New Jersey magician David Copperfield named in Epstein unsealed documents
New Jersey magician David Copperfield, described by Forbes as the most commercially successful illusionist in history, was revealed as one of about 170 people associated with famed Jeffrey Epstein in newly unsealed court documents.
According to Epstein accuser, Johanna Sjoberg, Copperfield used to do magic tricks at Epstein’s Palm Beach Mansion and was aware that some of the females in Epstein's circle were paid to recruit others. Epstein, a former financier, committed suicide in jail in 2019 while awaiting sex trafficking charges.
Sjoberg met Copperfield at a dinner party with the lure of seeing Copperfield magic tricks.
In a 2016 deposition, Sjoberg said the magician seemed to be friends with Epstein and, while at dinner at the mansion, asked her if she "was aware that girls were getting paid to find other girls."
“And what happened at that dinner, if anything?” asked Sigrid McCawley, lawyer for Epstein victim Virginia Giuffre McCawley.
Sjoberg said that young-looking females, such as Sarah Kellen, were at the dinner party.
"She seemed young to me," Sjoberg said about the other girl. "I thought she could be younger than college age, but I had to assume for my own sanity that she was a daughter of one of his friends."
In her deposition, Sjoberg also said that she met Michael Jackson at one of Epstein's parties in Palm Beach.
Documents unsealed today indicate that Sjoberg could have been a massage therapist for Epstein's parties. But, Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein's companion now in jail, said in court that Sjoberg was hired to answer telephone calls.
The Copperfield-Epstein connection was previously referred to in the 2020 book, “Relentless Pursuit,” by victims' rights attorney Bradley J. Edwards.
More: Magician David Copperfield on Forbes rich celebs list
Who is magician David Copperfield?
Copperfield, a 1974 graduate of Metuchen High School, was born David Kotkin.
He was the youngest performer ever to be accepted into the Society of American Magicians. He taught a magic course at New York University and gained traction after performing in the Chicago-based musical “The Magic Man.” Copperfield's long-running magic show in Las Vegas has been considered one of the most popular in Sin City.
Copperfield's fame and success in show business made him wealthy, earning him $46 million in 2020, according to Forbes. Copperfield also makes money by renting out 11 private islands in the Bahamas that he owns.
According to Encyclopedia Britannica, Copperfield is the first to admit that he ventured into show business to overcome his shyness toward women. Since 2006, Copperfield has been in a relationship with former model Chloé Gosselin, with whom he has a daughter.
A request for comment from his publicist was not returned this morning.
This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Metuchen magician David Copperfield named in Jeffrey Epstein papers
