NZ Herald
  • Home
  • Latest news
  • Herald NOW
  • Video
  • New Zealand
  • Sport
  • World
  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Podcasts
  • Quizzes
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Viva
  • Weather

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • New Zealand
    • All New Zealand
    • Crime
    • Politics
    • Education
    • Open Justice
    • Scam Update
  • Herald NOW
  • On The Up
  • World
    • All World
    • Australia
    • Asia
    • UK
    • United States
    • Middle East
    • Europe
    • Pacific
  • Business
    • All Business
    • MarketsSharesCurrencyCommoditiesStock TakesCrypto
    • Markets with Madison
    • Media Insider
    • Business analysis
    • Personal financeKiwiSaverInterest ratesTaxInvestment
    • EconomyInflationGDPOfficial cash rateEmployment
    • Small business
    • Business reportsMood of the BoardroomProject AucklandSustainable business and financeCapital markets reportAgribusiness reportInfrastructure reportDynamic business
    • Deloitte Top 200 Awards
    • CompaniesAged CareAgribusinessAirlinesBanking and financeConstructionEnergyFreight and logisticsHealthcareManufacturingMedia and MarketingRetailTelecommunicationsTourism
  • Opinion
    • All Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Editorials
    • Business analysis
    • Premium opinion
    • Letters to the editor
  • Politics
  • Sport
    • All Sport
    • OlympicsParalympics
    • RugbySuper RugbyNPCAll BlacksBlack FernsRugby sevensSchool rugby
    • CricketBlack CapsWhite Ferns
    • Racing
    • NetballSilver Ferns
    • LeagueWarriorsNRL
    • FootballWellington PhoenixAuckland FCAll WhitesFootball FernsEnglish Premier League
    • GolfNZ Open
    • MotorsportFormula 1
    • Boxing
    • UFC
    • BasketballNBABreakersTall BlacksTall Ferns
    • Tennis
    • Cycling
    • Athletics
    • SailingAmerica's CupSailGP
    • Rowing
  • Lifestyle
    • All Lifestyle
    • Viva - Food, fashion & beauty
    • Society Insider
    • Royals
    • Sex & relationships
    • Food & drinkRecipesRecipe collectionsRestaurant reviewsRestaurant bookings
    • Health & wellbeing
    • Fashion & beauty
    • Pets & animals
    • The Selection - Shop the trendsShop fashionShop beautyShop entertainmentShop giftsShop home & living
    • Milford's Investing Place
  • Entertainment
    • All Entertainment
    • TV
    • MoviesMovie reviews
    • MusicMusic reviews
    • BooksBook reviews
    • Culture
    • ReviewsBook reviewsMovie reviewsMusic reviewsRestaurant reviews
  • Travel
    • All Travel
    • News
    • New ZealandNorthlandAucklandWellingtonCanterburyOtago / QueenstownNelson-TasmanBest NZ beaches
    • International travelAustraliaPacific IslandsEuropeUKUSAAfricaAsia
    • Rail holidays
    • Cruise holidays
    • Ski holidays
    • Luxury travel
    • Adventure travel
  • Kāhu Māori news
  • Environment
    • All Environment
    • Our Green Future
  • Talanoa Pacific news
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Property Insider
    • Interest rates tracker
    • Residential property listings
    • Commercial property listings
  • Health
  • Technology
    • All Technology
    • AI
    • Social media
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
    • Opinion
    • Audio & podcasts
  • Weather forecasts
    • All Weather forecasts
    • Kaitaia
    • Whangārei
    • Dargaville
    • Auckland
    • Thames
    • Tauranga
    • Hamilton
    • Whakatāne
    • Rotorua
    • Tokoroa
    • Te Kuiti
    • Taumaranui
    • Taupō
    • Gisborne
    • New Plymouth
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Dannevirke
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Levin
    • Paraparaumu
    • Masterton
    • Wellington
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Blenheim
    • Westport
    • Reefton
    • Kaikōura
    • Greymouth
    • Hokitika
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
    • Wānaka
    • Oamaru
    • Queenstown
    • Dunedin
    • Gore
    • Invercargill
  • Meet the journalists
  • Promotions & competitions
  • OneRoof property listings
  • Driven car news

