FUND FOR VICTIMS PAUSES PAYOUTS AS CASH RUNS LOW

The fund set up to compensate victims of Jeffrey Epstein’s sexual abuses is short of cash. The Epstein Victims’ Compensation Program said on Thursday it will stop offering payouts to victims through at least March 25, citing uncertainty about the liquidity of assets from the disgraced financier’s estate that fund the payouts. Jordana Feldman, the fund’s administrator, said she regretted the suspension, but it was necessary to protect the rights of Epstein accusers whose claims have not been resolved. “Issuing a compensation offer that cannot be timely and fully funded and paid, consistent with the way the Program has operated to date, would compromise claimants’ interests and the guiding principles of the program,” Feldman said. The program has received more than 150 claims since being created last June, and paid out more than US$50 million. Victims have until Feb. 8 to register and March 25 to file claims. Epstein signed his will on Aug. 8, 2019, two days before dying in a Manhattan jail while awaiting trial on sex-trafficking charges.