NEWSGhislaine Maxwell Forgets That Prince Andrew Met Virginia Roberts At Her Home In Deposition
Oct. 22 2020, Updated 2:10 p.m. ET
Ghislaine Maxwell refuses to answer over 60 questions in her newly unsealed deposition, claiming that she simply cannot remember facts pertaining to underage girls being at Jeffrey Epstein's residence and details of her own sex life with Epstein — and, at one point, she declares that Virginia Roberts never visited her London townhouse.
Roberts of course can be seen at Maxwell's townhouse in the now-infamous photo of herself and Prince Andrew. Maxwell herself is even in the frame, standing behind the two and off to the side while smiling for the photographer — Epstein. It is on this night that Roberts claims she was first trafficked to Andrew, an allegation that Maxwell and the Palace have both denied over the years.
Despite this photo, Maxwell says in her deposition:
- Q. Did you ever introduce redacted to Virginia in London?
- A. I understand her story about London but again, her tissue of lies is extremely hard to pick apart what is true and what isn't. Actually, I wouldn't recollect her at all but for her tissue stories about this situation.
- Q. So did you ever introduce redacted to Virginia in London?
- A. I have no recollection.
- Q. Did Virginia ever stay at your home in London, your townhome?
- A. I know she claims she did but if you are asking me here today to remember specifically, I cannot.
- Q. Do you remember taking a trip with Virginia to travel over to Europe, including London?
- A. So I have seen her reports and I have seen the plane reports. I see she says she was on that but again, I really have no recollection of her.
That line of questioning ends with Roberts' lawyer saying: "Did you hold her passport for her when she was traveling?" Maxwell replies: "I have no recollection whatsoever of her even being on the trip nor holding her passport."
That is when the prosecution pulls out the photo of Maxwell, Roberts, and Prince Andrew as proof.
The unsealed deposition was taken after Maxwell was sued by Roberts back in 2015 for defamatory statements she made in the press. Roberts was not only sexually assaulted by Maxwell and Epstein, but also trafficked to men around the world, including Prince Andrew. She ultimately made her escape after the pair sent her on a trip to Thailand for massage training, and to bring home a new underage victim.
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Roberts filed a lawsuit against Epstein in 2009, shortly before his release from prison following a sweetheart deal that saw him serve just 13 months for soliciting a minor for sex. Maxwell managed to fly under the radar during that investigation, but that all changed when Roberts filed her suit identifying Maxwell as the woman who recruited her and then raped her for years. She reiterated this again in court documents when she joined the class action suit objecting to Epstein's sweetheart deal in late 2014.
It was just a few days later that Maxwell responded through press agent Ross Gow, who said Roberts' statement "against Ghislaine Maxwell are untrue", that the statements were "shown to be untrue" and that her "claims are obvious lies." Roberts was able to produce mountains of evidence in the form of photos, journals, medical records, and more, all of which were kept under seal for years.
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Maxwell eventually settled the complaint out of court, most likely with funds supplied to her by Epstein. She now faces criminal charges in the same court without the help of Epstein or his money. Her attempts to get cash from his estate to fuel her defense has been routinely denied by Epstein's executors, forcing her to file a suit seeking compensation in the Virgin Islands. In that suit, she states that Epstein promised to bankroll her for life prior to his death.