Puzzles & Quizzes

  • Puzzles
    • All Puzzles
    • Sudoku
    • Code Cracker
    • Crosswords
    • Cryptic crossword
    • Wordsearch
  • Quizzes
    • All Quizzes
    • Morning quiz
    • Afternoon quiz
    • Sports quiz

Regions

  • Northland
    • All Northland
    • Far North
    • Kaitaia
    • Kerikeri
    • Kaikohe
    • Bay of Islands
    • Whangarei
    • Dargaville
    • Kaipara
    • Mangawhai
  • Auckland
  • Waikato
    • All Waikato
    • Hamilton
    • Coromandel & Hauraki
    • Matamata & Piako
    • Cambridge
    • Te Awamutu
    • Tokoroa & South Waikato
    • Taupō & Tūrangi
  • Bay of Plenty
    • All Bay of Plenty
    • Katikati
    • Tauranga
    • Mount Maunganui
    • Pāpāmoa
    • Te Puke
    • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Hawke's Bay
    • All Hawke's Bay
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Havelock North
    • Central Hawke's Bay
    • Wairoa
  • Taranaki
    • All Taranaki
    • Stratford
    • New Plymouth
    • Hāwera
  • Manawatū - Whanganui
    • All Manawatū - Whanganui
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Manawatū
    • Tararua
    • Horowhenua
  • Wellington
    • All Wellington
    • Kapiti
    • Wairarapa
    • Upper Hutt
    • Lower Hutt
  • Nelson & Tasman
    • All Nelson & Tasman
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Tasman
  • Marlborough
  • West Coast
  • Canterbury
    • All Canterbury
    • Kaikōura
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
  • Otago
    • All Otago
    • Oamaru
    • Dunedin
    • Balclutha
    • Alexandra
    • Queenstown
    • Wanaka
  • Southland
    • All Southland
    • Invercargill
    • Gore
    • Stewart Island
  • Gisborne

Media

  • Video
    • All Video
    • NZ news video
    • Herald NOW
    • Business news video
    • Politics news video
    • Sport video
    • World news video
    • Lifestyle video
    • Entertainment video
    • Travel video
    • Markets with Madison
    • Kea Kids news
  • Podcasts
    • All Podcasts
    • The Front Page
    • On the Tiles
    • Ask me Anything
    • The Little Things
  • Cartoons
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / World

Ghislaine Maxwell trial: Housekeeper reveals life inside Epstein mansion

AP
3 Dec, 2021 06:02 AM5 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

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 former housekeeper testified on Thursday that two women who have accused Jeffrey Epstein of sexually abusing them as teens were repeated visitors to his Palm Beach mansion, summoned by Epstein or his associate Ghislaine Maxwell.

Taking the stand at Maxwell's sex trafficking trial, Juan Patricio Alessi said that one of her accusers, who testified under the pseudonym "Jane" earlier this week, initially visited the house with her mother and later returned several times alone. She went to the movies and took a plane trip with Epstein, Maxwell and their guests, Alessi said.

He said another of Epstein's accusers, Virginia Roberts Giuffre, visited "very often" after encountering Maxwell at former President Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago club. Alessi said he was chauffeuring Maxwell when she had him stop the car so she could pop out and talk to Giuffre, who was working as a spa attendant.

Isabel Maxwell, sister of the Ghislaine Maxwell, leaves court after the first day of her sister's trial in New York. Photo / AP
Isabel Maxwell, sister of the Ghislaine Maxwell, leaves court after the first day of her sister's trial in New York. Photo / AP

Alessi said he sometimes picked up Giuffre or "Jane" from their homes, on instructions from Maxwell or Epstein, and would bring the visitors to Maxwell at her desk.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

After that, it was "not my job to see where they were," he said.

One time, Giuffre brought her boyfriend into the house with her, he said, and Maxwell said the man needed to leave and wait in the car.

Alessi said he saw also "many, many, many" young adult female visitors, often lounging topless by the pool, who appeared to be in their late 20s.

He worked at Epstein's sprawling home from 1990 to 2002 — and admits he returned two years later to steal US$6300 in cash from Epstein's desk. He said Epstein confronted him about the theft and agreed not to press charges if Alessi repaid him, which Alessi said he did.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Epstein killed himself in jail in 2019, while charged with sex trafficking counts that alleged he abused dozens of underage girls in New York and Florida. The case against Maxwell stems from four now-adult women who said she helped him victimise them.

