Bill Clinton, former president of the United States, and Prince Andrew of the United Kingdom have been mentioned in court documents related to financier and sexual abuser Jeffrey Epstein. A federal judge in New York has ordered the release of the files in connection with a lawsuit involving Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein’s former partner. Maxwell is currently serving a 20-year prison sentence for crimes she committed with Epstein. The BBC is currently reviewing the 943-page documents, which were made public on Wednesday night. Some of those named are accused of crimes, while others on the list are making accusations or are potential witnesses. When ordering the release of the list, Judge Loretta Preska stated that many of those mentioned in the lawsuit had already been identified by the media or in Maxwell’s criminal trial. She added that many others did not oppose the publication of the documents.
Prince Andrew
The documentation includes references to Johanna Sjoberg, who claimed that Prince Andrew groped her breast while she was sitting on a couch inside Epstein’s apartment in Manhattan in 2001. Buckingham Palace has previously stated that her accusations are «categorically false.» In a previously released statement, Sjoberg alleged that Prince Andrew placed his hand on her breast to pose for a photograph at Epstein’s mansion in New York alongside another accuser, Virginia Giuffre, and a doll that said «Prince Andrew» on it. In 2022, the British royalty paid millions to Giuffre to settle a lawsuit she filed alleging that he sexually abused her when she was 17 years old. Prince Andrew stated that he had never met Giuffre and denied her accusations.
Bill Clinton
The court documents also mention former President Clinton. When contacted for comment, his representatives referred to a statement he issued in 2019 stating that he «knows nothing» about Epstein’s crimes. According to the files, Sjoberg testified that Epstein once told her that Clinton «likes young girls,» referring to women. Clinton had an affair with a 22-year-old intern at the White House while he was president of the United States. The documents include Maxwell’s testimony, confirming that Clinton traveled on Epstein’s private jet, but she does not know how many times. Clinton used Epstein’s plane on humanitarian trips to Africa in the early 2000s and at the time praised Epstein as a committed philanthropist, although he said he later cut ties with him. Clinton’s 2019 statement said that on his trips aboard Epstein’s plane, he was accompanied by staff and supporters of his charitable organization, the Clinton Foundation. Epstein and Maxwell were arrested on charges of leading a sex trafficking ring. «His Secret Service details traveled on every leg of every trip,» his statement added. The court documents include a section in which Maxwell’s lawyer seeks to discredit a media report that shortly after leaving office, Clinton traveled to Epstein’s private island in the Caribbean. Maxwell’s lawyer said that the former US president «did not travel to or be present on Little St. James Island between January 1, 2001, and January 1, 2003.» The lawyer added that if the claim were true, Secret Service agents would have had to produce travel records.
Donald Trump
The document also includes Sjoberg’s testimony stating that Epstein told her he would contact Donald Trump on his way to one of his casinos in New Jersey. «Jeffrey said, ‘Great, we’ll call Trump,'» she testified, after the pilots said their plane could not land in New York and would have to stop in Atlantic City, New Jersey. The documents do not contain references to any alleged crimes by Trump. At one point in the testimony, Sjoberg is asked if she ever gave Trump a massage, and she responds, «No.»
Other names
Sjoberg also stated that she met musician Michael Jackson and magician David Copperfield through Epstein, although she did not allege any wrongdoing on their part. French modeling agent Jean-Luc Brunel, who committed suicide in a Paris jail in 2022 while awaiting rape charges, is also mentioned multiple times. In her statement, Giuffre says she was forced to have sex with prominent figures, including former New Mexico governor Bill Richardson. Before his death last year, Richardson denied knowing Giuffre and was not charged with any crimes.
«The Boss» Maxwell
Alfredo Rodriguez, a household employee responsible for Epstein’s security, described Maxwell as «the boss» in his testimony, according to court records. Rodriguez, who died in 2015, was asked to carry cash at all times to give to high school girls and those they were helping recruit for Epstein, the documents say. Epstein died in jail in 2019. The New York medical examiner ruled his death, while awaiting federal charges of sex trafficking, a suicide. Maxwell, the daughter of publishing magnate Robert Maxwell, is currently serving a 20-year prison sentence for her role as Epstein’s recruiter. Her lawyers have appealed the sentence. Maxwell’s lawyers said in a statement quoted by CNN on Wednesday, «She has consistently and vehemently maintained her innocence.»
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