Release of Epstein records puts Maxwell under fresh scrutiny amid her claims of innocence

NEW YORK — Days after Ghislaine Maxwell asked a judge to free her from a 20-year prison sentence, the public release of grand jury transcripts from her sex trafficking case returned the spotlight to victims whose allegations helped land her behind bars.

The disclosure of the transcripts as part of the Justice Department's ongoing release of its investigative files on Maxwell and the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein exposed how an FBI agent told grand jurors about Maxwell's critical role in Epstein's decades-long sexual abuse of girls and young women.

Maxwell, a British socialite and publishing heir, was convicted of sex trafficking in December 2021 after four women told a federal jury in New York City about how she and Epstein abused them in the 1990s and early 2000s. Epstein never went to trial. He was arrested in July 2019 on sex trafficking charges and killed himself a month later in his cell at a Manhattan federal jail.

Two weeks ago, as the Justice Department prepared to begin releasing what are commonly known as the Epstein files, Maxwell filed a habeas petition, asking a federal judge to free her on grounds that "substantial new evidence" emerged proving that constitutional violations spoiled her trial.

Maxwell claimed exonerating information was withheld and that witnesses lied in their testimony. She filed the petition on her own, without the assistance of a lawyer.

The judge, Paul A. Engelmayer, scolded Maxwell for failing to remove victim names and other identifying information from her court papers. He said future filings must be kept sealed and out of public view until they're reviewed and redacted to protect victims' identities.

Victims fear pardon

Epstein accuser Danielle Bensky said the release of records only sharpened the focus on Maxwell's crimes among their victims. Bensky 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."

"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.

Bensky said Epstein abused her two decades ago. She said Maxwell never personally abused her. 

Delayed, redacted files

The transcripts of grand jury proceedings that resulted in Maxwell's indictment were released this week in accordance with the Epstein Files Transparency Act, a law enacted last month after months of public and political pressure.

The Justice Department has been periodically posting records after acknowledging it would miss last Friday's congressionally mandated deadline to release all records. 

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On Wednesday, the department said it may need a "few more weeks" to release the full trove after suddenly discovering more than a million potentially relevant documents. Department officials suggested months ago they already accounted for the vast universe of Epstein-related materials.

Some of the Epstein and Maxwell grand jury records were initially released with heavy redactions — A 119-page document marked "Grand Jury-NY" — was entirely blacked out. Updated versions were posted over the weekend.

FBI agent testifies

An FBI agent's grand jury testimony, describing interviews conducted with Epstein victims, foreshadowed 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 woman who described meeting Maxwell and Epstein as a 14-year-old attending 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.

According to the agent, whose name was redacted from the transcript, 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, money and trips to the movies. 

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.'"

After the girl revealed 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, relaying the girl's account. Maxwell's attitude during the encounters was "very casual; she acted like this was normal," the agent said.

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