Epstein ‘ helpers’ could be next for FBI swoop
After Ghislaine arrest, four other women face police spotlight
FOUR women accused of helping Jeffrey Epstein recruit and traffic young women for sex could be rounded up by US investigators.
The group is alleged to have helped run the American paedophile’s operation, which saw him abuse girls as young as 14.
Now that Ghislaine Maxwell, accused of acting as Epstein’s chief recruiter, is in custody, federal prosecutors may turn their attention to other alleged female associates.
The FBI are said to be re-examining the roles of Sarah Kellen, Nadia Marcinkova, Lesley Groff and Adriana Ross. They will be especially interested in Miss Kellen, who has previously been named as Epstein’s ‘lieutenant’, second only to Miss Maxwell.
The four women also face the possibility of Miss Maxwell turning on them in exchange for a plea deal.
The British socialite, 58, is due to appear in court tomorrow, when a
‘Recruiters and groomers’
judge will decide if she is granted bail. Miss Maxwell is also a friend of Prince Andrew and is alleged to have introduced him to Epstein.
The four are accused of being his ‘recruiters, groomers, sexual partners and friends’ and have almost always pleaded the fifth amendment – allowing them to keep their silence when questioned during depositions.
Miss Kellen, 40, is accused of having a ‘Rolodex’ of women she would call for massages at Epstein’s mansion in Palm Beach, Florida. Epstein victim Sarah Ransome has said that ‘it was Ghislaine and Sarah Kellen that showed me how to please Jeffrey’.
Miss Marcinkova’s story is disturbing – Epstein once bragged she was his ‘sex slave’ and that he had bought her from her family in the former Yugoslavia when she was 15. She is alleged to have taken part in sexual encounters with underage girls.
She has renamed herself Nadia Marcinko, become a pilot, and now runs a flying lesson company.
Miss Groff, 53, is thought to have been Epstein’s executive assistant for 20 years and said in a 2005 interview ‘I know what he is thinking’ – as their bond was so tight. Miss Ransome claimed Miss Groff once emailed her a request from Epstein that she lose weight.
Miss Ross is a former model from Poland who allegedly helped to organise Epstein’s massages.
The four under FBI scrutiny, according to The Sunday Telegraph, were given immunity from prosecution in a plea deal made by Epstein in 2008. Miss Maxwell’s lawyers have indicated they plan to argue she is also immune and cannot be prosecuted.
Should any of the four others be arrested, they are likely to argue the same. Tracy Schmaler, Miss Kellen’s spokesman, previously cast her as a victim.
Miss Marcinkova’s lawyers Erica Dubno and Aaron Mysliwiec also say she is a victim. In a statement, they wrote: ‘ Nadia wishes to express her compassion and support for her fellow survivors.’
Miss Groff’s lawyer Michael Bachner has said she made appointments for Epstein but ‘at no time did she engage in any misconduct’. A source close to Miss Groff said the charges predate the time she was employed by Epstein.
Lawyers representing Miss Ross did not reply to a request for comment last night.