[c/o Inner City Press]
[Extra details in comments c/o Adam Klasfeld]
Previous Updates
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29 Nov https://greatawakening.win/p/140c066vhu/ghislaine-maxwell-case-updates/ https://archive.ph/UJvbk
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30 Nov https://greatawakening.win/p/140c4iFhTt/ghislaine-maxwell-case-updates-n/ https://archive.ph/CP0IO
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1 Dec https://greatawakening.win/p/140c4mlM5Q/ghislaine-maxwell-case-updates-d/ https://archive.md/kvjoj
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2 Dec https://greatawakening.win/p/140c9NlRh7/ghislaine-maxwell-case-updates-d/ https://archive.md/5iA5T
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3 Dec https://greatawakening.win/p/140c9UZGeQ/ghislaine-maxwell-case-updates-d/ https://archive.md/oaWCx
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Dec 6 https://greatawakening.win/p/140cEEenfZ/ghislaine-maxwell-case-updates-d/ https://archive.md/c9JTx
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Dec 7 https://greatawakening.win/p/140cIpe4Sk/ghislaine-maxwell-case-updates-d/ https://archive.md/GVLLE
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Dec 8 https://greatawakening.win/p/140cNSufvZ/ghislaine-maxwell-case-updates-d/ https://archive.md/7bpQm
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Dec 9 https://greatawakening.win/p/140cNWKPqr/ghislaine-maxwell-case-updates-d/ https://archive.md/9eoge
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Dec 10 https://greatawakening.win/p/140cNbyjpQ/ghislaine-maxwell-case-updates-d/ https://archive.md/vtJad
1401GMT
Judge Alison Nathan, who yesterday in DC forwarded her nomination to 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals, takes the bench & just begins ruling on the filings that built up over the 3 day hiatus (request for call in line amid Omicron and all flight logs still UNacted on)
Judge Nathan: About Doctor Loftus' testimony. The US seeks to exclude 2 aspects, her testimony on leading questions and therapists' techniques. I have ruled that these are generally admissible. I deny the government's motion to preclude.
Maxwell's lawyer Bobbi Sternheim: I didn't think there was a need to make this part of the public record.
[Talk, which we'll also anonymize, is about positive COVID test. But question: has the 3 day hiatus made a COVID impact on this trial more or less likely?]
Judge Nathan: I let a juror deliberate remotely...
Team Maxwell: Our first witness, Ms. Espinosa, has given us some photos of the soap opera of "Jane" [Maxwell doxing alert]
Maxwell's lawyer: In October 1996, where were you living?
Witness: I started out on the Upper East Side.
Maxwell's lawyer: I was hired as a lawyer for Jeffrey Epstein's company.
Maxwell's lawyer: Would you recognize Ms. Maxwell today?
Ms. Espinosa: She's over there, in what appears to be a PURPLE sweater. [Identification made] Maxwell's lawyer: Where else did you work?
Ms. Espinosa: Sometimes at Ghislaine's residence.
Ms. Espinosa: Did did have other personal assistants come through, like Sarah Kellen and Emmy Tayler.
Maxwell's lawyer: When did you see Sarah Kellen?
Ms. Espinosa: More toward the end.
Maxwell's lawyer: Can you describe the layout of the office on Madison Avenue?
Espinosa: You get off the elevator and there are the restrooms. Jeffrey's office was in the corner. I sat to the left of his assistant. My office was Ghislaine's office. We shared it.
Maxwell's lawyer: Did you sign a non disclosure agreement?
Espinosa: Yes.
Espinosa: Ghislaine ran the properties for Jeffrey Epstein.
Maxwell's lawyer: Where did she fall in importance?
Espinosa: She was obviously very important to me. And to Jeffrey, given his personal residences.
1521GMT
Espinosa: Jeffrey acquired a Paris apartment, and then an island. It was called Little St. James but got renamed, Little Saint Jeff's.
Maxwell's lawyer: Did you assist?
Espinosa: There was construction. I furnished the house, in a resort style.
Espinosa: We shipped in sand --
Maxwell's lawyer: You shipped in sand to a tropical island?
Espinosa: He wanted more sand on the beach. And palm trees. We even had a fire truck and fire men on the island.
Espinosa: Before Jeffrey would visit one of the residences, we would fly in the bread he liked. I think we did butter, too.
