An alleged survivor of Jeffrey Epstein's prostitution ring has detailed her reaction to this month's “retraumatizing” flood of documents – her lawyer has already expressed plans to sue the FBI.
Along with attorney Jennifer Freeman, Elizabeth Stein said she is also suing Ghislaine Maxwell and the late sex pest's estate after reading a statement of claim at the celebrity's sentencing that claimed she was a student when Maxwell approached her .
Speaking to Law&Crime, she provided a similar account of how she allegedly became involved in Epstein's dirty syndicate – before detailing the impact the document's release had on her and others who came forward.
She called the release and subsequent inaction “triggering” but necessary if those involved – aside from Maxwell – are ever to be held accountable.
Freeman, meanwhile, revealed her plans to sue the nation's top law enforcement agency, claiming she ignored reports from another Epstein accuser – and that the government knew what the financier was doing and “let it happen.”
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Elizabeth Stein, an alleged survivor of Jeffrey Epstein's prostitution ring, has revealed her reaction to this month's document dump – calling it “retraumatizing.”
Stein in a lawsuit against Ghislaine Maxwell and the sex pest's estate represents Jennifer Freeman, who was present at the interview and expressed tentative plans to sue the FBI on behalf of another accuser. She claimed the government knew what Epstein was doing and “allowed” it.
The conversation began with moderator Jesse Weber asking Stein how she felt now that more than 100 previously redacted names were made public in a long-settled lawsuit against Maxwell by co-plaintiff Virginia Giuffre.
To which the woman, who claims she was assaulted, raped and trafficked “countless times” over the course of three years, responded: “I think you know one of the articles that we really haven't heard much about.” The media shows what impact all this has on the survivors.”
“I think, you know, all of us who came forward and told our stories, it took a lot – you know… it took a lot for someone to talk about the worst things that ever happened to them,” said her continuation.
She went on to explain why it was important to link the minute details in Giuffre's lawsuit – which was settled out of court in 2017 – to specific names, claiming that without them the public will never know the true extent of Epstein and others' crimes.
“To some extent I think you have the ability to – I don't want to say you control the public narrative, because that's not what I mean – but I think when you tell your story, you tell Your general story. without all the details,” said Stein.
“And I think one of the things we have to keep in mind is that this document release is a release of all the intimate details of these survivors' experiences – so people may know that these women are survivors, but they may not know, knowledge.” You, the details of your experiences.
“And I think it's important to remember that this is re-traumatizing for survivors,” she continued.
She claims she was lured into Epstein's dirty sex trafficking ring after Epstein approached her while she worked at a department store, before she became a victim of human trafficking in both Florida and New York over a three-year period
The comments came after Stein – seen here leaving Maxwell's sentencing in June 2022 alongside co-plaintiff Sarah Ransome – was asked how she feels now that more than 100 previously redacted names were released in a settled lawsuit against the celebrity became.
Stein – second from left – who claims she was trafficked “countless times” over the course of three years in New York and Florida, said: “I think you know one of the pieces that we really don't hear very often have heard.” The media reports on the impact all this has on the survivors.
“You know, it's one thing to let the public in general know that you're a survivor of human trafficking,” she added. “It’s another thing to share with them the goriest details — and the most intimate secrets — of your life.”
She further acknowledged that while it is “really difficult” to make such details available to the general public, it is a solution to what she feels is “missing.” [the Epstein] Conversation so far – “Survivor Voice”.
“It's about what impact this has on us, and on a lot of us, you know,” Stein said.
“This is a sex trafficking ring that has existed for decades and all of the survivors are in various stages of recovery.”
She added: “And being constantly bombarded with it in the news – and feeling the invalidation that nothing is really being done about it – is always a turn on for victims.”
The conversation at this point centered on the potential ethical and legal implications of the document's recent release, which Freeman explained would likely have gone unnoticed had it still been an ongoing legal dispute between two people.
'If it were [a private deposition]' She said, '[other accusers] He may not have known these details would be made public.'
She further acknowledged that while it is “really difficult” to make such details available to the general public, it is a solution to what she feels is “missing.” [the Epstein] Conversation so far – “Survivor Voice”. “It's about what impact this has on us, and on a lot of us, you know,” Stein said
The lawyer went on to offer a theory as to why Epstein's crimes went unnoticed for so many years – one that involved another of her clients: Maria Farmer (pictured), who was the first to file a formal complaint against Epstein, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation
She then presented a theory as to why Epstein's crimes went unnoticed for so many years – a theory that implicated another of her clients: Maria Farmer, who was the first to file a formal complaint against Epstein, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
The Bureau was the agency that contacted Farmer – a New York-based visual artist who was diagnosed with a fatal brain tumor in 2019 – in 1996 and again in 2006 to report how her then-15-year-old sister had allegedly been sexually abused in 1996 various locations attacked by Epstein and Maxwell.
