- A former long-time pilot of sex criminal Jeffrey Epstein was called as the first witness at the criminal trial of British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell, who is accused of procuring underage girls to be sexually abused by Epstein years ago.
- The pilot, Larry Visoski, had flown Epstein’s Boeing 727 on multiple trips, according to Florida law enforcement files.
- The jury for the trial was seated earlier in U.S. District Court in Manhattan.
- Epstein and Maxwell socialized with high-profile people including former Presidents Donald Trump and Bill Clinton, along with Britain’s Prince Andrew.
A former long-time pilot of sex criminal Jeffrey Epstein was called as the first witness Monday at the federal criminal trial of British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell, who is accused of procuring underage girls to be sexually abused by Epstein years ago.
The pilot, Larry Visoski, flew Epstein’s Boeing 727 on multiple trips, according to Florida law enforcement files obtained by NBC News. Those records appear to show he was at the controls for several flights when Maxwell and others were on board.
Visoki was called to the witness stand in U.S. District Court in Manhattan by prosecutors after opening arguments in the case.
The jury for the trial was seated Monday morning.
Eighteen jurors were picked for the case. Twelve of them will deliberate on a verdict; the six others will be alternates.
Epstein, who was worth hundreds of millions of dollars, socialized along with Maxwell with high-profile people including former Presidents Donald Trump and Bill Clinton and Britain’s Prince Andrew before Epstein pleaded guilty to a sex crime involving a minor in Florida in 2008.
Maxwell’s trial is expected to last about six weeks.
This trial will deal only with the sex-related charges against Maxwell. She will be tried separately for perjury charges stemming from allegations that she lied under oath while being deposed in a civil lawsuit by an Epstein accuser.
Source: Business - cnbc.com
