Thread by @KlasfeldReports

Good morning from New York.

Yesterday, Jeffrey Epstein's ex-house manager backed up testimony by Ghislaine Maxwell's accuser "Jane" in important respects. He said he saw "Jane" with the duo without her mother present.

ICYMI, thread ahead: lawandcrime.com/live-trials/gh… @lawcrimenews

The government concluded the direct examination of that house manager, Juan Alessi, ended on Thursday.

Cross-examination kicks off this morning.

In pre-trial proceedings, the parties have been arguing about the admission of certain evidence — such as schoolgirl costumes found in Jeffrey Epstein's massage room and art sexualizing minors.

More on that later:

This is being debated now because the upcoming witnesses are expected to be Florida law enforcement.

Alessi testified yesterday about remembering seeing two girls in Epstein's house who appeared to be minors: "Jane," who testified earlier this week.

The other was Virginia Giuffre, whose civil suit against Maxwell helped spark her criminal prosecution.

"All rise."

The jury is entering.

The witness is on the stand.

Pagliuca's cross-examination begins for the defense.

He asks Alessi about testimony that Epstein and Maxwell both called him "John," not "Juan."

Alessi agrees that everyone called him John, and he didn't take it as disrespectful.

Alessi conceded at the end of direct examination that he stole $6,300 from Epstein, which he returned.

Pagliuca is rattling off what he describes as other alleged thefts.

Alessi replies: "That's not true."

Q: Do you remember telling him that stole money to pay for the girlfriend's immigration papers?
A: First of all, she was not my girlfriend [...] We were not involved.

Q: Is it true that you stole the money, to pay for the immigration papers?
A: Yes.

Alessi concedes that he testified on Sept. 8, 2009 that he stole from Epstein at least twice.

"I guess it was," he said.

Pagliuci moves for the admission of that testimony.

Q: You weren't poor when you went into Mr. Epstein's house in 2003, and you stole the money?
A: I wasn't poor but the money was sequestered because I was going through a divorce.

Pagliuca turns back to Alessi's testimony about Jane.

Q: Isn't it true that you met Jane in 1998 and 2000?
A: That's not true.

Maxwell's lawyer just said Jane's real name and was admonished by Judge Nathan. I won't be repeating it here.

Pagliuca moves onto Alessi's testimony that Jane would see Epstein and Maxwell without her mother present.

Q: When Mr. Epstein was going to be in the residence, he wanted you and your wife there?

Only us. No contractors in the house.

Pagliuca asks whether he had to be there 24 hours a day on these occasions.

"Yes, it was slavery," Alessi says.

Alessi starts to get testy as Pagliuca asks if Epstein liked to show off the Palm Beach property to famous visitors.

"I don't know if he liked to show off that property," he snaps.

The dispute is over what he knew Epstein "liked" to do.

Alessi says of Epstein: "He had very little contact with me in the later years."

Pagliuca calls that inconsistent with his prior testimony that his direct supervisor was "Mr. Epstein."

"He would deal with me directly, and if he was not available, Ms. Maxwell."

Pagliuca's questioning turns to the "Household Manual," which has this bullet point under "Grooming & Guest Relations":

"Remember that you see nothing, hear nothing, say nothing, except to answer a question directed at you. Respect their privacy."

Mid-morning recess.

15 minutes, enough time to procure coffee.

Returning soon.

Cross-examination resumes with questioning about Virginia Roberts (aka, Virginia Giuffre).

Alessi testified that he met Virginia at Mar-a-Lago.

Alessi says he doesn't know whether Ghislaine Maxwell went in for a treatment or not.

Pagliuca says that he previously testified that Maxwell did.

On the weather that day Alessi says he met Virginia Roberts at Mar-a-Lago:

Q: You recalled that it was very hot out.
A: I recalled that very much.

They are disputing whether he said the meeting happened in 2001 or 2002.

Pagliuca has been grilling Alessi as to whether his testimony about this encounter changed in subtle ways over the years, e.g. whether Maxwell got a treatment then.

Q: That's when Ms. Maxwell had her treatment, right?
A: I don't know what she had. I'd never seen the treatments.

Alessi on Epstein: "He never shared anything about his personal life with me."

"He never suggested, implied or tell me anything about it."

Alessi agreed after being asked on cross-examination that he said Epstein asked him to take down pictures of Maxwell when other women visited the house.

Q: Why did you think he told you to take her pictures down?
A: I had no idea, sir.

Pagliuca asks if a number of foreign people visited the house, including people with accents. Alessi agrees.

A: "English accents. French accents. Italian accents."

