Prince Andrew 'lobbied US government' on behalf of paedophile Jeffrey Epstein - documents reveal
Prince Andrew allegedly lobbied the US government on Jeffrey Epstein’s behalf so he would receive a “favourable” plea deal for an underage prostitution case in 2008, according to newly-released court documents.
The release of the documents comes following the arrest of Epstein’s former girlfriend, British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell on sex trafficking charges.
The documents are from a now-settled defamation lawsuit in 2015 filed by Virginia Roberts Giuffre, who claims she had sex with Prince Andrew when she was just 17 years old.
Within the documents it is alleged that Maxwell abused underaged girls, with Giuffre saying “she trained me as a sex slave”.
Two of Epstein’s victims, known as Jane Doe 1 and Jane Doe 2, claim Epstein depended on high-profile friends like Prince Andrew to secure a favourable sentence from the US attorney in South Florida in 2008.
They called for the release of the documents in the case as it would reveal Prince Andrew’s role in Epstein’s case.
Lawyers for the two anonymous Epstein accusers from the court documents wrote: “(They are) seeking documents regarding Epstein’s lobbying efforts to persuade the government to give him a favorable plea arrangement, including efforts on his behalf by Prince Andrew and former Harvard law professor Alan Dershowitz.
“They have alleged these materials are needed to prove their allegations that, after Epstein signed the non-prosecution agreement his performance was delayed while he used his significant social and political connections to lobby the justice department to obtain a more favorable plea deal.”
Giuffre says Epstein told her "everyone owes him favours. They're all in each other's pockets."
The documents also contain a transcript deposition given by Epstein’s main accuser, Giuffre, who has also made allegations against Prince Andrew.
Giuffre claimed in the suit and other litigation that Maxwell recruited her in 2000 to be a sexual servant to Epstein. She said the couple subsequently pressured her into having sex with numerous rich or notable men, including the Duke of York, US politicians, wealthy entrepreneurs, a famous scientist and fashion designer.
Maxwell, and all of the accused men, have denied those allegations for years.
Giuffre was pictured alongside the royal in Maxwell's London townhouse in 2001, hours after she claims she first met Andrew in Tramp nightclub in Mayfair.
One email, sent from Epstein’s email address but written in Maxwell’s voice, appeared to be a draft statement or set of talking points for Maxwell to use in defending herself. It said she had been the target of “false allegations of impropriety and offensive behaviour that I abhor and have never ever been party to.”
Responding to a Maxwell email a few days later, Epstein wrote: “You have done nothing wrong and I (would) urge you to start acting like it.” He suggested she go outside and hold her head high, “not as an (escaping) convict.”
Epstein killed himself last summer while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges. Maxwell was recently arrested on federal charges that she recruited at least three girls, including one as young as 14, for Epstein to sexually abuse in the 1990s. Prosecutors said she also joined in the abuse.