island in the

US Virgin

Islands.

Reuters

Epstein’s famous friends

ABOVE

A sketch of Epstein

in court in New York

last month. He pleaded

not guilty.

US fi nancier

found dead in

Manhattan

prison cell

Continued from page 1

survivors of his abuse in court.” She

called on the authorities to “pursue

and prosecute his accomplices and

enablers, and to ensure redress for

his victims”.

Famed for his opulent lifestyle, lav-

ish parties, private jet and access to the

elite , Epstein’s friends and associates

included Donald Trump, Bill Clinton,

Prince Andrew, Leslie Wexner , the

founder of the company that owns the

Victoria’s Secret lingerie brand, and

many other prominent names in law,

entertainment and politics. However,

The allegation triggered an

11-month investigation that drew in

the FBI. Interviews with alleged vic-

tims and witnesses indicated that

some of the girls involved were under

18. However, Epstein avoided federal
    charges in 2008 after prosecutors
    brokered a widely criticised deal that
    allowed him to plead to solicitation of

prostitution from a minor and serve

only 13 months in jail.

The financier was permitted to

work from his offi ce six days a week,

according to Palm Beach county sher-

iff’s records. His personal limousine

picked him up from jail as early as

7.15am and dropped him off as late

as 10.40pm.

In the wake of the fury triggered by

Epstein’s treatment, Trump’s former

labour secretary, Alex Acosta , came

under scrutiny for being seen as too

lenient when he oversaw the case in

his former role as a US attorney. In

February, a judge ruled prosecutors

had violated the law by concealing the

deal from Epstein’s underage alleged

victims. Acosta resigned from the

Trump administration in July.

In a related case, one of Epstein’s

many accusers, Virginia Giuffre , sued

one of Epstein’s associates – Ghislaine

Maxwell , who allegedly procured girls

for the fi nancier – a claim denied by

Maxwell – for defaming her by claim-

he had been dogged for decades by

accusations that he had paid doz-

ens of young girls for sexual acts. An

earlier attempt to prosecute him on

similar charges concluded with the

granting of an unusually generous

deal to plead guilty to state prostitu-

tion charges in Florida.

The Brooklyn-born fi nancier had

made his name at the investment

bank Bear Stearns before open-

ing his own fi rm in 1982, manag-

ing money for clients with wealth in

excess of $1bn. The business came

with an intensive social schedule:

Epstein set himself up as a party fi g-

ure in Manhattan and Palm Beach,

Florida, and courted the rich, famous

and powerful across the world.

The fi rst allegations of sexual abuse

against Epstein came in 2005 when a

woman contacted Palm Beach police

alleging her 14-year-old stepdaughter

had been taken to his mansion by an

older girl. The girl was allegedly paid

$300 to strip and massage Epstein.

ing her accusations against Epstein

were lies. The case was settled before

trial and many of the court papers

containing allegations were sealed.

Last week a tranche of documents

relating to this case was released :

they included allegations that many

in Epstein’s circle had taken part in

hospitality that included “massages”

from dozens of underage girls.

Among those whose names were

brought forward was Prince Andrew,

who was accused of touching a

young woman’s breasts at Epstein’s

mansion. Buckingham Palace has

consistently denied he behaved in

an inappropriate manner with any

underage girls.

As Epstein’s world unravelled,

some of those who had sought his

investment advice came forward,

while many preferred to distance

themselves from him. They included

Trump and Clin ton, who both issued

statements saying they had had lit-

tle to do with Epstein in recent years.

s suc as t e

baller

s also

Epstein.

as

ntifi ed

ng

inst

tions

ed

cco d g to cou t docu

2015, one of Epstein’s ac

saidshe had been

to give the prince

“whatever he re

although offi cia

Buckingh

ha veis

outrig

deni

all su

alleg

made

the Du

York.

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