One of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein’s victims said she once met Google co-founder Sergey Brin and his then fiancee on Epstein’s private island, according to newly unsealed court documents.
Sarah Ransome recalled the encounter to a journalist in a 2016 email exchange that she later recanted. At the time, Ransome said Brin was on the island with now ex-wife Anne Wojcicki, CEO of DNA company 23 and Me. Neither Brin nor Wojcicki have been accused of any wrongdoing. Ransome said she had photos of her with the couple, who couldn’t be immediately reached for comment.
“I met the pair when they visited the Island for the day as Sergey wanted try out his new kite surfing equipment as he had only just started kite surfing and was very eager to try out his new equipment with us girls,” Ransome recalled in the email. Released Monday, the emails were originally submitted as evidence in a civil lawsuit by another of Epstein’s victims against Ghislaine Maxwell. Maxwell is currently serving a 20-year prison sentence for sex trafficking minors at his behest.
Ransome, in her email exchange, also claimed to have video tapes of one of her friends having sex with former President Bill Clinton, Virgin Group founder Richard Branson and Prince Andrew. She also provided alleged details of former President Donald Trump’s sexual proclivities. Ransome later recanted her statements, and all of the men have denied any wrongdoing.
After speaking with her family, Ransome told the journalist she wanted to “retract everything I have said to you and walk away from this,” according to the email exchange. She apologized for contacting Callahan and wasting her time.
“It’s not worth coming forward and I will never be heard anyhow and only bad things will happen as a consequence of me going public and I know this to be true,” Ransome said in the 2016 email exchange. “This will just create pain for my family and I and they have already helped me pick up the pieces once before and I can’t ask them to do that again.”
Brin was among the roster of ultra-wealthy clients that Epstein brought to JPMorgan Chase, according to previously released court documents. Brin also took advice from Epstein on setting up a tax-saving trust for his children, court documents show.
Those papers came from a Virgin Island’s lawsuit alleging that JP Morgan benefits from Epstein’s sex-trafficking activities. Brin was subpoenaed in that case.
He became one of JPMorgan’s biggest customers, with an account of more than $4 billion, after Epstein brought him to the bank in 2004. JPMorgan Chase money managers also worked closely with the Sergey Brin family office, court documents show.
Brin’s appearance in court documents testify to the success of Epstein as a consummate networker. Epstein used his relationships to woo powerful people, including former Presidents Donald Trump and Bill Clinton. The names released this week include employees, associates and clients as well as individuals who flew on Epstein’s jet planes, and their inclusion in the documents does not in and of itself denote any untoward behavior, accusations or crimes.
Brin is the 10th-richest person in the world, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index with a net worth of $119 billion.