Washington, D.C. — Today, Rep. Robert Garcia, Ranking Member of the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, Committee Democrats, and local Democratic Members held a hearing in West Palm Beach, Florida, as part of its Jeffrey Epstein investigation. The hearing included testimony from survivors of Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell, and important voices in the investigation. The footage of the hearing can be found here.
“Jeffrey Epstein’s survivors showed extraordinary courage in Palm Beach by coming forward to share their stories. This investigation is entering a new phase, and we’re publishing a report detailing how Epstein built his global trafficking network. We are focused on justice and ending this White House cover-up,” said Ranking Member Robert Garcia.
In connection with the hearing, Oversight Democrats published an interim staff report titled “The Price of Non-Prosecution: The Evolution of Epstein’s Trafficking Network, from Palm Beach to Paris and Beyond,” using new evidence obtained via subpoena to show how Epstein built a global network to traffic women following the “sweetheart” plea deal he received from former U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, Alex Acosta, in 2008. The report can be viewed here.
At the hearing, Members of Congress heard from the following witnesses:
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Sky and Amanda Roberts: brother and sister-in-law, respectively, of the late Virginia Roberts Giuffre, a survivor of Jeffrey Epstein’s international sex trafficking network.
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Maria Farmer: the first survivor to report Jeffrey Epstein’s sexual abuse to authorities in 1996. Maria accused Epstein of the possession and distribution of child sexual abuse material (CSAM) after he stole photos she took of her two younger sisters, who were 12 and 16 years old at the time, and also sexually assaulted her.
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Dani Hannah Bensky: an advocate, dance teaching artist, choreographer, and Epstein survivor. She was abused by Epstein in 2004 and 2005, beginning when she was 17 years old and a dancer in New York City. Danielle has spoken out about the Trump Administration’s cover-up and the impact of the mishandled DOJ release. She sued Epstein’s lawyer, Darren Indyke, and his accountant, Richard Kahn, for their roles in enabling her abuse.
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Roza: recruited by modeling agent Jean-Luc Brunel in her home country of Uzbekistan and brought to the U.S. with promises of support for her modeling career. Roza was introduced to Epstein in Palm Beach while he was on work release in 2009, and he abused her over several years. Epstein and Brunel used Roza’s visa status and her need to support her family to keep her from escaping.
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Courtney Wild: a mom, advocate, and survivor. She was abused by Epstein in Palm Beach starting when she was 14 years old and was lured to his home on the pretense of providing a massage to an older man. Courtney sued the federal government for violating the Crime Victims Rights Act by signing the NPA without consulting victims. She will speak about the lasting damage of the NPA and failures of the DOJ to bring justice for Epstein survivors.
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Jena-Lisa Jones: a mom, a wife, and a Founding Survivor of the Survivors, Inc. She was abused by Epstein in Florida when she was 14 years old. Jena-Lisa has spoken about how she had supported President Trump because of his promise to release the Epstein files, but was disappointed by his reversal on the files’ release.
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Spencer Kuvin: represented the first Florida survivor to come forward, and later represented multiple Epstein survivors. Spencer will address failures of the original Florida prosecution and can discuss the re-traumatization that survivors have experienced as a result of DOJ’s failure to properly safeguard their identifying information.
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Lauren Hersh: activist and former prosecutor combatting trafficking, exploitation, and violence against women and girls. Lauren will speak about the work being done by survivors to bring Epstein and co-conspirators to justice. World Without Exploitation (WorldWE) is a nonpartisan organization but can speak to the impact of DOJ's release on survivors.
Palm Beach, Florida is where Jeffrey Epstein’s crimes first came to light, and where prosecutors offered Epstein a sweetheart deal that allowed him to continue his crimes. Palm Beach is also home to Mar-a-lago, President Donald Trump’s primary residence and private club. During the many years of friendship between Donald Trump and Jeffrey Epstein, multiple women were recruited for Epstein from Mar-a-lago, including Virginia Guiffre. The Wall Street Journal reports that spa employees from Mar-a-Lago, usually young women, were sent to Epstein’s nearby residence for massages, manicures, and other spa services. Epstein referenced Mar-a-lago in a 2019 email to Michael Wolff, released by Oversight Democrats, when he said, “of course Trump knew about the girls.”
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