[Extra Details c/o Adam Klasfeld]
The second week of Ghislaine Maxwell's sex trafficking trial will begin shortly. The first week ended with prosecutors hauling Jeffrey Epstein's massage table into court. Photos: https://archive.md/zjJcI
From Friday's testimony by Gregory Parkinson, ex-crime scene manager from the Palm Beach PD:
Q. Is this the green massage table that you remember seizing from 358 El Brillo Way on October 20, 2005? A. True.
The judge says the next anticipated witness is "Kate," who is one of the witnesses against Maxwell. The defense says that she was over the age of consent, and there are arguments as to the scope of her testimony.
Judge Nathan said she will tell the jury: "I instruct you that the witness is not a victim of the crimes charged in the indictment."
(So, though 'Kate' was one of four accusers, I am referring her to a witness here.)
Judge Nathan orders redacting the photographs on the wall of Epstein's massage room. She will also exclude photographs of vibrators of various sizes, which she says have "little if any relevance" and could "confuse" the jury.
The schoolgirl outfits may be able to come in if the witness connects them to the permissible time frame of the indictment.
(Explainer as to some of the admissibility questions: The search of Epstein's Palm Beach house was in 2005, after the time period of the indictment.
The allegations of the indictment end in 2004.
Maxwell's defense team has made admissibility arguments on that basis.)
As to the vibrators ruling, the juror was allowed to see similar pieces of evidence.
The jury enters.
Judge Nathan informs them that the parties agreed to stipulate to the remaining testimony of Sgt. Dawson, the final witness from last week.
Judge Nathan instructs the jury that "Kate" is not a victim of the crimes charged in the indictment, and the government has been instructed not to testify about the details of any sexual contact with Epstein.
Direct examination begins:
Q: "Kate," do you recognize that?
A: Yes.
Asked what it is, she replies: "It's my driver's license."
Submitted under seal and shown to the jury.
Kate: "I had been dating a man, and we had taken a trip to Paris."
She says she met Maxwell there. She says she was approximately 17 years old.
"We spoke about the evening and where we were headed to, out for the evening. We spoke about where I lived."
"Kate" says Maxwell invited her to tea at her house.
"She seemed very exciting. She seemed to be everything I wanted to be," she says. "Kate" recalls photographs of a slightly older man with "peppered hair," "greying hair."
It was Jeffrey Epstein, she says. Kate: "I had a really lovely time, and I felt special. And I felt..."
(Deep exhale)
"—that I found a new connection that could be very meaningful for me."
Kate: "I left there feeling exhilarated," like someone wanted to be her friend.
Kate quoting Maxwell and Epstein: "She said that he was a philanthropist and that he liked to help young people."
"Kate": "She said that I was exactly the kind of person that he would help."
She says she was 17 and that she was "lonely" and "hadn't found a group of friends yet."
Q: Did there come a time when you met Epstein?
A: Yes.
Kate on her memory of meeting Epstein: "He seemed to be in his 40s."
Kate on Maxwell: "She said 'This is the girl that I told you about'" and "that I was strangely strong for my size."
Asked what her size was, she responds she was about 95 lbs.
"She said, 'Why don't you give his feet a little squeeze to show him how strong you are?"
She says she did.
"Kate" says that Epstein's massage therapist canceled and Maxwell asked if she could fill in.
Q: Were you a massage therapist at the time?
A (faintly): No.
Maxwell's lawyer: "Objection. Sustained."
(Correcting herself)
"Objection. Leading."
Judge Nathan: I'll allow it.
Q: What was Epstein wearing under the robe?
A: He was naked.
She says that Maxwell gave her massage oil and then closed the door.
Q: During the massage, did Epstein initiate sexual contact with you?
A: Yes.
(Per court's ruling, she can't describe details.)
Kate recalls Maxwell asking her "How'd it go?" and "Did you have fun?"
Q: What was Epstein wearing?
A: He was naked.
Asked where Maxwell was, she replied she was in the doorway.
Then came another massage and sex act.
Q: What if anything did Maxwell say to you after the massage?
She says Maxwell told her "Did you have fun?" and "You're such a good girl."
Kate: "She sounded really pleased, and I was pleased that she was pleased."
Asked whether Maxwell brought up sexual topics, Kate says: She would talk a lot about the nature of, she would say, "boys'" and use a euphemism for a penis.
She says Maxwell asked if there was anyone who could give Epstein a bl*w job because it was a lot of work for her to do.
Kate: "You know what he likes. Cute, young, pretty—like you."
"Kate" on Maxwell: "She said that she was friends with Prince Andrew, friends with Donald Trump," friends with "lots of famous people."
"Kate" said Maxwell gave her a gift for her 18th birthday, after the sexual contact with Epstein:
"I received a small, black Prada handbag."
(Prosecutors have long described the gifts as part of Maxwell's "grooming" process.)
Connecting to one of the evidentiary issues described during pre-trial proceedings:
Q: What were you given to wear?
A: I was given a schoolgirl outfit.
"Kate" describes it as a short pleated skirt, white socks, white panties and a shirt.
This happened in Palm Beach, she says.
Q: Why did you put on the schoolgirl outfit?
A: I didn't know how to say no to that. I didn't know anybody in Florida. I had never been to Palm Beach or Florida before. I wasn't sure if I said no if I would have to leave or what consequence there would be for not doing it.
Q: Did Epstein engage in a sex act with you?
A (softly): Yes.
(Details of sexual contact are not being elicited pursuant to court order.)
"Kate": "She asked me if I had fun and told me I was such a good girl and told me I was one of his favorites."
"Kate" is being asked about going to Epstein's island, saying he called it "Little St. Jeff."
She was in her early 20s at the time, she said.
"Kate" on her recollections of the island: "I remember seeing a blonde slim girl, who seemed far younger than me at the time, very young."
"Kate" says she was addicted to cocaine, alcohol and sleeping pills.
(This is being elicited on direct examination, and Maxwell's defense attorney said in opening she "used drugs during the period of time" and "that it fogged her memory.")
Asked whether her memories have changed, as the defense asserts, "Kate" denies it.
"The memories that I have of significant events of my life have never changed," she says.
She adds she may initially have "missed" certain memories that she later recalls.
She says "I asked to testify under a pseudonym because I have a child" and she doesn't want the child to be associated with her testimony.
Kate says that she received a $3.25 million settlement from a fund meant to compensate Epstein's victims.
(Maxwell's defense has cited settlements to discredit accusers.)
Q: Have you ever sued Maxwell?
A: No.
Q: Do you ever expect to sue Maxwell?
A: No.
Direct examination ends.
Sidebar & Recess
Cross-examination begins:
Bobbi Sternheim asks her about her family.
Sternheim refers to "Kate's" mother as a debutante and says her step-father was very wealthy. They lived in a tony neighborhood, the lawyer says.
She describes the witness as someone who was an "international model" whose photo was widely published.
Q: You were on billboards, weren't you?
A: I was on a billboard, once.
Asked if she modeled for a lingerie company, "Kate" replies: "I was a model for a lingerie company that failed almost as soon as it began."
Q: But it was a lingerie company, correct?
A: Yes.
Sternheim asks her about going to US on "extraordinary ability" visa.
Q: Your extraordinary ability at that time was to go to Hollywood, wasn't it?
A: I'm not sure if going to Hollywood is an extraordinary ability, but I was a musician.
Asked if she was discovered by the musician Seal, she replies: No.
Asked about the foundation the witness launched, she said: "It was a foundation for women who have trauma and substance abuse disorder."
"Kate" acknowledges but downplays her attorney writing a book that mentions her.
"I think there's only one sentence about me."
Asked whether she gave permission for him to do that, she says yes. (Lawyer is asking questions about her anonymity.)
Sternheim turns to questioning about "Kate's" abuse of drugs and alcohol.
Q: You have lived a sober life since then?
A: Yes, I have.
Asked whether those substances affected her memory, "Kate" replies that they didn't affect the memories she always had.
Asked if she divorced her restaurateur ex-husband, she replies: "He divorced me."
Sternheim asks if she ever remarried, and she replies, softly, no.
Sternheim asks whether "Kate" asked someone to plant drugs on the father of her child to advance a custody case.
"Absolutely not," she replies, emphatically.
Sternheim asks to enter "Kate's" email correspondence with Epstein — when he was in jail — into evidence.
One was signed — "Best, love always, 'Kate,'" she says.
"Kate" agrees.
Q: You initiated email contact with him, correct?
A: Yes.
Q: You initiated email contact because you wanted to meet with him in New York?
A: Yes.
She says she stopped contact with him when she became a mother.
(She was in her 30s when she was last in contact with Epstein, she said.)
Recess
Patrick McHugh, executive director in client services for JPMorgan, is called to authenticate bank records.
