Ghislaine Maxwell sits during jury selection in the trial of Jeffrey Epstein's associate accused of sex trafficking, in a courtroom sketch in New York City.
The first accuser in Ghislaine Maxwell's sex-trafficking trial said she was abused for years by Jeffrey Epstein.
"Jane" said that after her family became homeless, the two of them presented themselves as wealthy benefactors.
She said that she was pulled into orgies multiple times a month for the next five years.
The first of four accusers in Ghislaine Maxwell's child-sex-trafficking trial testified Tuesday afternoon that she was groomed for sex in his mansions in New York when she was 14 years old.
The accuser, testifying under the name "Jane," said she met the two men at a performing arts summer camp in Michigan in 1994.
Her father died of leukemia in the fall. She testified that the medical expenses bankrupted their family, which lost their home and had to live in a pool house in Palm Beach.
Jane testified that other family members pitched in to send her and her two brothers to the Interlochen Center for the Arts, located a short drive from the shore of Lake Michigan, while their mother stayed home in Palm Beach. Jane said that the two men approached her while she was eating ice cream with friends.
Jane said that he wanted to know what the attendees thought of the camp. He asked her mother's phone number when he found out she lived in Palm Beach.
A few weeks later, Jane's mother received a call from Jeffrey Epstein, who wanted to invite Jane and her mother over for tea.
It was the first meeting that prosecutors said was meant to make Jane feel better. Jane said that she went to the homes of Epstein for five years until she moved across the country.
She kept her experience a secret.
I felt ashamed, disgusted, and confused. Jane didn't know if it was her fault.
"Casual" hangouts became sexual abuse hangouts.
According to the defense attorneys, the summer camp was attended by Epstein. Friends of the man say he was passionate about music and played the piano in his temple on one of his private islands.
Jane said that she and her mother were told that he liked to give scholarships to young musicians. Jane said that after the first meeting, he sent his Palm Beach household staff to pick her up and drive her to his home.
Jane testified that at first, the two of them had casual hangouts with her, including taking her to movies, inviting her to the pool, and having meals with her. Jane said that they made her feel special by asking about what was going on with her life, something she found difficult to talk about at home. Private school tuition was paid for by Epstein.
Jane said that the home in Palm Beach had paintings of naked or half-naked women, as well as "creepy-looking animals." Jane testified that the names of people like Clinton, Trump, and Wallace were given the impression that they were connected to powerful people.
Jane said that in one early meeting, she was brought to a Victoria's Secret to buy panties. Jane was told that she was given money for her mother.
According to Jane, several adult women, including Maxwell, were also often in the Palm Beach home, sometimes spending time by the pool topless or completely naked.
Jane said that she hadn't seen that before.
Jane said that the first time she was sexually abused was after a conversation about her artistic ambitions. He said he could use her connections to make sure she succeeds in whatever discipline she wanted.
Jane said that she was told to follow him from the house to the pool house. Jane testified that he pulled her over to a couch, pulled down his sweatpants and stimulated himself until he climaxed on her.
I was cold. Jane told the jury that she had never seen a penis before and that she was 14 years old at the time.
Jane testified that she was too afraid to speak to her family or friends about her experience. She continued to visit him.
Jane said that on an occasion, Epstein pulled them into his master bedroom. Jane testified that he and Maxwell took off their clothes and fondled each other. She said on the stand that she was told to take her top off and stimulated herself.
After a while, it all started to seem the same.
Jane testified that she was trained to give sexualized massages. She described on the stand how the two of them had different preferences, one of which was the use of sex toys.
Jane testified that Maxwell treated it all casually.
Jane said it made her feel confused. This was not normal to me.
Jane said that the abuse became more extreme when she turned 16.
Jane said that more people would be spending time at his house in situations that would seem casual at first.
Jane said that Ghislaine or Jeffrey would tell everyone to follow them into a room.
Jane said they would go into the bedroom or massage room. She said that everyone would take their clothes off and participate in an orgy. Jane said that everyone but her seemed to be young. Jane said that the incidents were called "a massage".
Jane testified that the "massages" turned into a pattern within a few weeks. Jane said that she was flown to his home in Manhattan and ranch in New Mexico for sex several times.
Jane said it all started to seem the same after awhile. I was numb to it.
Jane escaped their grasp in 1999.
Jane moved to New York City in 1998 after graduating from an elite performing arts school that paid for her tuition. She testified that she had continued to have "massages" with the two men while living in New York.
Jane moved to California in October of 1999 after she got an acting job. She said the sexual abuse stopped once there was more distance between them.
When Jane fell in love with another person, she stopped picking up the phone whenever she was called.
Jane testified that he left angry voicemails when she ignored him. She said that he reminded her that her mother lived in the apartment he paid for.
Jane said that she first talked about her experience with another boyfriend in 2008 when the name of the man who was sentenced to jail for prostitution in Florida was in the news.
She said that her experience with the two men damaged her future relationships and made it hard to trust other people. She thought that there was no joy in life, and that she had self-destructive tendencies.
How do you navigate a relationship with a broken compass? Jane said something. I didn't know what real love looked like.
Jane is one of four people who will testify.
Prosecutors have accused Maxwell of sex trafficking girls with her, sexually abusing them herself, and lying about her actions in a deposition. The indictment focuses on activity between 1997 and 2004, and concerns four accusers who were as young as 14 at the time.
The testimony from Lawrence Visoski, who worked as a pilot for the private jets of Epstein, follows Jane's description of her time with him. Visoski denied that there was any knowledge of the wrongdoing.
There are many women who have accused Maxwell of sexual harassment in civil litigation. Prosecutors have brought perjury charges against her, saying she lied in a deposition for a civil lawsuit. Giuffre isn't a victim in the sex crimes trial, and perjury charges are set to be tried at a later date.
She denied all accusations of wrongdoing and pleaded not guilty to the charges against her.
Jane's testimony was not finished as court ended Tuesday evening, and she is going to continue it Wednesday morning.
She told the assistant US attorney that she wanted to remain anonymous because she was afraid of being victim-shamed, but that she was proud of her career and family.
She said she wanted to put this past her and move on.
The original article is on Insider.