Giuffre's allegations, which include claims that Epstein and Maxwell trafficked her at age 17 and 18 to other prominent men who have denied it, are not part of the case.

Maxwell, 59, denies the allegations against her, and her lawyers say prosecutors are going after her because they can't try Epstein.

The Associated Press does not typically identify people who say they are victims of sexual assault unless they decide to tell their stories publicly, as Giuffre has done.

Discover more

World

'Epstein liked foot rubs': Accuser opens up on Maxwell's role

02 Dec 06:54 PM
World

Jeffrey Epstein's pilot testifies Trump flew on the 'Lolita Express'

30 Nov 05:51 PM
World

Ghislaine Maxwell preyed on girls, 'served them up' to be abused by Jeffrey Epstein: prosecution

29 Nov 08:10 PM
World

Jury selected for Ghislaine Maxwell sex trafficking trial

29 Nov 04:53 PM

Maxwell, a British socialite, was Epstein's onetime girlfriend and, later, employee. Prosecutors said she took the girls on shopping trips and movie outings, talked to them about their lives and encouraged them to accept financial help from him.

The government also says she also helped to create a sexualised atmosphere by talking with the girls about sex and encouraging them to give Epstein massages, and the woman identified as "Jane" testified this week that she had sexual interactions with Epstein at age 14 with Maxwell in the room and sometimes participating. Maxwell's lawyers pointed to FBI documents that said the woman gave the government a different account in 2019; she questioned the documents' accuracy.

Alessi portrayed an imperious Maxwell letting it be known that she was "the lady of the house" and handing out a 58-page booklet with rules for staff on everything from how to address her and Epstein to what types of notepads to put on their desks.

"Checklists will assist you in making sure every task has been completed and not even the smallest detail has been overlooked," the book said, instructing employees to "try to anticipate" Epstein and Maxwell's needs and to "see nothing, hear nothing, say nothing" except when spoken to.

"I was supposed to be blind, deaf and dumb and say nothing of their lives," Alessi said.

Staffers had to "run the house like a five-star hotel," keep Epstein's cars washed and stocked with $100 bills in them for his weekend visits and avoid looking him in the eye. Maxwell said he didn't like such eye contact, according to Alessi, who said she and Epstein called him "John" instead of "Juan."

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Earlier on Thursday, psychologist Lisa Rocchio testified that child sexual abusers often groom their victims in a progression that includes giving presents, building a sense of trust and gradually introducing more sexually charged talk and touching.

Before the trial, Maxwell's lawyers tried unsuccessfully to block Rocchio's testimony, saying it didn't have enough scientific grounding.

After she took the stand, defence lawyer Jeffrey Pagliuca suggested that some things she described as grooming — such as giving gifts, taking children to special places or paying them attention — could also be innocuous.

He recalled, for example, his grandfather taking him to the Bronx Zoo as a child.

"I'm assuming he wasn't taking you there for sexual abuse," she retorted, saying that simple kindness isn't grooming "in the context of a healthy and normal relationship."

Save

    Share this article

Latest from World

live
World

'Everlasting consequences': Iran says 'all options' on table after US strike

23 Jun 05:26 AM
Premium
World

After the US bombing, there's still doubt about the results

23 Jun 03:07 AM
World

Australian senator makes pointed protest outside palace

23 Jun 02:32 AM

Anzor’s East Tāmaki hub speeds supply

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from World

Premium
After the US bombing, there's still doubt about the results

After the US bombing, there's still doubt about the results

23 Jun 03:07 AM

New York Times: The fuel stockpile is stored in special casks small enough to fit in cars.

Australian senator makes pointed protest outside palace

Australian senator makes pointed protest outside palace

23 Jun 02:32 AM
Veteran newsreader attacked by robbers in London's West End

Veteran newsreader attacked by robbers in London's West End

23 Jun 02:22 AM
'Everlasting consequences': Iran says ‘all options’ on table after US strike

'Everlasting consequences': Iran says ‘all options’ on table after US strike

23 Jun 02:09 AM
Kaibosh gets a clean-energy boost in the fight against food waste
sponsored

Kaibosh gets a clean-energy boost in the fight against food waste

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • NZ Herald e-editions
  • Daily puzzles & quizzes
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Subscribe to the NZ Herald newspaper
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP