Britannia “Johanna” Sjoberg

UpdatedSeptember 4, 2026

ByEpsteinWiki

Snapshot

Britannia “Johanna” Sjoberg is a survivor and important witness whose statements helped document how Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell used apparent employment opportunities, money, education, travel, and social access to draw young women into Epstein’s environment.

Public court records generally identify her as Johanna Sjoberg.

Sjoberg was an adult college student when Maxwell approached her. Her age distinguishes her experience from survivors who were minors. However, her sworn testimony describes deceptive recruitment, escalating sexual demands, financial influence, pressure, and unwanted sexual contact.

She provided a sworn statement to Palm Beach police in January 2006. She later gave a sworn deposition in Giuffre v. Maxwell on May 18, 2016.

Sjoberg also alleged that Prince Andrew touched her breast during an encounter at Epstein’s Manhattan townhouse in 2001. Prince Andrew has denied sexual contact with Sjoberg. Her allegation has not resulted in a criminal charge or adjudicated finding against him.

Recruitment at Palm Beach Atlantic College

According to Sjoberg’s sworn accounts, Maxwell approached her while she was attending Palm Beach Atlantic College.

Maxwell presented the opportunity as legitimate work at Epstein’s Palm Beach residence. The proposed duties included answering telephones, running errands, and assisting around the house.

The Palm Beach police account of Sjoberg’s recruitment records that she accepted the part time position and began working at Epstein’s El Brillo Way residence.

The employment arrangement gradually changed. Sjoberg began providing massages to Epstein before she became a licensed massage therapist.

This recruitment pattern matters because it demonstrates that Epstein’s operation did not rely on only one method. Some girls were recruited by friends and offered money for massages. Others were approached through schools, employment offers, modeling opportunities, or promises of professional assistance.

The Transition From Employment to Sexualized Massages

Sjoberg told police that massages for Epstein became sexualized.

According to the Palm Beach Police Department report, Epstein instructed her to touch him sexually while he masturbated beneath a towel. She also reported that Epstein sometimes used a massaging device on her genital area.

The report states that Sjoberg felt disgusted by the conduct but continued because she was being paid.

Her later deposition provided more context about the expectations surrounding the massages. Sjoberg testified that Maxwell criticized her for failing to “finish the job.” When questioned about the meaning, Sjoberg said she understood Maxwell to mean that she was expected to bring Epstein to orgasm.

The relevant deposition excerpt is preserved in EFTA02784905.

Sjoberg’s testimony describes a process in which ordinary work became sexualized after she entered Epstein’s environment.

Money, Tuition, and Financial Influence

Sjoberg told investigators that Epstein paid her well and covered her college tuition.

The police report documenting the financial support also records that she received gifts and temporary access to a rental vehicle after her scooter stopped working.

In her deposition, Sjoberg said Epstein paid for massage school and cosmetology school.

Financial support does not establish consent to sexual contact. Instead, the payments help explain how Epstein could create dependence, obligation, and difficulty leaving.

The arrangement combined wages, tuition, gifts, referrals, travel, and access to wealthy people. Those benefits gave Epstein substantial influence over a college student whose original job was presented as ordinary household employment.

Maxwell’s Role

Sjoberg’s testimony places Maxwell at the beginning of the recruitment process.

Maxwell approached her at college, offered her work, introduced her to Epstein, and communicated with her about Epstein’s visits to Palm Beach.

Sjoberg testified that Maxwell asked her to bring other women to Epstein. She recalled bringing one woman she knew from a restaurant after Maxwell offered money for the introduction. Sjoberg said the woman was never called back.

Sjoberg also brought a fitness instructor to Epstein’s residence. During one session, Sjoberg testified, Epstein lifted the instructor’s shirt and exposed her bra before the woman pulled it back down.

The unsealed deposition excerpt records Sjoberg’s testimony about Maxwell requesting introductions and the pressure surrounding Epstein’s massages.

Sjoberg also testified that Maxwell explained she did not have the time or desire to satisfy Epstein as frequently as he wanted. Sjoberg understood this as an explanation for why other women were kept around him.

