More Epstein Accusers Are Coming Forward

Lawyers say they have been contacted by at least a dozen women
By Rob Quinn,  Newser Staff
Posted Jul 12, 2019 2:40 AM CDT
More Epstein Accusers Are Coming Forward
This July 25, 2013 image provided by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement shows financier Jeffrey Epstein.   (Florida Department of Law Enforcement via AP)

Jeffrey Epstein is already accused of abusing enough underage girls to fill more than one school bus—and they are still coming forward. Lawyers say that since the 66-year-old's arrest on Saturday, they have been contacted by more than a dozen women, most of whom say they were minors when he abused him. "The people we are speaking to are underage victims in Florida and in New York. They are not individuals whose claims have previously been part of any law enforcement investigation," Palm Beach attorney Jack Scarola tells the Miami Herald. He says at least five women have reached out to him and Fort Lauderdale attorney Brad Edwards. Other women have contacted New York attorneys including David Boies, who has spoken to four accusers.

The Herald reported last year that it had identified around 80 women who said they were abused by the financier in the early 2000s. Prosecutors say Epstein "created a vast network of underage victims for him to sexually exploit" in Florida and New York, CNN reports. Many of the accusers say Epstein abused them after they were brought to his home to provide massages. Jennifer Araoz told NBC Wednesday that she started visiting the financier's New York home after she was recruited outside her high school when she was 14, and he raped her when she 15. In a 2008 letter to prosecutors after Epstein's then-secret plea deal, Edwards warned that Epstein had abused "more than 100 underage girls" and his 13-month sentence on prostitution-related charges was "grossly inadequate." (Epstein's lawyers are pushing for cushy bail terms.)

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