Ghislaine Maxwell Trial: Jeffrey Epstein's Pilot Testifies
"Ghislaine was Number Two. But Epstein was the Big Number One."
Was Epstein's private jet the orgy-filled "Lolita Express" that the tabloids, and the prosecution, have dubbed it? Or was it merely, as the defense claims, a "Hamptons jitney in the air" so that Epstein could give his friends and their family members lifts around the world?
Jeffrey Epstein’s former pilot, Lawrence Visoski Jr., continued his testimony today.
Visoski, who vaguely resembles Captain Stuben from The Love Boat (if he was trapped inside a plexiglass box that surrounds the witness stand post-COVID) said that he worked as a pilot for Epstein between the years of 1991 and 2019.
He said that for many of those years, Ghislaine Maxwell was “number two” in Epstein’s organization but added that “definitely, Mr. Epstein was the big number one.”
Visoski said that Maxwell’s job description wasn’t clear - but that she “handled pretty much all finances” for Epstein, including his expenses, along with “an array of personal assistants.”
The prosecution asked detailed questions about Epstein’s properties - including the Zorro Ranch in New Mexico and his apartment in Paris.
He described the layout of the 10,000 acre ranch in detail - as well as Epstein’s palatial home on the private island of Little Saint James.
He explained that visited all of the residences multiple times - sometimes to discuss flight plans or to pick up or drop luggage; other times to install electronics.
Epstein, he explained, was “an audiophile” who had top-end home theater systems in all of his properties.
A lawyer I spoke to in the hallway said she believed that this line of questioning was meant to get the jury familiar with Epstein’s properties - because they would be discussing them in detail at trial.
Then Visoski described the Boeing 727, which the tabloids have nicknamed “The Lolita Express” as a “recreational vehicle.”
Epstein used the jet to take his friends and sometimes, extra guests, whom the defense referred to as “tag-alongs”, around the world.
We saw photos of the jet’s interior.
Like most of Epstein’s homes and property, the ornate decor looked like something lifted from a velvet painting of Elvis.
He took us through the Round Room, with the doughnut-shaped velvet couches, to the Red Room, which had a red sofa and was used as Epstein’s office.
In the back of the aircraft was the master bedroom, which housed a queen-sized bed and black leather captain’s chairs.
Visoski testified that he “always” had the door shut during flight, so he could not see what was going on with the passengers.
But he pointed out that Epstein never discouraged him from leaving the cockpit - in fact, he said that Epstein expressly told him that he could leave his post if he needed to use the restroom or grab a cup of coffee from the galley.
The Boeing was compartmentalized : Each cabin had its own door, and the door could be closed.
Even though he testified that he spent almost all of his time behind a closed door, he testified that he “never” saw any type of sexual contact on the plane.
Visoski remembered meeting various celebrities on Epstein’s plane, including former President Donald Trump, Kevin Spacey, John Glenn and violinist Itzhak Perlman.
He said that Epstein had been generous to him by giving him 40 acres of land in New Mexico and paying for his daughters to go to school.
Visoski said that he “never” witnessed any women whom he believed to be underage (with the exception of children traveling with families) on Epstein’s plane.
He did remember meeting the young woman that the prosecution refers to as “Jane” - and said that he saw her as a “mature woman with piercing blue eyes.”
Christian Everdell asked the question: “You’ll forgive the question, Mr. Visoski, but I think you’ll remember that at the time you saw her, you also remembered she had large breasts. Isn’t that right?”
Visoski countered by stating that Jane appeared to him to be “a mature woman.”