Maxwell was convicted in 2021 on federal charges arising from her role in recruiting and grooming minors for Epstein. Sjoberg was not one of the four accusers who testified at Maxwell’s criminal trial. Her principal public testimony comes from the Palm Beach investigation and the Giuffre v. Maxwell civil case.

The 2006 Palm Beach Police Interview

Detectives Joseph Recarey and Michael Caristo interviewed Sjoberg on January 19, 2006.

The interview occurred during the Palm Beach Police Department’s investigation of Epstein. Detectives had previously observed Sjoberg at the Palm Beach residence.

The police narrative introducing her sworn statement describes her recruitment and work at the property.

The following police report page records her account of the sexualized massages, Epstein’s payments, tuition assistance, gifts, and professional referrals.

A later federal evidence index placed material concerning Christina Martell and Johanna Sjoberg under a separate tab. That index appears in EFTA00190309.

Federal records also document a subpoena seeking Sjoberg’s billing statements, payment records, and appointment books. The subpoena control information appears in EFTA00193068.

These records establish that investigators treated Sjoberg as a person with potentially important information about Epstein’s activities.

The 2016 Sworn Deposition

Sjoberg gave a sworn deposition on May 18, 2016, during Virginia Giuffre’s defamation lawsuit against Maxwell.

The case was filed in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York as Giuffre v. Maxwell, Case No. 15-cv-07433.

The complete Johanna Sjoberg deposition covers her recruitment, work, massages, travel, interactions with Maxwell, observations of other young women, and encounters with visitors to Epstein’s properties.

The deposition became public through the unsealing process overseen by Judge Loretta Preska. Substantial portions were released in January 2024 as Document 1320-12 and related exhibits.

Sjoberg was not a plaintiff in the defamation case. She testified as a witness with personal knowledge of Epstein and Maxwell’s environment.

The Prince Andrew Allegation

Sjoberg testified that she encountered Prince Andrew at Epstein’s Manhattan townhouse in April 2001.

According to her deposition, Epstein, Maxwell, Virginia Giuffre, and Prince Andrew were present.

Sjoberg said Maxwell retrieved a caricature puppet resembling Prince Andrew. The group posed for a photograph. Sjoberg testified that she sat on Andrew’s lap and that he placed his hand on her breast.

A court filing discussing the allegation is preserved in EFTA02779714.

Additional court records discussing Sjoberg’s presence with Prince Andrew, Giuffre, Epstein, and Maxwell appear in EFTA02792113.

Prince Andrew has denied sexual contact with Sjoberg. He was not criminally charged over her allegation, and no court has entered a finding that he assaulted her.

Sjoberg’s allegation is separate from Virginia Giuffre’s civil case against Prince Andrew. Andrew settled Giuffre’s lawsuit in 2022 without admitting liability.

Travel With Epstein and Maxwell

Sjoberg testified that she traveled on Epstein’s aircraft and visited several of his properties.

The Epstein Data flight index identifies a documented April 11, 2001 flight from Teterboro Airport to St. Thomas that includes Sjoberg among the passengers.

The underlying flight summary and court exhibit appear in EFTA02796838.

The indexed record also includes Epstein, Maxwell, Giuffre, and other passengers. Passenger names should always be read directly from the underlying record because handwritten logs, initials, redactions, and later identifications can produce uncertainty.

A flight record documents travel. It does not establish what a passenger knew, witnessed, or did.

Sjoberg’s Observations of Other Young Women

Sjoberg testified that she saw other girls and young women around Epstein.

During a dinner attended by David Copperfield, Sjoberg recalled seeing a young female guest whose age concerned her. She testified that Copperfield asked whether she knew girls were being paid to find other girls.

Sjoberg did not testify that Copperfield participated in Epstein’s abuse. Copperfield’s attorneys later said he had heard a rumor about girls being paid to recruit others and did not dismiss it lightly.

Sjoberg also described watching Maxwell’s influence over young women. She recalled being impressed by Maxwell’s confidence, abilities, humor, travel, cooking, and apparent sophistication.

