Victims and Recruitment Patterns

The Epstein archive documents a systematic sex trafficking operation that victimized dozens of minor girls over more than two decades through a carefully designed pyramid recruitment scheme. The evidence reveals consistent patterns in victim demographics, recruitment methods, payment structures, and geographic targeting, with detailed documentation preserved in FBI investigative files, civil complaints, and the 2019 federal indictment. This article consolidates evidence of both individual victim experiences and the broader operational structure that enabled the abuse.

Overview of Victim Demographics and Scale#

The 2007 Non-Prosecution Agreement referenced 34 confirmed minor victims identified during the federal investigation in Florida. However, the actual number was significantly higher. The 2019 federal indictment alleged that Epstein "sexually exploited and abused dozens of minor girls at his homes in Manhattan, New York, and Palm Beach, Florida, among other locations" from "at least in or about 2002, up to and including at least in or about 2005," though civil complaints document abuse beginning as early as 1998.

Victims were predominantly between 14 and 17 years old at the time of initial recruitment, with the indictment repeatedly emphasizing that victims "were as young as 14 years old." One civil complaint references girls "some as young as 12 years old" being transported to Epstein's Palm Beach mansion. The FBI's August 2019 co-conspirator memo and related investigative documents contain detailed victim testimony describing the recruitment and trafficking patterns that characterized Epstein's operation.

Publicly Identified Victims#

While the vast majority of victims remain anonymous or are identified only as Jane Does in court filings, several survivors have publicly identified themselves.

Virginia Giuffre

Virginia L. Giuffre, formerly known as Virginia Roberts, is the most publicly prominent survivor. According to her civil complaint against Ghislaine Maxwell, Giuffre was working as a changing room assistant at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach in summer 1998, earning approximately $9 per hour, when she was recruited by Ghislaine Maxwell at age 15.

The complaint describes how Maxwell "asked Plaintiff if she was interested in learning massage therapy and earning a great deal of money while learning the profession." Maxwell assured Giuffre's father, who worked as a maintenance manager at Mar-a-Lago, that she would provide transportation home for his teenage daughter. The complaint details how Maxwell then led Giuffre to a spa room where Epstein was lying naked on a massage table, and "took off her own shirt and left on her underwear and started rubbing her breasts across Defendant's body, impliedly showing Plaintiff what she was expected to do."

Giuffre became central to multiple legal proceedings, including her 2015 defamation lawsuit against Maxwell, which resulted in the release of extensive depositions and evidence.

Courtney Wild

Courtney Wild was one of the lead petitioners in the landmark CVRA case challenging the government's failure to notify victims before signing the 2007 Non-Prosecution Agreement. After years of litigation conducted under the pseudonym Jane Doe 1, Wild publicly identified herself. The case resulted in a February 2019 ruling by Judge Kenneth A. Marra finding that prosecutors violated the Crime Victims' Rights Act.

The Recruitment Pattern: "Massage" as Pretense#

The recruitment pattern consistently involved deceptive recruitment under the pretense of learning massage therapy and earning substantial money. Victims were initially recruited to provide "massages" to Epstein, which would be performed nude or partially nude, would become increasingly sexual in nature, and would typically include one or more sex acts.

According to the 2019 indictment, when a victim arrived at Epstein's residences, "she typically would be escorted to a room with a massage table, where she would perform a massage" on Epstein. "The victims, who were as young as 14 years of age, were told by EPSTEIN or other individuals to partially or fully undress before beginning the 'massage.'" During the encounter, Epstein "would escalate the nature and scope of physical contact with his victim to include, among other things, sex acts such as groping and direct and indirect contact with the victim's genitals."

A detailed civil complaint from Jane Doe No. 1 v. Epstein describes the typical sequence: The victim was 14 years old when recruited by Haley Robson. Upon arrival at Epstein's mansion, Robson would introduce each victim to Sarah Kellen, who gathered the girl's personal information. Kellen would then bring the girl up a flight of stairs to a bedroom containing a massage table, set up the massage oils, and leave. Epstein would then enter wearing only a towel, direct the girl to remove her clothes, and proceed to commit sexual acts.

