New York: Britain’s Prince Andrew should be the FBI’s next target, lawyers for the victims of Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell urged the day after the British heiress was sentenced to 20 years’ imprisonment in a New York court.
The FBI asked in 2019 to interview the Duke of York over his involvement with Epstein victim Virginia Roberts Giuffre, but, according to them, he refused to co-operate. He is still said to be a “person of interest” to the federal agency.
Prince Andrew pictured with Virginia Giuffre, then Virginia Roberts, at the home of Ghislaine Maxwell, right, in London in 2001.
Giuffre claimed she was groomed by Maxwell, 60, as a minor to be sexually abused by Epstein and the Duke.
The Queen has stripped her 62-year-old son of his HRH status, military titles and royal patronages. He largely withdrew from public life earlier this year after a $12 million (£10 million) out-of-court settlement with Giuffre. He has always denied the allegations.
“We call upon the FBI to fully investigate Prince Andrew,” said Lisa Bloom, who represents several Epstein victims.
“Virginia Giuffre’s civil case should be just the beginning. Everyone associated with Epstein and Maxwell should be carefully investigated.”
Bloom also said: “The FBI decided not to force the issue with Prince Andrew, which would have created diplomatic problems between our two countries.
“It’s high time for Prince Andrew to do the right thing, the thing he said he would do, and co-operate with the FBI. Until he does that, it is far too soon for him to return to public life.”
Spencer Kuvin, who represents nearly a dozen other victims, said that they were “happy that there is finally some justice” but the women wanted the US Attorney’s Office to “continue with their investigation and prosecution of other co-conspirators that were involved with Epstein”.
“Unfortunately, the federal government does not discuss its ongoing investigations, so we have no idea what they are proceeding with,” Kuvin said. “I think the chances of prosecuting Prince Andrew are unfortunately very low.”
Asked about others possibly linked to Maxwell and Epstein, Brad Edwards, a lawyer for several victims who testified at Maxwell’s trial, added: “Let’s hope they’re the next target. If we have anything to do with it, they will be.”
US investigators previously applied to the UK to hand over the Duke to give evidence through a Mutual Legal Assistance request to the Home Office, bypassing Buckingham Palace. This would allow the FBI to ask for him to be compelled to go to a British court to give evidence under oath as a witness.
The Home Office has refused to comment on the status of the request.
There have been no public pronouncements from the FBI regarding the Duke since early 2020, when Geoffrey Berman, then US attorney for the southern district of New York, revealed that the FBI and US prosecutors had asked to interview him about Epstein but had received “zero co-operation”.
The Duke was said to be “angry and bewildered” by the claims and insisted he had received no such request. He declined to comment yesterday. It is not known what precise agreement was reached between him and Giuffre.
Maxwell, the daughter of media tycoon Robert Maxwell, met the Duke while studying history at the University of Oxford in the early 1980s. He later invited her and Epstein to Windsor Castle and the Sandringham estate.
In December, Sigrid McCawley, a colleague of Giuffre’s lawyer David Boies, said: “The jury looked at Ghislaine, who has summered at the Queen’s homes and lived a life of incredible privilege… and yet they disregarded all that.
“I see a real change in the legal landscape. Not even princes and presidents are above the law.”
The Telegraph, London
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