作为对…的刑事审判英国社交名媛吉斯莱恩·麦克斯韦一位化名为“凯特”的女性作证说，马克斯韦尔招募并培养她与爱泼斯坦进行性活动当她还是个年轻女人的时候，在他们是“朋友”的伪装下。

“凯特”说，她大约17岁，在巴黎旅行时遇到麦克斯韦尔，当时她住在伦敦。“凯特”给了马克斯韦尔她的电话号码，她说，几周后，马克斯韦尔打电话给她，邀请她过来喝茶。“凯特”很兴奋，她说，做出了这样一个“复杂而优雅”的连接。

“她似乎是我想成为的一切，”她说。"她似乎和我一样对有一个新朋友感到兴奋。"

“几周之内，”凯特说，“她和爱泼斯坦在麦克斯韦尔的伦敦联排别墅里进行露骨的性按摩，那里和“凯特”当时和她母亲住在同一个街区。

在她作证之前，法官艾莉森·内森向陪审团宣读了一份“限制指令”，告知他们“凯特”在所有相关时间和地点都超过了法定同意年龄，因此陪审团不能根据她的证词就起诉书中的任何指控对麦克斯韦定罪。因此，政府只能将她描述为“证人”，而不能将其描述为“受害者”。

检察官辩称，“凯特”的证词与展示麦克斯韦的作案手法有关，麦克斯韦知道与爱泼斯坦一起按摩将被性别化。

“凯特”说，在她第一次去马克斯韦尔在伦敦的家时，她注意到了很多马克斯韦尔和一个头发花白的老人的照片。她后来才知道，照片中的男人是爱泼斯坦，麦克斯韦尔在她下一次来访时把“凯特”介绍给他，称她为“我跟你说过的那个女孩”。

麦克斯韦尔，“凯特”说，鼓励她按摩爱泼斯坦的脚和肩膀。她说，爱泼斯坦“非常赞同”，但随后他接了一个电话，“凯特”说，麦克斯韦尔把她领了出去。几周后，“凯特”说，麦克斯韦又打来电话，声称按摩治疗师在最后一刻取消了，她问“凯特”能否“帮她一个忙”，再次过来给爱泼斯坦按摩。

这一次，“凯特”说，麦克斯韦尔把她带到楼上一个光线昏暗的小房间，房间里有一张按摩桌。爱泼斯坦穿着长袍，但他在凯特进来后脱下了它。她说，麦克斯韦关上了门。当美国助理检察官劳拉·波美兰茨问及爱泼斯坦是否在按摩过程中与她发生了性行为时，凯特回答说:“是的。”

“凯特”在出去的路上，麦克斯韦问道，“情况怎么样?玩得开心吗?好吃吗?她似乎非常兴奋和高兴，并再次感谢我。”

两天后，“凯特”说，她回来给爱泼斯坦做了另一次按摩，麦克斯韦尔把她带到了同一个房间，在那里与爱泼斯坦发生了进一步的性接触。事后，“凯特”说，麦克斯韦告诉她，“你真是个好女孩。……他真的很喜欢你。”

在接下来的几年里，“凯特”偶尔会和爱泼斯坦和麦克斯韦一起旅行，她说，在佛罗里达、纽约和维尔京群岛拜访他们。凯特说，她理解麦克斯韦尔的角色是“照顾杰弗里的需求”，并指出她似乎非常参与管理财产和员工。

麦克斯韦的律师试图通过这个案子让她和爱泼斯坦保持距离，在他们的开场白中暗示爱泼斯坦对其他人隐瞒了他的色情活动，包括麦克斯韦。

“杰弗里·爱泼斯坦操纵了他周围的世界和他周围的人，”麦克斯韦律师博比·斯特恩海姆上周说。“他划分自己的生活，只向周围的人展示他想展示的东西，包括吉斯莱恩。”

在一次参观爱泼斯坦的棕榈滩庄园时，“凯特”说她来到自己的客房，发现床上放着一套“女学生装”。当她问麦克斯韦尔为什么在那里时，“凯特”说麦克斯韦尔告诉她，“她认为你穿着这套衣服带杰弗里去喝茶会很有趣。”

当被问及为什么尽管她声称发生了什么，她仍继续花时间在爱泼斯坦和麦克斯韦身上时，“凯特”说她“想和吉斯莱恩保持关系。”

“我以为，”凯特说，“她会成为我的朋友。"

简·罗森伯格/路透社

2021年12月6日，在纽约的一个法庭草图中，证人“凯特”在审判杰弗里·爱泼斯坦(Jeffrey Epstein)的同伙吉斯莱恩·麦克斯韦(Ghislaine Maxwell)时，被辩护律师博比·斯特恩海姆(Bobbi Sternheim)交叉质证。

在斯特恩海姆的交叉询问中，“凯特”承认她在2012年一直与爱泼斯坦保持联系——包括爱泼斯坦被监禁在棕榈滩之前、期间和之后的电子邮件。在2011年的一封电子邮件中，“凯特”是主动与爱泼斯坦联系的人，说她想去纽约看望他。

