Day 2 of Ghislaine Maxwell trial: Epstein pilot testifies he flew Prince Andrew, Donald Trump and Bill Clinton
On the second day of the trial of British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell, which took place on Tuesday 30 November in New York City, Jeffrey Epstein’s longtime pilot Larry Visoski was cross-examined by the defence team on specific flights and passengers, following questioning by the prosecution regarding his work and access to Epstein’s properties.
He testified that passengers on the late convicted sex offender’s plane included Bill Clinton, Prince Andrew, Itzhak Perlman, Donald Trump, Chris Tucker, John Glenn, Kevin Spacey, and George Mitchell. Asked to describe Maxwell’s standing in Epstein’s operations, the pilot described her as “the number two.”
“Epstein was the big number one,” he further told the court, as initially reported by the BBC. Visoski also said he never saw either Maxwell or Epstein being inappropriate with a minor in 30 years, although the cockpit door was always kept closed during flights on the plane nicknamed the “Lolita Express.”
Visoski also recalled flying Virginia Roberts Giuffre, who says she was sexually assaulted by Prince Andrew. The Queen’s 61-year-old second son has consistently denied the allegation. Asked if he remembered Giuffre, Visoski said, “Yes. A shorter woman with dirty blonde hair. She didn’t look young. I mean, whatever you decipher is the definition of young. But she was a woman in my category.”
Maxwell, who spent decades rubbing shoulders with British royals and US presidents, is currently facing charges related to her alleged involvement in Epstein’s sex crimes. She is accused of recruiting and grooming underage girls for the late disgraced financier to sexually abuse between 1994 and 2004. On Tuesday, her first accuser who identified only as ‘Jane’, took the stand in the afternoon and testified that Maxwell was in the room when Epstein sexually assaulted her when she was only 14 years old.
In at times graphic testimony, Jane described how she met the couple and was invited into their world, only to be subjected to sexual abuse over a period of years, ruining her self-worth. Cross-examination of the victim’s testimony will continue today, Wednesday 1 December.
In opening statements, prosecutor Lara Pomerantz told jurors at the Manhattan federal court that in the 1990s, Maxwell would procure girls for Epstein via the “ruse” of a massage. In response, Maxwell’s defence said that she was being made a scapegoat because Epstein’s death led her accusers unable to seek justice.
The daughter of the late media mogul Robert Maxwell, the socialite faces the prospect of up to 35 years of jail if she is found guilty. The trial is expected to last six weeks.
