Virginia L. Giuffre, formerly known as Virginia Roberts, is the most publicly prominent survivor and accuser in the Jeffrey Epstein sex trafficking case. Born on August 9, 1983, in Sacramento, California, Giuffre was recruited at the age of fifteen by Ghislaine Maxwell while working as a changing room assistant at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida. Between approximately 1999 and 2002, she was systematically sexually abused by Epstein and trafficked to his associates at properties across the United States and internationally, as documented in her 2009 civil complaint filed as Jane Doe No. 102.

Giuffre's legal activism over more than a decade was instrumental in bringing the Epstein network to public attention and ultimate accountability. She was the first victim to publicly identify herself in a 2011 interview with the Daily Mail, and her December 2014 motion to join the Crime Victims' Rights Act litigation named specific individuals who had allegedly participated in her trafficking. Her 2015 defamation lawsuit against Ghislaine Maxwell in the Southern District of New York produced depositions and sealed evidence that, when later unsealed, proved critical in galvanizing public understanding of the scope of Epstein's criminal enterprise. She also filed lawsuits against Alan Dershowitz and Prince Andrew, the latter of which was settled in February 2022.

Giuffre's testimony and advocacy contributed to Ghislaine Maxwell's conviction in December 2021 on five counts including sex trafficking of a minor, conspiracy to transport minors with intent to engage in criminal sexual activity, and transportation of a minor with intent to engage in criminal sexual activity. Maxwell was sentenced to 20 years in federal prison, a conviction affirmed by the Second Circuit Court of Appeals in September 2024. In addition to her legal battles, Giuffre founded the nonprofit organization Victims Refuse Silence in December 2014, dedicating her professional life to helping survivors of sex trafficking.

Early Life and Recruitment#

Virginia Roberts was born on August 9, 1983, in Sacramento, California, and spent her early childhood on a small ranch on the West Coast. Her childhood was disrupted when she was sexually molested by a man close to her family, an experience that she later described as setting a chain of events in motion. Her parents temporarily separated, and Roberts blamed herself for the family turmoil. By age eleven, she was sent to live with an aunt but repeatedly ran away. As she described in her 2011 Daily Mail interview, "Living on the streets, she was beaten up and slept with at least two older men in return for food. 'I was a paedophile's dream,' she says."

By approximately 1998, the Roberts family had relocated to Florida. Virginia's father, Sky Roberts, worked as a maintenance manager at The Mar-a-Lago Club in Palm Beach, and Virginia, then fifteen years old, obtained a position as a changing room assistant earning approximately $9 per hour. It was at this location that she was identified and recruited by Ghislaine Maxwell.

Her Jane Doe No. 102 complaint describes the recruitment in detail: Maxwell "asked Plaintiff if she was interested in learning massage therapy and earning a great deal of money while learning the profession." The complaint notes that Roberts's father "was not apprehensive because he felt comforted that an older woman had approached" his teenage daughter with the opportunity. Maxwell met the minor and her father outside Epstein's Palm Beach mansion at 358 El Brillo Way, where "Ms. Maxwell assured the minor girl's father that Ms. Maxwell would provide transportation home for his teenaged daughter."

The recruitment followed the systematic patterns documented across Epstein's operation: identifying economically vulnerable minors, using the pretense of massage therapy employment, and leveraging the appearance of legitimacy through a female recruiter. Maxwell's role in Giuffre's recruitment was consistent with what the FBI's August 2019 co-conspirator memo described as Maxwell's function as "one of the main co-conspirators in the case," with "at least one employee" having "observed her recruit a victim."

Abuse and Trafficking#

Initial Abuse at the Palm Beach Estate

According to the Jane Doe No. 102 complaint, the abuse began immediately on the day of recruitment. Maxwell led Roberts up a flight of stairs to a spa room where Epstein was lying naked on a massage table. Maxwell "then 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." Maxwell instructed Roberts to remove her clothes, and when the minor did so "in fear," "the encounter escalated, with Defendant and Ms. Maxwell sexually assaulting, battering, exploiting, and abusing Plaintiff in various ways and in various locations, including the steam room and shower." At the conclusion, "Defendant and Ms. Maxwell giddily told Plaintiff to return the following day and told her she had 'lots of potential.'"

The complaint states that Epstein and his procurers "thereafter lured the then minor Plaintiff to his Palm Beach mansion every day for the next two weeks in order to engage in a similar pattern of sexual exploitation." During her second visit, Epstein asked Roberts to quit her job at Mar-a-Lago and travel with him, offering significantly more money. The fifteen-year-old did so, becoming immersed in what the complaint describes as "Defendant's lewd and abusive lifestyle."