The FBI never made an arrest — a decision Freeman called dubious at best.
“I have filed what is known as a statement of claim – a legal requirement for bringing a lawsuit against a federal agency such as the FBI,” she said.
“We will be filing a lawsuit against the FBI in the near future to find out why the FBI did nothing when Maria Farmer… turned in Epstein and Maxwell and others in 1996, and then why they did nothing in 2006 when she did filed a complaint again, did nothing.'Did nothing.'
Referring to Giuffre – whose alleged plight at the hands of Epstein lasted from 1999 to 2002 – Freeman continued: “And why was another of our clients trafficked at the exact time that Epstein was allegedly being investigated in Florida?”
“Nevertheless, she was trafficked in New York and on his small island,” she concluded after U.S. District Judge Loretta Preska's 51-page order revealed last month that Giuffre had previously claimed she had sex with the Duke of York three times was forced on behalf of Epstein and Maxwell – in London, New York and on his private Caribbean island.
“How could this happen under the noses of the FBI?” the lawyer asked at this point, referring to Stein’s similar plight, which she said occurred between 1994 and 1997 in New York and Florida.
“We have a lot of theories,” she continued, “but we [would] I really love getting the information to understand what really happened here
Did they just not care about these young girls, or was there some sort of – this is just an allegation – confidential relationship with Epstein so that the government knew what he was doing and allowed it to happen because he was performing some function for the government?
“We just don’t know,” she admitted.
Freeman called the latest document dump a sort of first step toward securing that kind of knowledge, saying, “Without litigation, it's really hard to find out without the facts getting to the bottom of what really happened.”
“And for anyone who needed a crash course. Do you know? Litigation,” she added, “If you look at this litigation between Maxwell and Giuffre, you can clearly see how much information can actually come to light.”
In the closed filing, Giuffre accuses Maxwell of helping Epstein sell her as a minor, before naming various influential figures who were allegedly involved.
Preska's 51-page order dated Dec. 18 exposed 184 of the people previously listed as John and Jane Does — leading to a litany of discoveries.
The release was highly anticipated as many had claimed it would be withheld from the public after the lawsuit was settled out of court in 2017.
Republicans in Congress have been fighting for his release ever since – including the names of powerful friends and acquaintances of the financier who flew on his private jet.
Maxwell, meanwhile, was sentenced to 20 years in prison at the age of 62 as part of a separate criminal case for sex trafficking
Preska's 51-page order dated Dec. 18 exposed 184 of the people previously listed as John and Jane Does – leading to a litany of discoveries. One of them was Prince Andrew, who was named in a separate lawsuit she filed, which was also settled but reappeared in the unredacted lawsuit
Other names included former President Bill Clinton (seen here with Epstein and convicted accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell in the White House in 1993), although he was not accused of wrongdoing
One of them was Prince Andrew, who was named in a separate lawsuit she filed, which was also settled but reappeared in the unredacted lawsuit.
A total of 15 other people were accused of “serious misconduct,” and 90 people were said to have been “connected” to Epstein in some way.
Meanwhile, at the celebrity's sentencing, Stein read a statement saying she was a student when Maxwell approached her and accepted her into the syndicate.
“I was assaulted, raped and trafficked countless times over three years in New York and Florida,” Stein said in court, adding that at one point she became pregnant and had an abortion.
She is seeking damages in a lawsuit filed Wednesday that names two executors of Epstein's estate alongside Maxwell.
When Stein attended the Fashion Institute of Technology as a teenager in 1992, she began an internship at the now-defunct Henri Bendel department store.
Stein previously said she had to have an abortion after becoming pregnant by one of the many men she was trafficked with
She claimed she was lured into Epstein's dirty sex trafficking ring after Epstein approached her while she was working at a department store. Maxwell allegedly asked Stein to deliver her groceries to a hotel room, where she was later forced into a threesome
About two years into the job, when she was 21, Maxwell reached out to her, according to the criminal complaint.
While Maxwell was shopping, she allegedly claimed that her colleague was close friends with Les Wexner, the former CEO of Victoria's Secret, whose retail and marketing group once included Henri Bendel.
