Which witnesses testified about Ghislaine Maxwell recruiting minors for Jeffrey Epstein?

1. What the Justice Department told a judge: grand juries heard only law‑enforcement witnesses

The Department of Justice informed a federal court that the grand juries that indicted Epstein and Maxwell did not include direct victim testimony and that, in the specific grand‑jury proceedings referenced, the only witnesses who testified were an FBI agent and an NYPD detective — a point summarized by The Hill and by PBS reporting on DOJ filings ^{[1] [2]}. The DOJ argued those transcripts would add little beyond what was already public from trials and civil suits ^[4].

2. Public trial testimony and depositions still contain victim and investigator accounts

Although grand‑jury transcripts remain largely sealed, many of the same accounts discussed in grand jury proceedings surfaced later: victims and witnesses testified publicly at Maxwell’s 2021 criminal trial and in years of civil litigation, and prosecutors have said much of the evidence before the grand juries later became public through those trials and lawsuits ^{[4] [2]}. Reporting and summaries of released court papers also document detectives’ investigations and victim statements ^{[5] [3]}.

3. Which named witnesses have been reported as describing Maxwell’s recruiting role

News reporting highlights investigators who described Maxwell as involved in recruiting girls for Epstein. For example, a Palm Beach police detective, Joseph Recarey, is identified in court papers and reporting as saying roughly 30 women told him they performed “massage and work” at Epstein’s Palm Beach mansion and that Maxwell was involved in recruiting victims ^{[3] [5]}. Those investigative statements were part of batches of court papers and testimony unsealed and summarized by outlets such as the BBC and The Guardian ^{[3] [5]}.

4. Victims’ public testimonies and civil suits documented recruitment and grooming

Multiple victims went on record in civil suits and in Maxwell’s criminal trial describing grooming, recruitment and the role Maxwell played finding or directing young women to Epstein; much of that material was later re‑published or summarized in media pieces and in the tranche of documents the House Oversight Committee released ^{[5] [6]}. The New York Times and other outlets have also compiled victims’ names and published context from those testimonies ^{[7] [5]}.

5. Limits of the public record and what is not being publicly disclosed

Court rulings have kept grand‑jury transcripts sealed; judges have explicitly said unsealing would likely add little because similar material has already been disclosed in trials and civil proceedings, but the sealed materials are not fully available for independent review ^[4]. Available sources do not mention a comprehensive list of every witness who ever described Maxwell’s recruiting; instead, the public record is a patchwork of grand‑jury summaries, trial testimony, deposited court papers and media accounts ^{[4] [5]}.

6. Competing interpretations and why this matters politically and legally

Prosecutors and courts argue released public testimony and documents already capture the substance of the investigations, while some lawmakers and advocacy groups have pressed for broader unsealing, saying remaining sealed materials could clarify unanswered questions about who participated and who knew ^{[4] [6]}. At the same time, the DOJ and judges have cited victims’ privacy and legal protections as reasons to limit further disclosure ^[4].

7. Bottom line for your question: short answer with context

Direct grand‑jury testimony about Maxwell’s alleged recruitment role was, according to DOJ filings, given in the grand‑jury proceedings by law‑enforcement witnesses (an FBI agent and an NYPD detective) rather than by victims directly ^{[1] [2]}. Separate investigative reports, depositions and trial testimony — including statements by a Palm Beach detective that about 30 women described performing massages and being recruited and by victims in civil and trial settings — provide the public evidence used to allege Maxwell helped recruit minors for Epstein ^{[3] [5]}.

Limitations: this summary is based on the documents and reporting provided; sealed grand‑jury materials remain unavailable and could contain additional details not found in the cited public sources ^[4].