Epshteyn's Uzbek victim gave testimony
A woman who was taken from Uzbekistan to the US as a model at the age of 18 has stated that Epstein repeatedly raped her over the course of three years.
In a special hearing organized in the U.S. Congress, women who suffered sexual abuse by Jeffrey Epstein and his associates gave testimony. Among them was a woman named Roza, who was recruited as a model from Uzbekistan during her teenage years. BBC reported on this.
It was reported that Roza spoke publicly at an informal hearing organized by Democrats in the House of Representatives in West Palm Beach, Florida. Democratic Congressman Robert Garcia stated that it was in this very area where Epstein's crimes first began to become widely known to the public. It was also specifically noted that the hearing was held near Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago residence.
In her testimony, Roza said that in 2008, at the age of 18, she met Epstein's associate and French model agent Jean-Luc Brunel (deceased). She was promised an international modeling career.
"Because I came from a financially unstable family, I was an ideal target for coercion," she said during her testimony before Congress.
According to her, she arrived in New York on a visa in May 2009, and two months later, Brunel introduced her to Jeffrey Epstein. At that time, Epstein was under house arrest in Florida after being convicted of soliciting a minor for prostitution.
Roza emphasized this particular situation, stating that despite Epstein being convicted and officially under supervision, he continued to find new victims.
According to her, Epstein offered her a job at the Florida Science Foundation. This foundation corresponds to the period when Epstein operated under a special agreement following his 2008 sentence. Under that agreement, despite being imprisoned, Epstein had the right to leave the facility up to six days a week, for up to 16 hours a day.
Democratic lawmakers sharply criticized this plea deal — an agreement that provides for a lighter sentence in exchange for admitting guilt. In their view, this agreement effectively allowed Epstein to remain outside the penal system and continue engaging in abuse and human trafficking for years.
In her testimony to Congress, Roza also described the abuse she suffered at the hands of Epstein while he was under house arrest.
"One day, his masseuse called me to his room, and I was sexually assaulted by Jeffrey for the first time. Over the next three years, I was subjected to regular rape," she said.
She stated that seeing Epstein moving freely and having a large sphere of influence despite being convicted made achieving justice seem nearly impossible.
During the hearing, Democratic lawmakers spoke about how Epstein and his associates had evaded responsibility for years, while victims were repeatedly left unprotected by the legal system.
Roza also said that her name was accidentally disclosed in the Epstein files released by the U.S. Department of Justice, stating that this caused further psychological trauma.
"The names of the rich and powerful remain hidden, but the information of the victims was exposed," she said.
According to her, after the documents were released, journalists and strangers from various countries began contacting her.
"Now I am forced to live looking over my shoulder. I cannot even imagine how this mistake will affect my life in the long term," said Roza.
The U.S. Department of Justice stated that it takes the issue of protecting victims' identities seriously. The department acknowledged that in some documents, individuals' information was exposed due to incorrect redaction and that this was caused by technical or human factors.
Another of Epstein's victims, Maria Farmer, also participated in the hearing via a pre-recorded video message. She said she first reported Epstein to law enforcement in 1996 and that officials failed to take adequate measures for years.
"The government needs to start telling the truth," she said.
Jeffrey Epstein died on August 10, 2019, in a New York prison while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges. He was convicted in 2008 of soliciting a minor for prostitution and was registered as a sex offender.
