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ABC News
6 days ago
- ABC News
Jeffrey Epstein survivor says it's time for the truth to finally be told
Danielle Bensky was waiting for the bathroom at a New York nightclub when a woman asked if she'd be interested in massaging her client — a wealthy financier named Jeffrey Epstein. The then 17-year-old was an aspiring ballerina working odd jobs to get herself through ballet school and hoping to earn some extra cash. "He's lovely, he has a big mansion, he's very wealthy," Ms Bensky recalled being told. With the impression there was nothing untoward about the opportunity, the teenager and a friend headed to Epstein's Upper East Side mansion. What began as a "casual meeting" within a couple months spiralled into Ms Bensky being sexually abused multiple times a week for more than a year by the notorious paedophile. Now 38, Ms Bensky, one of hundreds of women to have suffered abuse by the convicted sex offender, is speaking out as the Epstein scandal dogs the White House and grips the nation. At the time of the abuse in 2004, Ms Bensky's mother had been diagnosed with a brain tumour and "the survival rate was not great", Ms Bensky said. Under the impression that Epstein had an understanding of neuroscience, she showed him her mother's brain scans, hoping he could help. Instead, he gave her an ultimatum. "He sat me down and said, 'OK, so what will you do for this?' And my heart sank and I asked him what he meant. "He's like, 'You have two choices, basically you can recruit and bring me more girls or … you're going to have to do something for this,' and that's when the sexual abuse started." Ms Bensky says Epstein used her mother's diagnosis as leverage to repeatedly sexually abuse her and threatened to withhold treatment if she told anyone. She said he also pressured her to recruit other girls for him, something she said she refused to do. "He had made a comment about, 'Well I know all the top surgeons, I know the anaesthesiologists, I know all these people and I can do something wonderful, and I can make sure she gets the best care, or I can make sure that that doesn't happen for her and I can actually take the care away.'" Epstein never followed through with helping her mum receive treatment. In 2005, her mother had a 19-hour brain operation. Once she was recovering at home, Ms Bensky stopped going to Epstein's New York mansion. The disgraced financier died in a prison cell in 2019 while awaiting trial charged with sex trafficking minors. His death has been the subject of myriad conspiracy theories and has caused a furore among many of Donald Trump's most loyal supporters, who have long demanded answers surrounding Epstein's death and criminal operation. Mr Trump, who committed to releasing the Epstein files during his presidential campaign, has lashed out at some of his supporters, accusing them of falling for the "Epstein hoax". Survivors like Ms Bensky find those comments, and the ensuing politicisation of the case, offensive. "It's a circus, it's become this show on the world stage." Ms Bensky wants to see more information made public. "The files are a representation of the trial … and we didn't get that. But we do have the files," she said. "So that feels like the piece of closure that we're lacking right now. "He had a full staff, and you just knew that there were people watching you at all times. "I'd love to know what this whole structure was, and how he got away with it for so long." For years, supporters and allies of the president have amplified scepticism and claims of a government cover-up to protect those associated with Epstein. Factions of the president's MAGA base, as well as some of his Republican colleagues, have maintained calls for classified documents and a rumoured "client list" to be released to the public. US Attorney-General Pam Bondi invited a group of conservative influencers to the White House in February where they were handed binders labelled "The Epstein Files Phase I". But much of what was inside the binders was already on the public record. One of those influencers who visited Washington DC was conservative podcaster Liz Wheeler. "I was one of the 'new media' figures … who have been put through the ringer for Attorney-General Pam Bondi's gross incompetence and her severe lack of judgement in the way that she rolled that out," Ms Wheeler said. The Department of Justice and FBI later released a memo that said their investigation had concluded there was "no incriminating "client list" and that "further disclosure would not be appropriate or warranted". Now Ms Wheeler wants to see the president sack the attorney-general for her "botched rollout" of the Epstein files. "It's time