The Pyramid Recruitment Structure#

The operation's most distinctive feature was its pyramid recruitment scheme, which Epstein designed to maintain a steady supply of new victims while creating complicity among existing victims. According to the 2019 indictment, "EPSTEIN actively encouraged certain of his victims to recruit additional girls to be similarly sexually abused. EPSTEIN incentivized his victims to become recruiters by paying these victim-recruiters hundreds of dollars for each girl that they brought to EPSTEIN. In so doing, EPSTEIN maintained a steady supply of new victims to exploit."

The payment structure created powerful financial incentives for recruitment. The Jane Doe No. 1 complaint documents that after the abuse, "Epstein paid Plaintiff $300. Epstein paid Robson $200 for bringing Plaintiff to him." This financial structure—paying both the victim and the recruiter—created a self-perpetuating system where victims became recruiters themselves to earn additional income.

According to the indictment, "certain recruiters brought dozens of additional minor girls" to Epstein's New York residence "to give massages to and engage in sex acts with" him. "When a victim-recruiter accompanied a new minor victim to the New York Residence, both the victim-recruiter and the new minor victim were paid hundreds of dollars by EPSTEIN for each encounter."

Target Demographics: Economic Vulnerability#

The archive consistently documents that recruitment efforts targeted economically vulnerable minors. Civil complaints describe how recruiter Haley Robson "generally sought out economically disadvantaged underage girls from Loxahatchee and surrounding areas" in Palm Beach County.

One victim complaint alleges Epstein "gained access to countless vulnerable and relatively economically disadvantaged minor girls" and that his scheme specifically targeted those "who Defendant and/or his assistants perceived as less likely to complain to authorities or have credibility issues if allegations of improper conduct were made."

The Jane Doe No. 102 complaint states that Epstein "coerced and enticed impressionable, vulnerable, and relatively economically less fortunate minor girls to participate in various acts of sexual misconduct." Giuffre herself was earning approximately $9 per hour as a changing room assistant at Mar-a-Lago when recruited, making the promise of hundreds of dollars per "massage" session particularly enticing.

Key Recruiters and Facilitators#

Ghislaine Maxwell

Ghislaine Maxwell served as the highest-profile recruiter and facilitator. The FBI memo noted that "at least one employee observed her recruit a victim in the case." Maxwell's recruitment of Giuffre from Mar-a-Lago demonstrated her direct role in identifying and grooming victims. Maxwell was convicted in December 2021 on five counts related to sex trafficking of minors and is currently serving a 20-year prison sentence.

Sarah Kellen

Sarah Kellen, described in FBI documents as Epstein's personal assistant who "traveled with him most of the time wherever he went," played a central operational role. According to victim testimony documented in the FBI memo, Kellen:

• Arranged massage appointments from New York City
• Served as direct supervisor to other assistants, instructing them to set up appointments, conduct background research on girls, make follow-up calls, and tell girls to recruit more girls
• Paid victims directly for "massages," sometimes providing transportation
• Took photos of partially nude girls
• Gathered victims' personal contact information upon their arrival at Epstein's properties

Kellen also played a key role in obstruction efforts, instructing staff to remove evidence from Epstein's residence and shred massage-related phone books during the 2005-2006 investigation.

Lesley Groff

Lesley Groff, who worked out of Epstein's NYC residence as his executive assistant, was identified in the FBI memo as being "in charge of making phone calls to set up massage appointments." Multiple victims and cooperating co-conspirators stated that Groff:

• Coordinated with victims to schedule appointments and relay information to Epstein
• Called victims to ask if they had any new girls for Epstein
• Sometimes paid the victims directly

Groff appears frequently in released emails managing logistics and scheduling for Epstein's operation.

