This is an FBI investigation document from the Epstein Files collection (FBI VOL00009). Text has been machine-extracted from the original PDF file. Search more documents →
FBI VOL00009
EFTA00224005
35 pages
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Page 1 UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT SOUTHERN DISTRICT OF FLORIDA IN RE: OPERATION LEAP YEAR APPEARANCES: ESQUIRE Federal Grand Jury, 07-103 West Palm Beach, Florida May 8, 2007 Assistant United States Attorney JOSETTE JONES-PARSONS, Foreperson TESTIMONY OF Exhibit 24 EFTA00224005
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1 2 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 The sworn testimony of n was taken before the Federal Grand Jury, West Palm 2 Beach Division, West Palm Beach, Palm Beach County, State of Florida, on the 8th day of May, 2007. Philip W. May, Court Reporter, was authorized to and did report the sworn testimony. EFTA00224006
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Page 3 (The witness entered the grand jury room.) 3 5 having peen auiy sworn py cne grana jury coreperson, was examined and testified on her oath as follows: EXAMINATION 6 BY MS. 7 • Q Could you start by reminding us of your name and 8 where you're employed. 9 wor or es Palm Beach on their violent crimes squad. And you are one of the case agents in Operation 3 Leap Year? 14 A Yes, I am. • Did you recently participate in an interview of :9 20 21 22 23 24 25 A Yes. • Can you tell us date of birth? A was born on Q And you spoke with her recently'' A Yes, we did. Q So she was 18 at the time of the interview? A Yes, I believe she was. Q Who is A /as identified by the Palm Beach EFTA00224007
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1 2 3 4 Page 4 Police Department as one of the girls who had frequented Mr. Epstein's house. Q How exactly did the Palm Beach Police Department determine that she was one of those girls? 5 A When they did their search warrant at 6 Mr. Epstein's residence, some message pads were obtained 7 at his residence, and they had several calls from a girl 8 named and phone numbers. So they were able to 9 track those messages back to back 10 Q Did the Palm Beach Police Department try to 11 interview Miss 12 A They did. 13 Did she agree to speak with them? 14 A No. She stated that she loved Jeffrey Epstein, 15 and that she would not say anything positive or negative 16 about what occurred. 17 After the FBI became involved in this 18 investigation, did you try to interview 19 A we did, as well, with no such luck, as well. 20 How long ago was it that you first made contact 21 with Miss 22 A It was back in November of '06. 23 Did you try to serve her with a subpoena issued 24 on behalf of this grand jury? 25 A Yes, we did. EFTA00224008
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Page 5 1 Q What happened? 2 A She refused service of the grand jury subpoena. 3 But she was notified of when her appearance was expected 4 here, and a subpoena was left with her. 5 Q After that, did she obtain an attorney? 6 A Yes, she did. 7 Q Who was that? 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 A Jim Eisenberg. He's a well-known defense attorney here in West Palm Beach. Q Who paid for that attorney? A Mr. Epstein is paying for MU attorney. Q Now once Miss secured the attorney, did she agree to be interviewed? A Yes, she did, after she was granted 6001 immunity. She requested immunity. Q Did the justice department authorize that grant of immunity? A Yes, they did. Q After that, did she agree to be interviewed? A Yeah. It was only after she was given that immunity that she would talk with us. Q When did the interview take place? A It took place at the end of April of this year, so just a few weeks ago. Q Who was present at that interview? EFTA00224009
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2 4 5 A Myself; my partner, agent Page 6 the AUSA, her attorney, Jim Eisenberg, and his investigator; as well as Q what did Miss tell you about Jeffrey Epstein? 6 7 8 9 A name of wanted to was told She stated that she had met an individual by the at a party who had asked her if she make a few bucks by giving a man a massage. She that Mr. Epstein preferred them to be topless, 10 and she agreed to go to his house to give him a massage. 11 12 Q How old did Miss time? tell you she was at that 13 A She stated she was 16 when she first started 14 giving Mr. Epstein massages. 15 16 Q Based upon your review of the evidence, is that correct? 17 A No. We have phone records where 18 (phonetic), Mr. Epstein's assistant, is contacting 19 on her cell phone, or using her cell phone to call 20 cell phone starting in April of 2004, which makes 21 15. 22 Q So she said that she was 16, but your evidence 23 shows that she was 15, and she said that she was told she 24 could make a few bucks giving a topless massage? 25 A Yes. EFTA00224010
