Trigger Warning: Mentions of Sexual Assault and Rape
With the recent conclusion of Ghislaine Maxwell’s trial, it is worth reflecting on the components of the United States justice system that failed the victims of Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell. Since the 1990s, there have been copious allegations of Epstein’s inappropriate behavior towards minors. However, it took over 20 years, multiple FBI reports and legal proceedings, and ultimately, public outrage to bring Epstein to justice.
Jeffrey Epstein, with the help of Ghislaine Maxwell, ran what was essentially a pyramid scheme of school-aged girls in the Palm Beach area of Florida, in addition to maintaining a wider ring of sex-trafficked women and girls, for both him and his powerful acquaintances.
In the 1990s, Annie Farmer and her sister, Maria Farmer, were both targeted by Epstein. During the summer of 1996, Maria, 25, and Annie, then just 16, were both sexually assaulted by Epstein. As a recent graduate of the New York Academy of art, Maria was introduced to Epstein and Maxwell by Eileen Guggenheim, who allegedly told Farmer to walk back on sales she had just made to other customers so that Epstein, a former board member of the Academy, could buy Maria’s art at a discounted price. In a recent court statement, Maria noted that Epstein had told her that ‘if I sold him one of my paintings for half price he would help me with my career.’ Maria introduced Epstein to her sister after he hired her as an art consultant. According to Annie’s testimony, Jeffrey and Ghislaine invited her to their ranch in New Mexico and bought her a fancy pair of cowboy boots. However, Annie was soon told that she would need to massage Epstein’s feet. Later, Annie was forced to receive a massage from Epstein and Maxwell, during which she was assaulted. Upon learning this, Maria who was also sexually abused by Epstein, immediately filed a report to the FBI. Nothing happened.
From his Palm Beach residence, Epstein preyed on schoolgirls from West Palm Beach, a significantly less affluent area, bringing to light a consistent abuse of class relations in his tactics. Epstein would lure girls in with displays of wealth. One girl recalls how Jeffrey sent a private car with a chauffeur to bring her to his house. Jeffrey would then send the girls into their schools to tell other young, impressionable women that they could earn easy money giving massages. The girls, however, would not know the nature of these ‘massages.’ This is how Epstein set up his network of underage girls in the area. In 2005, a 14-year-old girl came forward to the police, accusing Epstein of sexual assault at his Palm Beach mansion, triggering an investigation into Epstein’s alleged abuse of young girls. As the police investigated the allegation, they started to uncover Epstein’s web of underage girls and began to build a case against him.
Finally, it would seem that Epstein’s victims would be taken seriously. There were attorneys representing the victims who came forward, and there were multiple officials in the police and justice system who were aware of Epstein’s crimes, and who had spoken with his victims. However, as the case moved to trial, everything fell to shambles. Epstein, using his millions, hired an extremely well-connected star-studded legal team that procured a non-prosecution agreement with Alexander Acosta, then the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida. In the agreement, Epstein, who was accused of organizing a network of underage girls to perform sex acts, some as young as 13, avoided sex trafficking charges and plead guilty to one prostitution charge. He was sentenced to 13 months in jail, and was allowed 12 hours of daily work release. The attorneys representing the victims, who were not made aware of the deal, argued that it was a violation of the Crimes Victims Rights Act, which states that victims have a right to give input before the case is settled.
To call the deal ‘sketchy’ would be an understatement, at best. Ann Marie Villafaña, the federal prosecutor assigned to Epstein’s case, was in communication with Epstein and his legal team while the team was trying to secure the plea deal. According to classified emails that have since been released, Villafaña even suggested that Epstein’s lawyers contact her on her personal email. So why did Acosta not bring Epstein to justice? According to The Washington Post, Acosta felt intimidated by the dream team of lawyers that Epstein had hired, and was eager to make decisions that would help his career. Additionally, having one of the most well-connected men in the country, who knew the Clintons personally, as your enemy might seem disadvantageous to Acosta. Acosta would later become Donald Trump’s Secretary of Labor.
Ultimately, in 2019, a judge ruled that the plea deal orchestrated by Epstein’s star-studded legal team was a violation of the Crime Victims Rights Act, in which victims are given the right to know about potential plea deals between the defendant and the District Attorney’s office. However, this only came after the public took interest in the case. Under pressure from the public eye, Accosta eventually stepped down as Secretary of Labor.
Now that Ghislaine Maxwell has been convicted, Epstein’s victims can finally watch an accomplice face justice. However, there are many other enablers, accomplices and abusers who have yet to face any formal legal preceding. Others merely knew but did nothing. Many of these people are billionaires, celebrities, and politicians. Jeffrey Epstein’s case is, unfortunately, not unique. Well connected, powerful, wealthy individuals like Harvey Weinstein, R. Kelly and Bill Cosby have all gotten away with abusing women and, in some cases, minors, for years because of their influence and money. Possibly even more sinister, however, is the fact that people knew about the abuse. Epstein is yet another name to add to the reprehensible list. Ultimately, then, Epstein’s case is a symptom of a much more widespread disease, in which millionaires and billionaires have undue influence on the justice system, leaving victims in the dust.