to rectify this issue, which is why I said [the president] should not tolerate Pam Bondi's behaviour anymore," she said. "The base feels stung because we have not been told the truth and we associate the Epstein files now with the question of, are we going to get the justice we voted for? "The American people feel that this is injustice. They feel that they are being played. They feel there is dishonesty afoot. And of course that triggers us because we have been harmed by politicians doing this before. "What we do as President Trump's base is, a true friend tells you the truth, even when that truth is uncomfortable, even when that truth might have consequences." Author and Washington Post reporter Sarah Ellison described the current Epstein controversy as "an own goal by the Trump administration". "To say there's nothing to see here and you're not going to see anything else … That created an absolute sense of betrayal and that people had been lied to," Ms Ellison said. The president has faced growing political backlash with mounting calls for greater transparency coming from some Republican colleagues, and his own daughter-in-law, Lara Trump. With Democrats animated on the issue, the president reversed course — directing Ms Bondi to seek the release of grand jury testimony stemming from the prosecution of Epstein. But the move was blocked by a federal judge in Florida, citing legal guidelines governing grand jury secrecy. The Justice Department is continuing a push for grand jury transcripts to be released in the state of New York. Officials have also reached out to the lawyers for Epstein's co-conspirator and enabler Ghislaine Maxwell to see if she would speak with prosecutors. In a move that has split Republicans and outraged Democrats, the Republican leadership also moved to close Congress early to prevent a vote on releasing more files relating to Epstein. Ms Wheeler said only "radical transparency" will satisfy the president's base. "They owe it to the American people to give us every bit of Epstein file information that they have, period," she said. "There should not be any more gatekeeping on this. "I don't care about the political implications of anything else in those files, release them all." Mr Trump has escalated his legal attacks on the news media and recently settled lawsuits with CBS and America's ABC for tens-of-millions of dollars. The president also turned on Rupert Murdoch, suing the media mogul and his newspaper The Wall Street Journal for $US10 billion ($15 billion) after it published a story scrutinising his years-long friendship with Epstein. The Wall Street Journal reported Maxwell had collated a series of letters for Epstein's 50th birthday in 2003 which included one bearing Mr Trump's name. The article also stated the letter included a lewd drawing of a naked woman which was signed "may every day be a wonderful secret". Mr Trump, who only in February called Mr Murdoch a "legend", denies ever writing the letter and claims it is a fake. Ms Ellison, who previously worked as a reporter for the Wall Street Journal before publishing a book that detailed the inside politics at the Murdoch-owned paper, said the legal action sends a message. "It's the most significant media lawsuit that he brought because Rupert Murdoch is the most significant media mogul in this era," she said. "This is a sometimes ally, this is someone who has essentially, from a media perspective, delivered Donald Trump to us, and now for this to be the person and the institution that Trump is suing, it means that no-one's really safe." Despite being hit with a multi-million-dollar lawsuit, Ms Ellison said the paper was showing no signs of backing away from its coverage of Mr Trump and Epstein. "I think Rupert is one of these people who loves nothing more than talking about the news with his editors … but I don't think that he dictates the coverage to them at the Journal." The WSJ has since published another exclusive story reporting that Ms Bondi and her deputy, Todd Blanche, told the president his name was among many mentioned in files about Epstein. The White House has labelled it another fake news story. Away from the dizzying pace of news developments surrounding the case, survivors at the centre of it, like Ms Bensky, persist. She returned to dancing as a choreographer after taking a hiatus to cope with the trauma of her abuse. "It was really a struggle for me to come back to the leotard for a while," she said. "This is a human story. It's not about politics, it's not divisive, it's just to be seen and heard and finding accountability." Watch 7.30, Mondays to Thursdays 7:30pm on ABC iview and ABC TV Do you know more about this story? Get in touch with 7.30 here.
