Epstein abused me while under house arrest, survivor tells US lawmakers

A survivor of Jeffrey Epstein's abuse has told how the late sex offender sexually abused her while he was under house arrest for soliciting prostitution from a minor.

Roza, who was recruited from Uzbekistan as a teenager by Epstein's associate and modelling agent Jean-Luc Brunel, spoke publicly for the first time alongside a number of victims in a field hearing that was organised by House Democrats.

She told the session that she was introduced to Epstein by Brunel in July 2009, was offered work by Epstein "to help me with my financial troubles", and he later subjected her to rape over a period of three years.

Democratic lawmaker Robert Garcia said the unofficial hearing was held in West Palm Beach, Florida, because it was where Epstein's "crimes first came to light".

The hearing, which Garcia pointed out was also held in close proximity to US President Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago residence, was held by Democrats from the US House Oversight Committee and local Democratic members.

The committee, which has a Republican majority, is currently investigating the financier's crimes. Democratic members of the committee have focused on scrutinising the Trump administration's handling of the Epstein files.

The hearing carries no legal authority, but was planned with the intention of keeping the Epstein case in the spotlight.

Democratic lawmakers heard how Epstein and his accomplices evaded accountability for years, and how victims were repeatedly failed by the justice system.

Roza, whose first name was only given in the hearing, said she was 18 when she met the late Brunel in 2008 and "promised a modelling career beyond my dreams".

"Coming from a financially unstable background I was a perfect target for coercion," she added, during the tearful testimony.

By May 2009, she was in New York City on a visa, and in July she met Epstein at his house in West Palm Beach while he was under house arrest, Roza said.

Epstein then offered her a role at his Florida Science Foundation - where he had worked during an initial arrangement that allowed him to leave custody for up to 16 hours a day, six days a week, following his 2008 conviction.

"One day his masseuse called me into his room where I was molested for the first time by Jeffrey," Roza told the hearing. "For the following three years I was subject to ongoing rape."

Epstein died in a New York prison cell on 10 August 2019 as he awaited trial on sex trafficking charges.

His conviction in 2008 had been for soliciting prostitution from a minor - for which he was registered as a sex offender.

A report published by Democratic oversight committee members on Tuesday found that a controversial plea deal negotiated by Epstein's lawyer in 2008 enabled him to "continue his abuse and trafficking activities for almost another decade".