Under Epstein's control, the complaint alleges, Roberts's "daily routine required the minor Plaintiff to perform sexually on Defendant multiple times per day and to provide Defendant massages multiple times per day. Plaintiff had absolutely no say as to when, how many times, or what was done during each sexual encounter."

Multi-Property Trafficking Network

Within two weeks of her initial recruitment, Epstein transported Roberts on his private jet to his Manhattan townhouse at 9 East 71st Street, where "he provided her with spending money and accommodations." The complaint states that "From the time that Plaintiff was 15 years old, Defendant abused her to serve his every sexual need" across multiple properties.

Flight logs filed in Giuffre v. Maxwell document Virginia Roberts traveling on Epstein's aircraft on numerous occasions, including:

December 11, 2000: West Palm Beach to Teterboro with "Virginia Roberts, Ghislaine Maxwell, Jeffrey Epstein, Emmy Taylor"
December 17, 2000: Teterboro to St. Thomas with "Virginia Roberts, Ghislaine Maxwell, Jeffrey Epstein, Alberto Pinto"
January 27, 2001: Teterboro to St. Thomas
March 29, 2001: Palm Beach to Santa Fe with "Jeffrey Epstein, Ghislaine Maxwell, Virginia Roberts, Alberto Pinto, Banu Kukuckoulu, Marvin Minsky, Henry Jarecki"
March 31, 2001: Santa Fe to Teterboro with "Jeffrey Epstein, Ghislaine Maxwell, Virginia Roberts, Professor Marvin Minsky"
April 11, 2001: Teterboro to St. Thomas

These flight records place Roberts at or traveling to Epstein's key properties: the Palm Beach estate, the Manhattan townhouse, Little St. James Island in the U.S. Virgin Islands, and Zorro Ranch in New Mexico. The flight logs document Roberts on flights alongside Ghislaine Maxwell on virtually every trip, reinforcing the allegations that Maxwell was her constant handler.

The Jane Doe No. 102 complaint describes the geographic scope of the trafficking: "Defendant's systematic pattern of sexually exploitative behavior... occurred in all of Defendant's domestic and international residences and/or places of lodging and/or modes of transportation." The complaint lists Epstein's properties as including the Palm Beach mansion, his Manhattan townhouse, "a $30 million 7,500-acre ranch in New Mexico he named 'Zorro,'" the private island of Little St. James, a mansion in London's Westminster neighborhood, and a home in the Avenue Foch area of Paris.

Roberts also described being trafficked internationally. The Daily Mail article filed in court proceedings references a trip that included stops in "Paris, Spain, Granada and Tangier," for which "Epstein paid her $15,000." She described meeting Prince Andrew on three separate occasions at Epstein's behest.

Individuals Named in Trafficking Allegations

Giuffre's complaint alleged that she was "sexually exploited by Defendant's adult male peers, which included royalty, politicians, academicians, businessmen and others." The Jane Doe No. 102 complaint further alleges: "On one of Defendant's birthdays, a friend of Defendant sent him three 12-year-old girls from France who spoke no English for Defendant to sexually exploit and abuse. After doing so, they were sent back to France the next day."

Giuffre eventually escaped Epstein's control when, as the Daily Mail article describes, Epstein and Maxwell told her they wanted her to have Epstein's child—"a 'wake-up call' to get out of the situation." She subsequently moved to Australia, where she married and had children, attempting to leave her past behind.

Key Accusations Against Named Individuals#

Ghislaine Maxwell

Giuffre identified Ghislaine Maxwell as her primary recruiter and a direct participant in her abuse. The defamation complaint described Maxwell as "one of the main women who Epstein used to procure under-aged girls for sexual activities and a primary co-conspirator and participant in his sexual abuse and sex trafficking scheme." The Jane Doe No. 102 complaint detailed Maxwell's direct participation in sexual assaults and her role in scheduling, transporting, and controlling Roberts on a daily basis.

Maxwell was convicted in December 2021 on five counts related to sex trafficking, with the Second Circuit affirming her conviction and 20-year sentence in September 2024.

Prince Andrew, Duke of York

Giuffre alleged she was trafficked to Prince Andrew on three occasions at Epstein's direction. A photograph published in the Daily Mail shows Prince Andrew with his arm around the then-seventeen-year-old Roberts at Maxwell's London townhouse, said to have been taken in March 2001. Giuffre filed a civil lawsuit against Prince Andrew in August 2021 in the Southern District of New York. The case was settled in February 2022 for an undisclosed amount; Prince Andrew made no admission of guilt but made a substantial donation to Giuffre's charity.

