In a move that has reignited scrutiny over the Epstein case, the Justice Department released grand jury transcripts that detail Ghislaine Maxwell’s involvement in the sexual abuse of girls and young women. The documents, part of the DOJ’s ongoing release of investigative files on Maxwell and the late Jeffrey Epstein, reveal how an FBI agent informed grand jurors about Maxwell’s critical role in Epstein’s decades-long abuse.
Release of Transcripts
The transcripts were made public days after Maxwell asked a judge to free her from a 20-year prison sentence. They were released under the Epstein Files Transparency Act, a law enacted last month after months of public and political pressure. The Justice Department has been posting records, but it missed the congressionally mandated deadline last Friday and blamed the delay on the time-consuming process of obscuring victims’ names and other identifying information. On Wednesday the department said it may need “a few more weeks” to release the full trove after discovering more than a million potentially relevant documents. Some of the records were initially heavily redacted – a 119-page document marked “Grand Jury-NY” was entirely blacked out. Updated versions were posted over the weekend.
FBI Agent’s Testimony
An FBI agent’s testimony, describing interviews with Epstein victims, foreshadowed the trial testimony a year later from four women who described Maxwell’s role in their sexual abuse from 1994 to 2004. The agent told of a 14-year-old girl who met Maxwell and Epstein at a Michigan summer arts camp in 1994. Flight logs showed Epstein and Maxwell went to the school sponsoring the camp because Epstein was a donor. The agent said the girl had a chance encounter with Epstein and Maxwell one day. After learning that the girl was from Palm Beach, Florida, Epstein mentioned that he sometimes gave scholarships to students and they requested her phone number, the agent said.
Once home, the girl visited Epstein’s estate with her mother for tea and the mother was impressed when Epstein said he provided scholarships, enough so that the mother said Epstein was like a “godfather,” the agent said. The agent said the girl began regularly going to the estate as Epstein and Maxwell “groomed” her with gifts and trips to the movies, and Epstein began paying for voice lessons and giving her money that he said she should give to her struggling mother.
The agent said the girl thought her relationship with Epstein and Maxwell was strange, “but Maxwell normalized it for her. She was like a cool, older sister and made comments like, ‘This is what grownups do.'” Eventually, the agent testified, the girl saw Maxwell topless at the pool. After she revealed that she hoped to be an actor and a model, Epstein told her he was best friends with the owner of Victoria’s Secret and that she’ll have to learn to be comfortable in her underwear and not be a prude, the agent said. Then, the agent said, the girl asked Epstein what he meant by that and the financier pulled her into his lap and masturbated. After that, the agent added, the girl’s encounters with Epstein began to include sexual contact, particularly in his massage room.
Maxwell was sometimes there with other girls, the agent said. One of the girls would begin massaging Epstein and Maxwell would tease the girls, the agent said. “She’d grab the girl’s breasts, and she would direct the girls on what to do,” the agent said. Maxwell’s attitude during the encounters was “very casual; she acted like this was normal,” the agent said. The released testimony appeared to reflect the testimony at Maxwell’s 2021 trial by a woman who testified under the pseudonym “Jane.” At trial, Jane said Maxwell also participated in group sessions between multiple females and Epstein that usually began with Epstein or Maxwell leading them all into a bedroom or a massage room at the Palm Beach residence.
Victim Reactions
Days after the transcripts were released, victims have voiced renewed anger. Danielle Bensky, an Epstein accuser, said the release of records has only sharpened the focus on Maxwell’s crimes among their victims. She said she’s been involved in daily discussions with about two dozen other victims that make clear Maxwell “is a criminal who was 1,000% engaged in sexual acts.” Bensky added, “I’ve heard things that would make your blood curdle. I just had a conversation with a survivor last night who said she was the puppeteer.” Bensky said she was sexually abused by Epstein two decades ago. She said she was never personally abused by Maxwell.
Key Takeaways
- Grand jury transcripts reveal Maxwell’s central role in Epstein’s abuse, as described by an FBI agent.
- Victims, led by Danielle Bensky, emphasize that Maxwell’s conduct was extreme and pervasive.
- The Justice Department’s release of the files is delayed and heavily redacted, with more documents expected in the coming weeks.
The release of the transcripts has reignited scrutiny over Maxwell’s conviction and the handling of the Epstein case, while the judge’s admonition to keep future filings sealed underscores the sensitivity of the victims’ identities.