Haley Robson

Haley Robson served as a recruiter who herself had been victimized by Epstein. The Jane Doe No. 1 complaint identifies Robson as actively recruiting economically disadvantaged underage girls from Loxahatchee and surrounding areas, introducing them to Kellen at Epstein's mansion, and receiving $200 for each girl she brought to Epstein. Robson was named as a defendant in at least one civil complaint.

Nadia Marcinkova

Nadia Marcinkova, allegedly brought to the United States from Slovakia around 2000 when she was approximately 14-15 years old, was described in court documents as Epstein's "sex slave" who was sometimes directed to participate in sexual activity with victims. The FBI memo noted that "information indicates she facilitated massage appointments."

Geographic Patterns#

Palm Beach and South Florida

Palm Beach County, particularly the areas of Loxahatchee and West Palm Beach, served as the primary recruitment ground for Epstein's Florida operation. The Palm Beach estate functioned as the epicenter of abuse in Florida, with victims recruited from economically disadvantaged communities in the surrounding areas.

According to civil complaints, "economically disadvantaged and underage girls from West Palm Beach and surrounding areas who would be enticed by the money being offered" were systematically targeted. The geographic concentration in Palm Beach County created a network effect, where victims who became recruiters could easily identify and bring additional girls from their own communities and schools.

New York and Manhattan

The Manhattan townhouse at 9 East 71st Street served as the hub of Epstein's New York operations. According to the 2019 indictment, between at least 2002 and 2005, Epstein "abused numerous minor victims at the New York Residence by causing these victims to be recruited to engage in paid sex acts with him."

The indictment notes that Epstein "sometimes personally contacted victims to schedule appointments at the New York Residence. In other instances, EPSTEIN directed employees and associates, including a New York-based employee ('Employee-1'), to communicate with victims via phone to arrange for these victims to return to the New York Residence for additional sexual encounters."

International Recruitment Through Modeling

MC2 Model Management, co-founded by Jean-Luc Brunel with substantial financial backing from Epstein, operated offices in New York, Miami Beach, and Tel Aviv and conducted international scouting for young models, particularly in Eastern Europe, South America, and Brazil. A JPMorgan Chase internal report from March 2011 stated that "MC2 Model Management and Jeffrey Epstein engaged in racketeering that involved luring in minor children for sexual play for money."

Multiple victims testified that promises of modeling work at MC2 and major fashion brands like Victoria's Secret were used as inducements. An attorney representing victims wrote to Epstein in September 2010 stating: "Various sources including several attorneys have mentioned that you promised some girls, who came to visit you at your home(s) and give you massages, modeling jobs at MC2 and Victoria's Secret. Is this true?"

Interstate and International Transportation#

The 2019 indictment charged Epstein with sex trafficking conspiracy, emphasizing his use of interstate facilities and international travel to facilitate the abuse. The indictment notes that Epstein "frequently traveled from New York to Palm Beach by private jet, before which an employee or associate would ensure that minor victims were available for encounters upon his arrival in Florida."

According to civil complaints, Epstein transported victims between his various residences—the Palm Beach mansion, Manhattan townhouse, New Mexico ranch, and U.S. Virgin Islands properties—using his private aircraft. The Jane Doe No. 102 complaint states: "The first time that Defendant transported Plaintiff to another state in order to engage in sexual acts with her occurred when she was merely fifteen years old and after only two weeks of daily sexually abusive encounters with Defendant. Defendant used his private jet to transport the minor Plaintiff to Manhattan."

The flight logs document extensive travel by Epstein with young women and girls aboard his aircraft, though many passengers are identified only by first names or initials.

Payment and Coercion Evidence#

Cash Payment Structure

Victims were paid in cash immediately following each encounter, creating both an incentive structure and a means of control. According to the 2019 indictment, "Victims typically were paid hundreds of dollars in cash for each encounter." The Jane Doe No. 1 complaint specifies that the victim "was paid $300" while her recruiter received "$200 for bringing Plaintiff to him."