They show wire transfers from accounts owned by Epstein to Maxwell, inc.:
-
$18.3 million in Bear Stearns money market shares in Oct. 1999
-
$5 million on Sept. 18, 2002
Court records show two transfers of ~$7.4 million three days apart on June 2007.
On June 18, 2007, an account associated with "Air Ghislaine Inc." showed a transfer marked for "purchase of green helicop" just under that amount, according to records displayed in court and recited by the witness.
Cross examination goes to "Air Ghislaine." Note on the two ~$7.4M transactions—
They appear to be the same amount passing through multiple accounts toward that helicopter purchase.
Judge Nathan appears skeptical about admitting them, giving the chronological and physical distance between them and the one “Kate” described from Palm Beach more than a decade earlier.
Prosecutors did not ask Kate whether the one she was made to wear resembled the one recovered from Epstein’s NY home far later.
Judge Nathan said that’s what she thought might happen, but it didn’t. So she suggested (without ruling) that she’s unlikely to admit it.
[Extra Details c/o Adam Klasfeld]
The second week of Ghislaine Maxwell's sex trafficking trial will begin shortly. The first week ended with prosecutors hauling Jeffrey Epstein's massage table into court. Photos: https://archive.md/zjJcI
From Friday's testimony by Gregory Parkinson, ex-crime scene manager from the Palm Beach PD:
Q. Is this the green massage table that you remember seizing from 358 El Brillo Way on October 20, 2005? A. True.
The judge says the next anticipated witness is "Kate," who is one of the witnesses against Maxwell. The defense says that she was over the age of consent, and there are arguments as to the scope of her testimony.
Judge Nathan said she will tell the jury: "I instruct you that the witness is not a victim of the crimes charged in the indictment."
(So, though 'Kate' was one of four accusers, I am referring her to a witness here.)
Judge Nathan orders redacting the photographs on the wall of Epstein's massage room. She will also exclude photographs of vibrators of various sizes, which she says have "little if any relevance" and could "confuse" the jury.
The schoolgirl outfits may be able to come in if the witness connects them to the permissible time frame of the indictment.
(Explainer as to some of the admissibility questions: The search of Epstein's Palm Beach house was in 2005, after the time period of the indictment.
The allegations of the indictment end in 2004.
Maxwell's defense team has made admissibility arguments on that basis.)
As to the vibrators ruling, the juror was allowed to see similar pieces of evidence.
The jury enters.
Judge Nathan informs them that the parties agreed to stipulate to the remaining testimony of Sgt. Dawson, the final witness from last week.
Judge Nathan instructs the jury that "Kate" is not a victim of the crimes charged in the indictment, and the government has been instructed not to testify about the details of any sexual contact with Epstein.
Direct examination begins:
Q: "Kate," do you recognize that?
A: Yes.
Asked what it is, she replies: "It's my driver's license."
Submitted under seal and shown to the jury.
Kate: "I had been dating a man, and we had taken a trip to Paris."
She says she met Maxwell there. She says she was approximately 17 years old.
"We spoke about the evening and where we were headed to, out for the evening. We spoke about where I lived."
"Kate" says Maxwell invited her to tea at her house.
"She seemed very exciting. She seemed to be everything I wanted to be," she says. "Kate" recalls photographs of a slightly older man with "peppered hair," "greying hair."
It was Jeffrey Epstein, she says. Kate: "I had a really lovely time, and I felt special. And I felt..."
(Deep exhale)
"—that I found a new connection that could be very meaningful for me."
Kate: "I left there feeling exhilarated," like someone wanted to be her friend.
Kate quoting Maxwell and Epstein: "She said that he was a philanthropist and that he liked to help young people."
"Kate": "She said that I was exactly the kind of person that he would help."
She says she was 17 and that she was "lonely" and "hadn't found a group of friends yet."
Q: Did there come a time when you met Epstein?
A: Yes.
Kate on her memory of meeting Epstein: "He seemed to be in his 40s."
Kate on Maxwell: "She said 'This is the girl that I told you about'" and "that I was strangely strong for my size."
Asked what her size was, she responds she was about 95 lbs.
"She said, 'Why don't you give his feet a little squeeze to show him how strong you are?"
She says she did.
"Kate" says that Epstein's massage therapist canceled and Maxwell asked if she could fill in.
Q: Were you a massage therapist at the time?
A (faintly): No.
Maxwell's lawyer: "Objection. Sustained."
(Correcting herself)
"Objection. Leading."
Judge Nathan: I'll allow it.
Q: What was Epstein wearing under the robe?
A: He was naked.
She says that Maxwell gave her massage oil and then closed the door.
Q: During the massage, did Epstein initiate sexual contact with you?
A: Yes.
(Per court's ruling, she can't describe details.)
Kate recalls Maxwell asking her "How'd it go?" and "Did you have fun?"
Q: What was Epstein wearing?
A: He was naked.
Asked where Maxwell was, she replied she was in the doorway.
Then came another massage and sex act.
Q: What if anything did Maxwell say to you after the massage?
She says Maxwell told her "Did you have fun?" and "You're such a good girl."
Kate: "She sounded really pleased, and I was pleased that she was pleased."
Asked whether Maxwell brought up sexual topics, Kate says: She would talk a lot about the nature of, she would say, "boys'" and use a euphemism for a penis.
She says Maxwell asked if there was anyone who could give Epstein a bl*w job because it was a lot of work for her to do.
Kate: "You know what he likes. Cute, young, pretty—like you."
"Kate" on Maxwell: "She said that she was friends with Prince Andrew, friends with Donald Trump," friends with "lots of famous people."
"Kate" said Maxwell gave her a gift for her 18th birthday, after the sexual contact with Epstein:
"I received a small, black Prada handbag."
(Prosecutors have long described the gifts as part of Maxwell's "grooming" process.)
Connecting to one of the evidentiary issues described during pre-trial proceedings:
Q: What were you given to wear?
A: I was given a schoolgirl outfit.
"Kate" describes it as a short pleated skirt, white socks, white panties and a shirt.
This happened in Palm Beach, she says.
Q: Why did you put on the schoolgirl outfit?
A: I didn't know how to say no to that. I didn't know anybody in Florida. I had never been to Palm Beach or Florida before. I wasn't sure if I said no if I would have to leave or what consequence there would be for not doing it.
Q: Did Epstein engage in a sex act with you?
A (softly): Yes.
(Details of sexual contact are not being elicited pursuant to court order.)
"Kate": "She asked me if I had fun and told me I was such a good girl and told me I was one of his favorites."
"Kate" is being asked about going to Epstein's island, saying he called it "Little St. Jeff."
She was in her early 20s at the time, she said.
"Kate" on her recollections of the island: "I remember seeing a blonde slim girl, who seemed far younger than me at the time, very young."
"Kate" says she was addicted to cocaine, alcohol and sleeping pills.
(This is being elicited on direct examination, and Maxwell's defense attorney said in opening she "used drugs during the period of time" and "that it fogged her memory.")
Asked whether her memories have changed, as the defense asserts, "Kate" denies it.
"The memories that I have of significant events of my life have never changed," she says.
She adds she may initially have "missed" certain memories that she later recalls.
She says "I asked to testify under a pseudonym because I have a child" and she doesn't want the child to be associated with her testimony.
Kate says that she received a $3.25 million settlement from a fund meant to compensate Epstein's victims.
(Maxwell's defense has cited settlements to discredit accusers.)
Q: Have you ever sued Maxwell?
A: No.
Q: Do you ever expect to sue Maxwell?
A: No.
Direct examination ends.
Sidebar & Recess
Cross-examination begins:
Bobbi Sternheim asks her about her family.
Sternheim refers to "Kate's" mother as a debutante and says her step-father was very wealthy. They lived in a tony neighborhood, the lawyer says.
She describes the witness as someone who was an "international model" whose photo was widely published.
Q: You were on billboards, weren't you?
A: I was on a billboard, once.
Asked if she modeled for a lingerie company, "Kate" replies: "I was a model for a lingerie company that failed almost as soon as it began."
Q: But it was a lingerie company, correct?
A: Yes.
Sternheim asks her about going to US on "extraordinary ability" visa.
Q: Your extraordinary ability at that time was to go to Hollywood, wasn't it?
A: I'm not sure if going to Hollywood is an extraordinary ability, but I was a musician.
Asked if she was discovered by the musician Seal, she replies: No.
Asked about the foundation the witness launched, she said: "It was a foundation for women who have trauma and substance abuse disorder."
"Kate" acknowledges but downplays her attorney writing a book that mentions her.
"I think there's only one sentence about me."
Asked whether she gave permission for him to do that, she says yes. (Lawyer is asking questions about her anonymity.)
Sternheim turns to questioning about "Kate's" abuse of drugs and alcohol.
Q: You have lived a sober life since then?
A: Yes, I have.
Asked whether those substances affected her memory, "Kate" replies that they didn't affect the memories she always had.
