Woman in lawsuit says Epstein raped her at ranch near Santa Fe
Michigan native files claim in New York federal court
A 31-year-old woman says the late billionaire Jeffrey Epstein raped her at his sprawling ranch south of Santa Fe when she was 15 years old, according to a lawsuit filed in New York earlier this week.
The woman — a Michigan native identified only as “Jane Doe 15” — said at a Los Angeles news conference Monday that she was introduced to Epstein by her older sister in New York when she was visiting on a trip with her high school drama club.
“Epstein took my sexual innocence in front of a wall of framed photographs of him shaking hands and smiling with celebrities and political leaders,” the woman said.
Epstein died in jail in New York by a suspected suicide in August. He was being held on multiple charges of trafficking underage girls in Florida and New York between 2002 and 2005.
The latest lawsuit was filed in New York federal court against Darren Indyke and Richard D. Khan, Virgin Island residents who are executors of Epstein’s estate.
In another development in the Epstein case, two New York jail guards responsible for monitoring Epstein the night he died were charged Tuesday with falsifying prison records to conceal they were sleeping and browsing the internet during the hours they were supposed to be keeping a close watch on prisoners.
According to the Associated Press, guards Tova Noel and Michael Thomas were accused in a grand jury indictment of neglecting their duties by failing to check on Epstein for nearly eight hours, and of fabricating log entries to show they had been
making checks every 30 minutes, as required.
Epstein’s latest accuser is not the first to say she was sexually abused at Zorro Ranch near Stanley when she was a minor. Virginia Giuffre also has said she was ordered to have sex with Epstein and others on his New Mexico property. Earlier this year, a Kentucky woman named Maria Farmer, a former Epstein employee, said in a court affidavit that Epstein and a female friend had molested her sister at the ranch in 1996.
And last week, Juliette Bryant, a South African woman, now 37, said she was sexually abused by Epstein at his various homes, including once in 2004 at Zorro Ranch.
New York lawyer Bennet J. Moskowitz, who represents the estate, couldn’t be reached for comment
Tuesday. According to the most recent lawsuit, the woman went to New York City on a field trip with her high school drama group. Because her sister lived in New York, she was given a special day pass by chaperones to spend a day with her sister.
Her sister invited her to come to Epstein’s townhouse in Manhattan.
When she got to Epstein’s townhouse, his secretary gave her a tour. She photographed the teenager and told the girl Epstein really liked her sister and that he really wanted to meet her. The secretary invited Jane Doe 15 and her sister to come to Las Vegas, Nev., in late January to attend a magic show, then fly to the Zorro Ranch. “This seemed like a thrilling opportunity, and Jane Doe 15 convinced her mother to let her go,” the lawsuit says.
The lawsuit says several young girls attended the magic show with Epstein. Afterward, the two sisters flew on a private plane to New Mexico.
“For a girl from the Midwest, all of this was like a dream come true — to be flown around in private jets, to meet a world-famous performer backstage, and to be among other beautiful girls, almost all of whom were much older than her,” the suit says. “She felt like she was being treated special, and like a grown up.”
When they arrived in New Mexico, Jane Doe 15 and her sister stayed in a small house detached from the main house, according to the lawsuit. There were several other girls staying at the Zorro Ranch as well.
Jane Doe 15 said the ranch was “like a park,” saying she was encouraged to ride horses and ATVs and to use the pool and hot tub.
The girl was summoned to the main house and was taken to meet Epstein in his bedroom. He ordered her to stand by his bed and give him a massage, according to the lawsuit.
Then Epstein, clad only in a bathrobe told her, “We’re going to try something different,” the lawsuit says. He grabbed her by the shoulders and assaulted her with a large vibrator “for what felt like an eternity, and she continued to find it very painful.”
The next day she was summoned to meet with Epstein again. During that encounter, Epstein asked her about her college plans. He presented her with a check for $5,000 to give to the college she mentioned. He also gave her several hundred dollars in cash.
She left the ranch the next day. Epstein later asked her to visit his home in the Virgin Islands. She declined and never heard from him again.
The lawsuit says the girl “tried to ignore and forget what happened, but it was impossible. She did not recognize it then, but she had been told and taught that she had no value, that a powerful man could do anything he wanted to her. She felt ashamed, humiliated, scared, and frightened, but above all, worthless. She began to hurt herself with alcohol and drugs.”