This testimony provides insight into grooming beyond direct sexual conduct. Maxwell could present herself as accomplished, exciting, and trustworthy while introducing young women to Epstein’s environment.

Statements About Famous People Require Context

Sjoberg’s deposition contains the names of numerous public figures. Many references have been stripped of context online.

Sjoberg testified that she met Michael Jackson at Epstein’s Palm Beach residence. She did not allege that Jackson behaved improperly toward her.

She recalled meeting David Copperfield at a dinner. She did not accuse him of sexually abusing her.

Sjoberg was asked about Leonardo DiCaprio, Cate Blanchett, Cameron Diaz, Bruce Willis, and other celebrities. She explained that she had not met several of them. Epstein had mentioned their names during conversations or telephone calls.

Sjoberg also testified that Epstein once made a remark claiming that Bill Clinton “likes them young.” This was testimony about something Epstein allegedly said. It was not testimony that Sjoberg witnessed Clinton engage in sexual misconduct.

When asked whether Donald Trump had sexual contact with her, Sjoberg answered no. She also testified that she never massaged Trump.

A person’s appearance in deposition questions does not establish contact, misconduct, or participation in Epstein’s crimes.

Sjoberg’s Place in the Epstein Record

Sjoberg’s evidence connects several parts of Epstein’s operation.

Her testimony documents recruitment through an apparently legitimate job. It shows how household employment transitioned into massages and sexual expectations. It describes Maxwell as recruiter, organizer, and intermediary. It records the use of money, tuition, travel, gifts, and referrals.

Her evidence also provides a direct account of the social environment inside Epstein’s residences.

Most importantly, Sjoberg spoke to police before Epstein received his controversial 2007 federal non prosecution agreement and before his 2008 Florida plea.

Her January 2006 statement shows that authorities possessed information about Maxwell’s recruitment and Epstein’s sexualized massage practices while the federal investigation was still developing.

Evidence Record

Some search results are duplicate productions, news clippings, shipping records, legal indexes, or incidental references. They should not be treated as independent corroboration merely because the same information appears in multiple files.

Key Takeaways

Johanna Sjoberg was an adult college student when Maxwell recruited her through an apparent household job.
Her work transitioned from administrative duties into massages containing sexual expectations.
Sjoberg gave a sworn statement to Palm Beach police in January 2006.
She testified that Maxwell recruited her, requested introductions to other women, and communicated sexual expectations surrounding Epstein’s massages.
Epstein provided Sjoberg with payments, tuition assistance, gifts, travel, and professional referrals.
Sjoberg alleged that Prince Andrew touched her breast during a 2001 encounter. Andrew denied sexual contact with her. The allegation has not produced a criminal charge or adjudicated finding.
Her references to famous people must be evaluated individually. Some people were merely mentioned by Epstein, while others were people she met without alleging misconduct.
Sjoberg’s evidence is important because it documents recruitment, grooming, financial influence, sexual pressure, travel, and Maxwell’s operational role.

Fact Check

Public court records identify her as Johanna Sjoberg.
Sjoberg was an adult when she entered Epstein’s environment. She was not one of the minor victims underlying Maxwell’s criminal convictions.
Palm Beach police interviewed her on January 19, 2006.
Her deposition in Giuffre v. Maxwell occurred on May 18, 2016.
She was a witness in the civil case. She was not one of the four accusers who testified at Maxwell’s 2021 criminal trial.
Sjoberg’s allegation concerning Prince Andrew remains an allegation. Andrew denied sexual contact with her.
Sjoberg did not accuse Michael Jackson of misconduct.
She did not testify that she met every celebrity named during her deposition.
Epstein’s alleged statement about Bill Clinton was hearsay attributed to Epstein. It was not Sjoberg’s observation of misconduct.
Sjoberg testified that Donald Trump did not have sexual contact with her and that she never massaged him.
A flight record establishes documented travel, not criminal conduct.

Sources

PostedDecember 8, 2025