Asked if she divorced her restaurateur ex-husband, she replies: "He divorced me."
Sternheim asks if she ever remarried, and she replies, softly, no.
Sternheim asks whether "Kate" asked someone to plant drugs on the father of her child to advance a custody case.
"Absolutely not," she replies, emphatically.
Sternheim asks to enter "Kate's" email correspondence with Epstein — when he was in jail — into evidence.
One was signed — "Best, love always, 'Kate,'" she says.
"Kate" agrees.
Q: You initiated email contact with him, correct?
A: Yes.
Q: You initiated email contact because you wanted to meet with him in New York?
A: Yes.
She says she stopped contact with him when she became a mother.
(She was in her 30s when she was last in contact with Epstein, she said.)
Recess
[Extra Details c/o Adam Klasfeld]
The second week of Ghislaine Maxwell's sex trafficking trial will begin shortly. The first week ended with prosecutors hauling Jeffrey Epstein's massage table into court. Photos: https://archive.md/zjJcI
From Friday's testimony by Gregory Parkinson, ex-crime scene manager from the Palm Beach PD:
Q. Is this the green massage table that you remember seizing from 358 El Brillo Way on October 20, 2005? A. True.
The judge says the next anticipated witness is "Kate," who is one of the witnesses against Maxwell. The defense says that she was over the age of consent, and there are arguments as to the scope of her testimony.
Judge Nathan said she will tell the jury: "I instruct you that the witness is not a victim of the crimes charged in the indictment."
(So, though 'Kate' was one of four accusers, I am referring her to a witness here.)
Judge Nathan orders redacting the photographs on the wall of Epstein's massage room. She will also exclude photographs of vibrators of various sizes, which she says have "little if any relevance" and could "confuse" the jury.
The schoolgirl outfits may be able to come in if the witness connects them to the permissible time frame of the indictment.
(Explainer as to some of the admissibility questions: The search of Epstein's Palm Beach house was in 2005, after the time period of the indictment.
The allegations of the indictment end in 2004.
Maxwell's defense team has made admissibility arguments on that basis.)
As to the vibrators ruling, the juror was allowed to see similar pieces of evidence.
The jury enters.
Judge Nathan informs them that the parties agreed to stipulate to the remaining testimony of Sgt. Dawson, the final witness from last week.
Judge Nathan instructs the jury that "Kate" is not a victim of the crimes charged in the indictment, and the government has been instructed not to testify about the details of any sexual contact with Epstein.
Direct examination begins:
Q: "Kate," do you recognize that?
A: Yes.
Asked what it is, she replies: "It's my driver's license."
Submitted under seal and shown to the jury.
Kate: "I had been dating a man, and we had taken a trip to Paris."
She says she met Maxwell there. She says she was approximately 17 years old.
"We spoke about the evening and where we were headed to, out for the evening. We spoke about where I lived."
"Kate" says Maxwell invited her to tea at her house.
"She seemed very exciting. She seemed to be everything I wanted to be," she says. "Kate" recalls photographs of a slightly older man with "peppered hair," "greying hair."
It was Jeffrey Epstein, she says. Kate: "I had a really lovely time, and I felt special. And I felt..."
(Deep exhale)
"—that I found a new connection that could be very meaningful for me."
Kate: "I left there feeling exhilarated," like someone wanted to be her friend.
Kate quoting Maxwell and Epstein: "She said that he was a philanthropist and that he liked to help young people."
"Kate": "She said that I was exactly the kind of person that he would help."
She says she was 17 and that she was "lonely" and "hadn't found a group of friends yet."
Q: Did there come a time when you met Epstein?
A: Yes.
Kate on her memory of meeting Epstein: "He seemed to be in his 40s."
Kate on Maxwell: "She said 'This is the girl that I told you about'" and "that I was strangely strong for my size."
Asked what her size was, she responds she was about 95 lbs.
"She said, 'Why don't you give his feet a little squeeze to show him how strong you are?"
She says she did.
"Kate" says that Epstein's massage therapist canceled and Maxwell asked if she could fill in.
Q: Were you a massage therapist at the time?
A (faintly): No.
Maxwell's lawyer: "Objection. Sustained."
(Correcting herself)
"Objection. Leading."
Judge Nathan: I'll allow it.
Q: What was Epstein wearing under the robe?
A: He was naked.
She says that Maxwell gave her massage oil and then closed the door.
Q: During the massage, did Epstein initiate sexual contact with you?
A: Yes.
(Per court's ruling, she can't describe details.)
Kate recalls Maxwell asking her "How'd it go?" and "Did you have fun?"
Q: What was Epstein wearing?
A: He was naked.
Asked where Maxwell was, she replied she was in the doorway.
Then came another massage and sex act.
Q: What if anything did Maxwell say to you after the massage?
She says Maxwell told her "Did you have fun?" and "You're such a good girl."
Kate: "She sounded really pleased, and I was pleased that she was pleased."
Asked whether Maxwell brought up sexual topics, Kate says: She would talk a lot about the nature of, she would say, "boys'" and use a euphemism for a penis.
She says Maxwell asked if there was anyone who could give Epstein a bl*w job because it was a lot of work for her to do.
Kate: "You know what he likes. Cute, young, pretty—like you."
"Kate" on Maxwell: "She said that she was friends with Prince Andrew, friends with Donald Trump," friends with "lots of famous people."
"Kate" said Maxwell gave her a gift for her 18th birthday, after the sexual contact with Epstein:
"I received a small, black Prada handbag."
(Prosecutors have long described the gifts as part of Maxwell's "grooming" process.)
Connecting to one of the evidentiary issues described during pre-trial proceedings:
Q: What were you given to wear?
A: I was given a schoolgirl outfit.
"Kate" describes it as a short pleated skirt, white socks, white panties and a shirt.
This happened in Palm Beach, she says.
Q: Why did you put on the schoolgirl outfit?
A: I didn't know how to say no to that. I didn't know anybody in Florida. I had never been to Palm Beach or Florida before. I wasn't sure if I said no if I would have to leave or what consequence there would be for not doing it.
Q: Did Epstein engage in a sex act with you?
A (softly): Yes.
(Details of sexual contact are not being elicited pursuant to court order.)
"Kate": "She asked me if I had fun and told me I was such a good girl and told me I was one of his favorites."
"Kate" is being asked about going to Epstein's island, saying he called it "Little St. Jeff."
She was in her early 20s at the time, she said.
"Kate" on her recollections of the island: "I remember seeing a blonde slim girl, who seemed far younger than me at the time, very young."
"Kate" says she was addicted to cocaine, alcohol and sleeping pills.
(This is being elicited on direct examination, and Maxwell's defense attorney said in opening she "used drugs during the period of time" and "that it fogged her memory.")
Asked whether her memories have changed, as the defense asserts, "Kate" denies it.
"The memories that I have of significant events of my life have never changed," she says.
She adds she may initially have "missed" certain memories that she later recalls.
She says "I asked to testify under a pseudonym because I have a child" and she doesn't want the child to be associated with her testimony.
Kate says that she received a $2.5 million settlement from a fund meant to compensate Epstein's victims.
(Maxwell's defense has cited settlements to discredit accusers.)
Q: Have you ever sued Maxwell?
A: No.
Q: Do you ever expect to sue Maxwell?
A: No.
Direct examination ends.
Sidebar & Recess
Cross-examination begins:
Bobbi Sternheim asks her about her family.
Sternheim refers to "Kate's" mother as a debutante and says her step-father was very wealthy. They lived in a tony neighborhood, the lawyer says.
She describes the witness as someone who was an "international model" whose photo was widely published.
Q: You were on billboards, weren't you?
A: I was on a billboard, once.
Asked if she modeled for a lingerie company, "Kate" replies: "I was a model for a lingerie company that failed almost as soon as it began."
Q: But it was a lingerie company, correct?
A: Yes.
Sternheim asks her about going to US on "extraordinary ability" visa.
Q: Your extraordinary ability at that time was to go to Hollywood, wasn't it?
A: I'm not sure if going to Hollywood is an extraordinary ability, but I was a musician.
Asked if she was discovered by the musician Seal, she replies: No.
Asked about the foundation the witness launched, she said: "It was a foundation for women who have trauma and substance abuse disorder."
"Kate" acknowledges but downplays her attorney writing a book that mentions her.
"I think there's only one sentence about me."
Asked whether she gave permission for him to do that, she says yes. (Lawyer is asking questions about her anonymity.)
Sternheim turns to questioning about "Kate's" abuse of drugs and alcohol.
Q: You have lived a sober life since then?
A: Yes, I have.
Asked whether those substances affected her memory, "Kate" replies that they didn't affect the memories she always had.
Asked if she divorced her restaurateur ex-husband, she replies: "He divorced me."
Sternheim asks if she ever remarried, and she replies, softly, no.
