Ghislaine Maxwell trial LIVE – Jeffrey Epstein’s ‘madam’ is a ‘very sick woman who enjoyed abuse,’ victim claims
ONE of Ghislaine Maxwell's alleged victims says the British socialite is a "very sick woman."
Sarah Ransome said she saw “the enjoyment in [Maxwell's] face” as she allegedly "orchestrated" the assaults.
Ransome told CBS correspondent Holly Williams that Maxwell was "the engineer."
"I think Ghislaine is a very sick woman," said Ransome. "Ghislaine enjoyed humiliating us."
The alleged victim has been present at Maxwell's trial in New York, which began last week.
Ransome published a book that details her allegations against Maxwell and Jeffrey Epstein, entitled, Silenced No More: Surviving My Journey to Hell and Back.
Read our Ghislaine Maxwell live blog for the latest news and updates...
'KATE' TESTIFIES
A woman using the name "Kate" for the trial took the stand today.
“Kate” works with women who are victims of trauma.
She was previously a musician and singer.
She said she met Ghislaine Maxwell in Paris while on a trip with a boyfriend when she was around 17 years old.
MYSTERY OF EPSTEIN'S MONEY
Mystery continues to loom over how Epstein made a lot of his money - with the financier believed to have been worth around $577million when he died.
He took many secrets of his business dealings to the grave, but throughout the trial, more details about his money could emerge.
Epstein Victims’ Compensation Program has awarded a total of $125million to 135 victims.
And Maxwell's lawyers may attempt to undermine their credibility by claiming they are simply after more cash.
MYSTERY OF ‘HIDDEN CAMERAS’ AT EPSTEIN HOME
It has long been reported and rumored that Epstein and Maxwell had a complex networks of cameras and recording devices.
The multi-millionaire is alleged to have had these set up at his many homes around the world, and it's speculated it could have been part of a blackmail plot.
However, the existence of any footage from these cameras has never emerged.
Details about this could emerge during the court case as part of victim's testimony, with alleged victim Annie Farmer's sister Maria making such claims.
Maria is not part of the case against Maxwell, but also alleges she was abused by the duo.
Farmer claims large rooms at Epstein's sprawling Zorro Ranch were for housing computers and video equipment for a surveillance network.
TRIAL RESUMES TODAY
The first witness of the week in the Ghislaine Maxwell trial is expected to be Michael Dawson.
Mr Dawson was the final witness to testify last week, according to The Independent.
He is a Palm Beach police sergeant who took part in a search of a Florida estate owned by Jeffrey Epstein in October 2005.
WHO IS SCOTT BORGERSON?
Scott Borgerson is the CEO of CargoMetrics.
He lives in a £2.3million ocean-front mansion in Massachusetts, and his company was valued at $100million in 2020.
He has been linked to Ghislaine Maxwell, and it is alleged that he is the British socialite’s “secret” husband.
However, Borgerson has repeatedly denied the allegations, claiming that him and Maxwell are just old friends.
IS GHISLAINE MAXWELL MARRIED? CONTINUED
Maxwell later told the court she had tried to file for a divorce before her arrest so her husband wouldn’t suffer from “being associated with her.”
Borgerson has always denied his relationship with Maxwell, claiming the two are just old friends.
Borgerson proposed to put forth most of Maxwell’s bail money, which was denied by a judge, who ruled that the multi-million package was enough evidence to prove she could flee the country.
IS GHISLAINE MAXWELL MARRIED?
Yes. However, prosecutors allege that she is continuing to conceal who she is married to.
Evidence points to her husband being millionaire tech company CEO Scott Borgerson.
Manhattan prosecutors have accused the British socialite of trying to hide her wealth.
Assistant US Attorney Alison Moe told Manhattan federal Judge Alison Nathan:
“The defendant also makes no mention whatsoever about the financial circumstances or assets of her spouse, whose identity she declined to provide to Pretrial Services.”
DOES GHISLAINE MAXWELL HAVE KIDS?
Ghislaine Maxwell does not have any children of her own, but is reportedly the stepmother to her husband’s children from his first marriage.
According to reports, Maxwell secretly wed tech millionaire Scott Borgerson in 2016.
Maxwell’s own family didn’t know about the wedding until her bail hearing, according to her brother, Ian.
EPSTEIN'S PROPERTY EMPIRE
Epstein's real estate catalog included Little St James, his private island in the US Virgin Islands, worth about £50 million.
Epstein also owned the £14 million neighbouring island, Great St James, as well a £12 million mansion in Florida.
Other properties included an 8,000-acre, £21 million ranch in New Mexico, a £10 million Paris apartment, and a £57 million seven-storey townhouse on New York's Upper East Side.
EPSTEIN'S AIRCRAFT FLEET
Epstein’s aircraft fleet included a Hawker Siddeley 125, a Gulfstream G2B and a helicopter.
There was also a Boeing 727, which is more than 130ft long, that was dubbed the “Lolita Express” amid claims he used it to fly underage girls around the world.
That plane was fitted with an office dubbed “the red room” because of its furniture, a master bedroom with a queen-sized bed, a lounge area with a huge round sofa, plus a “full decked-out” kitchen.
WHO FLEW ON THE ‘LOLITA EXPRESS’? PART TWO
Hollywood actor Kevin Spacey flew to Africa on the Lolita Express in 2002 as part of a project to raise awareness on the Aids crisis and poverty.
Comedian Chris Tucker was also part of the group, including Clinton and Spacey, who flew to Africa on a five-day humanitarian trip in 2002.
Flight logs reveal that Naomi Campbell also travelled on Epstein’s plane in 2002.
Epstein’s lawyer Alan Dershowitz took trips on the jet in the late 1990s, flight records show.
