USA TODAY International Edition

Epstein accusers ‘angry as hell’

Women say his death robbed them of justice

- Elizabeth Weise

After the apparent suicide of Jeffrey Epstein, who was awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges, the women who say he raped them when they were teens are angry he will never face the consequenc­es of his actions.

“I am extremely mad and hurt thinking he once again thought he was above us and took the easy way out,” Jena-Lisa Jones said in a statement. Now 30, she said she was 14 when Epstein molested her.

“God will have his judgment now,” she said in the statement published by ABC News.

There have been multiple calls for an investigat­ion into why the disgraced financier and convicted sex offender was not on suicide watch Saturday after an apparent attempt at the end of July.

A barrage of statements on Sunday condemned a conspiracy theory about Epstein’s death retweeted by President Donald Trump that sought to link the death to former President Bill Clinton.

Jennifer Araoz, who said Epstein raped her when she was 15, said she’s angry he will never have to face his victims in court.

“We have to live with the scars of his actions for the rest of our lives, while he will never face the consequenc­es of the crimes he committed, the pain and trauma he caused so many people,” Araoz said in a statement released by her attorney, Sonia Moghe.

She called on authoritie­s to continue the investigat­ion.

“Epstein is gone, but justice still must be served. I hope the authoritie­s will pursue and prosecute his accomplice­s and enablers and ensure redress for his victims,” she said.

Miami Herald reporter Julie K. Brown, whose stories were instrument­al in reopening the case against Epstein last year, spoke Saturday with some of the women who say they were victimized by him as girls.

“I just want wanted him to be held accountabl­e for his actions. I would never wish that somebody would die, but he took the easy way out,” Michelle Licata told her.

Attorney Lisa Bloom represents several women who accused Epstein of molesting and raping them. She released a statement from one of her clients Saturday.

“I will never have a sense of closure now. I’m angry as hell that the prison could have allowed this to happen and that I and his other victims will never see him face the consequenc­es for his horrendous actions,” the unidentified woman said.

“I hope that whoever allowed this to happen also faces some type of consequenc­e. You stole from us, the huge piece of healing that we needed to move on with our lives,” Bloom quoted her as saying.

She and other lawyers working on behalf of Epstein’s accusers said the fight is not over and civil cases will continue against Epstein’s estate.

“I am calling today for the administra­tors of Jeffrey Epstein’s estate to freeze all his assets and hold them for his victims who are filing civil cases. Their lives have been shattered by his sexual assaults, their careers derailed. They deserve full and fair compensati­on NOW,” Bloom tweeted.

Bradley Edwards, a lawyer who has long pursued Epstein on behalf of his clients, said in an interview with BuzzFeed News that it is not too late to come forward. “In fact, his many co-conspirato­rs who may have been fearful to speak out against him have been relieved of that excuse; this is their last chance to speak up,” he said.

Manhattan U.S Attorney Geoffrey Berman said in a statement that the investigat­ion will continue.

“To those brave young women who have already come forward and to the many others who have yet to do so, let me reiterate that we remain committed to standing with you, and our investigat­ion of the conduct charged in the indictment – which included a conspiracy count – remains ongoing,” he said in a statement.

Berman urged anyone who might be a victim to contact his office or the FBI.

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