Will We Ever Know How Many Girls Jeffrey Epstein Abused

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Will We Ever Know How Many Girls Jeffrey Epstein Abused

Since Jeffrey Epstein’s arrest last week, we’ve been inundated with disturbing revelations about how he allegedly abused underage girls for years in plain sight. The case is full of horrifying details, from Epstein’s elite social circle, to his private “Pedophile Island,” to his friendship with Donald Trump. But the part of the story that’s often missing is the voices of Epstein’s accusers.

This is partly by design. Epstein and his lawyers have worked for years to keep his victims out of the press. According to the Miami Herald, Epstein’s accusers have already filed two-dozen lawsuits against him, some dating back at least as far as 2009. None of these suits ever went to trial; Bloomberg reported this week that Epstein settled some of them for over $1 million apiece. In the past, Epstein’s lawyers have also tried to discredit his victims — many of whom are from economically disadvantaged backgrounds — by claiming that the girls lied about their ages or made up allegations to extract money.

Epstein’s 2008 plea deal — which allowed him to avoid federal prosecution by pleading guilty to soliciting a minor for prostitution in a Florida state court — was negotiated in secret, without informing Epstein’s victims. That was intentional: The Herald reported that Epstein’s legal team’s demands were often focused on shutting out victims to try to make the scandal go away as quietly as possible.

https://www.thecut.com/2019/07/how-many-jeffrey-epstein-victims-are-there.html