Girls as young as 14 recruited for sexual massages, second batch of Epstein files reveals

3 hours ago 2

Washington: The original Florida police investigation into Jeffrey Epstein’s abuse identified more than 25 girls, more than half of whom were under the age of 18, according to evidence given by the FBI to a grand jury in 2007 when the financier was first charged.

Unsealed grand jury transcripts from the 2007 investigation of Epstein in Florida shine a light on the scale of his offending, and raise new questions about a controversial 2008 plea deal that allowed him to serve just 13 months in jail with day release.

A newly released photograph of Jeffrey Epstein.

The US Department of Justice released the transcripts on Sunday AEDT in a second batch of documents relating to its investigations into Epstein and his accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell, known as the Epstein files.

They paint a picture of how Epstein paid numerous underage girls $US200 ($300) to give him massages that became increasingly sexual in nature, and asked them to recruit their “pretty friends”, offering a $200 payment for doing so. Some were as young as 14.

An FBI special agent told a grand jury in February 2007: “I would say in the state [police] investigation there were over 25 girls identified and more than a majority of them would have been under the age of 18.”

The agent said the FBI found additional victims beyond those identified by police, in part by “looking through school yearbooks and attempting to try to locate friends of friends”.

Jeffrey Epstein in an undated photo released by the US Department of Justice.

Testifying before the grand jury, one of Epstein’s victims said she was 16 when she was first recruited by a friend in 2004 to give the then 45-year-old billionaire a massage at his Palm Beach home.

“I was naked, and he tried fondling me and I wouldn’t have it, so after the massage he gave me another proposition to bring girls to the house and for every girl that I brought I would make $200,” she testified.

The person, whose name was redacted, said she ended up bringing seven to 10 “pretty girls” to Epstein’s mansion, including friends from high school and other acquaintances.

“I asked them if they were interested in making extra money and that I knew an older wealthier man in Palm Beach who liked to have massages, and they would get paid $200,” she said.

Jeffrey Epstein’s home in Palm Beach, Florida.

“I would explain to them in detail what was expected of them when they showed up at the house. And I also told them that if they are underage just lie about it and tell him that you are 18.”

The Epstein victim told the grand jury that she once brought a 23-year-old woman to the house, but Epstein didn’t like her. “He thought she was kind of too old.”

She also said: “The more you did … the more [money] you make. Basically, the more clothes that come off, the more you let him touch you, the more you just let him have his way with you … the more that you would make. Otherwise, you would be demoted down to bringing girls over and just making money that way.”

One of the victims who was giving massages to Epstein from age 16, said Epstein gave her a vibrator for her 18th birthday. “She was very, very embarrassed,” the FBI agent who interviewed her told the grand jury. He also gave her on occasions “three sets of bra and underwear, panties, Victoria’s Secret bra and underwear sets”. He also rented her a car for several months.

Jeffrey Epstein, in court in 2008, died in jail in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex-trafficking charges.

A handwritten document contained in the files appears to be written by one of his victims, who was 16.

She writes of going to “JE’s house for the first time” and “paid $200″.

“Met my friend Jeff. Big house,” she writes.

A handwritten note from one of his victims.

In another transcript, an FBI agent told the jury about a girl identified as Jane Doe 3, who first encountered Epstein when she was 17.

“She was aware she was one of Epstein’s favourites, according to several of the other girls,” the FBI agent testified.

There were 125 phone calls between her and Epstein from December 2004 to October 2005. During the massages, they spoke about what grade she was in and the prom she was going to. She was also given gifts, including Victoria’s Secret underwear.

“She did not tell him how old she was, but she did tell him where she planned on going to school,” the agent said. “She stated that when it came to her age, that Mr Epstein didn’t care.”

Despite the evidence of widespread criminality given to the grand jury, the indictment was abandoned for a favourable plea deal cut between Epstein’s lawyers and then US attorney in the Southern District of Florida, Alexander Acosta, who would later become labour secretary in the first Trump administration.

Unsealed transcripts from the 2019/20 grand jury investigation into Maxwell also shed light on how Epstein’s friend and accomplice aided and abetted his activity.

An FBI agent described how one of Epstein’s victims said her visits to Epstein’s home were “strange”, but that “Maxwell normalised it for her”.

“She was like a cool older sister and made comments like: ‘This is what grown-ups do,’” the agent testified.

They recounted a story from one victim – who had by then turned 18 – who said Maxwell had shown her to a bedroom at Epstein’s house, where a schoolgirl outfit was lying on the bed.

“Maxwell said: ‘Well, I thought it would be adorable if you gave Jeffrey his tea in this,’” the agent told the jury, recounting the victim’s version of events. “[She] felt like she had to put it on, so she put it on, took Epstein his tea, and Epstein then slapped her on the buttocks and reached under her skirt and touched her.”

The victim was crying and “very upset” as she recounted the story, the FBI agent told the grand jury. They also said a schoolgirl outfit was recovered from Epstein’s New York home.