Ghislaine Maxwell’s lawyers called one of Jeffrey Epstein’s ex-girlfriends as a defense witness on Friday in the British socialite’s Manhattan federal court sex-trafficking trial.
Maxwell’s defense team also rested their case on Friday afternoon and she declined to testify. Her trial will enter a new stage Monday when the prosecution and defense will present their closing arguments.
Eva Dubin, a former Miss Sweden whose husband is hedge fund manager Glenn Dubin, said that she dated Epstein on and off from 1983 to about 1990-1991. Eva said that she had traveled with Epstein on his planes.
After Eva and Glenn Dubin married in 1994, they remained friendly with Epstein. That friendliness continued after the Dubins had children, two girls and one boy, she said.
“Were you and Mr Dubin comfortable with the relationship between Mr Epstein and your children?” asked Jeffrey Pagliuca, one of Maxwell’s attorneys.
“Yes, we were.”
“Did it appear to you that Mr Epstein was fond of your children?”
“Yes, he was.”
“Did it appear to you that your children were fond of Mr Epstein?”
“Yes, they were.”
Pagliuca asked whether her children and Epstein’s relationship was “uncle-like”. She replied in the affirmative.
Did they have a nickname for him?
“They called him ‘Uncle F’.”
She was asked if she ever observed any inappropriate conduct between Epstein and any teenage girls or underage females?
“I did not,” she said.
Pagliuca also tried to undermine claims from Maxwell accuser Jane about being in group sexual encounters. At one point during Jane’s cross-examination, she said that one participant in a sexualized group massage was named “Eva”.
Jane did not provide Eva’s last name.
“Have you ever been in a group sexual encounter with the person that we’re calling Jane?” Pagliuca asked.
“Absolutely not.”
The Dubin name has been embroiled in Epstein-related controversy for several years. Virginia Giuffre, a longtime Epstein accuser, alleged in a 2016 deposition that Maxwell directed her to have sex with Glenn.
Giuffre has also alleged that Maxwell and Epstein forced her into a sexual encounter with Prince Andrew when she was just 17 years old. Andrew has denied her allegation.
After the deposition and other records in Giuffre’s suit were unsealed in 2019, the Dubins said in a statement: “Glenn and Eva Dubin are outraged by the allegations in the unsealed court records, which are demonstrably false and defamatory. The Dubins have flight records and other evidence that definitively disprove that any such events occurred.”
Eva Dubin’s testimony came on the second day of Maxwell’s defense case.
Late Friday afternoon, Judge Alison Nathan asked Maxwell whether she would be testifying in her case. “Ms Maxwell, I want to make sure that you understand that you have the right to testify in your own defense,” Nathan said. “You also have the right not to testify.”
“Your honor, the government has not proven its case beyond a reasonable doubt, and so there is no need for me to testify,” Maxwell said in a steady voice.
Maxwell’s first defense witness was Cimberly Espinosa, who worked as her assistant from 1996 to 2006. During testimony Thursday, Espinosa described her time with Maxwell in glowing terms, saying the work was “fun” and that “I looked up to her very much, and I actually learned a lot from her.”
Among the other witnesses called on day one of the defense was Dr Elizabeth Loftus, a psychologist whose expertise is in false memories. Loftus told jurors that time and media exposure can weaken and influence memories; her testimony is intended to bolster the defense’s attempts to undermine accusers’ credibility.
“If there is post-event suggestion, maybe disinformation, it can enter a witnesses memory and cause a contamination,” Loftus testified. “The older the event is, the more susceptible people are to having post-event suggestion potentially contaminate their memory.”
Maxwell, 59, is on trial for six counts for her purported involvement in Epstein’s sexual abuse of teen girls. She was arrested in July 2020 at a luxurious New Hampshire estate. Maxwell has pleaded not guilty to all charges and maintains that she has committed no wrongdoing.
Epstein, Maxwell’s former boyfriend and a convicted sex offender, had Prince Andrew and former US presidents Donald Trump and Bill Clinton among his powerful and wealthy associates.
The disgraced financier Epstein killed himself in a New York City federal jail more than two years ago, pending his own sex trafficking trial.
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Information and support for anyone affected by rape or sexual abuse issues is available from the following organisations. In the US, Rainn offers support on 800-656-4673. In the UK, Rape Crisis offers support on 0808 802 9999. In Australia, support is available at 1800Respect (1800 737 732).