WHO FLEW ON THE ‘LOLITA EXPRESS’?
Former Epstein pilot Lawrence Visoski testified that former President Donald Trump was aboard Epstein’s distinctive Gulf Stream plane.
The Sun reported in 2019 that Prince Andrew flew on a private jet with Epstein and his alleged 17-year-old sex slave Virginia Roberts.
Brit socialite Ghislaine Maxwell travelled on the Lolita Express on a number of occasions, flight logs show.
According to flight logs obtained by Fox News in 2016, former US president Bill Clinton was a passenger on the jet.
WHAT WAS THE ‘LOLITA EXPRESS’?
Jeffrey Epstein was alleged to have used the plane to court underage girls and fly them between his residences across the US.
The luxury Boeing 727 aircraft was owned by Epstein, though what exactly happened on the flights remains a close guarded secret.
Victims of Epstein say he organised orgies on board the three-engine commercial jet.
The luxury aircraft boasted deluxe furnishings, a spacious galley, expansive cabin lounge and a master bedroom.
The pilot of the plane reportedly undertook around 1,000 flights during his time flying Epstein and others.
THE CHARGES
The exact charges against Maxwell are:
- Conspiracy to entice minors to travel to engage in illegal sex acts
- Enticement of a minor to travel to engage in illegal sex acts
- Conspiracy to transport minors with intent to engage in criminal sexual activity
- Transportation of a minor with intent to engage in criminal sexual activity
- Sex trafficking conspiracy
- Sex trafficking of a minor
She also faces two other charges of perjury over allegations she lied in a deposition in a separate civil suit, but these will be tried separately.
She has pleaded not guilty to all charges against her.
MAXWELL DENIES ALL CHARGES
Prosecutors argue Maxwell "served up" young girls to Epstein as part of a pyramid scheme of abuse.
She is accused of recruiting girls as young as 14 after promising them "the world."
She would allegedly walk the victims into Epstein's lair and then watch as he molested them - and sometimes even joined in.
However, her lawyers deny all charges against her, argue she is being made a "scapegoat" for Epstein's crimes, and have painted the alleged victims as in it for the cash.
HOW LONG COULD MAXWELL FACE IN PRISON?
If convicted on all counts, Maxwell could face up to 80 years in prison.
Depending on how the trial goes and whether she is convicted, she could spend the rest of her life behind bars.
WHERE IS GHISLAINE MAXWELL NOW?
She has been detained since July 2020 at a Brooklyn detention centre, where she has complained about her alleged ill-treatment.
Her trial begins today, November 29, 2021.
She has been charged with six counts of sex trafficking and perjury in relation to her relationship with pedophile financier Epstein.
WHERE IS GHISLAINE MAXWELL FROM?
She was born in 1961, in Maisons Laffitte, France, and is the youngest child of disgraced media tycoon and British publisher Robert Maxwell.
She fled to France to avoid questioning in the US by the FBI over her links to the late disgraced billionaire, Jeffrey Epstein.
WHO IS GHISLAINE MAXWELL?
Maxwell is the former girlfriend of notorious pedophile Jeffrey Epstein.
She was arrested by the FBI in July 2020 in Bedford, New Hampshire.
Maxwell is accused of having a role in Epstein's sex trafficking ring of underage girls.
‘JANE’S’ TESTIMONY, PART TWO
Jane previously told how the British socialite was "in the room" when much of the abuse occurred - including when she was just 14.
She repeatedly said she could either not recall or claimed there were errors in the initial transcription of her comments when speaking to prosecutors in 2019.
It appears a key part of Maxwell's defense lawyer's strategy is attempting to suggest the victim's memories have changed over time.
'JANE'S' TESTIMONY
Maxwell's first accuser "Jane" took the stand on Wednesday on day three of the trial.
She claimed Maxwell fondled her as Epstein pleasured himself before the twisted financier abused her with sex toys.
Jane also told the court that an "orgy" took place in the mansion's massage room on multiple occasions and both Maxwell and Epstein allegedly took part.
ALLEGED VICTIM MET TRUMP AT MAR-A-LAGO
Jeffrey Epstein introduced a 14-year-old alleged sex abuse victim to Donald Trump at his Mar-a-Lago resort, Ghislaine Maxwell’s trial heard this week.
The court was also told she once participated in a beauty pageant sponsored by the former president.
Maxwell’s first accuser – who appeared under the pseudonym “Jane” – took the stand during the ongoing trial in New York.
During cross examination, she was asked by Maxwell’s lawyers if Epstein had ever introduced her to Trump.
She agreed she had and claims she was driven to Mar-a-Lago by Epstein in a dark green car when she was 14.
WHAT IS THE ‘LITTLE BLACK BOOK’?
Prosecutors allege that an address book containing the contact information of the alleged victims belonged to Maxwell, and that she and Epstein used it.
The court will hear testimony about the book from a former employee at Epstein’s Palm Beach mansion.
The judge said after hearing the testimony, she will then decide if the jury can see any of the book.
DEFENSE HAS ACCUSED ALLEGED VICTIM OF LYING FOR CASH
Maxwell has previously claimed that one alleged victim, Annie Farmer, fabricated her accusations because she wanted money.
One of Maxwell’s lawyers wrote: “The fact that plaintiff seeks money from the estate and from Ms Maxwell in the millions of dollars at the same time she is a government witness in an upcoming criminal trial on the same topic is reason enough to suspect that her newly asserted memories of abuse without corroboration are not based on the truth or a desire for ‘justice’, so much as her desire for cash.”
PHOTOS OF VIRGINIA GIUFFRE
Epstein's pilot told jurors Virginia "didn't look young."
Epstein's ex-house manger Juan Alessi said she "looked young."