Inside Jeffery Epstein's mansion: Horror house filled with sex toys and photos of Pope
On the fourth day of the trial of Ghislaine Maxwell, jurors heard testimony from Jeffery Epstein's former housekeeper Juan Alessi. Alessi managed Epstein's Palm Beach, Florida estate between 1990 and 2002, and revealed that there were plenty of examples of sexual abuse all over the house, including a "wicker basket full of sex toys", and photos of topless women taken by the now-deceased financier himself.
So far, the trial has hinted Maxwell has had a key role in Epstein's sex ring and the connection to his wider network. Earlier, Epstein's former pilot testified he saw no sexual activity aboard the financier's plane but did acknowledge that one of Epstein's accusers, identified as Jane, flew on the plane, as well as Virginia Roberts Guiffre, who is suing Prince Andrew. Jane also testified at the trial and said Maxwell watched as she was repeatedly abused by Epstein.
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But beyond Jane's testimony, prosecutors haven't been able to prove that Maxwell was indeed a party to Epstein's sex ring. However, that might have changed slightly after Alessi's testimony to the court on December 2. While he never directly saw the abuse, he hinted that there were plenty of examples of it all over the home.
First stop at Maxwell's desk
Alessi told jurors that whenever the girls and women arrived at the residence, their first stop was always at "Maxwell's desk". He went on to say, "From the day she came to the house, she right away took over and she mentioned to me she was going to be the lady of the house." On top of his other work, Maxwell also enlisted Alessi to keep Epstein's "massage schedule" fully booked.
From one a day, Epstein received around three messages a day by the late 1990s, mostly by women. When he decided to quit, "I was required not to talk to anybody about his life or Ms. Maxwell," Alessi revealed. The testimony links Maxwell further to Epstein, which is a key part of the prosecutor's case against her. The next step is to indicate Maxwell knew about the abuse, and to that end, Alessi went on to reveal some truly gristly details.
"I remember finding a large dildo. I just put my gloves on, put it in the sink, run it underwater, and put the dildo in Ms. Maxwell’s closet in the basket," Alessi testified. The housekeeper said Maxwell kept a "wicker basket full of sex toys" Epstein used to abuse girls. On at least four occasions, Maxwell made Alessi handwash the toys, after he’d first wiped down Epstein’s massage table and brought the sex offender’s soiled towels to the laundry room.
The basket also contained pornographic videos and leather costumes, Alessi alleged. It wasn't unusual to find the toys lying around the house he said, adding that he also frequently came across photos of topless women shot by Epstein himself. But amidst the erotic photos, the house was also filled with photos of Epstein and Maxwell with some very famous people. "I think there was a photograph of Trump. I think there was a photograph with the Pope. I think there was a photograph with Fidel Castro," he told jurors.
While Trump is alleged to have links with Epstein, so far neither the Pope nor Castro have come up. Earlier, Epstein's pilot Larry Visoski testified he flew Bill Clinton, Prince Andrew, Donald Trump, Kevin Spacey, John Glenn, Chris Tucker, and violinist Itzhak Perlman. Barring Prince Andrew and Maxwell though, no one else has been charged or sued for their role in Epstein's sex ring.