Prince Andrew is Next; Who Else Was Involved in Epstein-Maxwell Sexual Abuse Ring of Teen Age Girls?
By Dan Murphy
Millions of Americans were horrified when they learned about the sexual abuse of underage, teenage girls at the hands of Jeffrey Epstein, who committed suicide in his Manhattan jail cell in 2019. His death deprived many of us the justice that we sought for the victims.
On Dec. 29, Ghislaine Maxwell was convicted in Federal Court in lower Manhattan of 5 counts of sex trafficking-related charges, related to her grooming minor girls to be sexually abused by Jeffrey Epstein. Maxwell, 60, now faces up to 65 years in prison, and will appeal the verdict. She has already served one and a half years in prison prior to her trial.
The charges against Maxwell were filed by the U.S. Attorney’s Office related to her interactions with four teenage girls from 1994 to 2004, when Maxwell was romantically involved with and then working for Epstein. “A unanimous jury has found Ghislaine Maxwell guilty of one of the worst crimes imaginable — facilitating and participating in the sexual abuse of children,” U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said in a video statement after the verdict. “The road to justice has been far too long. But, today, justice has been done. I want to commend the bravery of the girls — now grown women — who stepped out of the shadows and into the courtroom. Their courage and willingness to face their abuser made this case, and today’s result, possible.”
One of the girls recruited and sexually abused by Maxwell and Epstein is Virginia Giuffre. Giuffre did not testify at the Maxwell trial but was named as one of the victims. Giuffre is represented by perhaps America’s greatest living and practicing attorney, David Boies, who resides in Armonk in Westchester County, where his law office is also located.
Boies, 80, took Giuffre’s case in 2014, pro bono, after Giuffre accused Epstein and Maxwell of sexually trafficking her to a series of famous men, including Prince Andrew. Why did Boies, who has had a legendary legal career which includes representing Al Gore in the 2000 Presidential election, serving as a special counsel for the U.S. Government in their case against Microsoft, and who worked for marriage equality, decide to get involved in this case?
His public comments point to a simple answer: That believed his client and wanted to see justice served, as this reporter, and millions of Americans also want. Most of us are not satisfied with the conviction of Maxwell, and want to know more, and find out who else was involved.
In 2015 Virginia Giuffre made her allegations of sexual abuse against Epstein, Maxwell, and Price Andrew, the Duke of York, public. When Maxwell publicly denied the charges, Boies filed a defamation suit on behalf of Giuffre.
That lawsuit entitled him to take a deposition of both Epstein and Maxwell, which took place in 2016. Epstein pled his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination. And Maxwell, in her first deposition, was able to elude giving any details to Boies associate Sigrid McCawley.
But Boies got Maxwell for a second deposition, and that examination proved that he still had the legal brilliance, (or Michelangelo like skills of deposition taking) that deposed Bill Gates and General William Westmoreland in prior cases to the detriment of both.
The Boies vs Maxwell EBT is also believed to be the first step towards prosecutors, and the media, to begin to take a look at the criminality going on behind the gates of Epstein’s mansions, planes and private islands.
“No one would pay attention until we actually pursued the case. I think if Virginia had not been prepared to bring that lawsuit in 2015, Maxwell might be free today,’ said Boies, in one of his many public comments and interviews based on his representation of Giuffre. “I don’t think her lawyers did a good job of protecting her. I have said publicly for five years that she was making a mistake in not going in and trying to cut a deal with prosecutors. She could have cut a very good deal early on but she passed up that opportunity. I think that’s proven to be a fatal mistake.”
Boies was able to catch Maxwell in a series of lies under oath, including admitting to having “three-way sexual activities” with Epstein and two other women, but then claiming that “she was not aware of Epstein having sex with anyone other than her”, and “She testified that she never gave anybody a massage. We had testimony from people that she did give people massages,” said Boies. Pictured entered into evidence at the trial showed Maxwell massaging Epstein’s feet against her breasts.
Two of the initial criminal charges against Maxwell were perjury, based on the Giuffre case and the deposition with Boies. “What was critical was that we proved that she was flat out lying in her deposition, committing perjury,” Boies says. This was “very convincing in showing prosecutors they had a very strong case to go forward with”.
After Maxwell’s conviction, Boies said in several published reports. “This was a great day. It proved the justice system works. The jury concluded that the victims were telling the truth. They may not have perfect memories and they may not be perfect people, but these victims are telling the truth. The core truth that they were sexually abused and sexually trafficked was inescapable. The jury’s rejection of the blanket denials and the jury’s acceptance of the truth is something that I think foreshadows what will happen in the Prince Andrew case.”
And now for Boies, his client Virginia Giuffre, and the American public seeking more answers and justice, this matter now moves onto Prince Andrew, the Duke of York. Giuffre is suing Prince Andrew in the Southern District of New York for sexual assault. Prince Andrew denies the allegations and his lawyers are fighting the suit and its claims vigorously. The prince also denies meeting Giuffre or remembering their meeting, but a photo of the two together with Maxwell tells otherwise.
Many legal experts claim that Maxwell’s criminal conviction is bad news for Prince Andrew. Lisa Bloom, an attorney who represents several Epstein accusers said to Rolling Stone, “I think Prince Andrew should be quaking in his royal boots. I think he should be concerned. Reckoning is coming for everyone who enabled Jeffrey Epstein and participated in his scheme.”
