Marla Maples warned staff at Mar-a-Lago that Jeffrey Epstein was "off" and expressed unease over his influence on Donald Trump, according to a new report. The concerns were raised after the Florida club opened in 1995, years before Epstein's first arrest on sex offences.
The Wall Street Journal reported that Maples told security chief Timothy McDaniel there was something "wrong" with Epstein, and she did not want him near her or her husband. Former employees described the remarks as out of character for Maples. Neither Maples nor McDaniel responded to requests for comment.
The report also detailed how Mar-a-Lago employees, usually young women, were sent to Epstein's Palm Beach home for massages and other services over several years. Epstein was not a paying member, but Trump ordered staff to treat him as one. Former employees said Epstein was known for sexually suggestive behaviour and exposing himself during appointments. Ghislaine Maxwell, now imprisoned for sex trafficking, allegedly approached spa staff about unauthorised "side jobs" to earn "extra cash" by giving massages to her friend.
The paper added that in 2003, an 18-year-old beautician told managers Epstein had pressured her for sex during a house call. A staffer informed Trump by fax and requested Epstein be banned. Trump reportedly called it a "good letter" and ordered Epstein removed from the property.
The disclosures come as the Department of Justice has released heavily redacted files on Epstein, who died in prison in 2019. Trump has not been accused of wrongdoing and has said he cut ties with Epstein. The report also revisits their long relationship, including Epstein attending Trump's wedding to Maples in 1993 and a claim that Epstein made a $10,000 bet with Trump over Maples' pregnancy. Separately, former model Tina Davis's mother said Maples warned her to protect her daughter from "these men" at a 1994 Mar-a-Lago party, a claim Maples denied.