The Jane Doe No. 102 complaint states that "in order to facilitate the daily exchanges of money for sexual assault and abuse, Defendant kept U.S. currency readily available." This immediate cash payment created a transactional framework that normalized the abuse while making it difficult for victims to refuse continued participation, particularly once they had accepted multiple payments.

Graduated Coercion and "Grooming"

The pattern documented in multiple complaints involved a graduated escalation of sexual conduct over multiple encounters. The first visit would involve relatively minor sexual contact, which would escalate in subsequent visits as victims became desensitized and increasingly financially dependent on the payments.

The Jane Doe No. 102 complaint describes how after Giuffre's second incident of abuse, "Defendant asked Plaintiff to quit her job at The Mar-a-Lago Club and travel with him to earn much more money while learning the massage profession." Once victims quit legitimate employment and became dependent on Epstein's payments, they faced significant barriers to extricating themselves from the abuse.

Psychological Control

Civil complaints document various forms of psychological control and manipulation. Epstein "continuously 'groomed' the minor adolescent," creating dependency relationships. The presence of nude photographs of young girls lining the staircase leading to the massage room served to normalize the sexual exploitation and signal what was expected.

FBI and DOJ Documentation of Victim Accounts#

The 2019 Indictment

The 2019 federal indictment references three minor victims by pseudonym, describing a consistent pattern of abuse:

Minor Victim-1: The indictment alleges she "was recruited to engage in sex acts with EPSTEIN and was repeatedly sexually abused by EPSTEIN at the New York Residence over a period of years." The victim "was as young as 14 years old when she was recruited." The indictment describes how "Employee-1, located in the Southern District of New York, and on behalf of EPSTEIN, placed a telephone call to Minor Victim-1 in order to schedule an appointment."

Minor Victim-2: Described as being "repeatedly sexually abused by EPSTEIN at the Palm Beach Residence over a period of years." She "was as young as 14 years old when she was recruited." The indictment notes that "Employee-2, located in the Southern District of New York, and on behalf of EPSTEIN, placed a telephone call to Minor Victim-2 in order to schedule an appointment," establishing the interstate element of the sex trafficking charges.

Minor Victim-3: Similarly described as being "repeatedly sexually abused by EPSTEIN at the Palm Beach Residence over a period of years," starting when she was approximately 14 years old.

The indictment emphasizes that "EPSTEIN knew that many of his victims were underage, including because certain victims told him their age."

FBI Co-Conspirator Memo

The FBI's August 2019 co-conspirator memo contains extensive victim testimony describing the roles of various co-conspirators in the trafficking operation. The memo documents that:

• Multiple victims stated that Kellen arranged massage appointments, paid them directly, provided transportation, and took photos of partially nude girls
• Cooperating co-conspirators and victims stated that Groff was in charge of making phone calls to set up massage appointments and would call victims to ask if they had any new girls for Epstein
• At least one employee observed Maxwell recruit a victim in the case

The 34 Confirmed Minor Victims

The DOJ Office of Professional Responsibility report on the 2007 Non-Prosecution Agreement states that the government ultimately compiled a list of 34 confirmed minor victims. However, the actual number of victims is likely significantly higher, as the 2019 indictment alleges Epstein "sexually exploited and abused dozens of minor girls."

CVRA Litigation and Victim Advocacy#

The Landmark Doe v. United States Case

On July 7, 2008, Jane Doe 1 (later identified as Courtney Wild) filed an emergency petition under the Crime Victims' Rights Act, 18 U.S.C. § 3771, alleging that the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Florida had negotiated and signed the 2007 Non-Prosecution Agreement without conferring with victims, in violation of their statutory rights.

The petition stated that the petitioner "has received no consultation with the attorney for the government regarding the possible disposition of the charges, no notice of any public court proceedings, no information regarding her right to restitution, and no notice of rights under the CVRA, as required under law."

