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The third spherical of paperwork from a lawsuit related to Jeffrey Epstein, the convicted pedophile who died in jail earlier than he may face trial on federal sex-trafficking expenses, was publicly launched Friday.
Friday’s launch included over 13 hundred pages as of mid-afternoon, and it follows a whole lot of pages of paperwork already unsealed on Wednesday and Thursday, with extra anticipated.
The unsealed paperwork are a part of a 2015 civil defamation go well with introduced by Virginia Roberts Giuffre, an American girl who claimed Epstein sexually abused her as a minor and that Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein’s former girlfriend, aided within the abuse. The unsealing this week stems from a December 18 courtroom order from the choose overseeing the lawsuit, a response to media’s authorized efforts to publicly launch the paperwork.
The paperwork in complete, together with materials but to be unsealed, are anticipated to incorporate almost 200 names, together with a few of Epstein’s accusers, outstanding businesspeople, politicians and doubtlessly extra.
CNN is reviewing the paperwork.
Well-known buddies and acquaintances
A former Jeffrey Epstein worker recounted a litany of well-known and influential individuals, together with two former presidents, in Epstein’s orbit throughout a 2009 deposition unsealed on Friday.
Juan Alessi informed attorneys that he had dinner with former president Donald Trump within the kitchen of Epstein’s Palm Seashore dwelling and met former president Invoice Clinton on Epstein’s airplane. He additionally mentioned he met Prince Andrew and his ex-wife, Sarah Ferguson, on the Palm Seashore dwelling, based on the deposition.
Alessi additionally mentioned he met overseas magnificence queens and an unnamed winner of a Nobel Prize in Chemistry, based on the doc.
When requested on Wednesday in regards to the look of Clinton’s title in an earlier batch of unsealed paperwork, a Clinton spokesman reiterated a 2019 assertion that Clinton had flown on Epstein’s personal airplane however mentioned Clinton knew nothing of the financier’s “horrible crimes.”
The spokesman mentioned that it has now “been almost 20 years since President Clinton final had contact with Epstein.” Clinton has not been accused of any crimes or wrongdoing associated to Epstein.
Trump has additionally not been accused of any crimes or wrongdoing with regard to Epstein. When requested earlier this week about Trump’s title showing within the newly unsealed paperwork, a Trump spokesman reacted by attacking the media.
Alessi additionally spoke in regards to the younger girls who got here to the home to present Epstein massages.
Alessi answered questions on one feminine whom he understood to be beneath the age of 18. Her title was nonetheless redacted from the unsealed paperwork. Alessi mentioned her mom would often accompany her to Epstein’s dwelling.
When it comes to cost, “everyone received $100 an hour,” Alessi mentioned.
Famed magician and illusionist David Copperfield can also be among the many high-profile males recognized as a pal to Epstein.
Copperfield’s title is talked about throughout deposition testimony launched Friday of considered one of Epstein’s then-employees, Sarah Kellen. A lawyer for the plaintiffs requested about Epstein’s relationship with the illusionist and whether or not they recruit ladies for one another. The lawyer questioned if Copperfield provides tickets to Epstein for younger girls when he’s performing reveals and if the ladies are invited backstage after the reveals.
To all questions, Kellen asserts her Fifth Modification proper and refuses to reply the query.
Copperfield can also be named in a 2016 deposition launched Wednesday by a girl who massaged Epstein for years within the early 2000s. She mentioned she met the illusionist at a dinner at Epstein’s Palm Seashore residence and testified it was her statement the 2 have been buddies.
Johanna Sjoberg testified within the deposition that Copperfield carried out magic tips whereas he was on the Palm Seashore Home and requested her what she knew about Epstein’s strategies for procuring ladies to work for him.
“He questioned me if I used to be conscious that ladies have been getting paid to search out different ladies,” Sjoberg mentioned.
Copperfield didn’t elaborate on the time, Sjoberg mentioned.
She additionally mentioned there was one other woman on the home that “appeared younger” at a dinner that included Copperfield. She recalled pondering on the time that the woman may have been in highschool.
CNN has reached out to representatives for Copperfield for remark.
The title of disgraced film mogul Harvey Weinstein seems in a 2005 handwritten notice left for Epstein as effectively.
The handwritten notice, dated March 1, 2005, seems to be a phone message left for Epstein that Weinstein tried to name Epstein that morning. “She had on the telephone Mr. Harvey Weinstein,” the message reads. It was included amongst almost 200 written telephone messages.
Brad Edwards, Giuffre’s lawyer at one level, wrote a e book titled “Relentless Pursuit: My Struggle for the Victims of Jeffrey Epstein,” launched in 2020, through which he discusses Weinstein’s involvement in Epstein’s world. Edwards wrote that Epstein informed a sufferer he would introduce her to Weinstein. In one other excerpt, Edwards wrote Epstein ended his relationship with Weinstein after he acted too aggressively with considered one of his “favourite ladies.”
There is no such thing as a implication of wrongdoing by Weinstein in connection to Epstein within the paperwork.
CNN has reached out to an legal professional for Weinstein.
Weinstein, 71, stays in jail after being convicted on intercourse crimes expenses in New York and California linked to allegations that he used his affect to lure girls into personal conferences, assault them after which silence any accusations.
A few of the paperwork are unsettling.
In a newly unsealed excerpt from a deposition of accuser Nadia Marcinkova, legal professional David Yarema asks Marcinkova, “Had been you with Jeffrey Epstein on his birthday when considered one of his buddies despatched to him 12 – sorry, three 12-year-olds for the needs of Jeffrey Epstein sexually abusing them?”
He then asks if “these three 12-year-olds have been from France. Had been they despatched to him on his birthday by Jean Luc Brunel or by anyone else?”
Marcinkova invoked the Fifth Modification to that query and all through her deposition, which incorporates a number of still-redacted names.
Brunel, a French modeling scout, died in a jail cell in 2022 whereas beneath investigation by French authorities for his ties to Epstein.
Virginia Giuffre has additionally recounted the story of 12-year-olds being despatched to Epstein in her personal courtroom depositions.
Earlier doc releases included details about Epstein’s associates and accusers, although a lot of the data had beforehand been reported on by numerous media shops or launched via different courtroom proceedings.
Giuffre and Maxwell settled their civil go well with in 2017, however some courtroom paperwork remained sealed till now.
Many of the paperwork from the go well with have been unsealed in 2019 – someday earlier than Epstein died by suicide in jail.
Epstein was indicted in 2019 on federal expenses of working a intercourse trafficking ring through which he allegedly sexually abused dozens of underage ladies.
Epstein died in jail whereas awaiting trial. Prosecutors in New York indicted Maxwell on intercourse trafficking expenses involving a number of victims. She was convicted in 2021.
This story has been up to date with further developments.
Contributing: CNN’s Riley Gutiérrez McDermid, Kara Scannell and Curt Devine.