Epstein and Maxwell: trafficking
I’ve seen many comments around the blogosphere to the effect of this: “Ghislaine Maxwell was convicted of trafficking. So of course other clients were serviced in addition to Epstein.”
However, that’s a misunderstanding of the case. As I read it, as far as I can tell, the only client involved in the verdict was Epstein himself.
Here’s the legal document:
Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced that GHISLANE MAXWELL was sentenced today in Manhattan federal court by United States Circuit Judge Alison J. Nathan to 240 months in prison for her role in a scheme to sexual exploit and abuse multiple minor girls with Jeffrey Epstein over the course of a decade. MAXWELL was previously found guilty on December 29, 2021, following a one-month jury trial, of conspiracy to entice minors to travel to engage in illegal sex acts, conspiracy to transport minors to participate in illegal sex acts, transporting a minor to participate in illegal sex acts, sex trafficking conspiracy, and sex trafficking of a minor. …
In the later phase, from approximately 2001 until at least approximately 2004, MAXWELL and Epstein enticed and recruited, and caused to be enticed and recruited, minor girls to visit Epstein’s Palm Beach Residence to engage in sex acts with Epstein, after which Epstein, MAXWELL, or another employee of Epstein’s would give the victims hundreds of dollars in cash. MAXWELL and Epstein encouraged one or more of those victims to travel with Epstein with the intention that the victim engage in sex acts with Epstein. Moreover, and in order to maintain and increase his supply of victims, MAXWELL and Epstein also paid certain victims to recruit additional girls to be similarly abused by Epstein. In this way, MAXWELL and Epstein created a network of underage victims for Epstein to sexually exploit.
You’ll find more at the link, but it’s all in that vein: Epstein, Epstein, Epstein.
The evidence against “clients” other than Epstein rests on the testimony of 2 women, one a proven liar (Giuffre), who sued in civil court to get lots of money mostly through settlements (like the one with Prince Andrew). Alan Dershowitz – who was one of the accused – fought back and won. I’ve written about this several times on the blog – for example, see these posts.
Now, it’s certainly possible there were such other clients, but I’ve seen no convincing evidence of it. Maxwell was convicted of trafficking, procuring girls who traveled across state lines to have sex with Epstein, not with anyone else. Maxwell is apparently giving testimony in connection with a Congressional investigation, and it’s certainly possible she will talk about other clients. If she does, it will be the equivalent of a jailhouse snitch trying to curry favors – unless, of course, she can come up with evidence other than her own statements. I would never say never about the existence of other clients. But I would have to see something fairly convincing and so far there’s been nothing of the sort.
Ghislaine Maxwell’s word only, without supporting evidence, isn’t going to be worth much to prosecutors.
Do we assume that term client(s) is a loose — that is, not strictly necessary — mode of expression for other individual persons? Is it a legal or juridical term of art, if not a loose or general descriptor?
I am sick and tired of the Epstein-Maxwell story, which the MSM including the WSJ loves, because sex sells. Imprisoning Maxwell for 20 years because she “persuaded” or lured underage girls into sexual activity with others, including Epstein, seems like a prosecutorial romp worthy of NYC DA Alvin Black. Sexual activity by the under-age 18 set is so very routine, as is disgusting vulgarity by the high and mighty like S. Colbert proudly and unreservedly announcing “F**k Trump” on nationwide TV. The charge of “persuading” is so terribly common today that prosecution would take out most media, Hollywood, Los Angeles, Chicago, and the list goes on.
Plus, it would seem Epstein had an unbridled case of satyriasis.
But, but, but Bill Clinton! What about his flights on the Lolita Express!
I’m particularly tired of Jew haters claiming without any evidence that he was a Mossad agent. That he was a triple agent of Mossad, MI6 and the CIA is a popular belief.
I am with Cicero on this. The Trump haters in the democrat party and corporate media (but I repeat myself) are obsessing on this because it gives them a chance to attack Trump and his administration and at the same time, distract from the scandalous and criminal behavior of Obama and his sycophants. All one need do to see the truth of this is to compare the number of stories about each in the media. CNN, MSNBC, ABC, NBC, CBS are practically wall-to-wall about Epstein (unless they are promulgating lies generated by the hamas/palestinian spin machine) and utterly ignoring (when not pooh-poohing) everything related to the Obama cabal’s treachery. What frosts my pumpkin more than anything, though, are those who fancy themselves “ultraMAGA” and harp on it as if it’s the only thing about Trump that’s worth talking about. (The idiot savant Tucker Carlson is preeminent in this group of self-satisfied, pompous blowhards.) They forget or ignore his (and his administration’s) work on border protection, ejection of illegal migrants, the economy and taxes, recovering our manufacturing base, unleashing energy reserves, election integrity, eliminating Iran’s nuclear blackmail threat and I could go on for a few more paragraphs. Trump’s first six months in office have produced more benefits for the American citizenry than any president in my lifetime (and that’s seven decades if you’re curious). The administrations of Obama and his doppelganger puppet Biden did so much damage to our country that the required repairs are monumental in scope and require enormous amounts of effort, not to mention being opposed by the democrats and their catamites in the federal judiciary. So, enough with “the client list” (which in all likelohood never existed) and all things Epstein!