Attorney Adam Horowitz, who is also representing several Epstein accusers, called Maxwell’s conviction “a huge setback for Prince Andrew and his defense. Had Maxwell been acquitted, she would have been a key witness for Prince Andrew. She could have denied all of the things that she’s accused of doing with regard to Virginia and Prince Andrew. The lawsuit says …that Virginia was actually introduced to Prince Andrew through Maxwell…they can’t call Maxwell now to refute anything.”
Boies has said publicly that Prince Andrew’s defense is similar to Maxwell’s failed strategy. “It’s an ominous sign for Prince Andrew. His playbook has been the same as Maxwell’s — blame, shame, deny, deny, deny. Maxwell tried that with very experienced, high-priced, very aggressive lawyers and it failed totally. If Prince Andrew is even a little reflective, he’ll understand that the idea you can deny what numerous witnesses testified to, what photographs show, what plane logs demonstrate . . . the idea that you can blame and shame a victim to distract attention for your own conduct, doesn’t work,” said Boies in several interviews.
Most legal experts believe that prosecutors will not move to bring any of the famous men who are in Maxwell’s black book to justice, and that Maxwell’s chance to ‘name names,’ was before she was convicted and as part of a plea agreement.
Among the many famous names who flew on Epstein’s jet include Bill Clinton, Bill Gates and Donald Trump. The only other famous person being sued, in addition to Prince Andrew is attorney Alan Dershowitz.
In 2019, Giuffre sued Dershowitz, for defamation, after Dershowitz denied her claims and publicly called her a liar after she said that he sexually assaulted her several times when she was 16. Dershowitz then counter sued Giuffre for defamation and brought Boies into his case by claiming that he pressured Giuffre to make the claims against him. Dershowitz has admitted providing legal advice to Epstein, and a war of words has continued between the two American legal giants.
Boies said, “There certainly are both collaborators and participants that ought to be held accountable. Epstein and Maxwell did not act, and could not have acted, alone. The scope and scale and duration of their sex trafficking crimes depended on many wealthy and powerful collaborators and co-conspirators. They too are not above the law. They too must be brought to justice.”
Westchester District Attorney Mimi Rocah re Tweeted an Op Ed that she wrote before she was elected DA. “As a federal prosecutor for over 16 years, I can tell you that, aside from cases involving murder and violence, there are two categories of crimes that make a career prosecutor’s blood boil: schemes that target elderly victims for money and allegations that involve using children for sex. For six years, between 2001 and 2007, Jeffrey Epstein allegedly ran a sex trafficking ring that preyed on minor girls as young as 13. So why was he given a slap on the wrist by federal prosecutors in Florida?
“A well-connected millionaire, Epstein was often seen in the company of men like Prince Andrew, Bill Clinton, Alan Dershowitz and Donald Trump. (Dershowitz told Axios he still provides legal advice to Epstein.)
“The case was investigated and initially pursued by the United States Attorney’s Office in the Southern District of Florida (SDFL), headed by Alex Acosta. However, instead of pursuing the case, the SDFL entered into what is known as a non-prosecution agreement (NPA) with Epstein in which they agreed that the federal investigation (against Epstein and anyone else who may have been a subject of it) would cease and Epstein would plead guilty to certain state charges for which he would serve 18 months in prison and register as a sex offender. In addition, the SDFL agreed to give Epstein’s attorneys a list of “individuals it has identified as victims.” In short, this was a shockingly lenient deal for a crime of such magnitude.
“I was involved in many sex-trafficking and sexual exploitation cases involving minors as a federal prosecutor. These cases usually involved one or two victims but were charged under the very same statutes that documents show federal prosecutors were planning to use in Epstein’s case
“Individuals charged under these federal statutes, in my experience, were typically subject to strict mandatory minimums of 10 or 15 years in prison, per count, and those counts were often stacked one on top of the other.
“Epstein, however, was able to escape this punishment, despite alleged crimes that by all accounts were indeed heinous. Let me preface what follows by saying this: As a former prosecutor, I am reluctant to pass judgment on the decisions of other fellow prosecutors’ decisions without the benefit of all of the facts. However, the known facts in this case cry out for an official, thorough inquiry.
“Finally, the government’s agreement to suspend and hold in abeyance any grand jury investigation for other people potentially involved in these crimes is simply baffling. In my experience, prosecutors and investigating agents would have looked for every way possible to advance a case of this type, which means seeking out co-conspirators and enablers. Why was that opportunity surrendered here?
Cases like Epstein’s don’t just hurt the victims, they undermine the legitimacy of the entire justice system,” wrote Rocah in 2018, and her words and questions still ring true today.
Many of us here in Westchester think that this case still stinks, and even though Epstein killed himself and Maxwell was convicted, its still not over.
I’m happy that David Boies will try and find the truth, perhaps from Prince Andrew, but perhaps this trial will open other doors. –and for our readers, who may have a young daughter, or have experienced sexual abuse in their lives, or have a friend or a family member who has experienced it, they are still looking for justice, and for more answers in this case. And perhaps if justice cannot be served on those who names we do not yet know, then perhaps the court of public opinion, and of public shame and humiliation, can give some peace to the victims.
Another Epstein victim and client of Boies, Annie Farmer, who testified at the Maxwell trial, said “I hope that this verdict brings solace to all who need it and demonstrates that no one is above the law,”
“My [soul] yearned for justice for years and today the jury gave me just that,” Guiffre said in a statement. “I will remember this day always. Having lived with the horrors of Maxwell’s abuse, my heart goes out to the many other girls and young women who suffered at her hands and whose lives she destroyed. I hope that today is not the end but rather another step in justice being served. Maxwell did not act alone. Others must be held accountable. I have faith that they will be.”
We are glad that David Boies is on the case.