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Page 7 1 Q What else did Miss tell you? 2 A That she went to Mr. Epstein's residence, that 3 took her there the first time, that when she went upstairs she was paid $200 when she first got there by Then she goes upstairs, and Mr. Epstein 6 comes in, he disrobes, puts on a towel, lays down on the 7 massage table and she begins to massage him. 8 She tells Epstein that she heard he likes 9 topless massages, and he told her that he did. And she 10 said, "Who wouldn't?" And she ended up taking off her top 11. during the first massage. But is clear that Mr. 12 Epstein did not at any point touch her during the massage. 13 Q But does she admit that he touched himself? :4 A Yes. On the second massage, Mr. Epstein asked 15 her to leave her phone number with Her phone number 16 was left there. On the second massage, she returned the 17 very next day and gave him another massage. This time, 18 Mr. Epstein masturbated in front of her. 19 Q Did Miss■ admit that he masturbated on 20 more than one occasion in her presence? 21 A Yes, masturbated. And I think her term was that 22 he "released," meaning that he ejaculated. 23 Q How long of a period of time did Miss 24 tell you that she performed massages? 25 A She wasn't able to give us a number of massages, EFTA00224011
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Page 8 but just said that it was a lot, and that she had been 2 giving him massages for a year. 3 Q You mentioned to the grand jury that Miss 4 said that Mr. Epstein never touched her, correct? 5 A Yes. 6 Q And she was very adamant about that? 7 A Yes, she was. 8 Q Were there other things that she was adamant 9 about in her interview with you? 10 A Well, she talked about what she would tell the 11 girls that -- and that she told Mr. Epstein that she was 12 18. I'm sorry, I take that back. She was told to say 13 that she was 18, and she told us that she had a fake I.D. 14 showing that she was 18. 15 So she passed that information along to the 16 other girls when she brought -- eventually she brought 17 other girls to perform massages, and that was one of the 18 things that she told -- she told us first that she brought 19 18- to 20-year old girls. And then she stated that if the 20 girls lied, and they were underage, she told them that 21 they needed to tell Epstein that they were 18. 22 Q Have you been able to identify some of the girls 23 that Miss brought to Mr. Epstein's home? 24 A Yes. 25 Q Were any of those girls over 18? EFTA00224012
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Page 9 1 A No, not that we found so far. 2 Q Have any of the girls told investigators about 3 what Mr. Epstein knew about their ages? 4 A I'm sorry, say that again. 5 Q Have any of the girls who came through 6 been interviewed about what Mr. Epstein knew about 7 their ages? 8 A We did interview them regarding that, and I'm 9 not sure if he asked them. They were all told to say they 10 were 18, but not on every occasion would Mr. Epstein 11 inquire about their age. 12 Q Do you want to check your records on that? 13 A Yes, could I do that? 14 Q Yes, please do. 15 A I can tell you that one of the girls that she :6 brought -- this girl told Mr. Epstein that she was in high 17 school, and actually told him her true age, which was 18 under 18. 19 Q So what told you about, that wasn't 20 really the case? 21 A No, that wasn't. Sorry. 22 Q That's all right, I just wanted to make sure 23 it's clear. 24 So Miss told you that she had been told 25 to say she was 18, and she also told you that she had a EFTA00224013
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1 2 3 Page 10 fake I.D.? A Yes. Q Did she ever say that Mr. Epstein either asked 4 for her age or asked to see her I.D.? 5 A No, the topic never came up. 6 Q Did you also ask her about how appointments were 7 made? 8 A Yes. She was very clear in the fact that 9 would call her to arrange the appointments, but 10 call her once Jeffrey was in town. that would 11 Q So she was adamant that the calls only happened 12 when she was already here? 13 A Yes. 14 Q Were you made aware that Epstein's counsel was 15 informed that he was being investigated for traveling to 16 engage in prostitution, which means that the appointments 17 would have been made before the traveling? 18 A Yes. 19 Q Was there anything else, besides the issue of 20 age and the issue of when the appointments were made, that 21 sounded coached or that she was especially adamant about? 22 A No, I wouldn't say coached. I mean, we talked 23 about the preferences that Jeffrey discussed, as far as 24 which girls he would like to bring. 25 Once started giving massages to Epstein, EFTA00224014
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1 2 3 Page 11 told us that he liked different faces, so he would to bring other girls. We asked her if he ever preferences of what he preferred, and her ask her gave any 4 response was that Epstein liked girls like her, which is 5 thin and blond and attractive. 6 Q And how old was she at the time? 7 A She was 15. 8 Q So thin, blonde, attractive and -- 9 A Young, girls like her. I guess we asked if she 10 ever made a mistake, or ever brought somebody that Mr. 11 Epstein didn't take to. She said that she had screwed up 12 and that she had brought a black girl to Mr. Epstein, and 13 that Epstein was not interested in black girls. But he 14 did pay her, and said that he wasn't a racist. He paid 15 her the $200 for her time, but did not want her to perform 16 a massage for him. 17 Q And he didn't allow that girl to perform a 18 massage? 19 A No. 20 Q Was there anything else that Miss talked 21 about in the interview that you want to share with the 22 grand jury? 23 A I did ask her at the end of the interview if she 24 was in love with Mr. Epstein. She looked into the camera 25 and said that she loved him like a friend. But then she EFTA00224015