Maxwell's lawyer: What about Emmy Tayler?
Espinosa: She would take care of the dog, and carry Ghislaine's handbag.
Maxwell's lawyer: Did Ghislaine ever live with Jeffrey Epstein?
Espinosa: No.
Maxwell's lawyer: What about 44 Kinnerton Street in London?
Espinosa: Yes, I've been there. 3 years ago.
Maxwell's lawyer: Do you know who owned it?
Espinosa: No.
Maxwell's lawyer: Did Jeffrey Epstein receive female visitors in his office?
Espinosa: Yes.
Maxwell's lawyer: Look at this document & the person called "Jane." Do you recall seeing her in the office?
Espinosa: Yes
Maxwell's lawyer: How old did she seem?
Espinosa: 18
Maxwell's lawyer: Do you know if Jane traveled in Mr. Epstein's planes?
Espinosa: I don't know. She moved to California to be on a soap opera. It's my favorite soap opera. I have headshots she sent me. [doxing alert]
Maxwell's lawyer: We want to introduce these headshots into the records under seal, at least temporarily. I have copies for the jurors. Can you read the envelope?
Espinosa: It's from Jane to Cimberly [she pronounces her name Kimberly] It's headshots of the cast
Espinosa: Ghislaine and Epstein at that time were behaving like a couple. All flirty. It seemed like Ghislaine moved on. I know she started dating --
Assistant US Attorney: Objection! Lack of foundation.
Judge Nathan: Sustained.
1612GMT
Maxwell's lawyer: Who came to visit Jeffrey Epstein at the office?
Espinosa: Gwendolyn Beck.... Shelly Lewis... She was British.
Maxwell's lawyer: Moving on, when Ghislaine went to Florida, was it only Palm Beach?
Espinosa: Miami too. She had a friend there.
Maxwell's lawyer: Do you know who Ted Waitt is?
Espinosa: I learned. [Gateway co-founder]
Judge Nathan: We'll stop here for the mid-morning break.
Recess
1641GMT
Everdell: Do you know if Ms. Maxwell got married?
Espinosa starts to answer but AUSA objects.
Judge Nathan: Sustained.
Everdell: OK, when did you have a video conference with the government about this case?
Espinosa: November 2020.
Everdell: Why did you leave?
Espinosa: After 9/11 I wanted to return to California. I feel like Ghislaine was a good resource for my own career, what I learned, how to handle multiple projects at one time. It helped me get to where I am today.
Everdell: did you ever seen Jeffrey Epstein involved with young girls?
Espinosa: No.
Everdell: No further questions.
Judge Nathan: Cross.
AUSA: You never went to Palm Beach, right?
Espinosa: No.
AUSA: No further questions.
Next witness: Raghu Sud.
Everdell: Where do you live?
Sud: East Windsor, NJ. I work at Shopper's Travel since 1988. I am Vice President.
Everdell: Was Epstein a customer?
Sud: Yes.
Everdell: Can you authenticate these travel records? Yes.
AUSA: These records in RS-1, they are to 2006? Yes.
Everdell: No re-direct.
Next witness: Elizabeth Loftus, who testified for Harvey Weinstein. First, her credentials. This could take a while.
Loftus: I have a big CV. I have been consulted by DOJ, the CIA...
Maxwells' lawyer: Are there experiments on emotion and its impact on memory?
Loftus: I published one in 2008. We implanted entire flash events and measured responses.
Loftus: I've testified in 300 trials. I've only consulted with the prosecution 5 times, and testified only one for the prosecution. My research into false memory doesn't fit into their agenda.
1730GMT
Loftus is accepted as an expert witness in this case.
Loftus: Your Honor, can I used the equipment to show the jurors the three stages?
AUSA Pomerantz: No objection.
Loftus: The media is a source of post-event false memories, contamination.
Loftus (bragging) - And when I was consulting for Secret Service... [Wag Q: And when was that?]
Loftus has drawn a barbell, labeled "Acquisition - Retention - Retrieval." Now she says people might remember something as a dumbbell if it's labeled so
Update: Now Loftus has drawn a box under the bar of the barbell and has written in it the word "Time."
Judge Nathan: OK, we're going to take the lunch break. Jurors, enjoy your lunch.
Jury exits
1804GMT
Judge Nathan: I'll look at your submissions while I have my lunch.
