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Virginia Roberts Giuffre claims she had sex with billionaire Hyatt hotels heir Tom Pritzker, court documents claim: His cousins are Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker and Harvard board member behind Claudine Gay appointment

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Virginia Roberts Giuffre claims she had sex with billionaire Hyatt hotels heir Tom Pritzker, court documents claim: His cousins are Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker and Harvard board member behind Claudine Gay appointment


Virginia Roberts Giuffre, who claims she was trafficked by Jeffrey Epstein and had sex with Prince Andrew at age 17, said in a just released deposition that she had sex with billionaire Hyatt hotel heir Tom Pritzker.

Pritzker is Hyatt Hotels’ executive chairman and the cousin of Illinois’ Democrat Governor JB Pritzker and chairman and CEO of the Pritzker Organization. 

Newly released documents show a deposition given by Giuffre where attorney Laura Meninger – representing notorious Epstein madam Ghislaine Maxwell – asked if she’d slept with Pritzker, who is worth $5.3billion.

Giuffre said – and affirmed multiple times under oath – that she believed she’d been ‘with Tom once’ when asked if they’d had sex – a claim he has angrily denied.

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Pritzker’s other cousin – JB’s sister – is former Obama official Penny Pritzker, who now sits on Harvard’s oversight board, and who was instrumental in the appointment of Claudine Gay, who resigned as college president Tuesday over anti-Semitism and plagiarism allegations. 

Penny faced calls to stand down over the incident, but has announced plans to remain in her posiiton.  

In March, he was among three billionaires issued with subpoenas in relation to JPMorgan’s ties to Epstein.  

Virginia Giuffre , who claims she was trafficked by Jeffrey Epstein and had sex with Prince Andrew at age 17, said in a just released deposition that she had sex with billionaire Hyatt hotel heir Tom Pritzker (pictured)

Giuffre said - and affirmed multiple times under oath - that she believed she'd been 'with Tom once' when asked if they'd had sex

Giuffre said – and affirmed multiple times under oath – that she believed she’d been ‘with Tom once’ when asked if they’d had sex

At no point did Giuffre suggest that she’d slept with Pritzker on the urgings of Epstein or Maxwell, though later she said she’d had sex with the ‘owner of a large hotel chain’ at ‘his own cabana townhouse thing’ in France.

She didn’t specifically say who she’d slept with in that instance but said she was sent to him by Maxwell. 

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In a statement to The Messenger, a spokesperson for Pritzker – who has not been charged in connection with the Epstein case – denied Giuffre’s claims. 

‘This is the same false and isolated allegation that was published and vehemently denied more than four years ago,’ the spokesperson said. 

‘Mr. Pritzker continues to vehemently deny it.’

Giuffre sued Maxwell for defamation in 2016 and while the case was settled, The Miami Herald – which published a bombshell expose of Epstein that led to his arrest in 2019 – sued to get the documents made public. 

Some of the Does are identified in the ruling through links to interviews they have given to the media, which the judge cited as a reason why they should not stay private.

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They include the housekeepers on Epstein’s private island in the Caribbean where some of the worst abuse that he perpetrated was carried out.

Newly released documents show a deposition given by Giuffre where attorney Laura Meninger - representing notorious Epstein madam Ghislaine Maxwell - asked if she'd slept with Pritzker, who is worth $5.3billion

Newly released documents show a deposition given by Giuffre where attorney Laura Meninger – representing notorious Epstein madam Ghislaine Maxwell – asked if she’d slept with Pritzker, who is worth $5.3billion

Pritzker is Hyatt Hotels' executive chairman and the cousin of Illinois ' Democrat Governor JB Pritzker and chairman and CEO of the Pritzker Organization

Pritzker is Hyatt Hotels’ executive chairman and the cousin of Illinois ‘ Democrat Governor JB Pritzker and chairman and CEO of the Pritzker Organization

Tom Pritzker's other cousin - JB's sister - is Penny Pritzker, pictured right. The former Obama Administration's Secretary of Commerce now sits on Harvard's oversight board, known as the Harvard Corporation, and was instrumental in the appointment of President Claudine Gay, who's just resigned from her post over plagiarism and anti-Semitism scandals

