Virginia L. Giuffre, formerly Virginia Roberts, was the most publicly visible accuser in the Jeffrey Epstein sex trafficking case. Born August 9, 1983, in Sacramento, California, she was recruited at fifteen by Ghislaine Maxwell while working as a changing room attendant at Mar-a-Lago. Between roughly 1999 and 2002, Epstein sexually abused her and trafficked her to associates across multiple countries. She filed her first civil complaint in 2009 as Jane Doe No. 102.

Over the next fifteen years, Giuffre sued Epstein, Maxwell, Prince Andrew, and Alan Dershowitz. She was the first victim to publicly identify herself, in a 2011 Daily Mail interview. Her 2015 defamation lawsuit against Maxwell produced sealed depositions and evidence that, once unsealed starting in 2019, became the most detailed public record of how Epstein's operation worked. Maxwell was convicted in December 2021 on five counts including sex trafficking of a minor and sentenced to 20 years.

Giuffre died on April 25, 2025, at 41, at her home in Neergabby, Western Australia. Australian authorities recorded the death as suicide. Some of Giuffre's supporters and independent researchers have disputed this finding, noting her history of threats and the pattern of deaths among Epstein-connected figures, including Epstein himself and Jean-Luc Brunel. Her memoir, Nobody's Girl, was published posthumously in October 2025.

Early Life and Recruitment#

Virginia Roberts grew up on a small ranch on the West Coast. She was sexually molested as a child by a man close to her family. Her parents separated. By eleven she was sent to live with an aunt and repeatedly ran away. As she told the Daily Mail: "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."

Around 1998 the Roberts family moved to Florida. Her father, Sky Roberts, worked maintenance at Mar-a-Lago. Virginia, then fifteen, got a job as a changing room attendant at $9 an hour. That's where Ghislaine Maxwell found her.

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

This matched the patterns seen across Epstein's operation: find an economically vulnerable minor, pitch massage therapy as a job, and use a female recruiter to make it seem legitimate.

Abuse and Trafficking#

Palm Beach

According to the complaint, the abuse started the same day Roberts was recruited. Maxwell brought her to a spa room where Epstein was lying naked on a massage table. Maxwell "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." When Roberts undressed "in fear," the encounter escalated into sexual assault by both Epstein and Maxwell. Afterward, "Defendant and Ms. Maxwell giddily told Plaintiff to return the following day and told her she had 'lots of potential.'"

Epstein and his associates "thereafter lured the then minor Plaintiff to his Palm Beach mansion every day for the next two weeks." On her second visit, Epstein told her to quit Mar-a-Lago and travel with him. She did. The complaint says her "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

Within two weeks, Epstein flew Roberts to his Manhattan townhouse at 9 East 71st Street. From there the abuse continued across his properties.

Flight logs from Giuffre v. Maxwell show Roberts on Epstein's planes repeatedly:

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 flights connect to Epstein's Palm Beach estate, Manhattan townhouse, Little St. James in the U.S. Virgin Islands, and Zorro Ranch in New Mexico. Maxwell was on nearly every flight.

The complaint lists Epstein's properties where the abuse occurred: the Palm Beach mansion, his Manhattan townhouse, "a $30 million 7,500-acre ranch in New Mexico he named 'Zorro,'" Little St. James, a mansion in London, and a home in Paris's Avenue Foch. Roberts also described trips to "Paris, Spain, Granada and Tangier" for which Epstein paid her $15,000. She said she met Prince Andrew three times at Epstein's direction.

Escape

Giuffre's complaint alleged she was "sexually exploited by Defendant's adult male peers, which included royalty, politicians, academicians, businessmen and others." The complaint also alleges that "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."

She got out when Epstein and Maxwell told her they wanted her to have Epstein's child. She called it a "wake-up call". She moved to Australia, married Robert Giuffre, and had children. They separated in 2024.

Accusations Against Named Individuals#

Ghislaine Maxwell

Giuffre identified Maxwell as her recruiter and a direct participant in the abuse. The defamation complaint called Maxwell "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 complaint detailed Maxwell participating in sexual assaults and managing Roberts's schedule, transport, and daily life.

