Ghislaine Maxwell’s criminal sex trafficking trial resumed Tuesday with Lawrence Paul Visoski, Jeffrey Epstein’s longtime private pilot, back on the stand.
Visoski, the government’s first witness, testified about the layout of Epstein’s New York and Paris properties. He also gave details about Epstein’s private Caribbean island, Little St. James, which locals nicknamed “Pedophile Island.”
The pilot then testified about the Boeing 727 he used to shuttle the disgraced New York financier and his guests between 2000 and 2004, calling it a “recreational vehicle.” The plane was dubbed by the media as the “Lolita Express.”
Under cross-examination, Visoski said he never saw underage girls on the plane performing sex acts, nor did he see any of the alleged young victims without their parents.
“I never saw any sexual activity, no,” Visoski told defense attorney Christian Everdell, who quizzed the pilot about the 1,000 or so flights he piloted.
On Monday, Visoski told jurors he interacted with Maxwell frequently and described the relationship between the defendant and the late felon as “more personal than business.”
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The pilot, who worked for Epstein from 1991 to 2019, testified that Maxwell oversaw Epstein’s households and that he frequently shuttled the pair and their guests between Epstein’s other properties across the world.
“She was on a lot of the flights,” he said.
Some of the high-profile figures Visoski allegedly shuttled included former U.S. Presidents Bill Clinton and Donald Trump, as well as the United Kingdom’s Prince Andrew.
Visoski added that Epstein and Maxwell didn’t flaunt a romantic relationship (he had never seen them kiss or hold hands) but described the duo as “couple-ish.”
His testimony followed the defense’s opening arguments, during which attorney Bobbi Sternheim claimed the British socialite was a victim and scapegoat for Epstein’s crimes, and at one point even used the Bible to make her case.
“Ever since Eve was accused of tempting Adam with the apple, women had been blamed for the bad behavior of men, and women are often villainized and punished more than the men ever are,” Sternheim said. “The charges against Ghislaine Maxwell are for things that Jeffrey Epstein did.”
The prosecution painted a very different picture.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Lara Pomerantz told jurors that Maxwell and Epstein were “partners in crime” and worked together to entice girls as young as 14 to engage in “so-called massages” that led to sexual abuse and exploitation. Pomerantz said Maxwell sought vulnerable victims and normalized the abuse by showering them with money, gifts, and housing. She would also take the teenagers shopping and ask them about their lives, school, and families.
“She was in on it from the start,” Pomerantz said of the abuse, which prosecutors said lasted more than a decade.
Even after Maxwell and Epstein stopped being romantically involved, the duo “remained the best of friends,” Pomerantz said.
Maxwell is accused of helping Epstein recruit, groom, and sexually abuse young women.
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The 59-year-old daughter of the late British media mogul Robert Maxwell faces six counts of trafficking-related charges, including enticing minors to travel to engage in illegal sex acts. She is also accused of conspiracy, including using one of Epstein’s alleged victims to recruit other girls to participate in “paid sex acts with Epstein.” She’s also charged with perjury for allegedly lying under oath during depositions in a civil lawsuit against her.
Maxwell has vehemently denied the accusations against her. If convicted, she could spend decades behind bars.
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Epstein killed himself in a Manhattan prison in August 2019, a month after he was arrested on sex trafficking charges.
Authorities arrested Maxwell in July 2020 in her New Hampshire estate.