Sternheim asks whether "Kate" asked someone to plant drugs on the father of her child to advance a custody case.
"Absolutely not," she replies, emphatically.
Sternheim asks to enter "Kate's" email correspondence with Epstein — when he was in jail — into evidence.
One was signed — "Best, love always, 'Kate,'" she says.
"Kate" agrees.
Q: You initiated email contact with him, correct?
A: Yes.
Q: You initiated email contact because you wanted to meet with him in New York?
A: Yes.
She says she stopped contact with him when she became a mother.
(She was in her 30s when she was last in contact with Epstein, she said.)
[Extra Details c/o Adam Klasfeld]
The second week of Ghislaine Maxwell's sex trafficking trial will begin shortly. The first week ended with prosecutors hauling Jeffrey Epstein's massage table into court. Photos: https://archive.md/zjJcI
From Friday's testimony by Gregory Parkinson, ex-crime scene manager from the Palm Beach PD:
Q. Is this the green massage table that you remember seizing from 358 El Brillo Way on October 20, 2005? A. True.
The judge says the next anticipated witness is "Kate," who is one of the witnesses against Maxwell. The defense says that she was over the age of consent, and there are arguments as to the scope of her testimony.
Judge Nathan said she will tell the jury: "I instruct you that the witness is not a victim of the crimes charged in the indictment."
(So, though 'Kate' was one of four accusers, I am referring her to a witness here.)
Judge Nathan orders redacting the photographs on the wall of Epstein's massage room. She will also exclude photographs of vibrators of various sizes, which she says have "little if any relevance" and could "confuse" the jury.
The schoolgirl outfits may be able to come in if the witness connects them to the permissible time frame of the indictment.
(Explainer as to some of the admissibility questions: The search of Epstein's Palm Beach house was in 2005, after the time period of the indictment.
The allegations of the indictment end in 2004.
Maxwell's defense team has made admissibility arguments on that basis.)
As to the vibrators ruling, the juror was allowed to see similar pieces of evidence.
The jury enters.
Judge Nathan informs them that the parties agreed to stipulate to the remaining testimony of Sgt. Dawson, the final witness from last week.
Judge Nathan instructs the jury that "Kate" is not a victim of the crimes charged in the indictment, and the government has been instructed not to testify about the details of any sexual contact with Epstein.
Direct examination begins:
Q: "Kate," do you recognize that?
A: Yes.
Asked what it is, she replies: "It's my driver's license."
Submitted under seal and shown to the jury.
Kate: "I had been dating a man, and we had taken a trip to Paris."
She says she met Maxwell there. She says she was approximately 17 years old.
"We spoke about the evening and where we were headed to, out for the evening. We spoke about where I lived."
"Kate" says Maxwell invited her to tea at her house.
"She seemed very exciting. She seemed to be everything I wanted to be," she says. "Kate" recalls photographs of a slightly older man with "peppered hair," "greying hair."
It was Jeffrey Epstein, she says. Kate: "I had a really lovely time, and I felt special. And I felt..."
(Deep exhale)
"—that I found a new connection that could be very meaningful for me."
Kate: "I left there feeling exhilarated," like someone wanted to be her friend.
Kate quoting Maxwell and Epstein: "She said that he was a philanthropist and that he liked to help young people."
"Kate": "She said that I was exactly the kind of person that he would help."
She says she was 17 and that she was "lonely" and "hadn't found a group of friends yet."
Q: Did there come a time when you met Epstein?
A: Yes.
Kate on her memory of meeting Epstein: "He seemed to be in his 40s."
Kate on Maxwell: "She said 'This is the girl that I told you about'" and "that I was strangely strong for my size."
Asked what her size was, she responds she was about 95 lbs.
"She said, 'Why don't you give his feet a little squeeze to show him how strong you are?"
She says she did.
"Kate" says that Epstein's massage therapist canceled and Maxwell asked if she could fill in.
Q: Were you a massage therapist at the time?
A (faintly): No.
Maxwell's lawyer: "Objection. Sustained."
(Correcting herself)
"Objection. Leading."
Judge Nathan: I'll allow it.
Q: What was Epstein wearing under the robe?
A: He was naked.
She says that Maxwell gave her massage oil and then closed the door.
Q: During the massage, did Epstein initiate sexual contact with you?
A: Yes.
(Per court's ruling, she can't describe details.)
Kate recalls Maxwell asking her "How'd it go?" and "Did you have fun?"
Q: What was Epstein wearing?
A: He was naked.
Asked where Maxwell was, she replied she was in the doorway.
Then came another massage and sex act.
Q: What if anything did Maxwell say to you after the massage?
She says Maxwell told her "Did you have fun?" and "You're such a good girl."
Kate: "She sounded really pleased, and I was pleased that she was pleased."
Asked whether Maxwell brought up sexual topics, Kate says: She would talk a lot about the nature of, she would say, "boys'" and use a euphemism for a penis.
She says Maxwell asked if there was anyone who could give Epstein a bl*w job because it was a lot of work for her to do.
Kate: "You know what he likes. Cute, young, pretty—like you."
"Kate" on Maxwell: "She said that she was friends with Prince Andrew, friends with Donald Trump," friends with "lots of famous people."
"Kate" said Maxwell gave her a gift for her 18th birthday, after the sexual contact with Epstein:
"I received a small, black Prada handbag."
(Prosecutors have long described the gifts as part of Maxwell's "grooming" process.)
Connecting to one of the evidentiary issues described during pre-trial proceedings:
Q: What were you given to wear?
A: I was given a schoolgirl outfit.
"Kate" describes it as a short pleated skirt, white socks, white panties and a shirt.
This happened in Palm Beach, she says.
Q: Why did you put on the schoolgirl outfit?
A: I didn't know how to say no to that. I didn't know anybody in Florida. I had never been to Palm Beach or Florida before. I wasn't sure if I said no if I would have to leave or what consequence there would be for not doing it.
Q: Did Epstein engage in a sex act with you?
A (softly): Yes.
(Details of sexual contact are not being elicited pursuant to court order.)
"Kate": "She asked me if I had fun and told me I was such a good girl and told me I was one of his favorites."
"Kate" is being asked about going to Epstein's island, saying he called it "Little St. Jeff."
She was in her early 20s at the time, she said.
"Kate" on her recollections of the island: "I remember seeing a blonde slim girl, who seemed far younger than me at the time, very young."
"Kate" says she was addicted to cocaine, alcohol and sleeping pills.
(This is being elicited on direct examination, and Maxwell's defense attorney said in opening she "used drugs during the period of time" and "that it fogged her memory.")
Asked whether her memories have changed, as the defense asserts, "Kate" denies it.
"The memories that I have of significant events of my life have never changed," she says.
She adds she may initially have "missed" certain memories that she later recalls.
She says "I asked to testify under a pseudonym because I have a child" and she doesn't want the child to be associated with her testimony.
Kate says that she received a $2.5 million settlement from a fund meant to compensate Epstein's victims.
(Maxwell's defense has cited settlements to discredit accusers.)
Q: Have you ever sued Maxwell?
A: No.
Q: Do you ever expect to sue Maxwell?
A: No.
Direct examination ends.
Sidebar & Recess
Cross-examination begins:
Bobbi Sternheim asks her about her family.
Sternheim refers to "Kate's" mother as a debutante and says her step-father was very wealthy. They lived in a tony neighborhood, the lawyer says.
She describes the witness as someone who was an "international model" whose photo was widely published.
Q: You were on billboards, weren't you?
A: I was on a billboard, once.
Asked if she modeled for a lingerie company, "Kate" replies: "I was a model for a lingerie company that failed almost as soon as it began."
Q: But it was a lingerie company, correct?
A: Yes.
Sternheim asks her about going to US on "extraordinary ability" visa.
Q: Your extraordinary ability at that time was to go to Hollywood, wasn't it?
A: I'm not sure if going to Hollywood is an extraordinary ability, but I was a musician.
Asked if she was discovered by the musician Seal, she replies: No.
Asked about the foundation the witness launched, she said: "It was a foundation for women who have trauma and substance abuse disorder."
"Kate" acknowledges but downplays her attorney writing a book that mentions her.
"I think there's only one sentence about me."
Asked whether she gave permission for him to do that, she says yes. (Lawyer is asking questions about her anonymity.)
Sternheim turns to questioning about "Kate's" abuse of drugs and alcohol.
Q: You have lived a sober life since then?
A: Yes, I have.
Asked whether those substances affected her memory, "Kate" replies that they didn't affect the memories she always had.
Asked if she divorced her restaurateur ex-husband, she replies: "He divorced me."
Sternheim asks if she ever remarried, and she replies, softly, no.