Maxwell was convicted in December 2021 on five trafficking-related counts. The Second Circuit affirmed her conviction and 20-year sentence in September 2024.

Prince Andrew

Giuffre said she was trafficked to Prince Andrew three times. A photograph published in the Daily Mail shows Andrew with his arm around the then-seventeen-year-old Roberts at Maxwell's London townhouse, reportedly taken in March 2001. Giuffre sued Andrew in August 2021 in the Southern District of New York. The case settled in February 2022 for an undisclosed amount. Andrew made no admission of guilt.

Alan Dershowitz

Giuffre's complaint against Dershowitz (Civil Action No. 1:19-cv-3377, SDNY) alleged that "Between 2000 and 2002, Defendant sexually abused Plaintiff on numerous occasions, including at least once in New York." It 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 also alleged Dershowitz helped negotiate the 2007 Non-Prosecution Agreement that shielded Epstein and "potential co-conspirators (including himself) from prosecution." In November 2024, Giuffre voluntarily dismissed the lawsuit, saying she "may have made a mistake" in accusing him. Dershowitz has always denied all allegations.

Jean-Luc Brunel

Giuffre named the French modeling agent Jean-Luc Brunel as part of Epstein's operation. Flight logs put Brunel on the same March 29, 2001 flight as Roberts. Brunel was arrested in Paris in December 2020 on charges of raping minors and trafficking. He was found dead in his cell on February 19, 2022. French authorities called it suicide.

Others

Giuffre named additional people in depositions and filings. The Dershowitz complaint references Leslie Wexner. The co-conspirators page notes that 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 filed a civil complaint against Epstein in the Southern District of Florida (Case No. 09-80656) 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. Her later defamation complaint noted this was "the first public allegations made on behalf of Giuffre regarding Maxwell." The case settled for an undisclosed amount, as did nearly two dozen similar lawsuits by other victims.

Crime Victims' Rights Act Challenge

On December 30, 2014, Giuffre joined the ongoing CVRA litigation (Doe v. United States, Case No. 08-80736, S.D. Fla.), originally filed by Jane Doe No. 1 (later identified as Courtney Wild). The suit alleged prosecutors violated the Crime Victims' Rights Act by signing the 2007 Non-Prosecution Agreement without telling victims.

Giuffre's joinder motion named specific prominent individuals she said participated in her trafficking. On February 21, 2019, Judge Kenneth Marra ruled the government had violated the CVRA, finding prosecutors "purposefully withheld this information from the victims."

The FBI Victim Assistance Program had sent victims a letter dated May 30, 2008, saying "This case is currently under investigation. This can be a lengthy process and we request your continued patience while we conduct a thorough investigation." The NPA had already been signed nine months earlier.

Giuffre v. Maxwell (2015-2017)

On September 21, 2015, Giuffre sued Maxwell for defamation in the SDNY (Case No. 15-cv-07433-RWS). Maxwell's agent Ross Gow had publicly called Giuffre's allegations "untrue," "shown to be untrue," and "obvious lies."

The same day, someone emailed Epstein: "Please Call Ghislaine...Virginia has just filed suit against her in NY...she wants to speak with you...".

The case settled in 2017. But it produced enormous amounts of discovery, including depositions and documentary evidence. Subpoenas went to multiple third parties. When sealed documents began to be unsealed in 2019, they gave the public its first detailed look at how Epstein's network operated.

Giuffre v. Dershowitz (2019)

Filed April 2019 in the SDNY, alleging sexual abuse, defamation, and unlawful interception of communications. The complaint documented Dershowitz calling Giuffre a "certified, complete, total liar" and "perjurer" across multiple media outlets from November 2018 through August 2019. Giuffre voluntarily dismissed the case in November 2024.

Giuffre v. Prince Andrew (2021-2022)

Filed August 2021 in the SDNY. Settled February 2022. The terms included a payment to Giuffre and a donation to her charity, Victims Refuse Silence. Andrew made no admission of liability.

Maxwell Criminal Trial (2021)

The four victim-witnesses at trial testified under pseudonyms, so Giuffre's specific role requires careful reading. But her prior depositions and public statements were central to the case. The Second Circuit's opinion 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 (18 U.S.C. § 1591), conspiracy to transport minors (18 U.S.C. § 371), and transporting a minor for criminal sexual activity (18 U.S.C. § 2423(a)). She got 240 months and a $750,000 fine. The Second Circuit affirmed in September 2024.

