It started with what seemed like a routine request—an email from a major network seeking interviews.
Yet the timing felt deliberate, almost strategic. Why now? Why reach out to certain survivors and not others? As I investigated further, it became clear that the network’s inquiries were only one piece of a far larger, more troubling story—one that implicated far more than the few names initially appearing in headlines.
“Epstein was a master manipulator,” said Jess Michaels, who alleges she was assaulted by Epstein in 1991 at age 22. “He perfected a method no young woman or teenage girl could resist—his psychopathy was unparalleled.”
Michaels said she chose to speak out to confront what she described as a “severe miscarriage of justice” and the long delays in holding Epstein and his enablers accountable.
Others who came forward included Wendy Avis, Marijke Chartouni, Jena-Lisa Jones, Lisa Phillips, and Liz Stein. Each expressed support for making Epstein-related records public, echoing bipartisan calls from lawmakers. Their disclosures coincided with the Republican-led House Oversight Committee releasing more than 33,000 pages of documents connected to Epstein’s network.
Jones, who says she was first abused at age 14, emphasized the negligence that allowed the abuse to continue unchecked.
“There were countless adults in positions of authority who turned a blind eye,” she said, highlighting how systemic failures enabled years of ongoing exploitation.
Conclusion
While the network initially appeared focused on former President Donald Trump, the interviews ultimately revealed a far wider network of complicity and silence surrounding Epstein. Survivors’ accounts underscore how wealth, privilege, and influence shielded abusers for years—and serve as a stark reminder that delayed justice is often justice denied.