[Extra Details c/o Adam Klasfeld]
The second week of Ghislaine Maxwell's sex trafficking trial will begin shortly. The first week ended with prosecutors hauling Jeffrey Epstein's massage table into court. Photos: https://archive.md/zjJcI
From Friday's testimony by Gregory Parkinson, ex-crime scene manager from the Palm Beach PD:
Q. Is this the green massage table that you remember seizing from 358 El Brillo Way on October 20, 2005? A. True.
The judge says the next anticipated witness is "Kate," who is one of the witnesses against Maxwell. The defense says that she was over the age of consent, and there are arguments as to the scope of her testimony.
Judge Nathan said she will tell the jury: "I instruct you that the witness is not a victim of the crimes charged in the indictment."
(So, though 'Kate' was one of four accusers, I am referring her to a witness here.)
Judge Nathan orders redacting the photographs on the wall of Epstein's massage room. She will also exclude photographs of vibrators of various sizes, which she says have "little if any relevance" and could "confuse" the jury.
The schoolgirl outfits may be able to come in if the witness connects them to the permissible time frame of the indictment.
(Explainer as to some of the admissibility questions: The search of Epstein's Palm Beach house was in 2005, after the time period of the indictment.
The allegations of the indictment end in 2004.
Maxwell's defense team has made admissibility arguments on that basis.)
As to the vibrators ruling, the juror was allowed to see similar pieces of evidence.
The jury enters.
Judge Nathan informs them that the parties agreed to stipulate to the remaining testimony of Sgt. Dawson, the final witness from last week.
Judge Nathan instructs the jury that "Kate" is not a victim of the crimes charged in the indictment, and the government has been instructed not to testify about the details of any sexual contact with Epstein.
Direct examination begins:
Q: "Kate," do you recognize that?
A: Yes.
Asked what it is, she replies: "It's my driver's license."
Submitted under seal and shown to the jury.
Kate: "I had been dating a man, and we had taken a trip to Paris."
She says she met Maxwell there. She says she was approximately 17 years old.
"We spoke about the evening and where we were headed to, out for the evening. We spoke about where I lived."
"Kate" says Maxwell invited her to tea at her house.
"She seemed very exciting. She seemed to be everything I wanted to be," she says. "Kate" recalls photographs of a slightly older man with "peppered hair," "greying hair."
It was Jeffrey Epstein, she says. Kate: "I had a really lovely time, and I felt special. And I felt..."
(Deep exhale)
"—that I found a new connection that could be very meaningful for me."
Kate: "I left there feeling exhilarated," like someone wanted to be her friend.
Kate quoting Maxwell and Epstein: "She said that he was a philanthropist and that he liked to help young people."
"Kate": "She said that I was exactly the kind of person that he would help."
She says she was 17 and that she was "lonely" and "hadn't found a group of friends yet."
Q: Did there come a time when you met Epstein?
A: Yes.
Kate on her memory of meeting Epstein: "He seemed to be in his 40s."
Kate on Maxwell: "She said 'This is the girl that I told you about'" and "that I was strangely strong for my size."
Asked what her size was, she responds she was about 95 lbs.
"She said, 'Why don't you give his feet a little squeeze to show him how strong you are?"
She says she did.
"Kate" says that Epstein's massage therapist canceled and Maxwell asked if she could fill in.
Q: Were you a massage therapist at the time?
A (faintly): No.
Maxwell's lawyer: "Objection. Sustained."
(Correcting herself)
"Objection. Leading."
Judge Nathan: I'll allow it.
Q: What was Epstein wearing under the robe?
A: He was naked.
She says that Maxwell gave her massage oil and then closed the door.
Q: During the massage, did Epstein initiate sexual contact with you?
A: Yes.
(Per court's ruling, she can't describe details.)
Kate recalls Maxwell asking her "How'd it go?" and "Did you have fun?"
Q: What was Epstein wearing?
A: He was naked.
Asked where Maxwell was, she replied she was in the doorway.
Then came another massage and sex act.
Q: What if anything did Maxwell say to you after the massage?
She says Maxwell told her "Did you have fun?" and "You're such a good girl."
Kate: "She sounded really pleased, and I was pleased that she was pleased."
Asked whether Maxwell brought up sexual topics, Kate says: She would talk a lot about the nature of, she would say, "boys'" and use a euphemism for a penis.
She says Maxwell asked if there was anyone who could give Epstein a bl*w job because it was a lot of work for her to do.
Kate: "You know what he likes. Cute, young, pretty—like you."
"Kate" on Maxwell: "She said that she was friends with Prince Andrew, friends with Donald Trump," friends with "lots of famous people."
"Kate" said Maxwell gave her a gift for her 18th birthday, after the sexual contact with Epstein:
"I received a small, black Prada handbag."
(Prosecutors have long described the gifts as part of Maxwell's "grooming" process.)
Connecting to one of the evidentiary issues described during pre-trial proceedings:
Q: What were you given to wear?
A: I was given a schoolgirl outfit.
"Kate" describes it as a short pleated skirt, white socks, white panties and a shirt.
This happened in Palm Beach, she says.
Q: Why did you put on the schoolgirl outfit?
A: I didn't know how to say no to that. I didn't know anybody in Florida. I had never been to Palm Beach or Florida before. I wasn't sure if I said no if I would have to leave or what consequence there would be for not doing it.
Q: Did Epstein engage in a sex act with you?
A (softly): Yes.
(Details of sexual contact are not being elicited pursuant to court order.)
"Kate": "She asked me if I had fun and told me I was such a good girl and told me I was one of his favorites."
"Kate" is being asked about going to Epstein's island, saying he called it "Little St. Jeff."
She was in her early 20s at the time, she said.
"Kate" on her recollections of the island: "I remember seeing a blonde slim girl, who seemed far younger than me at the time, very young."
"Kate" says she was addicted to cocaine, alcohol and sleeping pills.
(This is being elicited on direct examination, and Maxwell's defense attorney said in opening she "used drugs during the period of time" and "that it fogged her memory.")
Asked whether her memories have changed, as the defense asserts, "Kate" denies it.
"The memories that I have of significant events of my life have never changed," she says.
She adds she may initially have "missed" certain memories that she later recalls.
She says "I asked to testify under a pseudonym because I have a child" and she doesn't want the child to be associated with her testimony.
Kate says that she received a $2.5 million settlement from a fund meant to compensate Epstein's victims.
(Maxwell's defense has cited settlements to discredit accusers.)
Q: Have you ever sued Maxwell?
A: No.
Q: Do you ever expect to sue Maxwell?
A: No.
Direct examination ends.
Sidebar & Recess
Cross-examination begins:
Bobbi Sternheim asks her about her family.
Sternheim refers to "Kate's" mother as a debutante and says her step-father was very wealthy. They lived in a tony neighborhood, the lawyer says.
She describes the witness as someone who was an "international model" whose photo was widely published.
Q: You were on billboards, weren't you?
A: I was on a billboard, once.
Asked if she modeled for a lingerie company, "Kate" replies: "I was a model for a lingerie company that failed almost as soon as it began."
Q: But it was a lingerie company, correct?
A: Yes.
Sternheim asks her about going to US on "extraordinary ability" visa.
Q: Your extraordinary ability at that time was to go to Hollywood, wasn't it?
A: I'm not sure if going to Hollywood is an extraordinary ability, but I was a musician.
Asked if she was discovered by the musician Seal, she replies: No.
Asked about the foundation the witness launched, she said: "It was a foundation for women who have trauma and substance abuse disorder."
"Kate" acknowledges but downplays her attorney writing a book that mentions her.
"I think there's only one sentence about me."
Asked whether she gave permission for him to do that, she says yes. (Lawyer is asking questions about her anonymity.)
Sternheim turns to questioning about "Kate's" abuse of drugs and alcohol.
Q: You have lived a sober life since then?
A: Yes, I have.
Asked whether those substances affected her memory, "Kate" replies that they didn't affect the memories she always had.
[Extra Details c/o Adam Klasfeld]
The second week of Ghislaine Maxwell's sex trafficking trial will begin shortly. The first week ended with prosecutors hauling Jeffrey Epstein's massage table into court. Photos: https://archive.md/zjJcI
From Friday's testimony by Gregory Parkinson, ex-crime scene manager from the Palm Beach PD:
Q. Is this the green massage table that you remember seizing from 358 El Brillo Way on October 20, 2005? A. True.
The judge says the next anticipated witness is "Kate," who is one of the witnesses against Maxwell. The defense says that she was over the age of consent, and there are arguments as to the scope of her testimony.
Judge Nathan said she will tell the jury: "I instruct you that the witness is not a victim of the crimes charged in the indictment."
(So, though 'Kate' was one of four accusers, I am referring her to a witness here.)
Judge Nathan orders redacting the photographs on the wall of Epstein's massage room. She will also exclude photographs of vibrators of various sizes, which she says have "little if any relevance" and could "confuse" the jury.
The schoolgirl outfits may be able to come in if the witness connects them to the permissible time frame of the indictment.
