Ghislaine Maxwell, the British socialite and former girlfriend of disgraced financier and sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, went on trial on Monday in the federal courthouse of Lower Manhattan.
Maxwell, 59, who was arrested in July 2020, faces charges that include sex trafficking of a minor, enticing and transporting minors to engage in illegal sex acts, and three conspiracy counts. If convicted she could face up to 70 years in prison.
Day two of the Ghislaine Maxwell trial saw pilot Larry Visoski, who worked for Jeffery Epstein for nearly 30 years, called to the stand.
As the New York Times report, federal prosecutors in the Manhattan U.S. attorney’s office used Visoski’s testimony to introduce photographs and descriptions of Epstein’s residences and private planes. Epstein was known to travel with high-profile guests and young women — and girls, allegedly — on board.
The testimony saw Visoski name several high-profile passengers on the plane, nicknamed “The Lolita Express”, after he was asked if he remembered flying “pretty important people.” He named the likes of Bill Clinton, Donald J. Trump, Prince Andrew, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., and the actor Kevin Spacey.
Visoski testified that he did not see any unaccompanied women who looked younger than 20 on the flights, though he did confirm that one of Epstein’s accusers, known in court as ‘Jane’, was a passenger on several occasions. He remembered her as “a mature woman, with piercing, powder blue eyes.”
Jane’s birth certificate was shown in court, proving she had been underage at the time. Jane took the stand on Day 2 of the trial, detailing her abuse — which she alleges began when she was 14 years old.
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Visoski maintains that he “never saw any sexual activity” on the flights, but noted tht the cockpit door always remained closed. He said he reported to both Maxwell and Epstein: “Ms. Maxwell was the No. 2 and Mr. Epstein was a big No. 1,” he said.
Kevin Spacey has been accused of multiple men of sexually assaulting them when they were as young as 14. Last month, he was ordered to pay producers of House of Cards $31 million to cover lost revenue following his termination.
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