Alan Dershowitz

Giuffre's amended complaint against Alan Dershowitz, filed in the Southern District of New York as Civil Action No. 1:19-cv-3377, alleged that "Between 2000 and 2002, Defendant sexually abused Plaintiff on numerous occasions, including at least once in New York." The complaint described Dershowitz as "Epstein's lawyer, close friend, and co-conspirator" who "was also a participant in sex trafficking, including as one of the men to whom Epstein lent out Plaintiff for sex."

The complaint further alleged that Dershowitz participated in negotiating the 2007 Non-Prosecution Agreement that shielded both Epstein and "potential co-conspirators (including himself) from prosecution," while simultaneously engaging in a "desperate barrage of false and increasingly defamatory attacks" against Giuffre. In November 2024, Giuffre voluntarily dismissed her lawsuit against Dershowitz, stating that she "may have made a mistake" in accusing him. Dershowitz has consistently denied all allegations.

Jean-Luc Brunel

Giuffre named French modeling agent Jean-Luc Brunel in her testimony as one of the individuals involved in Epstein's trafficking operation. Flight logs document Brunel ("Jean Luc") traveling on the same flights as Roberts, including the March 29, 2001 flight from Palm Beach to Santa Fe. Brunel was arrested in Paris in December 2020 on charges of rape of minors and trafficking but was found dead in his prison cell on February 19, 2022, in what French authorities determined was suicide.

Other Named Individuals

In her various depositions and court filings, Giuffre named additional individuals as participants in or witnesses to her trafficking. The Giuffre v. Dershowitz complaint references Leslie Wexner as someone from whom Giuffre's attorneys were allegedly attempting to obtain a settlement, a characterization Giuffre disputed. The co-conspirators page notes that "Victim Virginia Giuffre named Wexner in a deposition as one of the men she was trafficked to."

Legal Proceedings#

Jane Doe No. 102 v. Epstein (2009)

On May 4, 2009, Giuffre, identified as Jane Doe No. 102, filed a civil complaint against Jeffrey Epstein in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida (Case No. 09-80656). The complaint brought claims under 18 U.S.C. § 2255 for coercion and enticement of a minor, transportation with intent to engage in criminal sexual activity, and sexual exploitation of children. As her defamation complaint later noted, this was "the first public allegations made on behalf of Giuffre regarding Maxwell." The case was eventually settled for an undisclosed amount, as were nearly two dozen similar lawsuits filed by other victims.

Crime Victims' Rights Act Challenge (CVRA)

On December 30, 2014, Giuffre moved to join the ongoing CVRA litigation (Doe v. United States, Case No. 08-80736, S.D. Fla.) that had been filed by Jane Doe No. 1 (later identified as Courtney Wild) on July 7, 2008. This challenge alleged that the U.S. Attorney's Office violated the Crime Victims' Rights Act by negotiating and signing the 2007 Non-Prosecution Agreement without conferring with victims.

Giuffre's December 2014 joinder motion was significant because it named specific prominent individuals whom she alleged had participated in her trafficking. On February 21, 2019, Judge Kenneth A. Marra ruled that the government had indeed violated the CVRA, finding that prosecutors "purposefully withheld this information from the victims" while conferring with the defense team "throughout the process."

The FBI Victim Assistance Program had sent CVRA notification letters to identified victims, including one dated May 30, 2008, stating "This case is currently under investigation. This can be a lengthy process and we request your continued patience while we conduct a thorough investigation"—language Judge Marra later found misleading given that the NPA had already been signed nine months earlier.

Giuffre v. Maxwell: The Defamation Lawsuit (2015–2017)

On September 21, 2015, Giuffre filed a defamation complaint against Ghislaine Maxwell in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York (Case No. 15-cv-07433-RWS). The complaint alleged that in January 2015, Maxwell undertook "a concerted and malicious campaign to discredit Giuffre," with Maxwell's authorized agent Ross Gow publicly declaring Giuffre's allegations "untrue," "shown to be untrue," and "obvious lies."

The filing of this lawsuit was immediately communicated within Epstein's circle. An email sent to Epstein the same day stated: "Please Call Ghislaine...Virginia has just filed suit against her in NY...she wants to speak with you...".