(Explainer as to some of the admissibility questions: The search of Epstein's Palm Beach house was in 2005, after the time period of the indictment.
The allegations of the indictment end in 2004.
Maxwell's defense team has made admissibility arguments on that basis.)
As to the vibrators ruling, the juror was allowed to see similar pieces of evidence.
The jury enters.
Judge Nathan informs them that the parties agreed to stipulate to the remaining testimony of Sgt. Dawson, the final witness from last week.
Judge Nathan instructs the jury that "Kate" is not a victim of the crimes charged in the indictment, and the government has been instructed not to testify about the details of any sexual contact with Epstein.
Direct examination begins:
Q: "Kate," do you recognize that?
A: Yes.
Asked what it is, she replies: "It's my driver's license."
Submitted under seal and shown to the jury.
Kate: "I had been dating a man, and we had taken a trip to Paris."
She says she met Maxwell there. She says she was approximately 17 years old.
"We spoke about the evening and where we were headed to, out for the evening. We spoke about where I lived."
"Kate" says Maxwell invited her to tea at her house.
"She seemed very exciting. She seemed to be everything I wanted to be," she says. "Kate" recalls photographs of a slightly older man with "peppered hair," "greying hair."
It was Jeffrey Epstein, she says. Kate: "I had a really lovely time, and I felt special. And I felt..."
(Deep exhale)
"—that I found a new connection that could be very meaningful for me."
Kate: "I left there feeling exhilarated," like someone wanted to be her friend.
Kate quoting Maxwell and Epstein: "She said that he was a philanthropist and that he liked to help young people."
"Kate": "She said that I was exactly the kind of person that he would help."
She says she was 17 and that she was "lonely" and "hadn't found a group of friends yet."
Q: Did there come a time when you met Epstein?
A: Yes.
Kate on her memory of meeting Epstein: "He seemed to be in his 40s."
Kate on Maxwell: "She said 'This is the girl that I told you about'" and "that I was strangely strong for my size."
Asked what her size was, she responds she was about 95 lbs.
"She said, 'Why don't you give his feet a little squeeze to show him how strong you are?"
She says she did.
"Kate" says that Epstein's massage therapist canceled and Maxwell asked if she could fill in.
Q: Were you a massage therapist at the time?
A (faintly): No.
Maxwell's lawyer: "Objection. Sustained."
(Correcting herself)
"Objection. Leading."
Judge Nathan: I'll allow it.
Q: What was Epstein wearing under the robe?
A: He was naked.
She says that Maxwell gave her massage oil and then closed the door.
Q: During the massage, did Epstein initiate sexual contact with you?
A: Yes.
(Per court's ruling, she can't describe details.)
Kate recalls Maxwell asking her "How'd it go?" and "Did you have fun?"
Q: What was Epstein wearing?
A: He was naked.
Asked where Maxwell was, she replied she was in the doorway.
Then came another massage and sex act.
Q: What if anything did Maxwell say to you after the massage?
She says Maxwell told her "Did you have fun?" and "You're such a good girl."
Kate: "She sounded really pleased, and I was pleased that she was pleased."
Asked whether Maxwell brought up sexual topics, Kate says: She would talk a lot about the nature of, she would say, "boys'" and use a euphemism for a penis.
She says Maxwell asked if there was anyone who could give Epstein a bl*w job because it was a lot of work for her to do.
Kate: "You know what he likes. Cute, young, pretty—like you."
"Kate" on Maxwell: "She said that she was friends with Prince Andrew, friends with Donald Trump," friends with "lots of famous people."
"Kate" said Maxwell gave her a gift for her 18th birthday, after the sexual contact with Epstein:
"I received a small, black Prada handbag."
(Prosecutors have long described the gifts as part of Maxwell's "grooming" process.)
Connecting to one of the evidentiary issues described during pre-trial proceedings:
Q: What were you given to wear?
A: I was given a schoolgirl outfit.
"Kate" describes it as a short pleated skirt, white socks, white panties and a shirt.
This happened in Palm Beach, she says.
Q: Why did you put on the schoolgirl outfit?
A: I didn't know how to say no to that. I didn't know anybody in Florida. I had never been to Palm Beach or Florida before. I wasn't sure if I said no if I would have to leave or what consequence there would be for not doing it.
Q: Did Epstein engage in a sex act with you?
A (softly): Yes.
(Details of sexual contact are not being elicited pursuant to court order.)
"Kate": "She asked me if I had fun and told me I was such a good girl and told me I was one of his favorites."
"Kate" is being asked about going to Epstein's island, saying he called it "Little St. Jeff."
She was in her early 20s at the time, she said.
"Kate" on her recollections of the island: "I remember seeing a blonde slim girl, who seemed far younger than me at the time, very young."
"Kate" says she was addicted to cocaine, alcohol and sleeping pills.
(This is being elicited on direct examination, and Maxwell's defense attorney said in opening she "used drugs during the period of time" and "that it fogged her memory.")
Asked whether her memories have changed, as the defense asserts, "Kate" denies it.
"The memories that I have of significant events of my life have never changed," she says.
She adds she may initially have "missed" certain memories that she later recalls.
She says "I asked to testify under a pseudonym because I have a child" and she doesn't want the child to be associated with her testimony.
Kate says that she received a $2.5 million settlement from a fund meant to compensate Epstein's victims.
(Maxwell's defense has cited settlements to discredit accusers.)
Q: Have you ever sued Maxwell?
A: No.
Q: Do you ever expect to sue Maxwell?
A: No.
Direct examination ends.
Sidebar & Recess
[Extra Details c/o Adam Klasfeld]
The second week of Ghislaine Maxwell's sex trafficking trial will begin shortly. The first week ended with prosecutors hauling Jeffrey Epstein's massage table into court. Photos: https://archive.md/zjJcI
From Friday's testimony by Gregory Parkinson, ex-crime scene manager from the Palm Beach PD:
Q. Is this the green massage table that you remember seizing from 358 El Brillo Way on October 20, 2005? A. True.
The judge says the next anticipated witness is "Kate," who is one of the witnesses against Maxwell. The defense says that she was over the age of consent, and there are arguments as to the scope of her testimony.
Judge Nathan said she will tell the jury: "I instruct you that the witness is not a victim of the crimes charged in the indictment."
(So, though 'Kate' was one of four accusers, I am referring her to a witness here.)
Judge Nathan orders redacting the photographs on the wall of Epstein's massage room. She will also exclude photographs of vibrators of various sizes, which she says have "little if any relevance" and could "confuse" the jury.
The schoolgirl outfits may be able to come in if the witness connects them to the permissible time frame of the indictment.
(Explainer as to some of the admissibility questions: The search of Epstein's Palm Beach house was in 2005, after the time period of the indictment.
The allegations of the indictment end in 2004.
Maxwell's defense team has made admissibility arguments on that basis.)
As to the vibrators ruling, the juror was allowed to see similar pieces of evidence.
The jury enters.
Judge Nathan informs them that the parties agreed to stipulate to the remaining testimony of Sgt. Dawson, the final witness from last week.
Judge Nathan instructs the jury that "Kate" is not a victim of the crimes charged in the indictment, and the government has been instructed not to testify about the details of any sexual contact with Epstein.
Direct examination begins:
Q: "Kate," do you recognize that?
A: Yes.
Asked what it is, she replies: "It's my driver's license."
Submitted under seal and shown to the jury.
Kate: "I had been dating a man, and we had taken a trip to Paris."
She says she met Maxwell there. She says she was approximately 17 years old.
"We spoke about the evening and where we were headed to, out for the evening. We spoke about where I lived."
"Kate" says Maxwell invited her to tea at her house.
"She seemed very exciting. She seemed to be everything I wanted to be," she says. "Kate" recalls photographs of a slightly older man with "peppered hair," "greying hair."
It was Jeffrey Epstein, she says. Kate: "I had a really lovely time, and I felt special. And I felt..."
(Deep exhale)
"—that I found a new connection that could be very meaningful for me."
Kate: "I left there feeling exhilarated," like someone wanted to be her friend.
Kate quoting Maxwell and Epstein: "She said that he was a philanthropist and that he liked to help young people."
"Kate": "She said that I was exactly the kind of person that he would help."
She says she was 17 and that she was "lonely" and "hadn't found a group of friends yet."
Q: Did there come a time when you met Epstein?
A: Yes.
Kate on her memory of meeting Epstein: "He seemed to be in his 40s."
Kate on Maxwell: "She said 'This is the girl that I told you about'" and "that I was strangely strong for my size."
Asked what her size was, she responds she was about 95 lbs.
"She said, 'Why don't you give his feet a little squeeze to show him how strong you are?"
She says she did.
"Kate" says that Epstein's massage therapist canceled and Maxwell asked if she could fill in.
Q: Were you a massage therapist at the time?
A (faintly): No.
