Photos seen in Jeffrey Epstein mansion raid apparently showed Fidel Castro, Pope John Paul II
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Video from a 2005 police raid at convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein’s Florida mansion showed an array of photos on display – one of which appeared to show Epstein and Pope John Paul II, with another depicting Cuba’s Fidel Castro.
It was not entirely clear whether the photos were legitimate. However, Colombian ex-President Andrés Pastrana said Epstein traveled to Cuba on Castro's invitation, the Miami Herald reported, adding that the trip likely took place in 2003.
The photo on the left appeared to show Ghislaine Maxwell and Fidel Castro, with the picture on the right showing Epstein and Maxwell with Pope John Paul II. (Palm Beach County State Attorney's Office)
A trove of famous and high-profile names surrounded Epstein over the years, including President Trump and former President Bill Clinton.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}A 2002 New York Magazine article quoted Trump saying of Epstein, “He’s a lot of fun to be with. It is even said that he likes beautiful women as much as I do, and many of them are on the younger side.”
However, court papers dated to 2011 showed that Trump was said to have kicked Epstein out of his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida for sexually assaulting a girl there.
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}In July, the Trump administration downplayed Trump's connections to Epstein. White House Counselor Kellyanne Conway said Trump told her he hadn't spoken with or seen Epstein in 10 or 15 years.
The video taken by police inside Epstein’s Palm Beach mansion also showed the house was partially decorated with explicit photos and imagery of young women, Fox News reported Thursday.
Epstein was accused of molesting dozens of underage girls at the Palm Beach mansion and by 2006, investigators had interviewed more than 30 young women – some of whom were minors at the time of the alleged molestations.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}In the end, prosecutors and Epstein’s lawyers negotiated a then-secret plea deal which led Epstein to serve just 13 months in jail under work-release privileges, allowing him to work in his office six days a week.
He pleaded guilty to a child prostitution charge and registered as a sex offender.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}One photograph seen in Epstein's Palm Beach home appeared to show his then-girlfriend and alleged madam, Ghislaine Maxwell, topless on a beach. Maxwell also appeared to be the other person in the foreground of the photo with Castro.
The socialite, 57, allegedly recruited girls to satisfy Epstein's sexual appetites, according to lawsuits filed by accusers of the financier, who killed himself last month while in jail awaiting trial on sex-trafficking charges.
One of Epstein’s accusers, Virginia Giuffre, said in a lawsuit she was working at Mar-a-Lago at the age of 15 when Maxwell approached her about a way to earn money: Learn massage therapy and get to know Epstein as a man who could give her a bright future.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}In a sworn affidavit, Giuffre said she was flown on Epstein’s private planes to his properties in New Mexico, the U.S, Virgin Island, Paris and New York. Guiffre also said Maxwell arranged meetings for sex in London and elsewhere with Britain’s Prince Andrew.
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Andrew has said the charges were false and Buckingham Palace has denied any wrongdoing by the prince. At least one photo in court records showed Prince Andrew with his arm around Giuffre’s waist with Maxwell smiling in the background.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Late last month, Andrew broke his silence on Epstein to deny ever witnessing any of the convicted sex offender’s criminal behavior during the “limited time” they spent together.
He said in a statement that their friendship began in 1999 and that it was a “mistake and an error” to see Epstein in 2010. That visit took place a year after Epstein had finished serving time in prison for soliciting prostitution from a minor.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Video footage surfaced last month showing Andrew waving goodbye to a young woman at the door of Epstein’s Manhattan mansion during that now-notorious 2010 visit.
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Maxwell also has denied Guiffre’s claims and the others in court documents, saying in 2011, “The allegations made against me are abhorrent and entirely untrue and I ask that they stop.”
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The elusive former associate of Epstein, who has not been charged with any crime, has said nothing publicly since Epstein’s death, and could not be reached for comment.
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Federal prosecutors confirmed last week that inquiries into Epstein’s co-conspirators were ongoing and would continue despite the fact that the criminal case against Epstein has been dismissed now that he's dead.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Fox News’ Bryan Llenas, Tamara Gitt, Robert Gearty and The Associated Press contributed to this report.