Ghislaine Maxwell trial: former employee gives details on underage victims

As trial continues, former worker says Maxwell was 'lady of the house' and that he was told to never reveal whereabouts of his employers

The British socialite is accused of preying on vulnerable young girls and luring them to massage rooms to be molested by Jeffrey Epstein between 1994 and 2004. AFP

The former housekeeper of Jeffrey Epstein has told a court he drove two underage girls to the disgraced financier’s house under instructions from Ghislaine Maxwell.

Juan Patricio Alessi said on Thursday that he had picked up one of Ms Maxwell’s reported victims, who gave evidence under the pseudonym “Jane”, and Prince Andrew, Duke of York’s accuser Virginia Roberts and brought them to Epstein’s Palm Beach estate when they appeared to be about 14-15 years old.

The witness told jurors he saw Jane’s contact details in Epstein’s telephone directory listed under “masseuses".

The witness was given a 58-page booklet on how Ms Maxwell expected staff to behave and carry out their duties, including an order to “unless otherwise instructed, never disclose Mr Epstein and Ms Maxwell’s activities or whereabouts to anyone”.

The British socialite, described as the “lady of the house” by Mr Alessi, is accused of preying on vulnerable young girls and luring them to massage rooms to be molested by Epstein between 1994 and 2004.

The witness told jurors he had seen “many, many, many females” at Epstein’s Palm Beach house and “75, 80 per cent” of those spending time at his pool were topless when visiting.

Earlier on Thursday, the witness told the court Ms Maxwell ordered staff not to look in Epstein’s eyes when they spoke to him.

Asked by Assistant US Attorney Maurene Comey how many women and girls he had seen at Epstein’s Palm Beach house, Mr Alessi said: “Many, many, many females.”

Mr Alessi then described the booklet he received from Ms Maxwell towards the end of his employment.

He said: “It was, I’m sorry to say, very degrading to me.

“Most of the pages were just unbelievable to me.”

Mr Alessi said the booklet gave staff a number of instructions, including how to address Epstein and how to dress.

“How many, if any, young females do you remember seeing at Mr Epstein’s house?” Ms Comey asked Mr Alessi.

He replied that he had seen several but only two that appeared to be underage, about 14-15 years old, and that he had met “Jane” when she came to the house in Palm Beach with her mother.

Mr Alessi said while at the Palm Beach house, Jane would spend her time with either Epstein or Ms Maxwell.

He continued: “I was told to pick her up either by Ms Maxwell or Mr Epstein.” He said that he picked her up from school as well as from her house.

Mr Alessi then told the court of the first time he met Virginia Roberts, who was in what looked like a “nurse’s uniform” outside a spa in Palm Beach when he picked her up the first time, and that she would come to the house “very often".

Asked if Ms Roberts ever brought any other girls to the property, Mr Alessi said: “At the end of my stay here I saw her bring two other girls.”

Continuing her examination of the witness, Ms Comey asked about the number of massages Epstein received while Mr Alessi worked for him.

“At the beginning he received about one, at the end of my stay he received about three a day.”

The full indictment against Ms Maxwell lists six charges: conspiracy to entice minors to travel to engage in illegal sex acts; enticement of a minor to travel to engage in illegal sex acts; conspiracy to transport minors with intent to engage in criminal sexual activity; transporting a minor with intent to engage in criminal sexual activity; sex trafficking conspiracy; and sex trafficking of a minor.

The accused is further reported to have lied under oath by hiding her participation in Epstein’s offences during a separate civil case.

Epstein was found dead in his cell at a federal jail in Manhattan in August 2019 while he awaited trial on sex trafficking charges. The death was ruled a suicide.

Ms Maxwell, who has been held in a US jail since her arrest in July last year, denies all charges.