Q: Lots of different accents?

Alessi answers in the affirmative.

Pagliuca asks Alessi whether he ever arranged professional massages for Epstein at The Breakers at Palm Beach.

After Pagliuca asks whether these arrangements made Alessi a sex trafficker, the prosecutor objects.

Sustained.

(Context: Those massages in question were professional messages from a Palm Beach spa.)

Pagliuca asks whether he ever heard someone looking afraid, screaming or in distress.

"No, sir. Never."

The lawyer asks if he ever saw any signs that anyone was hurt or injured during these massages.

He replies no.

Pagliuca asks if anyone ever complained to him.

"I wish they would have," he says, "because I would have done something to stop it."

But the witness says no, nobody ever complained.

Q: When you were working for Mr. Epstein, you didn't have any doubt that the girls were provided for massages were not of proper age, correct?

Prosecutor: I'm going to object to form.

Judge: Sustained.

Asked whether he believed the people sent to perform sessions on Epstein were "of age," Alessi responds: "I believed so."

Cross examination concludes.

No redirect.

Alessi steps down.

The government calls their next witness: Gregory Parkinson, a crime scene investigator.

"Good afternoon, Mr. Parkinson," AUSA says, a few minutes before noon.

"Good afternoon," Parkinson replies, as the morning ends.

Now retired, Parkinson worked as a crime scene manager with the Palm Beach Police Department.

The government introduces a map of Palm Beach with a red dot that the witness identifies as the El Brillo property.

Parkinson gives jurors the lay of the land.

Testimony turns to Parkinson's visit to Epstein's property, 358 El Brillo Way.

Parkinson describes his search of Epstein's Palm Beach property on Oct. 20, 2005:

He says he went into the:

* Garden room, on the south side, passed into
* The Lake Room, which was like an office and a library, and also
* walked into the kitchen area.

Parkinson says that evidence was transferred to the FBI in 2006.

Parkinson describes a photo submitted into evidence: Epstein's kitchen.

Next photo: Another view of the same room.

Lunch recess.

To be continued...

The afternoon session begins:

Parkinson is viewing and being questioned about a video of a walk-through of Epstein's Palm Beach residence.

Parkinson describes a photograph of Pope John Paul with Jeffrey Epstein.

Parkinson: "That is a picture of Fidel Castro with Jeffrey Epstein."

The video, which the press and public cannot see, turns to the second floor of Epstein's Palm Beach residence.

Deleted a tweet with a generalized description of the photos and art that prosecutors said authorities found in Epstein's house.

Instead, I'm sharing my colleague's story that has this in greater detail.

"Maxwell prosecutors: ‘sexualized’ photo of young girl displayed outside Epstein bedroom," @VicBekiempis reports.

A tour through several photographs and art. theguardian.com/us-news/2021/d…

The witness just concluded a viewing of the walkthrough video.

The prosecutor instructs the witness to view three exhibits.

AUSA is leading the witness through photographs, which are being openly displayed.

Witness on one of them: "This is a view from the garden room, standing at the [...] southeast, looking at the northwest."

(Jurors are being asked to privately view another exhibit.)

Mid-afternoon recess.

Service advisory: Much of this testimony is visual, including of sealed exhibits that are not available to the press and public.

Live-tweets will be sporadic.

Judge Nathan on the video:

"I don't see why a public version can't be made," in redacted form, to protect the privacy of "a few individuals."

Maxwell's lawyer Bobbi Sternheim tells the judge that sealing the roughly 40-minute video conveys a public impression that the house was a "domicile of debauchery."

Only a couple of images in the video were at issue, she said.

Court is back in session after a long recess.

Jurors are examining various photographs of Epstein's residence. Some are sealed.

Epstein's actual green massage table was brought into the courtroom and shown to the jury.

A corresponding photograph of the sticker underneath it shows it was Made in the USA.

Cross-examination—Maxwell's counsel asks Parkinson of his knowledge of the defendant.

Q: You don't know who Ghislaine Maxwell is?
A: I do not.

Parkinson's testimony concludes, and the witness is excused.

Testifying now is Michael Dawson, who was one of the detectives who searched Epstein's residence.

He said they were looking for the massage table, sex toys, correspondence and other materials.

Dawson introduces a photograph of Epstein's sex toys into evidence.

Brand name: The "Twin Torpedos."

Judge Nathan: "We're done for the night."

She is prompt about stopping proceedings at 5 p.m.

Noting this is their first weekend apart, the judge urges the jury not to discuss or research the case over the break.

Look for my wrap up of Week One soon, @LawCrimeNews.