Some of the women abused by the late convicted child sex predator Jeffrey Epstein are now accusing his longtime assistant, Lesley Groff, of brazenly deceiving Congress about what she knew and what she did.
According to Mediaite, CNNs MJ Lee and Nicky Robertson published a report Thursday based on interviews with six Epstein survivors, four of whom agreed to be named while two remained anonymous. Their accounts directly undercut Groffs sworn testimony before the House Oversight Committee, where she insisted she never met Epsteins victims and never handled payments to them.
Epstein died in 2019 in what authorities described as an apparent suicide while he was in federal custody awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges. He was already a registered sex offender, yet despite the vast scope of his network and the millions of pages of documents held by the Department of Justice, only one close associate, Ghislaine Maxwell, has been prosecuted in connection with his crimes.
The DOJ has maintained that it lacks sufficient evidence to prove Epstein trafficked women for anyone other than himself, a position that has fueled deep skepticism among victims and watchdogs who see a two-tiered justice system protecting the powerful. Maxwell is serving a 20-year sentence for sex trafficking, conduct prosecutors said she carried out in coordination with Epstein, even as large portions of the released files remain heavily redacted and key questions about other potential collaborators go unanswered.
Groff, who worked for Epstein for nearly two decades, portrayed herself to lawmakers as a clueless subordinate during a June 9 interview. For 18 years, I worked for Dr. Jekyll but was never permitted to see the true Mr. Hyde, she said, describing Epstein as a master manipulator.
The women who say they endured Epsteins abuse have responded by flatly rejecting that narrative and accusing Groff of lying under oath. Their accounts, if accurate, raise the stakes for Congress and the Justice Department, which have already been criticized for moving too slowly and too cautiously in pursuing those around Epstein.
A spokesperson for the House Oversight Committee said members are currently reviewing Ms. Groffs transcript against the available evidence and invited anyone with relevant information to come forward, saying they welcome any additional evidence. That review could become a critical test of whether Congress is willing to challenge the official story that Epstein acted largely alone, despite years of testimony suggesting a broader operation.
All six women who spoke to CNN said they met Groff in person, directly contradicting her claim that she had no recollection of ever encountering any victims. Shes lying, Marina Lacerda said. Just me and my friends, shes met at least three or four of us.
Lacerda said she first met Epstein in 2002 when she was just 14 and soon saw Groff regularly. She alleged that Groff would ask about her friends and instruct them to bring their school IDs when they came for a massage with Epstein, specifically to prove they were minors.
Another survivor, Sharlene Rochard, also said she met Groff multiple times, reinforcing the picture of an assistant who was anything but distant from Epsteins activities. Their recollections suggest a level of familiarity and routine contact that is difficult to square with Groffs portrayal of herself as a detached office worker.
One anonymous victim recalled Groffs frequent presence at Epsteins New York residence, where she, too, first arrived at age 14. She said Groff clearly knew she was underage, contradicting Groffs assertion that she was not in Epsteins home from 2001 to 2013, a period multiple victims say they encountered her there.
When you walked in his house, right to the left of the foyer when you come in, he had his little seating area office that she was always in, the woman said. She would greet you sometimes while you would sit there and wait like basically the chairs are facing her so I would always start conversation.
The same victim expressed disbelief at Groffs denials. The victim added, Is she kidding? Unless Im hallucinating and she has a twin.
Several women also alleged that Groff personally handled cash payments, a role she explicitly denied in her congressional interview. She would put it in a long white envelope and the cash would always be in hundreds. Never in twenties, never in fives, never in tens like it just came out the bank, Lacerda said.
One of the anonymous victims echoed that description, saying the money was a constant incentive to bring in more girls. We would go pick up money from Lesley every other day. Not even for massage just because. We had no money unless we brought a girl, she said.
For many conservatives who have long questioned why so few in Epsteins circle have faced real scrutiny, these new allegations against Groff underscore a familiar pattern: powerful networks shielded by opaque institutions, redacted documents, and selective prosecutions. As Congress reviews Groffs testimony and victims continue to speak out, the central issue remains whether the justice system will finally hold all enablers to accountor whether, once again, accountability will stop short of those who helped make Epsteins crimes possible.
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