New round of Epstein documents made public

NEW YORK — More than 130 additional court files were unsealed on Friday in a lawsuit involving Jeffrey Epstein, providing yet more detail about the late millionaire financier's sexual abuse of underage girls and interactions with celebrities.

The latest round of documents included excerpts of testimony from people who worked for Epstein, copies of phone messages he received — including one from film producer Harvey Weinstein — and many legal memos from lawyers discussing who could potentially have been called as a witness if the lawsuit ever went to trial.

No blockbuster revelations were apparent, reported The Associated Press. Many of the records covered material that has been the subject of past news stories about Epstein and his victims. But like other documents previously made public in lawsuits related to Epstein, they provide a window into the rarefied world he inhabited.

The records are all related to a defamation lawsuit that one of Epstein's victims, Virginia Giuffre, filed in 2015 against the millionaire's girlfriend, Ghislaine Maxwell, who was accused by multiple women of helping Epstein recruit underage victims.

The suit was settled in 2017. Maxwell was later prosecuted and is serving a 20-year prison sentence.

The records released on Friday include the 2009 deposition of a former housekeeper at Epstein's home in Palm Beach, Florida, who talked about how much time the financier spent with Prince Andrew, the British royal who was a longtime friend of Maxwell's.

Juan Alessi testified that "Prince Andrew spent weeks with us" and when he visited, he would receive daily massages at the mansion.

Former US president Donald Trump, whose Mar-a-Lago club is also in Palm Beach, would come over to Epstein's home for dinner, Alessi said, but he "never sat at the table," dining instead with Alessi in the kitchen. Asked whether Trump ever received massages, he said, "No. Because he's got his own spa."

Epstein first began getting media attention in 2002 after news organizations, including The Associated Press, covered a trip to Africa by former president Bill Clinton and actor Kevin Spacey. The five-day tour of Ghana, Nigeria, Rwanda, Mozambique and South Africa was intended to draw attention to the fight against AIDS, AP reported.

Agencies via Xinhua