Tom Pritzker’s other cousin – JB’s sister – is Penny Pritzker, pictured right. The former Obama Administration’s Secretary of Commerce now sits on Harvard’s oversight board, known as the Harvard Corporation, and was instrumental in the appointment of President Claudine Gay, who’s just resigned from her post over plagiarism and anti-Semitism scandals 

At no point did Giuffre suggest that she'd slept with Pritzker on the urgings of Epstein or Maxwell

At no point did Giuffre suggest that she’d slept with Pritzker on the urgings of Epstein or Maxwell

In her ruling Judge Preska gave 14 days for any Does who objected to their documents being made public to object, after which they would be unsealed.

The documents in the case have been released on a rolling basis since 2019 when the first batch were made public days before Epstein also hanged himself in prison while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges.

Among the revelations in previous batches of documents were emails between Andrew and Epstein in 2015 when Roberts made allegations about him.

Maxwell, who is currently serving a 20 year prison sentence for sex trafficking, was questioned under oath about her relationship with Epstein and his associates in the document release.

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The long-anticipated ‘list’ of 187 previously unknown Jeffrey Epstein associates was finally revealed on Wednesday. 

The files were made public by the Southern District of New York after the deadline for appeals passed, around 6:30pm Wednesday night.

Investor Glenn Dubin is the first name to appear, in a transcript of a taped depostion with Ghislaine Maxwell where Maxwell was asked if Epstein accuser Johanna Sjoberg had ever been asked to massage Dubin.

Maxwell answered: ‘I don’t believe, I have no recollection of it.’  

Jeffrey Epstein pictured in 2019, months before he died in prison. The long-awaited list of his associates and friends named in a 2015 lawsuit was today partially released

Jeffrey Epstein pictured in 2019, months before he died in prison. The long-awaited list of his associates and friends named in a 2015 lawsuit was today partially released 

For years, many have speculated over who else could have been involved in Epstein and Maxwell group. While he took his secrets to the grave, she maintains she has never been involved in any sex trafficking

For years, many have speculated over who else could have been involved in Epstein and Maxwell group. While he took his secrets to the grave, she maintains she has never been involved in any sex trafficking 

Many were already linked to Epstein and some are the names of previously identified victims.  

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Three people filed appeals and one has been granted – that of Jane Doe 107. Another – filed by John Doe 110 – is under review. 

Doe 110 is said to have been widely associated with Epstein in the past, but filed a last minute request to stay anonymous. 

They are described in court documents as an ‘alleged Epstein affiliate’.  

The names were all redacted in a 2015 lawsuit filed by Virginia Giuffre against Ghislaine Maxwell. 

The case was settled in 2017 but the names remained secret until now. 

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Judge Loretta Preska finally agreed to unseal the documents in December last year, ruling there was no longer a legal need to keep the names hidden. 

Some have been calling for their release for months. 

Among them is Alan Dershowitz, a former Epstein associate who says releasing the documents puts all the information into the public forum and ‘proves’ he did nothing wrong. 

Ghislaine Maxwell, who in June 2022 was sentenced to 20 years in federal prison for her role in the sex trafficking ring, has ‘nothing to say’ about the files, according to her attorney, Arthur Aidala. 

Aidala however said the papers may disappoint many, who think they will reveal a conspiracy or previously-unknown names. 

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Washington DC, Maryland, Virginia storm warnings: Saturday July 18

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Washington DC, Maryland, Virginia storm warnings: Saturday July 18




Washington DC, Maryland, Virginia storm warnings: Saturday July 18 | FOX 5 DC



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WATCH: Live storm coverage in the DMV

More Maryland Tornado Warnings

NWS predicts 2-3 inches of rain per hour possible in parts of DMV

Tornado warning in Maryland, thunderstorm warnings issued across DMV

Saturday storm forecast for DMV

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Maryland, Virginia elections officials push back on Trump assertion that system is ‘broken’ – WTOP News

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Maryland, Virginia elections officials push back on Trump assertion that system is ‘broken’ – WTOP News


Election officials in Maryland and Virginia are urging those skeptical of the vote to see for themselves how the process works.

