Lesley Groff, Jeffrey Epstein’s longtime assistant, told members of Congress final month that she by no means met any of the ladies and younger girls who supplied massages to Epstein and that she didn’t know something about their backgrounds – together with how previous they had been.
Some Epstein survivors say that Groff was not telling the reality.
In interviews with NCS, a number of Epstein victims, together with 4 girls who spoke on file and two who shared their accounts anonymously, took situation with varied facets of Groff’s latest testimony to lawmakers. They described assembly Groff in individual, discussing with Groff how previous they had been and being immediately paid by Epstein’s assistant of 18 years — all opposite to what Groff instructed lawmakers.
Those particulars had been a part of Groff’s hourslong, transcribed June 9 interview with the House Oversight Committee about her expertise working for Epstein. She instructed members of the panel – which has been questioning a collection of individuals within the convicted intercourse offender’s orbit this yr – that she by no means knew about Epstein’s abuse of women and girls and that she was duped by his manipulation.
While Groff was listed as a possible co-conspirator to Epstein as a part of the controversial non-prosecution settlement struck with federal prosecutors in Florida in 2008, she has by no means been charged with against the law.
Groff’s lawyer didn’t reply to NCS’s request for remark for this story.
A spokeswoman for the House Oversight Committee instructed NCS that the committee is “currently reviewing Ms. Groff’s transcript against the available evidence.” She added: “We welcome any additional evidence from individuals who possess information.”
“Lesley Groff knew what was happening in Epstein’s inner circle, which is why Chairman Comer should have required her to testify under oath,” Sara Guerrero, communications director for the oversight committee’s prime Democrat, Rep. Robert Garcia, mentioned in a press release. “Lying to Congress is a crime, and anyone who does it should be held accountable, full stop.”
Groff’s testimony has solely fueled the frustration of Epstein survivors, lots of whom are involved that Congress’ interviews with Epstein associates will not lead to more accountability. Epstein co-conspirator Ghislaine Maxwell is the one one that has been prosecuted within the US in relation to Epstein, and the Justice Department has mentioned there was inadequate proof to pursue different expenses – even after it launched thousands and thousands of Epstein recordsdata.
“We have so many people coming in and lying and saying they don’t know, they don’t remember,” mentioned Epstein survivor Marina Lacerda. “Can we just have one person at least come in and take accountability and bring in full transparency?”
Groff instructed members of the House Oversight Committee that Epstein had been a “master manipulator and deceiver” who had saved his abuse a secret from her, saying: “For 18 years, I worked for Dr. Jekyll but was never permitted to see the true Mr. Hyde.”
It is against the law beneath federal regulation to “knowingly and willfully” give “materially” false statements to Congress. The Epstein survivors NCS spoke with mentioned it was not potential to produce corroboration for a few of their claims about their interactions with Groff, which for some, came about greater than twenty years in the past when lots of the victims had been youngsters and earlier than the proliferation of good telephones.
Here is what Epstein survivors mentioned in response to among the claims Groff made in her interview:
Epstein Survivor Marina Lacerda discusses Lesley Groff’s look earlier than the House Oversight Committee
All six Epstein survivors NCS spoke with mentioned they met Groff in individual and had been dismayed to be taught of Groff’s denial about ever assembly the ladies and younger girls.
Lacerda, who says she first met Epstein in 2002 when she was simply shy of turning 14, mentioned she noticed Groff commonly throughout her years of abuse. “She’s lying,” she mentioned, including: “Just me and my friends, she’s met at least three or four of us.”
Sharlene Rochard, who says she was a younger mannequin working in New York City when she first met Epstein, mentioned she met Groff “multiple times in different locations.”
Lara Blume McGee, who says she met Epstein as an aspiring mannequin and was abused from 2001 to 2003, mentioned she remembers assembly Groff at the very least twice at Epstein’s townhouse, whereas Lisa Phillips, who says she was in her early 20s when she first met Epstein, instructed NCS: “Of course I’ve met her in person.”
One lady who spoke to NCS anonymously says she was round 14 when she first met Epstein. She mentioned she met Groff quite a few instances at Epstein’s New York City townhouse and that she may nonetheless clearly image the place their interactions primarily came about.
“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,” she mentioned. “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.”
A second Epstein sufferer who spoke anonymously says she first met Epstein in 2001 when she was 20 years previous. She equally mentioned she met Groff a number of instances, together with at Epstein’s workplace in New York City.
Multiple Epstein survivors vehemently pushed again on Groff’s declare that she by no means knew any of the ladies’ ages.
Lacerda mentioned Groff commonly requested her detailed questions on new women that Lacerda deliberate to convey to Epstein, and that Groff was delicate to Epstein’s desire for youthful women – a lot in order that she began asking Lacerda to inform her mates to convey their college IDs to their classes with Epstein.
“She would ask, ‘What does the girl look like? Where is she from? How old is she?’ over the phone,” Lacerda mentioned.
Rochard mentioned it was not potential that Groff didn’t know her age, as a result of she had Rochard’s passport info to plan journey. “Of course she knew how old we were because she had to look at our IDs to book our flight,” Rochard mentioned.
The second lady who spoke with NCS anonymously echoed Rochard, saying Groff had helped her apply for her first passport in order that she may journey overseas. She visited Epstein’s workplace in New York City to give Groff the required info for the appliance, she mentioned: “I sat with her and she took all my information in person. She obviously knew my age.”
However, when Groff was particularly requested by a lawmaker if she ever dealt with or considered any of the ladies’ passports, she responded: “No.” She later mentioned she “may have seen a passport – a picture of a passport, but I never had anything to do with their passports.”
The first nameless lady mentioned she was additionally “100 percent” sure Groff knew that she was a minor. “I went to a private Catholic school and she would always ask me to leave school early,” she mentioned. Epstein favored to see her in her college uniform, and that she mentioned there have been many instances when Groff noticed her sporting her uniform.
Epstein Survivor Sharlene Rochard discusses Lesley Groff’s look earlier than the House Oversight Committee
Multiple Epstein survivors mentioned getting paid by Groff was a function of their time with Epstein. Lacerda mentioned it was typically Groff who gave her money, notably when Epstein was out of city.
“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,” she mentioned. Lacerda mentioned that the funds came about at Epstein’s New York City workplace on the steps, and that Groff “would hand the envelope over and we would leave. And we would know, like, not to stay very long there because we knew that we were young and we did not belong there.”
The first nameless lady additionally mentioned she obtained cash in envelopes from Groff, and that it occurred continuously. “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 mentioned.
Phillips instructed NCS it was “impossible” for Groff to declare that she by no means gave the ladies cash, explaining that she went to Epstein’s workplace to decide up checks for college tuition from Groff.
The first nameless lady, who mentioned she was abused by Epstein beginning within the early 2000s, mentioned she noticed Groff at Epstein’s townhouse many instances. “Is she kidding? Unless I’m hallucinating and she has a twin,” she mentioned.
Blume McGee, who mentioned she was abused by Epstein within the early 2000s, mentioned she noticed Groff in individual at the very least twice and that it was solely at Epstein’s townhouse.
Epstein Survivors focus on Lesley Groff’s look earlier than the House Oversight Committee
Lacerda and the primary nameless lady each mentioned they went to Epstein’s New York City workplace on quite a few events to decide up Broadway tickets from Groff. “She would meet us in the staircase and she always would hand us over a white envelope,” Lacerda mentioned.
She mentioned she as soon as walked out of “Phantom of the Opera” as a result of she didn’t get pleasure from it.