Maxwell's lawyer: "Objection. Sustained."
(Correcting herself)
"Objection. Leading."
Judge Nathan: I'll allow it.
Q: What was Epstein wearing under the robe?
A: He was naked.
She says that Maxwell gave her massage oil and then closed the door.
Q: During the massage, did Epstein initiate sexual contact with you?
A: Yes.
(Per court's ruling, she can't describe details.)
Kate recalls Maxwell asking her "How'd it go?" and "Did you have fun?"
Q: What was Epstein wearing?
A: He was naked.
Asked where Maxwell was, she replied she was in the doorway.
Then came another massage and sex act.
Q: What if anything did Maxwell say to you after the massage?
She says Maxwell told her "Did you have fun?" and "You're such a good girl."
Kate: "She sounded really pleased, and I was pleased that she was pleased."
Asked whether Maxwell brought up sexual topics, Kate says: She would talk a lot about the nature of, she would say, "boys'" and use a euphemism for a penis.
She says Maxwell asked if there was anyone who could give Epstein a bl*w job because it was a lot of work for her to do.
Kate: "You know what he likes. Cute, young, pretty—like you."
"Kate" on Maxwell: "She said that she was friends with Prince Andrew, friends with Donald Trump," friends with "lots of famous people."
"Kate" said Maxwell gave her a gift for her 18th birthday, after the sexual contact with Epstein:
"I received a small, black Prada handbag."
(Prosecutors have long described the gifts as part of Maxwell's "grooming" process.)
Connecting to one of the evidentiary issues described during pre-trial proceedings:
Q: What were you given to wear?
A: I was given a schoolgirl outfit.
"Kate" describes it as a short pleated skirt, white socks, white panties and a shirt.
This happened in Palm Beach, she says.
Q: Why did you put on the schoolgirl outfit?
A: I didn't know how to say no to that. I didn't know anybody in Florida. I had never been to Palm Beach or Florida before. I wasn't sure if I said no if I would have to leave or what consequence there would be for not doing it.
Q: Did Epstein engage in a sex act with you?
A (softly): Yes.
(Details of sexual contact are not being elicited pursuant to court order.)
"Kate": "She asked me if I had fun and told me I was such a good girl and told me I was one of his favorites."
"Kate" is being asked about going to Epstein's island, saying he called it "Little St. Jeff."
She was in her early 20s at the time, she said.
"Kate" on her recollections of the island: "I remember seeing a blonde slim girl, who seemed far younger than me at the time, very young."
"Kate" says she was addicted to cocaine, alcohol and sleeping pills.
(This is being elicited on direct examination, and Maxwell's defense attorney said in opening she "used drugs during the period of time" and "that it fogged her memory.")
Asked whether her memories have changed, as the defense asserts, "Kate" denies it.
"The memories that I have of significant events of my life have never changed," she says.
She adds she may initially have "missed" certain memories that she later recalls.
She says "I asked to testify under a pseudonym because I have a child" and she doesn't want the child to be associated with her testimony.
Kate says that she received a $2.5 million settlement from a fund meant to compensate Epstein's victims.
(Maxwell's defense has cited settlements to discredit accusers.)
Q: Have you ever sued Maxwell?
A: No.
Q: Do you ever expect to sue Maxwell?
A: No.
Direct examination ends.
Sidebar
[Extra Details c/o Adam Klasfeld]
The second week of Ghislaine Maxwell's sex trafficking trial will begin shortly. The first week ended with prosecutors hauling Jeffrey Epstein's massage table into court. Photos: https://archive.md/zjJcI
From Friday's testimony by Gregory Parkinson, ex-crime scene manager from the Palm Beach PD:
Q. Is this the green massage table that you remember seizing from 358 El Brillo Way on October 20, 2005? A. True.
The judge says the next anticipated witness is "Kate," who is one of the witnesses against Maxwell. The defense says that she was over the age of consent, and there are arguments as to the scope of her testimony.
Judge Nathan said she will tell the jury: "I instruct you that the witness is not a victim of the crimes charged in the indictment."
(So, though 'Kate' was one of four accusers, I am referring her to a witness here.)
Judge Nathan orders redacting the photographs on the wall of Epstein's massage room. She will also exclude photographs of vibrators of various sizes, which she says have "little if any relevance" and could "confuse" the jury.
The schoolgirl outfits may be able to come in if the witness connects them to the permissible time frame of the indictment.
(Explainer as to some of the admissibility questions: The search of Epstein's Palm Beach house was in 2005, after the time period of the indictment.
The allegations of the indictment end in 2004.
Maxwell's defense team has made admissibility arguments on that basis.)
As to the vibrators ruling, the juror was allowed to see similar pieces of evidence.
The jury enters.
Judge Nathan informs them that the parties agreed to stipulate to the remaining testimony of Sgt. Dawson, the final witness from last week.
Judge Nathan instructs the jury that "Kate" is not a victim of the crimes charged in the indictment, and the government has been instructed not to testify about the details of any sexual contact with Epstein.
Direct examination begins:
Q: "Kate," do you recognize that?
A: Yes.
Asked what it is, she replies: "It's my driver's license."
Submitted under seal and shown to the jury.
Kate: "I had been dating a man, and we had taken a trip to Paris."
She says she met Maxwell there. She says she was approximately 17 years old.
"We spoke about the evening and where we were headed to, out for the evening. We spoke about where I lived."
"Kate" says Maxwell invited her to tea at her house.
"She seemed very exciting. She seemed to be everything I wanted to be," she says. "Kate" recalls photographs of a slightly older man with "peppered hair," "greying hair."
It was Jeffrey Epstein, she says. Kate: "I had a really lovely time, and I felt special. And I felt..."
(Deep exhale)
"—that I found a new connection that could be very meaningful for me."
Kate: "I left there feeling exhilarated," like someone wanted to be her friend.
Kate quoting Maxwell and Epstein: "She said that he was a philanthropist and that he liked to help young people."
"Kate": "She said that I was exactly the kind of person that he would help."
She says she was 17 and that she was "lonely" and "hadn't found a group of friends yet."
Q: Did there come a time when you met Epstein?
A: Yes.
Kate on her memory of meeting Epstein: "He seemed to be in his 40s."
Kate on Maxwell: "She said 'This is the girl that I told you about'" and "that I was strangely strong for my size."
Asked what her size was, she responds she was about 95 lbs.
"She said, 'Why don't you give his feet a little squeeze to show him how strong you are?"
She says she did.
"Kate" says that Epstein's massage therapist canceled and Maxwell asked if she could fill in.
Q: Were you a massage therapist at the time?
A (faintly): No.
Maxwell's lawyer: "Objection. Sustained."
(Correcting herself)
"Objection. Leading."
Judge Nathan: I'll allow it.
Q: What was Epstein wearing under the robe?
A: He was naked.
She says that Maxwell gave her massage oil and then closed the door.
Q: During the massage, did Epstein initiate sexual contact with you?
A: Yes.
(Per court's ruling, she can't describe details.)
Kate recalls Maxwell asking her "How'd it go?" and "Did you have fun?"
Q: What was Epstein wearing?
A: He was naked.
Asked where Maxwell was, she replied she was in the doorway.
Then came another massage and sex act.
Q: What if anything did Maxwell say to you after the massage?
She says Maxwell told her "Did you have fun?" and "You're such a good girl."
Kate: "She sounded really pleased, and I was pleased that she was pleased."
Asked whether Maxwell brought up sexual topics, Kate says: She would talk a lot about the nature of, she would say, "boys'" and use a euphemism for a penis.
She says Maxwell asked if there was anyone who could give Epstein a bl*w job because it was a lot of work for her to do.
Kate: "You know what he likes. Cute, young, pretty—like you."
"Kate" on Maxwell: "She said that she was friends with Prince Andrew, friends with Donald Trump," friends with "lots of famous people."
"Kate" said Maxwell gave her a gift for her 18th birthday, after the sexual contact with Epstein:
"I received a small, black Prada handbag."
(Prosecutors have long described the gifts as part of Maxwell's "grooming" process.)
Connecting to one of the evidentiary issues described during pre-trial proceedings:
Q: What were you given to wear?
A: I was given a schoolgirl outfit.
"Kate" describes it as a short pleated skirt, white socks, white panties and a shirt.
This happened in Palm Beach, she says.
Q: Why did you put on the schoolgirl outfit?
A: I didn't know how to say no to that. I didn't know anybody in Florida. I had never been to Palm Beach or Florida before. I wasn't sure if I said no if I would have to leave or what consequence there would be for not doing it.
Q: Did Epstein engage in a sex act with you?
A (softly): Yes.
(Details of sexual contact are not being elicited pursuant to court order.)
"Kate": "She asked me if I had fun and told me I was such a good girl and told me I was one of his favorites."
"Kate" is being asked about going to Epstein's island, saying he called it "Little St. Jeff."