Maxwell moved to dismiss the complaint, arguing her statements were protected by self-defense privilege. Her attorney, Laura A. Menninger, filed a memorandum arguing that Maxwell's statements were privileged. Maxwell also moved for a stay of discovery, which Giuffre opposed.

The case produced extensive discovery, including depositions and documentary evidence. Subpoenas were issued to multiple third parties for document production. The case was settled in 2017, but sealed documents from the litigation were subsequently unsealed beginning in 2019, producing thousands of pages of evidence that proved critical in building public understanding of Epstein's criminal enterprise.

Giuffre v. Dershowitz (2019)

In April 2019, Giuffre filed suit against Alan Dershowitz in the Southern District of New York (Civil Action No. 1:19-cv-3377), alleging sexual abuse, defamation, and unlawful interception of communications. The complaint alleged that "During 2000-2002, beginning when Plaintiff was 16, Plaintiff was the victim of sex trafficking and abuse by convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein" and that Dershowitz was "one of the men to whom Epstein lent out Plaintiff for sex."

The complaint documented extensive defamatory statements by Dershowitz across multiple media outlets from November 2018 through August 2019, in which he repeatedly called Giuffre a "certified, complete, total liar," a "perjurer," and claimed she "made up the entire story for money." Dershowitz had previously settled a defamation case brought against him by Giuffre's attorneys Brad Edwards and Paul Cassell in April 2016. In November 2024, Giuffre voluntarily dismissed this lawsuit.

Giuffre v. Prince Andrew (2021–2022)

In August 2021, Giuffre filed a civil lawsuit against Prince Andrew, Duke of York, in the Southern District of New York. The case was settled in February 2022; the financial terms included a reported payment to Giuffre and a donation to her charity, Victims Refuse Silence. Prince Andrew made no admission of liability or wrongdoing.

Ghislaine Maxwell Criminal Trial (2021)

Although the specifics of Giuffre's involvement in the Maxwell trial require careful contextualization—because the four victim-witnesses who testified at trial did so under pseudonyms—Giuffre's prior testimony, depositions, and public advocacy were central to the case. The Second Circuit's opinion affirming Maxwell's conviction describes how "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."

Maxwell was convicted on five of six counts, including sex trafficking of a minor in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1591, conspiracy to transport minors in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 371, and transportation of a minor with intent to engage in criminal sexual activity in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 2423(a). She was sentenced to 240 months (20 years) of imprisonment and a $750,000 fine. The conviction was affirmed on appeal in September 2024.

References in the Epstein Archive#

The Epstein email archive contains multiple direct references to Giuffre and her legal actions, providing insight into how Epstein and his associates discussed and reacted to her allegations.

Epstein's Reaction to Giuffre's CVRA Filing (January 2015)

In January 2015, following Giuffre's joinder motion in the CVRA litigation that named Prince Andrew and others, Epstein drafted talking points to discredit her. In an email to journalist Michael Wolff on January 16, 2015, Epstein wrote:

"She never saw anything that Virginia claims. She can confirm 1. I was never alone at the house. Staff, friends etc., no girl ever complained, not once. 2. Doe 1 and 2, were local strippers, that would call all the time asking if they could do massages..."

In the same email, Epstein referenced a former girlfriend he claimed could contradict Giuffre's allegations, stating she "knows Clinton was never on the island" and "knows no sex with Stephen Hawking, she knows no sex with Ehud as he was also never on the island."

That same day, Epstein sent substantially identical talking points to Landon Thomas Jr. of the New York Times, who responded that "the big issue is separating yourself from Andrew" and suggested Prince Andrew's connection "is keeping the story alive." Thomas characterized the situation as: "I mean in the end he had consensual sex with M. And worked for you. The rest is atmospherics."

Dershowitz and Giuffre's Juvenile Records (February 2015)

In February 2015, Epstein emailed William Riley asking: "did dershowtz contact you re the virgina police reports. he wanted to know, as they were when she was a juvenile would it be ok to release??". Riley responded that they had "asked for a retainer and have never heard from him or his attorney since." This exchange documents Dershowitz's interest in obtaining Giuffre's juvenile records, apparently as part of an effort to discredit her.

Notification of Giuffre's Defamation Lawsuit (September 2015)

The archive records the immediate communication to Epstein when Giuffre filed her defamation lawsuit against Maxwell on September 21, 2015: "Please Call Ghislaine...Virginia has just filed suit against her in NY...she wants to speak with you...". This email demonstrates that Maxwell turned to Epstein for consultation upon being sued—consistent with the complaint's allegation that "Maxwell made her statements to discredit Giuffre in close consultation with Epstein."