This case became one of the longest-running CVRA litigations in federal court history. On February 21, 2019, Judge Kenneth A. Marra ruled that the government violated the CVRA, finding: "Despite the Government's efforts to cripple this litigation, the record leaves no doubt that the government committed a crime-victim rights violation... The Government gave the Epstein defense team notice of the NPA and conferred with them throughout the process, yet purposefully withheld this information from the victims."

Judge Marra specifically found that letters sent to victims after the NPA was signed, describing the investigation as ongoing, "mislead [sic] the victims to believe that federal prosecution was still a possibility."

Victim Notification Deception

Internal prosecutorial emails documented in the DOJ OPR report reveal prosecutors' awareness they were concealing the NPA from victims. On September 24, 2007, as the NPA was being finalized, defense counsel Jay Lefkowitz emailed the line prosecutor stating: "Please do whatever you can to keep this from becoming public." The prosecutor responded: "Thank you, Jay. I have forwarded your message only to [United States Attorney] Alex [Acosta], and I don't anticipate it going any further than that... The other will be placed in the case file, which will be kept confidential since it also contains identifying information about the girls."

On September 26, 2007, the line prosecutor emailed Lefkowitz stating: "Hi Jay—Can you give me a call at [xxx-xxxx] this morning? I am meeting with the agents and want to give them their marching orders regarding what they can tell the girls." This coordination between prosecutors and defense counsel on how much to tell crime victims represents a fundamental breach of prosecutorial ethics.

Ghislaine Maxwell Trial Victim Testimony

When Ghislaine Maxwell was prosecuted in 2019-2021, four victims testified at trial under pseudonyms. The Second Circuit opinion affirming Maxwell's conviction describes their testimony: "The four victim-witnesses testified that Maxwell recruited them for, and participated in, their sexual abuse by Epstein. Three of the four testified that Maxwell participated directly in their abuse."

At Maxwell's sentencing hearing, victims provided impact statements describing the lasting harm of the abuse. Maxwell was sentenced to 20 years in federal prison on June 28, 2022.

Timeline of Recruitment Activity#

The evidence documents recruitment and abuse occurring over multiple decades:

• 1998: Virginia Giuffre recruited from Mar-a-Lago by Ghislaine Maxwell at age 15
• 1999-2007: Peak period of systematic abuse documented in civil complaints
• 2002-2005: Time frame charged in the 2019 federal indictment
• 2005: Palm Beach Police investigation begins after complaint from parents of 14-year-old victim
• 2006: FBI opens investigation, ultimately identifying 34 confirmed minor victims
• 2007: Non-Prosecution Agreement signed, concealed from victims
• 2008-2010: Multiple Jane Doe civil complaints filed in Florida federal court
• 2019: Epstein indicted on federal sex trafficking charges; FBI identifies 10 co-conspirators
• 2021: Ghislaine Maxwell convicted on sex trafficking charges

Relevant Criminal Statutes#

The recruitment and trafficking patterns documented in the archive implicate multiple federal criminal statutes detailed in Relevant Criminal Statutes, including:

• 18 U.S.C. § 1591 (sex trafficking of minors)
• 18 U.S.C. § 2422(b) (coercion and enticement of minors to engage in illegal sexual activity)
• 18 U.S.C. § 2423(a) (transportation of minors for illegal sexual activity)
• 18 U.S.C. § 371 (conspiracy)

See Also#

• Epstein's Co-Conspirators - Detailed profiles of the 10 individuals identified by the FBI as co-conspirators in 2019
• Obstruction of Justice Evidence - Documentation of systematic efforts to conceal evidence and intimidate witnesses
• 2007 Non-Prosecution Agreement - The controversial agreement that granted immunity to co-conspirators
• MC2 Model Management - The modeling agency used as a recruitment vehicle
• Palm Beach Estate - The primary location for abuse in Florida
• Manhattan Townhouse - The primary location for abuse in New York
• Flight Logs and Travel Evidence - Documentation of interstate transportation of victims
• Relevant Criminal Statutes - Federal criminal laws applicable to the trafficking operation