A victim of Jeffrey Epstein, Sarah Ransome, has claimed that the Duke of York, former US President Bill Clinton and billionaire businessman Sir Richard Branson were filmed in sex tapes by the paedophile financier. A US judge ordered hundreds of documents to be unsealed as part of Ms Guiffre’s previously settled civil claim against Maxwell, which was filed in 2015.
These shocking claims were revealed in unsealed court documents released today.
A number of famous names have appeared in documents so far, including Prince Andrew, Bill Clinton, Donald Trump, Sir Richard Branson and David Copperfield. However, the naming of individuals in these documents does not necessarily indicate any wrongdoing or implicate them in Epstein’s crimes.
Ransome, who gave a victim impact statement during Ghislaine Maxwell’s sex-trafficking trial, appeared to write communications making the allegations. However, a New Yorker article, released in 2019, reported Ms Ransome admitted “she had invented the tapes to draw attention to Epstein’s behaviour, and to make him believe that she had ‘evidence that would come out if he harmed me'”.
A firm representing Epstein’s lawyer, Alan Dershowitz, highlighted these extracts argue that Ransome “manifestly lacks credibility”.
Prince Andrew stepped back from public duties following controversy over his friendship with Epstein. He paid millions to settle a civil sexual assault case with Virginia Giuffre, a woman he claimed never to have met.
READ MORE: Inside Epstein’s private island as never-before-seen images of emerge
In a letter to the court, Emery Celli Brinckerhoff & Abady LLP said the claims against Mr Dershowitz were completely untrue.
The firm stated: “Her (Ms Ransome) testimony was fabricated from whole cloth. Ms Ransome’s testimony also contains a slew of other incendiary claims concerning the sexual proclivities of Donald Trump, Bill Clinton and other prominent individuals.
“The emails are a necessary antidote to Ms Ransome’s deposition misstatements because they demonstrate she manifestly lacks credibility.”
Ms Ransome also criticised Hilary Clinton in her emails, with one saying: “I will make sure that neither that evil witch Hillary or that paedophile Trump gets elected.
“I will also make sure that everyone on the God damn planet see’s that footage and photo’s and will release them to Wiki leaks by Sunday.”
Ms Ransome also appeared to say she had “reached out to the Russians for help” after claiming her emails had been hacked.
Epstein was found dead in his cell at a federal jail in Manhattan, New York, in August 2019 while he awaited trial on sex-trafficking charges. His death was ruled as suicide.
Maxwell has been locked up since July 2020 despite attempts by her defence team to have her released on bail.
She wrote: “When my friend had sexual intercourse with Clinton, Prince Andrew and Richard Branson, sex tapes were in fact filmed on each separate occasion by Jeffrey.
“Thank God she managed to get a hold of some footage of the filmed sex tapes, which clearly identify the faces of Clinton, Prince Andrew and Branson having sexual intercourse with her.
“Frustratingly enough Epstein was not seen in any of the footage but he was clever like that!
“When my friend eventually had the courage to speak out and went to the police in 2008 to report what had happened, nothing was done and she was utterly humiliated by the police department where she went to report what had happened with Epstein, Clinton, Branson and Prince Andrew.”
In June 2022, Maxwell received a 20-year prison sentence from the federal court in the Southern District of New York.
Right after being convicted, the socialite showed her desire to appeal. Her lawyers claimed the victims had “faded, distorted and motivated memories”.
Her appeal is set for hearing in November next year.
On behalf of Sir Richard Branson, a Virgin Group spokeswoman told Sky News: “In a New Yorker report published in 2019, Ransome admitted that she had ‘invented’ the tapes. We can confirm that Sarah Ransome’s claims are baseless and unfounded.”
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