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1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 Page 12 kind of looked into the camera and gave a wink and a smile and said, "But with your money, I'd marry you any time, Jeffrey." Q Did she also say that she considered him to be an "awesome guy"? A Several times she referred to him as an "awesome guy". She said that the girls begged her to come and that the girls didn't have a complaint, and the girls would share with her everything that happened after the massage, and that Jeffrey never touched any of the girls. But as informed you, we did interview some of the girls that she took, and he has touched them. • In preparation for your testimony today, did you also speak with someone who is considered to be an expert in these cases? A Yes. And what is that person's name? A Ken Canning. Q Has Mr. Canning been qualified to testify as an expert in federal and state courts in cases that involve what he calls "compliant victims"? A Yes. • What does he mean by the term "compliant victims"? A A compliant victim is when a victim is not EFTA00224016
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Page 13 1 necessarily forced into the conduct that the offender 2 wants them to engage into, that they actually consent to 3 that kind of activity. 4 Q So that would include minors who are subjected 5 to sexual activity but weren't necessarily kidnapped or 6 forced at gunpoint, or something like that? 7 A Exactly. 8 Q Did he discuss with you the difficulties that 9 exist when you interview those types of victims? 10 A Yes. He stated that a compliant victim is often 11 times embarrassed that they went along with the behavior. 12 They are also likely to deny the behavior, especially when 13 being interviewed by investigators, that they'll deny it 14 or they'll minimize it. Sometimes it takes two, three or 15 multiple interviews to get compliant victims to either 16 trust their interviewer or realize that their interviewer 17 is not going to be judgemental. 18 Q In this case, have you found that to be the case 19 with some of the interviews? 20 A Yes, I have. 21 Q In addition to being embarrassed, sometimes 22 these victims feel guilty about the fact that they were 23 involved in this type of activity? 24 A Oh, yes. 25 Q Does Mr. Lanning also have expertise in sexual EFTA00224017
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Page 14 1 preference of offenders? 2 A Yes, he does. 3 Q Did he explain why an offender would select the 4 types of victims that are involved in this case, girls 5 between 14 and 17-years-old? 6 7 has is for post-pubescent females that are physically 8 9 10 11 '2 13 :4 15 16 17 easier to manipulate than grown women? 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 was his words for it. And we actually see this in this A This type of offender, the sexual preference he developed but not necessarily mentally matured. The girls ranging in this age are sometimes inexperienced, they are possibly naive, not as worldly. An offender of this type could also maybe not feel sexually adequate or feel competent dealing with his own age group. So knowing that these girls are less experienced, may focus on them as well. Q In addition to their emotional immaturity, did Mr. Lanning talk about whether or not younger girls are A Yes. Q Did he talk to you about "grooming•? A Yeah. That's what an offender will use with a compliant victim. He told us that grooming is a technique where you gain the cooperation of those victims by focusing on their interests and playing up to those interests. It's a type of seduction, he called it. That EFTA00224018
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1 2 3 Page 15 case. Q Can you give us an example of some of the types of grooming that Mr. Epstein used? 4 A With one of the girls we're going to talk about 5 6 today, Epstein , it's very apparent interviewing her how her. She only went to three or four groomed 7 massages at this time, that she's admitted to. We feel 8 that due to her phone conversations, the multiple calls, 9 that there may be more there. At this point she has 10 stated to us that she has performed three or four massages 11 for Mr. Epstein. 12 what he did is when she first went there he 13 played upon -- she was very shy, and he would play upon 14 that shyness. He told her that she was pretty. He asked 15 her to remove her clothing, and she would not. So he kind :6 17 of kidded around with her shyness and complimented her, showed interest in her, talked about her boyfriend and 18 different interests she had. 19 At the end of that interview, because she did 20 not take off her clothes, he tells her that if she's 21 willing to do more, she will make more. He also tells her 22 that he would pay her if she would bring other girls. As 23 the massages increased, you can see that the next time she 24 comes he plays again to that shyness, but he gets a little 25 bit more -- I guess he sees that it's not working. This EFTA00224019
