New lawsuit claims Jeffrey Epstein trafficked girls until 2018
Miami Herald investigative senior editor Casey Frank breaks down the case filed by the U.S. Virgin Islands.
Haley Robson, a former teen “recruiter” for Jeffrey Epstein, is ready to finally share her story.
Robson is one of several survivors who have spoken out in a new four-part documentary series on Netflix titled “Jeffrey Epstein: Filthy Rich,” which explores how the convicted sex offender used his wealth and power to carry out his abuses.
The disgraced financier, who was charged with sexually abusing numerous underage girls over several years, was found dead at New York City’s Metropolitan Correctional Center in 2019; he was 66. He was found with a bedsheet around his neck less than 24 hours after more than 2,000 pages of documents were made public from a since-settled lawsuit against an ex-girlfriend alleged to be his aide-de-camp.
The documents included graphic allegations against Epstein and a 2016 deposition in which he refused to answer questions to avoid incriminating himself. He had been placed on suicide watch a month before his death after he was found on his cell floor with bruises around his neck. The medical examiner ruled Epstein’s death a suicide.
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Robson said she was a “typical” 16-year-old high school student in West Palm Beach, Fla., when she first heard about the multi-millionaire in 2004.
Epstein was a wealth manager who hobnobbed with the rich, famous and influential. He owned a private island in the Caribbean, homes in Paris and New York City, a New Mexico ranch and a fleet of high-priced cars.
“I was just a normal teenager,” she told People magazine on Wednesday. “I played football, I did equestrian.”
According to the outlet, a classmate told Robson she could make $200 by visiting Epstein’s nearby mansion and giving him a massage. She agreed.
“I was giving him a massage, the first and only time, and he did try to touch me,” she said. “A part of me was scared that he was going to rape me or hurt me. I don’t know if it was God intervening or what... but he didn’t force himself on me.”
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Haley Robson (Netflix)
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Robson claimed Epstein then suggested she return with girls who were more consenting and even offered to pay her a fee for each one.
In the Netflix documentary, Robson estimated that she recruited about 24 teens. Robson claimed she was honest about what they might expect during their encounters with Epstein.
Robson told People she accepted Epstein’s offer in the hope of saving enough money to leave West Palm Beach after she was raped at 15.
“I was just a 16-year-old girl doing what this man had asked me to do,” she explained. “As a [teenager], you don’t really stop to think about the bigger picture; you’re not mature enough.”
The outlet said Robson’s recruiting efforts ultimately drew the attention of federal prosecutors. She became the target of an investigation, along with Epstein and other alleged recruiters.
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Attorney Gloria Allred holds a picture of Jeffrey Epstein and her client Teala Davis during a news conference, Thursday, Nov. 21, 2019, in New York, about the filing of a lawsuit against the estate of Epstein. Davies says she was 17 when she was victimized by Epstein. (AP Photo/Jeenah Moon)
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The Associated Press reviewed hundreds of pages of police reports, FBI records and court documents that showed Epstein relied on an entire staff of associates to arrange massages that led to sex acts.
Other lawsuits, filed over many years by other women, accused him of hiring girls as young as 14 or 15 to give him massages, then subjecting them to sex acts.
Robson admitted her life has been “chaotic” since then.
“I’ve had reporters come by my house nonstop,” she explained. “I’ve had reporters call my parents. I’ve had the FBI show up at my job. I have been served subpoenas.”
Robson said she was a minor at the time and is hoping she can finally move on with her life, especially after sharing her account in “Filthy Rich.”
Jeffrey Epstein is the subject of a new docuseries on Netflix. (Photo by Neil Rasmus/Patrick McMullan via Getty Images)
“[Participating in the docuseries] was obviously very emotional for me,” she said. “I’m hoping people can open their hearts and their minds, try to be mindful of what we went through.”
"Jeffrey Epstein: Filthy Rich" is currently available for streaming on Netflix. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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