An investment banker from JPMorgan Chase testified that deceased financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein had wired former girlfriend Ghislaine Maxwell nearly $31 million.
Maxwell — a British socialite and longtime associate of Epstein — is on trial for allegedly procuring underage girls for him. If convicted on all counts and given maximum sentences, 59-year-old Maxwell could spend 70 years in prison.
On Monday, JPMorgan Chase Executive Director Patrick McHugh detailed Epstein’s history of transferring large sums of money to Maxwell.
Bloomberg reported:
On Oct. 19, 1999, Epstein sold $18.3 million worth of stock, then transferred that amount to Maxwell, the banker said. He did a similar $5 million transfer in September 2002 and one for $7.4 million in June 2007, for a total of $30.7 million. When Maxwell was first arrested in July 2020, prosecutors said she had at least $20 million in bank accounts but didn’t say where the funds had originated.
The same day she received the June 2007 funds from Epstein, Maxwell transferred around $7.4 million to Sikorksy Aircraft Corp. through a company called “Air Ghislaine Inc.” for the purchase of a green helicopter with an “executive finish.”
“Isn’t it true that high-net-worth individuals like this have lots of assets?” defense attorney Christian Everdell asked McHugh during cross-examination. “They could,” replied McHugh.
The Daily Mail added that Maxwell paid $4.9 million for a townhouse on the Upper East Side of Manhattan in October 2000; the September 2002 transaction was sent to Maxwell’s account with a bank in Palm Beach.
Last week, Larry Visoski — Epstein’s former pilot — testified that he flew several politicians and celebrities on the sex offender’s jet.
NBC News reported:
But Epstein’s flights became the focus of intense media scrutiny after it was discovered that former President Bill Clinton, Britain’s Prince Andrew, lawyer Alan Dershowitz and a host of other celebrities took trips on his planes…
Asked about the well-known names who flew on Epstein’s planes, Visoski mentioned Prince Andrew and also listed former astronaut and Ohio Sen. John Glenn, actors Kevin Spacey and Chris Tucker, violinist Itzhak Perlman. He said Donald Trump was a repeat flier before he became president.
“There was more than once, I believe,” Visoski said. “I certainly remember President Trump but not anyone else associated with him.”
Testimony from last week also shows that Maxwell kept a 58-page list of rules dictating how staff at Jeffrey Epstein’s estates were supposed to act — including the demand that they “see nothing, hear nothing, say nothing.”
“Unless otherwise instructed, NEVER disclose Mr. Epstein or Ms. Maxwell’s activities or whereabouts to anyone,” the rulebook said. “Do not be bullied … simply be firm.”
Staff were likewise required to “advise Ms. Maxwell of any strange telephone calls or enquiries” and “any unusual behavior, such as strangers lurking around the vicinity of the property.” The rulebook told staff to maintain a “polite ‘aim to please’ approach” and never discuss their “personal problems.” They were also told to “be cautious of noise levels and noise.”