Donald Trump, Prince Andrew and Bill Clinton all flew on Jeffrey Epstein’s jet, pilot tells Ghislaine Maxwell’s trial
DONALD Trump, Prince Andrew and Bill Clinton all flew on Jeffrey Epstein's private jet, the paedo's former pilot told the Ghislaine Maxwell trial.
The two former US Presidents and the Duke of York were mentioned as Maxwell faces six charges of sex trafficking and abuse over her alleged role as Epstein's "madam".
Lawrence Visoski, who is testifying for the prosecution, was quizzed during cross examination about passengers aboard Epstein's distinctive Gulf Stream plane.
He confirmed Trump, Andrew and Clinton all flew on the jet - along with other big names such as Hollywood stars Kevin Spacey & Chris Tucker, violinist Itzhak Perlman, and US Senators John Glenn & George Mitchell.
And he also told the court he never saw any sexual activity on the flight, or any underage girls without their parents.
Epstein is long known to have courted the rich and famous as he hid in plain sight - including with flights on his plane.
"I certainly remember President Trump, but not many people associated with him," the pilot told the trial.
He clarified that the millionaire mogul's flights happened before he was President.
Most read in US News
Clinton, Trump and Andrew have all previously been reported to have once had friendships with Epstein.
But only Andrew has been accused of sexual misconduct relating to Epstein - and it is an allegation he vehemently denies.
Mr Visoski added that some passengers aboard the plane he was never told the name of - but said he was often allowed to walk through the cabin.
He recalled meeting an alleged victim named as "Jane" - describing her as having "piercing blue eyes" - and high profile accuser Virginia Roberts.
The pilot flew around 1,000 flights for the paedophile when piloting the aircraft from the early 1990s to 2004.
Maxwell was the "number two" in the hierarchy of Epstein's employees, while the millionaire himself was the "big number one", he said.
Mr Visoski recalled how Maxwell would often contact him to schedule flights for Epstein.
"She was the one that pretty much handled most of the finance, my expenses, spending in the office," he told the court.
She preyed on vulnerable young girls, manipulated them and served them up to be sexually abuse
Lara Pomerantz
Maxwell and Epstein's relationship however then "fizzled out" in the 2000s, the pilot said.
Maxwell first appeared in court this morning just after 8.30am wearing a mask, a green sweater and black slacks while cradling a lime green folder.
She waved to her sister Isabel who is in court to support her - and was also seen taking notes and passing them to her lawyers.
Prosecutors argue Maxwell "served up" young girls to Epstein as part of a pyramid scheme of abuse as she appeared in court in New York.
However her lawyers deny all charges against her, argue she is being made a proxy for Epstein, and have painted the alleged victims as in it for the cash.
She is facing charges relating to four alleged victims, three of whom are appearing anonymously - with the one named complainant being Annie Farmer.
Maxwell's charges
The exact charges against Maxwell are:
Epstein and Maxwell rubbed shoulders with the world's rich and famous - allegedly hiding in plain sight amid a web of sordid sex abuse.
She is a close friend of Prince Andrew, allegedly being the one who introduced him to Epstein.
Clinton was already known to have taken flights aboard Epstein's plane - and has previously been pictured with both Maxwell and Epstein.
He was snapped chomping on a cigar aboard the Lolita Express, and also pictured with alleged sex slave Chauntae Davies.
Trump meanwhile is known to have rubbed shoulders with Epstein and Maxwell through his Palm Beach resort Mar-a-Lago.
He has previously tried to distance himself from Epstein - including allegedly banning him from the club.
However, the two are understood to have once been friends - calling him a "terrific guy" who liked "younger" women in a 2002 interview with New York Magazine.
And while Epstein is now known to have been a paedophile, Maxwell's defence team are attempting to claim she is being used as a "scapegoat".
Her lawyer Bobbi Sternheim claimed "ever since Eve, women have been blamed for the evil deeds of men".
She said: "Ghislaine Maxwell is not Jeffrey Epstein or any of the other men, moguls and media giants who abuse women."
The defence are expected to hinge much of their case on going after the victims.
"The government is trying to stitch together four different story," Sternheim said.
"But the only common denominator is they got big payouts. These are paper cut-outs. The charges are not supported."
However, the prosecution paint a very different picture of Ghislaine as instrumental in Epstein's web of money, sex and lies.
Lawyers called the 59-year-old Brit heiress a "dangerous predator" and said she and Epstein were “partners in crime”.
Maxwell is alleged to have snared girls as young as 14 into a "nightmare" after promising them "the world".
She is accused of walking girls into Epstein's liar where she watched as he molested them - and sometimes even joined in.
Opening the case against Maxwell, prosecutor Lara Pomerantz said: “The defendant helped Epstein find those girls, she helped him recruit those girls for so-called massages.
"She preyed on vulnerable young girls, manipulated them and served them up to be sexually abused.
“Make no mistake - she knew exactly what Epstein was going to do to those children when she sent them inside those massage rooms.
“But was happening in those massage rooms was not massage. Those girls were not professional masseuses. They were kids being sexually exploited and abused."
Pomerantz explained that Maxwell and Epstein had been in a relationship but remained "the best of friends" after they split.
Through the financier, Maxwell was able to maintain a luxurious lifestyle.
“She was involved in every detail of Epstein’s life. During the ten years, they committed these crimes together. She was the lady of the house," she said.
Epstein killed himself while awaiting trial for sex trafficking in August 2019.
She also faces two other charges of perjury over allegations she lied in a deposition in a separate civil suit, but these will be tried separately.
It is unknown if Ghislaine's friend Andrew - who vehemently denies separate allegations that he slept with 17-year-old trafficking victim Roberts - will be mentioned in the case.
Maxwell was arrested suddenly in July 2020 by the FBI after being accused of going into hiding over the allegations.
She was detained as she was deemed a flight risk and was repeatedly denied bail.
Daughter of disgraced newspaper mogul Robert Maxwell, Ghislaine was born into a life of wealth and raised at the 53-room mansion Headington Hill Hall.
Working in various roles at her dad's companies - including as a director of Oxford United - she became a prominent socialite in London.
Her father died in 1991 after apparently falling from his yacht - named the Lady Ghislaine.
It is from this point, it is claimed the Maxwell grew closer with Epstein and the abuse is alleged to have begun in the 90s.
Read More on The US Sun
Epstein was first convicted of sex offences in 2008 on a single charge of soliciting prostitution from girls as young as 14.
Some 11 years later, the cops finally charged him with a wider conspiracy for trafficking minors in Florida and New York.