Two years after Jeffrey Epstein's suicide behind bars, a jury has been picked in New York City for Ghislaine Maxwell's trial. Video / AP
A giggling young Ghislaine Maxwell squeezes boyfriend Jeffrey Epstein's foot on board a private jet as she looks teasingly at the camera.
The intimate shot of a couple appearing very much in love was shown to a New York jury in Maxwell's sex-trafficking trial on today, as part of a collection of 19 never-before-seen photographs recovered from an FBI raid of Epstein's Manhattan townhouse in July 2019.
They were presented by attorneys for the US government, who tried today to paint a picture for jurors of two individuals who were closer than close – "partners in crime".
Another picture showed Epstein's foot pressed up against Maxwell's chest as she rubbed it. Much of the testimony of two of her accusers who have taken the stand so far has centred on massages, which prosecutors called a "ruse" to get girls to touch Epstein.
Others depicted Epstein with his arm around Maxwell or her kissing him on the cheek.
The British socialite, now 59, is seen enjoying luxurious holidays - sunbathing in a bikini on a yacht, in a Russian hat next to a snowy cabin and drinking Bloody Marys.
Two other images, including a picture of Virginia Roberts Giuffre, the accuser of the Duke of York, as a teenager, were filed under seal to "protect her privacy", the court heard.
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The nature of Maxwell and Epstein's relationship has come under question throughout the trial, with several witnesses testifying that they thought the pair were a couple, while others believed they had just a business relationship.
Previous reports had suggested Maxwell had dated Epstein, the late financier, only briefly in the mid-1990s. The pictures, however, told a different story. Maxwell became known for her short dark bob, but several of the photos showed a much younger-looking Ghislaine sporting shoulder-length hair. They appeared to date from the early 90s up to the early 2000s.
One of the bathrooms leading out to the master bedroom. Photo / Supplied
The photos were taken from hard drives and CDs that were discovered by the FBI during a raid of Epstein's property after he was arrested on sex offence charges. An FBI agent testified in court today that a staggering 20,000 images in total were extracted as part of their investigation.
Other photos from the New York City search show Epstein's infamous massage room, where several of his alleged victims claims they were sexually abused.
A massage table with white sheets sits in the middle of the room and oversized red curtains frame a large photo.
Maxwell's three accusers have been asked to describe the massage rooms in Epstein's New York, Palm Beach, Florida, and New Mexico homes, which they have done in detail.
In a set of photos shown last week to the court, a framed naked picture of Maxwell could be seen in the bathroom of his Palm Beach mansion under a sketch portrait of her.
In detailed testimony, Stephen Flatley from the FBI's computer analysis response team, on Tuesday outlined how he examined a hard drive found at the New York residence containing emails sent and word documents created by a user called "Gmax," assumed to be Maxwell herself.
The contents had been cloned from a desktop computer at one of Epstein's houses, though it was not clear which one.
In one word document on the server belonging to "Gmax", the British socialite appears at pains to stress just how close she and Epstein were.
"Jeffrey and Ghislaine have been together, a couple, for the last 11 years. They are, contrary to what many people think, rarely apart," Maxwell appears to write about herself in third person, with the intended recipient unclear.
It continued: "Ghislaine is highly intelligent and great company with a ready smile and an infectious laugh, will always put one at one's ease and always makes one feel welcome. Jeffrey and Ghislaine share many mutual interests and they have a lot of fun together.
"Jeffrey and Ghislaine complement each other really well and I can't imagine one without the other. On top of being partners, they are also the best of friends."
The court was also shown emails and documents purportedly from Maxwell's account, which was set up using the email Gmax1@mindspring.com.
In emails from the "Gmax account", Maxwell appears to complain to a woman named Sally about the poor condition of Epstein's Palm Beach house, which she helped manage.
The email said the "massage creams in (Epstein's) bathroom were a mess" and complained that nobody had gone in to arrange them.
Later in the email, the recipient was then asked: "How are we doing with the Palm Beach manual? Where do we stand with it?"
The court was then shown an advert for professional masseurs that had been sent from the account.
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Late on Monday afternoon, the court heard from an FBI special agent about how evidence "went missing" from Epstein's New York Upper East Side home while authorities were waiting for a warrant.
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Special Agent Kelly Maguire recalled how CDs and other items were recovered by the FBI from a locked safe during an initial search of the Manhattan home on July 6 and July 7, 2019, after Epstein's arrest on sex assault charges.
The FBI agent said officers broke open the safe with a saw, finding the CDs, jewellery, computer hard drives, "loose diamonds", passports and "large amounts of US currency."
The spiral staircase leading up to the master bedroom. Photo / Supplied
They took photographs of the items but left them at the residence as they did not have the warrant to remove them. When they returned four days later, on July 11, they were no longer there.
Agent Maguire, a member of an FBI Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force, said she then called Richard Kahn, Epstein's lawyer who now serves as the executor of the later financier's estate, to ask what happened to the items.
"Twenty to thirty minutes after the conversation, Richard Kahn came to the residence and brought the items back in two suitcases," Agent Maguire said.
A third alleged victim took the stand today, the seventh day of Maxwell's trafficking trial.
The swimming pool, pool house and sun loungers. Photo / Supplied
Last night, another accuser entered the witness box and told the court how she was just 14 when Maxwell groped her breasts and buttocks in Epstein's massage room.
A lounge leading out to the swimming pool. Photo / Supplied
Carolyn, allowed to use only her first name to protect her identity, emotionally recounted how she was fully nude when the British socialite said that she "had a great body for Epstein" while touching her "boobs, hips and buttocks."
The accuser said that she was introduced to Epstein and Maxwell through her friend, Giuffre. It was claimed that Giuffre asked Carolyn if she wanted to make money, and told her that they would go to "a friend's house on Palm Beach Island and give him a massage."
The pair were greeted by Maxwell, who allegedly told Giuffre to take Carolyn upstairs "and show her what to do".
Tearfully recounting what happened next, Carolyn said that Giuffre fully undressed and asked her to do the same, but Carolyn was only comfortable being seen in her bra and underpants.
Epstein walked in and laid face down on the massage table and after 45 minutes turned over and started having sex with Giuffre in front of Carolyn. She was paid $300 in three $100 bills and gave her phone number to Maxwell on the way out, she said.
Shortly after, Carolyn said that Maxwell invited her to fly to Epstein's private island in the Caribbean. "I told her I was too young and that there was no way in hell that my mom would let me leave the country. I told her I was 14."
Despite knowing Carolyn's age, Maxwell continued to invite her to massage her boyfriend, the court heard. In each of the more than 100 sessions over four years, Epstein masturbated and groped the teenager.
Maxwell denies the charges and the trial continues.