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1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 Page 16 time she does comply and takes off her he asked her to disrobe on the second massage. She takes off her blouse, but she refuses to take off the bra after Mr. Epstein asked her to. So you can see that he tries through showing interest. And then he actually -- when he sees that this isn't working, he takes a more authoritative role with her in the last massage. She said that throughout all of these massages he was very nice, and then at the end he was much more frustrated and irritated. She does get down to her bra and panties on that one, he's just much more authoritative. So he started with the grooming process, tried to get her interest, tried to use that to get her to comply with removing her clothes. But as often happens, at the end of this, he took over and was much more forceful with his requests. Q Have other girls described that same situation where every time they went back, he tried to push it one step further and one step further? A Yes. Several of the girls have said that he would always push for more and more. Q Did Mr. Lanning explain why it is that a compliant child victim cannot legally consent to the sexual conduct? EFTA00224020
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Page 17 1 A Yeah. He stated that -- you know, we talked 2 about how the law protects children, and stated that we 3 hold adults accountable. When it comes to adolescents, 4 they go through normal tendencies that mature offenders 5 may try to take advantage of. But the law is in place for 6 that reason, to protect -- in the federal law, to protect 7 those individuals under the age of 18. 8 Q And that's because of the different maturity 9 levels of the -- 10 A The offender versus the victims, exactly. 11 Q Did you put together the photographs of the 12 defendants in this case? 13 A Yes, I did. 14 Q Are these photographs of the four human 15 defendants who are named in the proposed indictment? 16 A Yes. 17 Q With their names underneath them? 18 A Yes. 19 Q Agent, who is in the top left-hand corner? 20 A That's Jeffrey Epstein. 21 Q When was this photograph taken? 22 A Recently. There was an article that just came 23 out regarding Mr. Epstein and his connection, or his 24 personal relationship with Prince Andrew, and that was a 25 picture that was in that article. EFTA00224021
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1 2 4 Page 18 Q Who is in the top right-hand corner? A That's Q Again, this is a relatively recent photograph? A Yes, that's his personal assistant. Q And the bottom left-hand corner? 7 A Again, that assistants, that's is one of Mr. Epstein's personal (phonetic). 8 Q Has Miss since gotten married? 9 A Yes, her name now is 10 Q And the bottom right-hand corner? 11 A That is She is, again, a 12 personal assistant to Mr. Epstein. There has been some 13 talk that she is also romantically -- or I should say 14 sexually involved with Mr. Epstein. 15 Q How old are the defendants? 16 A Jeffrey is in his mid-fifties, and the three 17 girls are in their early twenties. 18 19 Q Do you have a copy of the draft indictment in front of you? 20 A Yes, I do. 21 Q You mentioned when we were looking at the 22 photographs that the three females work as personal 23 assistants for Mr. Epstein, is that correct? 24 A Yes. 25 Q So he is their employer? EFTA00224022
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Page 19 1 A Yes. 2 Q Are you familiar with the property located at 3 358 El Brillo Way in Palm Beach? 4 5 6 8 9 10 11 activities of one of Mr. Epstein's airplanes, which is his 12 Boeing 727. Its tail number is N908JE. 13 14 the sole director. Is he also the sole shareholder? 15 A Yes, he is. 16 Q Are you familiar with Hyperion Air, Inc.? 17 A Yes. Hyperion Air, Inc. is also a business A That's Mr. Epstein residence. Q And he owns that residence? A Yes, he does. Q Are you familiar with Defendant J.E.G.E., Inc.? A Yes. J.E.G.E., Inc. is owned by Jeffrey Epstein. He is the president, the owner, the sole director. It's a business that is solely used for the Q And you mentioned that he is the president and 18 owned by Mr. Epstein. He is also the president, the 19 director and the sole shareholder of that company as well. 20 That company solely does business with his other aircraft, 21 which is a Gulf Stream G-1159B. It bears a tail number 22 N909JE. 23 Q Is that a smaller aircraft than the Boeing? 24 A Yes. 25 Q Just to briefly remind the grand jury about EFTA00224023
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1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 Page 20 where the evidence has been collected in this case, was the start of your investigation information that you received from the Palm Beach Police Department? A Yes, it was. Q And that included evidence seized during a search of Mr. Epstein's home at El Brillo Way? A Yes. Q Also controlled calls that the Palm Beach Police Department placed? A Yes. Q And interviews of girls and other people by the Palm Beach Police Department? A Yes, as well as trash pulls that the Palm Beach Police Department conducted on Mr. Epstein's residence. Q Then when the FBI became involved, the FBI did additional interviews of girls and of recruiters? A Yes. Q They obtained phone records? A Yes, we have. Q And records of payments? A Yes. Q Did this grand jury also subpoena travel records? A Yes. Q Including the flight manifests of the planes EFTA00224024
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