After President Donald Trump revisited debunked election conspiracy theories in a primetime speech Thursday, elections officials in Maryland and Virginia urged skeptics to get in touch with their local elections offices to learn about observing the process for themselves.

They also spoke to WTOP about the systems that make voting secure in their jurisdictions and in other states.

“First of all, paper ballots can’t be hacked, right?” Maryland elections administrator Jared DeMarinis said. “Like we are a paper ballot state; everyone votes on a paper ballot.”

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On the machines that tabulate the results, “We do logic and accuracy testing prior to each election, which is for public observation,” DeMarinis said.

And after each election, the Maryland State Board of Elections runs audits to verify the accuracy of the count.

In Virginia, which is holding its primary election on Aug. 4, Samantha Alfaro, the communications manager for Loudoun County’s Office of Elections, said the decentralized nature of the nation’s election system is “a feature of our democracy.”

“I would say the fact that states, localities, cities all have different voting equipment makes elections secure,” Alfaro said.

Votes are recorded and counted on different equipment in states, cities and counties.

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“I would say that voters in Loudoun County and Virginia and this country as well can depend on the election process,” she said. 

Alfaro also stressed that counting machines are not connected into the internet.

All they do is count your ballot,” she said. 

Even so, there are continual checks to make sure election data is secured.

“We take cybersecurity very seriously, DeMarinis said. “It’s a top priority of my administration at the Board of Elections. Here, we are constantly monitoring our sites and systems for any bad actors.”

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Public participation beyond the ballot box

Serving as an election officer is one way to learn more about the process firsthand.

DeMarinis said it takes what he called an “army” of citizens to help run elections, noting that the state hires roughly 26,000 election judges when voters head to the polls.

Similarly, in Virginia, “our elections are run by your friends and neighbors, so the person who’s checking you in at your precinct might be your neighbor or your kid’s teacher or the person who works at Trader Joe’s and is bagging your groceries,” Alfaro said.

Maryland and Virginia elections also provide for observers. The canvassing process, where the votes are processed and tabulated, is open to the public.

“That’s why we publicize when they are going to occur,” said DeMarinis.

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The question of Maryland’s voter rolls

Earlier in July, the U.S. Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division threatened DeMarinis and elections officials in other states with criminal charges.

DeMarinis’ letter arrived after the agency lost a bid to force Maryland to turn over its voter records.

“There’s a lot of talk about, I guess, the SAVE Act and noncitizens on our rolls, and again, it’s just not true,” he said. 

“When they talk about wanting all these lists, it’s nothing more than a fishing expedition for mythical systematic evildoers that just again, don’t exist,” he said. “It’s more like theOdyssey’ than reality.”

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Events canceled due to unhealthy air quality in central Virginia

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Events canceled due to unhealthy air quality in central Virginia


RICHMOND, Va. (WWBT) – Events scheduled for Friday, July 17 are being canceled across the Richmond area due to poor air quality making it unsafe to be outside.

City of Richmond

  • All camp programs are indoors on Friday.  
  • Outdoor city pools will also be closed Friday. Indoor swimming is available at Bellemede Community Center Pool (1800 Lynhaven Avenue, open until 8 p.m.) and Swansboro Pool (3160 Midlothian Turnpike, open until 8 p.m.).  
  • The scheduled Festival of the Arts performance at Dogwood Dell (KOS BAND) has been canceled. 
  • The Salvation Army at 1900 Chamberlayne Avenue will be a center for cooling and air quality relief from 2 p.m, on Friday, July 17 to 8 a.m. Saturday, July 18 and from 12 to 5 p.m.  

Colonial Downs

Colonial Downs in New Kent canceled live racing for Friday but will continue on Saturday at an earlier-than-normal 11:30 a.m. post time. Military Appreciation Day at Colonial Downs is still on for Sunday, July 19.

Weather Updates

Some areas in Virginia area under a Code Purple Alert, which means everyone should limit their time outside, especially children, older adults, and those with lung and heart diseases.

Code Purple Air Quality Alert is in effect until midnight Friday night for Richmond and surrounding counties.(WWBT)

Click here to track the air quality near you.

Copyright 2026 WWBT. All rights reserved.

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