Ghislaine Maxwell has revealed for the first time how she recruited women to massage billionaire paedophile Jeffrey Epstein at his home ‘at least once a day’.
In newly released court papers, the socialite, who introduced Epstein to Prince Andrew, told how she managed Epstein’s six houses around the world and hired ‘lots of people’ – but denied procuring young girls for him to have sex with.
Ms Maxwell said she knew Andrew’s sex-accuser Ms Roberts was 17 when she started massaging Epstein, but said her account about abuse she claims she suffered at the hands of the royal and his paedophile friend was a lie.
Ghislaine Maxwell has spoken for the first time about her extraordinary relationship with billionaire paedophile Jeffrey Epstein where she managed his life as his right-hand woman
Ms Maxwell admitted in newly-released court papers she knew Prince Andrew’s sex accuser Virginia Roberts (pictured with the prince in 2001) was 17 when she started massaging Epstein
Ms Maxwell tells how she recruited women to massage Epstein at his home at least once a day, sometimes more, as she also hired gardeners, pilots, chefs in her role for him
Ms Maxwell, pictured at Epstein’s Caribbean home, spoke in a libel case in New York after being sued by Ms Roberts for calling her a liar in the claims she had made about Epstein
Pictures from inside Epstein’s Caribbean home home show four poster beds covered with mosquito nets in the property where Ms Roberts also said she and Prince Andrew had sex, a claim strenuously denied by the Duke of York
In her video statement to a New York court in a libel action brought by ms Roberts, Ms Maxwell outlined her role for the disgraced businessman.
‘My job included hiring many people. There were six homes,’ she said.
‘I hired assistants, architects, decorators, cooks, cleaners, gardeners, pool people, pilots. I hired all sorts of people.’
Ms Maxwell is accused of procuring young girls for sex with Epstein, which she denies
‘A very small part of my job was to find adult professional massage therapists for Jeffrey,’ she said.
‘From time to time I would visit professional spas. I would receive a massage and if it was good I would ask them if they did home visits.’
In her evidence Ms Maxwell admitted knowing Ms Roberts was just 17 years old when she began giving massages to Epstein at his mansion in Palm Beach, Florida.
Asked how often the teenager would massage Epstein, she said: ‘It’s important to understand that I wasn’t with Jeffrey all the time.
‘In fact, I was only in the house less than half the time, so I cannot testify to when I wasn’t there how often she came.
‘What I can say is that I barely would remember her, if not for all of this rubbish.
‘I probably wouldn’t remember her at all, except that she came from time to time. But I don’t recollect her coming as often as she portrayed herself.’
Ms Roberts was suing Ms Maxwell for saying that her claims that she was forced to have sex with the Duke of York three times in 2001 when she was 17 were all lies.
The socialite, pictured with Epstein, Donald Trump and his wife Melania, spoke at a defamation case brought by Virginia Roberts after Ms Roberts’ claims about being abused by Epstein
Prince Andrew has been criticised for his lack of judgement over his friendship with Epstein as the pair were pictured taking a stroll together in New York during the Duke’s four day visit
Ms Maxwell reached agreement with the teenager in an out of court settlement and applied to have the interviews sealed.
Following Epstein’s arrest on sex trafficking charges in July an appeal court ruled some 2,000 pages could be released.
Extracts from her statement were unsealed on August 9 – the day before the 67-year-old billionaire was found dead in his cell from an apparent suicide.
Asked how many times Epstein would get a massage she added: ‘When I was at the house he received a massage on average once a day.’
Witnesses have told police that Ms Maxwell acted as Epstein’s ‘fixer’ and recruited underage girls for him. It is also alleged that she took part in the sex abuse, claims she denies.
When asked if Epstein sexually abused minors, she replied: ‘I can only testify to what I know. I know that Virginia is a liar and I know what she testified is a lie.
‘So I can only testify to what I know to be a falsehood and half those falsehoods are enormous so I categorically deny everything she said.’
Virginia Roberts claims she was groomed by Epstein and forced to have sex with Prince Andrew three times when she was 17 in 2001 – once in Ms Maxwell’s Belgravia home
Since working for Epstein as a masseuse, Ms Roberts has moved to Australia and married her husband of 16 years Robert Giuffre (above) and lives quietly in Cairns with their two children
At one point Ms Maxwell became so angry she banged her hand on the table in fury and went on: ‘I can only go on what I know. What I know is a falsehood based on what Virginia said. Everything Virginia has said is an absolute lie, which is why we are here in this room.
‘What we can all agree at this point, there is not one person in this room, however much you would like her to be younger, who can say she was not 17.
‘So she was 17. At 17 you are allowed to be a professional masseuse. There is nothing inappropriate about her coming at that time to give a massage.’
Ms Maxwell insisted she ‘barely knew’ Ms Roberts despite overwhelming evidence to suggest the women had seen each other on a number of occasions.
The teenager was standing next to Ms Maxwell when she posed with Andrew on the upstairs landing at her Belgravia home in a now notorious photo taken in 2000.
Epstein, pictured at his luxury 75-acre estate, dubbed ‘pedophile island’, was found dead in his prison cell in an apparent suicide on August 9 this year as he awaited trial on child sex charges
A group of women are pictured on Epstein’s private island Little Saint James, based off the coast of St. Thomas, where Chauntae Davies (above) among others said Epstein raped her
And flight documents show that the two women had also flown together on Epstein’s private jet – nicknamed ‘The Lolita Express’ – no fewer than 23 times.
Ms Maxwell denied being involved in any sex abuse, adding: ‘I have never participated at any time with Virginia in a massage with Jeffrey. I have been absolutely appalled by her story.’
Ms Roberts has said Ms Maxwell should be arrested and that Andrew belongs in jail over the scandal.
She alleged she was a trafficking victim of Epstein, who coerced her into having sex with the Duke three times in 2001 – once at Ms Maxwell’s London home, once in New York and then a final time on Epstein’s private estate in the Caribbean.
The Duke strenuously denies her claims.