Section:GDN 1N PaGe:8 Edition Date:190812 Edition:01 Zone: Sent at 11/8/2019 21:16 cYanmaGentaYellowbl
- The Guardian Monday 12 Aug ust 2019
(^8) National
xSubjectxxxx
News
Epstein death
Tom McCarthy
Edward Helmore
Victims of an international sexual traf-
fi cking scheme allegedly operated by
Jeff rey Epstein reacted to his death
with expressions of outrage and regret,
and demanded that investigations not
be derailed.
“I am angry Jeff rey Epstein won’t
have to face his survivors of his abuse
in court,” said Jennifer Araoz , who
accused Epstein of raping her when
she was 15. “We have to live with the
scars of his actions for the rest of our
lives, while he will never face the
consequences of the crimes he com-
mitted, the pain and trauma he caused
so many people. Epstein is gone, but
justice must still be served. I hope
the authorities will pursue and pros-
ecute his accomplices and enablers,
and ensure redress for his victims.”
Eva Ford, the mother of alleged vic-
tim Courtney Wild, questioned how
Epstein, who had been placed on sui-
cide watch, was not subject to special
monitoring. “How does someone
who is this high profi le commit sui-
cide?” Ford asked in the Miami Herald.
“ Someone must have been paid to look
the other way.”
Michelle Licata , who met Epstein
when she was 16 at Palm Beach high
school in Florida, said: “I just wanted
him to be held accountable for his
actions. Simple as that,” she said.
Jena-Lisa Jones , 30, who said she
was just 14 when she was introduced
to Epstein and was paid $200 by him
to give him a massage at his home, said
he took “the easy way out ”.
Jack Scarola , an attorney represent-
ing several of Epstein’s alleged victims,
said: “While I’m sure none of the vic-
tims regret his death, all of them regret
the information that died with him.”
The lawyer Brad Edwards, who
has represented other Epstein accus-
ers, said Epstein’s death had seen him
avoid being held responsible. “ This is
not the ending anyone was looking for
... the victims deserved to see Epstein
held accountable, and he owed it to
everyone he hurt to accept respon-
sibility for all of the pain he caused.”
The civil rights lawyer Lisa Bloom,
who represents several alleged vic-
tims, tweeted : “I am calling today for
the administrators of Jeff rey Epstein’s
estate to freeze all his assets and hold
them for his victims who are fi ling civil
cases. Their lives have been shattered
by his sexual assaults, their careers
derailed. They deserve full and fair
compensation .”
The victims
‘I’m angry he
won’t have to
face survivors
of his abuse’
‘I wanted him to be
held accountable.
Simple as that’
Michelle Licata
Alleged Epstein victim
Three investigations open into
Epstein’s apparent suicide in jail
offi cial said, and one of the guards was
working his fi fth straight day of over-
time while the other had been forced
to work overtime.
Epstein was found dead some
24 hours after court documents in
a related case shed new light on his
alleged crimes. The documents were
gathered as part of a defamation case
brought against his former associate
Ghislaine Maxwell, daughter of the
late publishing tycoon Robert Max-
well. The suit was settled in 2017.
Lawyers for Maxwell did not reply to
media requests for comment.
Court documents described how
Epstein allegedly groomed girls for
rape and sexual abuse, recruiting the
victims at schools or, in one signifi cant
case, at Mar-a-Lago, Donald Trump’s
Florida resort.
plane. After Epstein was arrested last
month , Clinton released a statement
denying any impropriety.
Trump was criticised for spreading
the conspiracy theory. “This is another
example of our president using this
position of public trust to attack his
political enemies with unfounded
conspiracy theories,” Democratic pres-
idential candidate Beto O’Rourke said.
Federal prosecutors vowed to con-
tinue to pursue the case, despite
Epstein’s death. Investigators are
examining Epstein’s extensive net-
work of social and professional
contacts – which included luminaries
in the fi elds of science and the law, as
well as politics and business – weigh-
ing whether further charges might be
warranted.
As well as Trump and Clin-
ton, Epstein’s circle of friends and
acquaintances has included Prince
▼ The Queen and Prince Andrew
on their way to church yesterday.
The prince has denied allegations
of sexual impropriety
PHOTOGRAPH: PETER JOLLY/REX
Epstein – who owned a Caribbean
island, a private jet and who travelled
abroad frequently – was deemed a
fl ight risk at a court hearing last month
and denied bail. He last appeared in
court two weeks ago.
The attorney general, William Barr,
who as head of the justice department
has authority over the facility where
Epstein died, the inspector general’s
inquiry announced on Saturday.
“I was appalled to learn that Jef-
frey Epstein was found dead early
this morning from an apparent sui-
cide while in federal custody,” Barr
wrote. “Mr Epstein’s death raises seri-
ous questions that must be answered.”
But Barr’s statement was at odds
with Trump, who late on Saturday
retweeted a conspiracy theory tying
Epstein’s death to the former Dem-
ocratic president Bill Clinton, an
occasional guest onboard Epstein’s
Continued from page 1
▲ Jeff rey Epstein leaving his New
York City apartment in 2015
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