She was in her early 20s at the time, she said.
[Extra Details c/o Adam Klasfeld]
The second week of Ghislaine Maxwell's sex trafficking trial will begin shortly. The first week ended with prosecutors hauling Jeffrey Epstein's massage table into court. Photos: https://archive.md/zjJcI
From Friday's testimony by Gregory Parkinson, ex-crime scene manager from the Palm Beach PD:
Q. Is this the green massage table that you remember seizing from 358 El Brillo Way on October 20, 2005? A. True.
The judge says the next anticipated witness is "Kate," who is one of the witnesses against Maxwell. The defense says that she was over the age of consent, and there are arguments as to the scope of her testimony.
Judge Nathan said she will tell the jury: "I instruct you that the witness is not a victim of the crimes charged in the indictment."
(So, though 'Kate' was one of four accusers, I am referring her to a witness here.)
Judge Nathan orders redacting the photographs on the wall of Epstein's massage room. She will also exclude photographs of vibrators of various sizes, which she says have "little if any relevance" and could "confuse" the jury.
The schoolgirl outfits may be able to come in if the witness connects them to the permissible time frame of the indictment.
(Explainer as to some of the admissibility questions: The search of Epstein's Palm Beach house was in 2005, after the time period of the indictment.
The allegations of the indictment end in 2004.
Maxwell's defense team has made admissibility arguments on that basis.)
As to the vibrators ruling, the juror was allowed to see similar pieces of evidence.
The jury enters.
Judge Nathan informs them that the parties agreed to stipulate to the remaining testimony of Sgt. Dawson, the final witness from last week.
Judge Nathan instructs the jury that "Kate" is not a victim of the crimes charged in the indictment, and the government has been instructed not to testify about the details of any sexual contact with Epstein.
Direct examination begins:
Q: "Kate," do you recognize that?
A: Yes.
Asked what it is, she replies: "It's my driver's license."
Submitted under seal and shown to the jury.
Kate: "I had been dating a man, and we had taken a trip to Paris."
She says she met Maxwell there. She says she was approximately 17 years old.
"We spoke about the evening and where we were headed to, out for the evening. We spoke about where I lived."
"Kate" says Maxwell invited her to tea at her house.
"She seemed very exciting. She seemed to be everything I wanted to be," she says. "Kate" recalls photographs of a slightly older man with "peppered hair," "greying hair."
It was Jeffrey Epstein, she says. Kate: "I had a really lovely time, and I felt special. And I felt..."
(Deep exhale)
"—that I found a new connection that could be very meaningful for me."
Kate: "I left there feeling exhilarated," like someone wanted to be her friend.
Kate quoting Maxwell and Epstein: "She said that he was a philanthropist and that he liked to help young people."
"Kate": "She said that I was exactly the kind of person that he would help."
She says she was 17 and that she was "lonely" and "hadn't found a group of friends yet."
Q: Did there come a time when you met Epstein?
A: Yes.
Kate on her memory of meeting Epstein: "He seemed to be in his 40s."
Kate on Maxwell: "She said 'This is the girl that I told you about'" and "that I was strangely strong for my size."
Asked what her size was, she responds she was about 95 lbs.
"She said, 'Why don't you give his feet a little squeeze to show him how strong you are?"
She says she did.
"Kate" says that Epstein's massage therapist canceled and Maxwell asked if she could fill in.
Q: Were you a massage therapist at the time?
A (faintly): No.
Maxwell's lawyer: "Objection. Sustained."
(Correcting herself)
"Objection. Leading."
Judge Nathan: I'll allow it.
Q: What was Epstein wearing under the robe?
A: He was naked.
She says that Maxwell gave her massage oil and then closed the door.
Q: During the massage, did Epstein initiate sexual contact with you?
A: Yes.
(Per court's ruling, she can't describe details.)
Kate recalls Maxwell asking her "How'd it go?" and "Did you have fun?"
Q: What was Epstein wearing?
A: He was naked.
Asked where Maxwell was, she replied she was in the doorway.
Then came another massage and sex act.
Q: What if anything did Maxwell say to you after the massage?
She says Maxwell told her "Did you have fun?" and "You're such a good girl."
Kate: "She sounded really pleased, and I was pleased that she was pleased."
Asked whether Maxwell brought up sexual topics, Kate says: She would talk a lot about the nature of, she would say, "boys'" and use a euphemism for a penis.
She says Maxwell asked if there was anyone who could give Epstein a bl*w job because it was a lot of work for her to do.
Kate: "You know what he likes. Cute, young, pretty—like you."
"Kate" on Maxwell: "She said that she was friends with Prince Andrew, friends with Donald Trump," friends with "lots of famous people."
"Kate" said Maxwell gave her a gift for her 18th birthday, after the sexual contact with Epstein:
"I received a small, black Prada handbag." (Prosecutors have long described the gifts as part of Maxwell's "grooming" process.) Connecting to one of the evidentiary issues described during pre-trial proceedings:
Q: What were you given to wear?
A: I was given a schoolgirl outfit.
"Kate" describes it as a short pleated skirt, white socks, white panties and a shirt.
This happened in Palm Beach, she says.
Q: Why did you put on the schoolgirl outfit?
A: I didn't know how to say no to that. I didn't know anybody in Florida. I had never been to Palm Beach or Florida before. I wasn't sure if I said no if I would have to leave or what consequence there would be for not doing it.
Q: Did Epstein engage in a sex act with you?
A (softly): Yes.
(Details of sexual contact are not being elicited pursuant to court order.)
"Kate": "She asked me if I had fun and told me I was such a good girl and told me I was one of his favorites."
"Kate" is being asked about going to Epstein's island, saying he called it "Little St. Jeff."
She was in her early 20s at the time, she said.
[Extra Details c/o Adam Klasfeld]
The second week of Ghislaine Maxwell's sex trafficking trial will begin shortly. The first week ended with prosecutors hauling Jeffrey Epstein's massage table into court. Photos: https://archive.md/zjJcI
From Friday's testimony by Gregory Parkinson, ex-crime scene manager from the Palm Beach PD:
Q. Is this the green massage table that you remember seizing from 358 El Brillo Way on October 20, 2005? A. True.
The judge says the next anticipated witness is "Kate," who is one of the witnesses against Maxwell. The defense says that she was over the age of consent, and there are arguments as to the scope of her testimony.
Judge Nathan said she will tell the jury: "I instruct you that the witness is not a victim of the crimes charged in the indictment."
(So, though 'Kate' was one of four accusers, I am referring her to a witness here.)
Judge Nathan orders redacting the photographs on the wall of Epstein's massage room. She will also exclude photographs of vibrators of various sizes, which she says have "little if any relevance" and could "confuse" the jury.
The schoolgirl outfits may be able to come in if the witness connects them to the permissible time frame of the indictment.
(Explainer as to some of the admissibility questions: The search of Epstein's Palm Beach house was in 2005, after the time period of the indictment.
The allegations of the indictment end in 2004.
Maxwell's defense team has made admissibility arguments on that basis.)
As to the vibrators ruling, the juror was allowed to see similar pieces of evidence.
The jury enters.
Judge Nathan informs them that the parties agreed to stipulate to the remaining testimony of Sgt. Dawson, the final witness from last week.
Judge Nathan instructs the jury that "Kate" is not a victim of the crimes charged in the indictment, and the government has been instructed not to testify about the details of any sexual contact with Epstein.
Direct examination begins:
Q: "Kate," do you recognize that?
A: Yes.
Asked what it is, she replies: "It's my driver's license."
Submitted under seal and shown to the jury.
Kate: "I had been dating a man, and we had taken a trip to Paris."
She says she met Maxwell there. She says she was approximately 17 years old.
"We spoke about the evening and where we were headed to, out for the evening. We spoke about where I lived."
[Extra Details c/o Adam Klasfeld]
The second week of Ghislaine Maxwell's sex trafficking trial will begin shortly. The first week ended with prosecutors hauling Jeffrey Epstein's massage table into court. Photos: https://archive.md/zjJcI
From Friday's testimony by Gregory Parkinson, ex-crime scene manager from the Palm Beach PD:
Q. Is this the green massage table that you remember seizing from 358 El Brillo Way on October 20, 2005? A. True.
The judge says the next anticipated witness is "Kate," who is one of the witnesses against Maxwell. The defense says that she was over the age of consent, and there are arguments as to the scope of her testimony.
Judge Nathan said she will tell the jury: "I instruct you that the witness is not a victim of the crimes charged in the indictment."
(So, though 'Kate' was one of four accusers, I am referring her to a witness here.)
Judge Nathan orders redacting the photographs on the wall of Epstein's massage room. She will also exclude photographs of vibrators of various sizes, which she says have "little if any relevance" and could "confuse" the jury.
The schoolgirl outfits may be able to come in if the witness connects them to the permissible time frame of the indictment.