The complaint says Maxwell later asked Stein to drop off her purchases at the St. Regis on Fifth Avenue. There the concierge led them to the bar where Maxwell and Epstein were drinking.
Stein accompanied Maxwell and Epstein to a hotel room to deliver the packages. The couple reportedly donned monogrammed bathrobes before asking about Stein's “personal and sex life.”
They allegedly began kissing and touching each other before asking if Stein had ever participated in a threesome.
'Maxwell then encouraged [Stein] to join them and assured her “it would be fun,” the complaint states.
Because Stein was “hesitant and afraid that Epstein or Maxwell would harm her physically and professionally,” she complied. At one point, Stein allegedly asked to stop and was ignored.
The duo relented after she said her then-boyfriend was on his way home — but as she headed out, “Epstein handed her cash and explained it was a tip,” the complaint says.
Stein felt “confused, betrayed, humiliated and completely hurt” by the gesture. What followed was “a three-year nightmare,” according to the complaint.
Despite her efforts to escape the duo, Maxwell tracked down Stein when she began working at another store and invited her to a party in the fall of 1995, the criminal complaint says
To “make up for the assault,” Maxwell invited Stein to vacation at Epstein's Palm Beach home, where she was raped in front of other guests, the lawsuit says
In 1994, Stein was asked to become deputy manager at Henri Bendel, but she turned down the position to concentrate on her education.
Months later, Maxwell called Stein, angry that she had turned down the job offer that “Maxwell and Epstein had a hand in securing,” the complaint says.
After graduating, Stein took a job at Bloomingdale's. But Maxwell reportedly came over a few months later and “befriended” her again.
In the fall of 1995, Maxwell invited Stein to a dinner party at Epstein's home, where Stein was taken to a room with a massage table. According to the complaint, she was forced to engage in “sexual acts with others in the room.”
Months later, Maxwell allegedly invited Stein to a New Year's Eve party at the Waldorf Astoria and bought her a dress to wear.
Stein later learned that her “date” was Maxwell and Epstein, who allegedly told her to have sex with them.
When she fought back, the two became “physically aggressive,” made fun of her for taking the subway to the party, and said they would “show her what a train is tonight.”
Epstein then raped her vaginally, anally and orally while Maxwell held her down, the lawsuit says.
Afterwards, Stein was allegedly raped by an unknown man while being held by Maxwell and Epstein before they all went downstairs. The complaint states that Stein left after she began vomiting.
“To make amends for the sexual assault in the new year,” Maxwell invited Stein to a Florida vacation, the lawsuit says.
In Florida, Stein was taken to Epstein's Palm Beach home, where she was “sexually assaulted by the pool while other guests watched.”
According to the complaint, Stein began resisting the abuse, which resulted in a punishment against her. She was allegedly not allowed to leave Florida for several days, which resulted in her being fired from her job.
Maxwell was convicted last year and sentenced to 20 years in prison
She earned the nickname “Prison Karen” after filing more than 400 complaints about the adverse conditions at FCI Tallahassee
When she returned home, she learned that she had become pregnant and had allegedly been forced to have an abortion by Maxwell.
The duo “continued to stalk her with repeated phone calls and wired messages,” the complaint says.
Stein first attended Maxwell's trial in 2021, following the proceedings as a member of the public.
She returned to Manhattan for the heiress' sentencing in June 2022 and read a victim impact statement in which she described the events as “so traumatic that to this day I am unable to speak about them.”
She said Epstein and Maxwell scared her and threatened to kill her if she told anyone what they had done.
Epstein was found dead in his prison cell in 2019 while awaiting trial. His death was ruled a suicide.
Maxwell was convicted two years later and sentenced to 20 years in prison.
She earned the nickname “Prison Karen” at FCI Tallahassee in Florida after filing over 400 complaints about prison conditions.
In May, accuser Carolyn Adriano – whose testimony helped put Maxwell behind bars – was found dead in a hotel room of a suspected overdose.
After Maxwell's sentencing, Adriano spoke to and said she was glad her voice had been heard.
“It's so important because I have my own daughters now,” she said during an exclusive interview in 2022.
During the trial, Carolyn did not use her last name, instead revealing it to help other abuse victims gain their power.
“I am not ashamed to be a victim of Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell,” Adriano said.
“I want other girls who have been victimized to know that it's okay to come out and tell someone – even if you don't want to be identified – and the sooner the better.”