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Case 1:20-cr-00330-PAE Document 386 Filed 10/29/21 Page14 of 24
assault. See Schneider, 2010 WL 3734055, at *2-3 (precluding “grooming” testimony from
psychologist in prosecution for traveling in foreign commerce for the purpose of engaging in sex
with a minor because psychologist’s “experience in the field of child sexual abusers and their
victims is one-sided, as it is limited to therapeutic sessions with victims of sexual abuse,” and
because she did “not treat or diagnose adult abusers of children”). Any opinion Rocchio might
offer about the psychology of alleged perpetrator and their so-called “grooming” techniques is
outside her expertise and therefore unreliable. United States v. Raniere, No. 18-CR-2041-NGG-
VMS, 2019 WL 2212639, at *7 (E.D.N.Y. May 22, 2019); see also Celebrity Cruises Inc. v.
Essef Corp., 434 F. Supp. 2d 169, 192 (S.D.N.Y. 2006) (expert not “permitted to testify
regarding” subjects “outside the expertise of the witness’’).
2. Rocchio’s grooming-by-proxy opinions have no valid basis.
Rocchio’s generalized grooming opinions are unreliable for all the reasons given above.
But there is another reason this Court should exclude her grooming opinions under Rule 702 and
Daubert: Nothing establishes the reliability of her opinions on “grooming-by-proxy.”
Recall that Ms. Maxwell is not accused of soliciting or enticing sexualized massages for
herself. Instead, the government claims that Ms. Maxwell recruited minors to provide sexualized
massages for Mr. Epstein. Part of this recruiting, the government alleges, involved grooming
behavior by Ms. Maxwell.
There is no authority—no journal articles, no studies, no tests, nothing—to support
Rocchio’s opinions on grooming-by-proxy. These opinions fail under any application of the
Daubert test, because the theory has not gained any acceptance (let alone general acceptance) in
the relevant community; it has not been peer-reviewed; it has not and cannot be tested; and there
is no known or potential rate of error. See Daubert, 509 U.S. at 594. Rocchio’s opinions are
grooming-by-proxy are nothing but prejudicial speculation. See Wehling v. Sandoz Pharms.
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| Filename | DOJ-OGR-00005638.jpg |
| File Size | 748.6 KB |
| OCR Confidence | 94.0% |
| Has Readable Text | Yes |
| Text Length | 2,168 characters |
| Indexed | 2026-02-03 17:01:49.688290 |