Malay Mail
19-07-2025
- Politics
- Malay Mail
The Epstein saga: Key moments from sex trafficking charges to Trump's legal battle
NEW YORK, July 20 — Jeffrey Epstein, the abuser at the centre of a conspiracy theory creating political headwinds for President Donald Trump, was facing federal charges of sex trafficking underage girls when he was found dead in his New York prison cell. Six years later, the death of the wealthy and well-connected financier continues to reverberate, leaving major questions unanswered. Here is a breakdown of the legal cases and recent developments surrounding Epstein: Florida case Epstein's first serious trouble with the law came in 2006 after the parents of a 14-year-old told police he had molested their daughter at his Florida estate. Epstein avoided federal charges — which could have seen him face life in prison — through a controversial plea deal with prosecutors. In June 2008, he pleaded guilty to state felony charges of procuring a person under the age of 18 for prostitution and solicitation of prostitution. He was jailed for just under 13 months and required to register as a sex offender. New York sex trafficking A federal grand jury in New York charged Epstein on July 2, 2019 with two felony counts: conspiracy to commit sex trafficking of minor girls and sex trafficking of minor girls. He was arrested four days later but was found dead in his prison cell on August 10, before the case came to trial. His death was ruled a suicide. The grand jury indictment accused Epstein of having 'sexually exploited and abused dozens of minor girls,' some as young as 14, at his Manhattan mansion and Palm Beach estate. Epstein and employees and associates recruited girls 'to engage in sex acts with him, after which he would give the victims hundreds of dollars in cash,' it said. Epstein also paid his victims to provide him with other girls, the indictment said, creating a 'vast network of underage victims for him to sexually exploit.' The indictment did not name the employees or associates who recruited girls for Epstein. But British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein's one-time girlfriend and assistant, was convicted in 2021 in New York with sex trafficking of minors on his behalf. Maxwell is serving a 20-year prison sentence. The memo Trump's conspiracy-minded supporters have been obsessed with the Epstein case for years and Trump, during his latest presidential campaign, said he would 'probably' release what have come to be known as the 'Epstein files.' They were outraged when the Justice Department and FBI announced on July 7 that Epstein had indeed committed suicide, did not blackmail any prominent figures and did not keep a 'client list.' The 'exhaustive review' also did not reveal any illegal wrongdoing by 'third-parties,' the joint memo said, adding that there would be no further disclosure of information about the case. The memo sparked a fierce backlash from Trump's 'Make America Great Again' movement — which has long held as an article of faith that 'deep state' elites were protecting powerful associates in the Democratic Party and Hollywood. Right-wing supporters typically did not include former Epstein friend Trump in their conspiracy theories. Trump and Epstein The 79-year-old Trump, who was friends with Epstein in the 1990s and early 2000s, has been seeking — unsuccessfully so far — to tamp down the uproar caused by the FBI memo putting a lid on the case. No evidence has emerged of any wrongdoing by Trump, but The Wall Street Journal published details yesterday of a raunchy letter he purportedly sent Epstein in 2003 to mark his 50th birthday. The president yesterday sued Dow Jones, News Corp, two Wall Street Journal reporters and the newspaper's owner Rupert Murdoch, for libel and slander in relation to the article. He is seeking at least US$10 billion in damages in a defamation lawsuit filed in federal court in Miami. Trump also ordered Attorney General Pam Bondi to seek the release of the grand jury testimony in Epstein's New York case. In a filing in New York, Bondi cited 'extensive public interest' for the unusual request to release what is typically secret testimony. — AFP
Reuters
18-07-2025
- Politics
- Reuters
US files motion to unseal grand jury transcripts related to Jeffrey Epstein
NEW YORK, July 18 (Reuters) - The U.S. government on Friday filed a motion to unseal grand jury transcripts related to the late financier and sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. In a filing in Manhattan federal court, the Department of Justice said the criminal cases against Epstein and his former associate Ghislaine Maxwell are a matter of public interest, justifying the release of associated grand jury transcripts.
The Standard
17-07-2025
- Politics
- The Standard
Trump slams own supporters as Epstein row grows
A mugshot of Jeffrey Epstein, former financier and convicted sex offender, is seen on a television at the US Capitol in Washington, DC, on July 16, 2025. (Photo by Alex WROBLEWSKI / AFP)
Wall Street Journal
25-06-2025
- Business
- Wall Street Journal
Buying a Burnt-Out Cottage Instead of a Move-In Ready Home Pushed Him to the ‘Absolute Limit'
Paul Fox thought he was looking for a new house. It turns out he was looking for a project. The 46-year-old financier figured that out after an agent showed him a lovely house in Mill Hill, a leafy suburb of London, that was move-in ready. He wasn't interested, he says, because there would have been nothing left for him to do.