In the Epstein Archive#

The email archive shows how Epstein and his associates talked about Giuffre and reacted to her lawsuits.

Discrediting Giuffre (January 2015)

After Giuffre's CVRA filing named Prince Andrew and others, Epstein drafted talking points. He emailed journalist Michael Wolff on January 16, 2015:

"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..."

He also wrote that a former girlfriend "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 the same talking points to Landon Thomas Jr. of the New York Times. Thomas replied that "the big issue is separating yourself from Andrew" and that the Prince Andrew connection "is keeping the story alive." Thomas wrote: "I mean in the end he had consensual sex with M. And worked for you. The rest is atmospherics."

Dershowitz and Juvenile Records (February 2015)

Epstein emailed William Riley: "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 said they'd "asked for a retainer and have never heard from him or his attorney since."

Maxwell Lawsuit Notification (September 2015)

When Giuffre filed the defamation suit, someone immediately told Epstein: "Please Call Ghislaine...Virginia has just filed suit against her in NY...she wants to speak with you...". Maxwell went to Epstein for help when she got sued.

FBI Victim Documentation

The archive includes FBI victim assistance records. The Victim Assistance Program sent notification letters starting May 2008. AUSA A. Marie Villafana sent 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" shows the FBI still compiling a comprehensive victim list, noting "the majority of the victims either do not have DOBs or victimization dates associated in Sentinel" and needing "manual review of 302s for additional identifiers." The list was to be treated with "the strictest confidentiality and sensitivity."

Archive Classification

The archive's taxonomy has 396 threads tagged "Virginia Giuffre", more than any other individual victim. These cover legal correspondence, media reactions, internal discussions about her lawsuits, and institutional responses.

Advocacy#

In December 2014, a week before her CVRA joinder motion, Giuffre incorporated Victims Refuse Silence, Inc. as a Florida nonprofit. The defamation complaint described it as 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."

Her 2011 decision to go public with her identity as Jane Doe No. 102 in the Daily Mail put a name and face on the case. The media coverage that followed contributed to Julie K. Brown's "Perversion of Justice" series in the Miami Herald in November 2018, which preceded Epstein's 2019 arrest.

In 2011, two FBI agents found Giuffre in Australia 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."

Her lawsuits produced specific results:

The February 2019 CVRA ruling finding prosecutors violated victims' rights
Epstein's July 2019 arrest by the SDNY
Maxwell's July 2020 arrest and December 2021 conviction

Death#

Virginia Giuffre died on April 25, 2025, at her home in Neergabby, Western Australia. She was 41. Australian authorities ruled it a suicide.

The ruling has not gone unquestioned. Giuffre had spoken publicly about receiving threats. Her death followed a pattern: Epstein died in a Manhattan jail cell in August 2019 in what was officially ruled a suicide, and Brunel died the same way in a Paris jail cell in February 2022. Some of Giuffre's associates and independent commentators have suggested her death should be investigated further. No formal inquiry beyond the initial finding has been announced.

Her memoir Nobody's Girl was published posthumously in October 2025. She had been working on telling her story in her own words since at least 2011, when her unpublished manuscript The Billionaire's Playboy Club came up in court proceedings.

Connections#

Ghislaine Maxwell — recruiter; convicted on sex trafficking charges
Sarah Kellen — Co-Conspirator #1; arranged massage appointments
Lesley Groff — Co-Conspirator #3; coordinated scheduling from New York
Jean-Luc Brunel — French modeling agent; on flights with Giuffre; died in French custody
Alan Dershowitz — Epstein's attorney; accused by Giuffre; case later dismissed
Prince Andrew — accused by Giuffre; settled civil lawsuit in 2022
Ehud Barak — named in Epstein's January 2015 talking points
Brad Edwards and Paul Cassell — Giuffre's CVRA attorneys
David Boies and Sigrid McCawley — Giuffre's attorneys in the Maxwell case (Boies, Schiller & Flexner LLP)

Virginia Giuffre (née Roberts)