“凯特”说在同一时期没有与麦克斯韦接触。

在她的证词中，“凯特”承认她在十几岁和年轻时滥用过酒精、可卡因和安眠药，但她否认滥用药物可能影响了她对爱泼斯坦和麦克斯韦的记忆。

“我对生活中重大事件的记忆从未改变，”她说。

Government witness ‘Kate’ testifies Ghislaine Maxwell groomed her for sex acts with Jeffrey Epstein

As the criminal trial ofBritish socialite Ghislaine Maxwell, the longtime companion of serial sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, entered its second week, a woman identified by the pseudonym "Kate" testified that Maxwell recruited andgroomed her for sexual activity with Epsteinwhen she was a young woman, under the pretense that they were "friends."

"Kate" said she was approximately 17 years old and living in London when she met Maxwell during a trip to Paris. "Kate" gave Maxwell her phone number, she said, and Maxwell called her a few weeks later to invite her over for tea. "Kate" was excited, she said, to have made such a "sophisticated and elegant" connection.

"She seemed to be everything I wanted to be," she said. "She seemed as excited as I was to have a new friend."

Within a few weeks, "Kate" said," she was engaging in sexually explicit massages with Epstein at Maxwell's London townhouse, which was in the same neighborhood where "Kate" then lived with her mother.

Prior to her testimony, Judge Alison Nathan read to the jury a "limiting instruction" informing them that "Kate" was over the legal age of consent at all relevant times and locations, and therefore the jury cannot convict Maxwell of any charges in the indictment based on her testimony. The government is thus only permitted to describe her as a "witness" but not a "victim."

Prosecutors argued that "Kate's" testimony was relevant to show Maxwell's modus operandi and that Maxwell knew that massages with Epstein would be sexualized.

During her first trip to Maxwell's home in London, "Kate" said she noticed lots of photographs of Maxwell with an older man with peppered hair. The man in the pictures, she learned later, was Epstein, and Maxwell introduced "Kate" to him as "the girl I told you about" on her next visit.

Maxwell, "Kate" said, encouraged her to massage Epstein's feet and shoulders. Epstein was "very approving," she said, but then he took a phone call, "Kate" said, and Maxwell ushered her out. A few weeks later, "Kate" said, Maxwell called again, claiming a massage therapist had cancelled at the last minute, and she asked if "Kate" could "do her a favor" by coming over to massage Epstein again.

This time, "Kate" said Maxwell led her upstairs to a small, dimly-lit room with a massage table. Epstein was wearing a robe, but he took it off after Kate entered. Maxwell, she said, closed the door. Asked by Assistant U.S. Attorney Lara Pomerantz if Epstein initiated sexual conduct with her during the massage, Kate answered, "Yes."

On her way out, "Kate" said Maxwell asked, "How did it go? Did you have fun? Was it good? She seemed very excited and happy and thanked me again."

Two days later, "Kate" said, she returned to give Epstein another massage, and Maxwell lead her to the same room where further sexual contact with Epstein occurred. Afterwards, "Kate" said, Maxwell told her, "You're such a good girl. … He really likes you."

"Kate" traveled with Epstein and Maxwell occasionally over the next several years, she said, visiting them in Florida, New York and the Virgin Islands. Kate said she understood Maxwell's role to be "to take care of Jeffrey's needs" and noted that she seemed very involved in managing the properties and staff.

Maxwell's attorney have sought through the case to distance her from Epstein, suggesting in their opening statements that Epstein hid his prurient activities from others, including Maxwell.

"Jeffrey Epstein manipulated the world around him and the people around him," Maxwell attorney Bobbi Sternheim said last week. "He compartmentalized his life, showing only what he wanted to show to the people around him, including Ghislaine."

During one visit to Epstein's Palm Beach estate, "Kate" said she arrived at her guest room to find a "schoolgirl outfit" laid out on her bed. When she asked Maxwell why it was there, "Kate" said Maxwell told her she "thought it would be fun for you to take Jeffrey his tea in this outfit."

Asked why she continued to spend time Epstein and Maxwell despite what she alleges was happening, "Kate" said she "wanted to maintain a relationship with Ghislaine."

"I thought," "Kate said, "she was going to be my friend."

During cross examination by Sternheim, "Kate" acknowledged she was in contact with Epstein through 2012 -- including emails before, during and after he was incarcerated in Palm Beach. And in one email correspondence in 2011, "Kate" was the one who initiated contact with Epstein to say she wanted to visit him in New York.

"Kate" said was not in contact with Maxwell during that same period.

During her testimony, "Kate" acknowledged that she had abused alcohol, cocaine and sleeping pills in her teens and young adulthood but she denied that substance abuse could have impacted her memories of Epstein and Maxwell.

"The memories I have of significant events in my life have never changed," she said.