People need to read the “trafficking” statute. “Trafficking”, like “assault”, does not mean what people think it means. Until recently I too thought that “trafficking” implied some kind of customer or client to whom a person was trafficked, but it simply doesn’t.
All it requires is that someone offered something of some kind of value to a minor, so that they would travel for sex. And that’s why none of the testimony in the criminal cases involved anyone but Epstein and Maxwell.
No matter what she says, and has docs to prove it (well, maybe the FBI has them), the Left, Middle and some on the Right will not believe her unless she produces “lists”, especially a list with Trump and other Rep on it.
And I agree with Steve and Cicero. As far as I am concerned, it is a nothing burger
@SHIREHOME:the Left, Middle and some on the Right
The 5% who care about it at all, perhaps.
The problem with providing corroborating evidence is that unless she has evidence stashed outside the US, most of it is probably sitting on a shelf in the FBI building.
I’ve never thought that it really involved other people as predators. The prince paid because his family forced this trying to get him out of the news cycle. While it is fun to think Jeffrey Epstein didn’t kill himself, or Bill Clinton is a big pedophile (or pederast), I don’t think there is a lot of evidence bearing this out.
We should focus on real conspiracies such as Russiagate (is that what we are naming it?).
Forgetting Ghislaine for a moment, sure seems lots of Commissar Judges also don’t want a very short one person list out either.
Thete are people afraid of information getting out.
Apparently Maxwell was never questioned by federal prosecutors until just the other day.
Why do I find this odd??
Shouldn’t they have been interested long ago in what she might reveal?
Supposedly there exists video tapes of some of the activities at the Epstein properties.
During the Biden years there was ZERO interest in anything connected with Epstein. Either the prosecutors then were instructed to forget about all of it (but why?) or they discovered there was nothing of significance.
I will surmise it was the former.
Bill Clinton did not go to Epstein’s fantasy island (the plane boss, the plane !) numerous times just to get a good tan.
And he most likely was not the only guy who went there multiple times.
After the Russia / Putin / Trump hoax, I would not be surprised one bit that the Epstein mess is (was ?) one gigantic cover-up to protect certain individuals.
One thing is for sure; if Biden’s DOJ / FBI / CIA / NSA had the goods on Trump, it would have been revealed in about 15 seconds after Biden was sworn in as president.
And you can bet your house that they were very, very diligent and determined to nail Trump on anything, but alas, there was nothing there; it was a nothing burger.
Speaking of Putin wanting Trump to prevail over Hillary;
Putin’s war on Ukraine is funded by Russian exports of oil. The higher the world price of oil, the more $$$ flows into Russia’s coffers; a huge benefit to Putin.
Trump made no bones about “drill baby drill” and expanding US oil and gas production which would depress the price of oil worldwide. This would be a ‘disservice” to Putin.
Meanwhile, Hillary is a big proponent of the zero carbon, solar and wind energy religious ideology; that is, discouraging domestic oil / gas production, which would cause or maintain world petroleum prices to remain high. Putin would love this.
Only a moron would believe Putin wanted Trump to be president.
The prince paid because his family forced this trying to get him out of the news cycle.
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As far as I can tell, taking her account at face value, she was not coerced and was of age at the times she identified in all the jurisdictions she claims they copulated. Nothing criminal, nothing tortious, just skeevy. Andrew’s account of his conduct when interviewed on British television was sufficiently incredible that your best wager is that he did in fact copulate with her on the occasions named.
or Bill Clinton is a big pedophile (or pederast),
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Epstein’s specialty appears to have been young women just over the age of consent (of which the young Virginia Roberts Giuffre was one example). I think they did find a girl of 14 in his harem, and that was the hook for criminal charges. Virginia Roberts was too old to interest a pedophile and too female to interest a pederast.
I think it’s reasonable to speculate as to who was employing Epstein, and the Mossad is one candidate.
AD sez, “I think it’s reasonable to speculate as to who was employing Epstein, and the Mossad is one candidate.”
AFAIC, non-financial speculation is a fruitless endeavor, and thus a waste of time. Where are the facts? Epstein an agent of Mossad? That is beyond speculation; it is delusional.
he hired it seems every atty, of note, including Roy Black (who died four days ag0) even Ken Starr, as well as Dershowitz, and Lefcourt, the once infant terrible of the Panther’s defense, but most of the wurlitzer like Telemundo through the Apollo Group or the Telegraph through the Barclaysis tied to Epstein through one or two jumps in link analysis,
of course many of the players in epstein’s orbit like hoffenberg have proven to be untrustworthy
Until I’m reading about The Money, or indictments, I’ll consider Epstein news stories as mostly distractions.
I do belief there were other sex clients of Epstein, but they will show up by Following the Money. Tho maybe also some of Maxwell’s accusations, if she makes any.
It might be that a credible accusation is needed in order to do a thorough investigation. Which should have been done long ago.
People love gossip and the Left knows this.