Judge Nathan: We'll try to come to resolution before the jury comes back. Mr. Hamilton, you're going to confer on that, how to make it happen.
Maxwell's lawyer: If he's up to it
Recess
1910GMT
Maxwell's lawyer want to put in "prior inconsistent statement" of survivor witness Carolyn, after they finish the paid memory decay expert Loftus.
Judge Nathan: What else?
Maxwell's lawyer: The US' rebuttal expert, I'm prepared to file something if they actually call the expert.
Judge Nathan: Hamilton?
Everdell: We reached him, he can do WebEx tomorrow.
Sternheim: Because of his condition, we haven't spoken.
Jury enters Maxwell's lawyer: Dr Loftus, are you aware of image enhancing memory distortion?
Loftus: It makes people feel better about themselves.
Maxwell's lawyer: I asked you about C.V. So I move into evidence your C.V.
AUSA: Objection.
Judge Nathan: I am allowing in Dr Loftus' C.V.
Maxwell's lawyer: What are you charging?
Loftus: $600 an hour.
Maxwell's lawyer: Media distortion includes dramatic portrayals, right?
Loftus: Oh, yes.
Cross examination.
AUSA Pomerantz: Let's talk about consulting. You've done it with defense attorneys 100s of times, right?
Loftus: Probably.
AUSA: You've only consulted with the prosecutors five times, right?
Loftus: Right.
AUSA: In your book "Witness for the Defense," you wrote that you should be an advocate
Loftus: That leaves out the context --
AUSA: You don't sit in courtroom - you weren't present for testimony on this case, right?
Loftus: I was not present in the courtroom.
AUSA: You're charging the defendant $600 an hour right now, right?
Loftus: Yes.
AUSA: You were paid for high profile defendants, right? Millions of dollars?
Loftus: I don't know how much.
AUSA: In 1975 you didn't charge $600 a hour, right?
Loftus: I did it free.
AUSA: You market yourself by testifying, right?
Loftus: I don't market myself at all.
AUSA: You give lists of your cases to defense attorneys, right?
Loftus: When asked.
AUSA: You testified for Harvey Weinstein, right?
Judge Nathan: Just a moment.
[When they resume, there's no more mention of Harvey Weinstein. At least not yet.]
AUSA: When you testify for high profile defendants, it brings you more business, right?
Loftus: Maybe.
AUSA: You showed fake photos of Bugs Bunny at Disney, right?
Loftus: Yes.
AUSA: Bugs Bunny is Warner Brothers, but 16% misremembered, right?
Maxwell's lawyer: I object.
Judge Nathan: You can come up.
Sidebar
2005GMT
Lawyers return from sidebar.
Loftus: Some falsely remembered touching Bugs Bunny's head and him saying "What's Up, doc?"
AUSA: There's a science museum experiment, right?
AUSA: And the lost in the mall study - 25% misremembered, right?
Loftus: Correct.
AUSA: I'm not going to ask you to describe a rectal enema, but it's a painful procedure, right?
Loftus: Yes.
AUSA: This memory could not easily be implanted
Re-direct.
Maxwell's lawyer: There are restrictions on what kind of studies you can do, right?
AUSA: Objection.
Judge Nathan: I'll allow it.
Loftus: We can't implant memories of sexual abuse.
Next witness: Michael William Aznaran.
Maxwell's lawyer: We need a sidebar.
Judge Nathan: Wait for the break.
Maxwell's lawyer: Where do you work?
Aznaran: Customs & Border Protection. We check incoming people.
Maxwell's lawyer: Look at this sealed Exhibit GX12. Call her Jane. Did you search for this?
Aznaran: I did.
Maxwell's lawyer: And Kate and Annie Farmer, did you search for them?
Aznaran: Yes, I did the searches.
Maxwell's lawyer: So now we need the sidebar.
Judge Nathan: We'll get the jurors their afternoon break.
Jury exits
Judge Nathan: Mr. Azaran, could you step out?
AUSA: These are 15 years of records, including outside the charges time frame.
[Continued in comments]
So.... case is fucked?
Has been from the beginning. Unless somehow, by the grace of God, that jury isn’t being threatened and/or isn’t corrupted in some capacity. Although the prosecution didn’t do a great job of presenting their case, as was expected.
Military is the only way. You do get interesting tidbits of info from following along, though.