FBI Victim Documentation

The archive contains extensive FBI documentation of victim assistance efforts related to the Epstein investigation. The FBI Victim Assistance Program sent notification letters to identified victims as early as May 2008, informing them of their rights under 18 U.S.C. § 3771 (the Crime Victims' Rights Act). AUSA A. Marie Villafaña sent surrogate notification letters to victims' attorneys on July 9, 2008, confirming their clients were "individual[s] whom the United States was prepared to name as a victim of an enumerated offense."

A March 2025 FBI internal email titled "Minor Victim List - 50D-NY-3027571" documents the FBI's ongoing compilation of a comprehensive list of minor victims, noting that "the majority of the victims either do not have DOBs or victimization dates associated in Sentinel" and requiring "manual review of 302s for additional identifiers." The master list was to be treated with "the strictest confidentiality and sensitivity" per SDNY instructions. This ongoing victim identification effort, more than five years after Epstein's death, underscores the enduring scale of his criminal operation.

Taxonomy Classification

The archive's taxonomy classifies 396 threads under the "Virginia Giuffre" topic, the largest topic designation for any individual victim. These threads encompass legal correspondence, media reactions, internal discussions about her lawsuits, and institutional responses to her allegations.

Impact and Advocacy#

Victims Refuse Silence

On December 23, 2014, one week before filing her CVRA joinder motion, Giuffre incorporated Victims Refuse Silence, Inc. as a Florida not-for-profit corporation. As described in her defamation complaint, the organization was designed "to change and improve the fight against sexual abuse and human trafficking" and "to help survivors surmount the shame, silence, and intimidation typically experienced by victims of sexual abuse."

Public Advocacy and Unsealing Efforts

Giuffre's 2011 decision to waive her anonymity and publicly identify herself as Jane Doe No. 102 in the Daily Mail interview was a watershed moment, putting a face and name to the previously anonymous civil litigation. Her willingness to speak publicly helped generate media interest that eventually led to Julie K. Brown's investigative series "Perversion of Justice" in the Miami Herald in November 2018, which in turn created the political pressure leading to Epstein's 2019 arrest.

The Giuffre v. Maxwell defamation lawsuit produced extensive sealed evidence that, when progressively unsealed by court order beginning in 2019, revealed the scope of Epstein's operation to the public for the first time. The unsealing of these documents was a pivotal moment in the broader Epstein case.

Contribution to FBI Investigation

In 2011, two FBI agents located Giuffre in Australia—where she had been living since escaping Epstein's control—"and arranged to meet with her at the U.S. Consulate in Sidney. Giuffre provided truthful and accurate information to the FBI about Epstein and Maxwell's sexual abuse." This FBI interview contributed to the evidentiary record that was later used in Maxwell's prosecution and other legal proceedings.

Legislative and Prosecutorial Impact

Giuffre's persistent legal advocacy, spanning more than fifteen years, contributed to multiple significant outcomes:

The February 2019 CVRA ruling by Judge Marra finding that prosecutors violated victims' rights in negotiating the 2007 NPA
The July 2019 federal arrest of Jeffrey Epstein by the SDNY, which took the position that the Florida NPA did not bind its jurisdiction
The July 2020 arrest and December 2021 conviction of Ghislaine Maxwell, providing the first criminal accountability for a co-conspirator
Heightened public awareness of sex trafficking that influenced legislative reforms and institutional scrutiny

Connections#

Giuffre's case intersects with numerous individuals and entities documented in the archive:

Ghislaine Maxwell — Giuffre's primary recruiter; convicted on sex trafficking charges
Sarah Kellen — Co-Conspirator #1 in the FBI memo; arranged massage appointments and managed scheduling
Lesley Groff — Co-Conspirator #3; coordinated phone calls to set up appointments from New York
Jean-Luc Brunel — French modeling agent; documented on flights alongside Giuffre; died in French custody
Alan Dershowitz — Epstein's attorney; accused by Giuffre of sexual abuse; case later voluntarily dismissed
Prince Andrew — Accused by Giuffre of sexual encounters; settled civil lawsuit in 2022
Ehud Barak — Named in Epstein's January 2015 talking points as someone Giuffre referenced
Brad Edwards and Paul Cassell — Giuffre's attorneys in the CVRA proceedings
David Boies and Sigrid McCawley — Giuffre's attorneys in the Maxwell defamation and other civil lawsuits (via Boies, Schiller & Flexner LLP)

Virginia Giuffre (née Roberts)