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A document among the tranche of newly released Jeffrey Epstein files casts fresh light on psychological tricks that his ex-girlfriend Ghislaine Maxwell deployed in her effort to lure vulnerable teen girls into his abusive orbit.
She doted. She joked. She even seemed to listen.
And while Maxwell’s grooming of victims has long been known, the disclosure of some grand jury documents in her Manhattan federal court case comes as she angles for a reprieve from her sex-trafficking conviction and resulting 20-year prison sentence. Maxwell’s maneuvers have received renewed attention throughout Donald Trump’s second presidency – particularly in the wake of her controversial transfer to a minimum-security prison camp known for being more comfortable than other facilities of its kind.
The documents in question show how a law enforcement officer in 2020 told grand jurors about an interview with a woman who said she was abused by Epstein as a minor. She said her initial visits to Epstein’s home, during which she was not abused, were “strange”.
But, “Maxwell normalized it for her,” as the office put it. “She was like a cool, older sister and made comments like, ‘This is what grownups do.’” The woman said that she saw Maxwell topless by Epstein’s pool. “She was a little taken back, but Maxwell just acted normal,” the officer recounted.
When Epstein’s sexual abuse started, the woman had said, sometimes other women were present – including Maxwell. “They would generally start with one of the girls massaging Epstein … usually massaging his feet,” the agent said of this woman’s account. “Maxwell was kind of teasing the other girls. She’d grab the girl’s breasts, and she would direct the girls on what to do.”
“She would try not to look at Maxwell because she gave off that sister-vibe, so it felt weird for her,” the law enforcement agent said of this victim’s account. “She would try to be invisible in the room so they would ignore her as much as possible.”
The accuser described Maxwell’s attitude as “very casual – she acted like this was normal”.
“She gave off that vibe to her,” the agent recalled the victim saying in her sit-down with law enforcement. Asked if it made her feel more comfortable with what was happening, the agent said “it did”.
The extent of sexual activity with Epstein increased over time. During this woman’s interview with law enforcement, she was asked about her feelings about Epstein and Maxwell at the time.
“She expressed that she felt like they loved her,” the agent told grand jurors. “She felt they were her family; that they supported her, and … she was made to feel that she was needed to be grateful to them.”
While the woman is not identified in this grand jury transcript, the account of abuse closely tracks with testimony from “Jane” during Maxwell’s trial. Jane told jurors Epstein started abusing her at age 14 – and Maxwell was sometimes in the room.
At trial, Jane said that Maxwell would sometimes touch her breasts. “There were hands everywhere,” Jane recounted of one encounter with Epstein and Maxwell. She also described group sexual encounters with both of them and others.
Still more grand jury testimony from the agent with respect to another victim underscores intricate grooming. That victim’s name is also redacted, but the law enforcement agent’s description of her experience closely mirrors Annie Farmer’s trial testimony. Farmer testified that Maxwell gave her a nude massage at Epstein’s New Mexico ranch at age 16.
“Maxwell told [her] to give Epstein a foot massage and then showed her and instructed her on how to do it,” the agent recalled. “[She] was a little uncomfortable, but Maxwell was joking around so she just followed her lead.”
Grand jury testimony also drew more attention to how Maxwell tried to keep the atmosphere light during a trip to the movies.
“She said that when they went outside the theatre Maxwell was joking around and pulled Epstein’s pants down a little bit,” the law enforcement agent said. “And then once they went inside the theatre, Epstein, when they were sitting down, touched [her] leg, and rubbed her arm, held her hand. And that this time … he wasn’t trying to hide it from Maxwell.”
Yet another victim told a law enforcement agent that during the early period going to Epstein’s house, she and Maxwell would converse.
“She talked with Maxwell about her home life,” that law enforcement agent said. “She talked with Maxwell about her abuse that occurred when she was younger.
“She told her that … her mother was addicted to drugs and that she had been molested several times as a child.”
Maxwell asked the girl whether she was sexually active and if she had ever used sex toys. She recalled receiving packages containing Victoria’s Secret underwear – the return address listed Maxwell and Epstein’s name.
The woman was interviewed by law enforcement in 2007. Epstein in 2008 received a sweetheart plea deal that allowed him to plead guilty to state-level prostitution charges in Florida and avoid federal prosecution, amid allegations that he sexually abused dozens of teen girls.
She did not mention Maxwell during the 2007 interview. The law enforcement officer was asked “why”.
He replied: “She was not asked.”
“She was not asked about Maxwell,” the prosecutor repeated during the grand jury proceeding.
“Correct,” the agent affirmed.
The woman said she did not think Maxwell was “important” to the 2007 interview.
The law enforcement agent’s testimony about this woman’s account does not include her name, but appears to reference Carolyn, the third woman to testify at Maxwell’s trial. Carolyn, who said at trial that she turned to “pain pills and cocaine” to “block out” Epstein’s abuse, died of a drug overdose in May 2023.
Asked for comment about the grand jury documents, Maxwell’s brother Ian said he understood the interest around these transcripts, but that “it’s important to remember that such materials are not evidence of guilt or proof of anyone’s conduct. Grand jury proceedings are preliminary and one-sided by design – they allow prosecutors to present their case without challenge or cross-examination.”
“Because of that, the transcripts don’t provide a balanced or complete picture of the facts. They can’t show the broader context, nor do they reflect the responses, explanations, or evidence the defense might offer in a courtroom,” he also said.
