„It is still hard to come to terms with the fact that I was exploited for many years,“ Ania said. „I wasn’t chained to doors or anything like that, right? I wasn’t locked in a basement. The chains were less obvious, but they were there.“
Read more Justina Mikulskytė reached the ITF tournament final
The woman shared her experience of being one of J. Epstein’s so-called helpers.
She explained that the “helpers” were a group of women who worked for the financier, numbering about a dozen at one time according to Ania. J. Epstein provided them with homes, but in return they followed his instructions around the clock and were regularly sexually exploited by him.
Ania admitted that they were lured in by complex deception and empty promises of work, and later, she claimed, J. Epstein began forcibly controlling almost every aspect of their lives, exploiting every weakness he could find.
According to her, he controlled their finances, dictated whom they were allowed to meet, and psychologically humiliated them. The woman also said that the notorious businessman obsessively monitored their bodies and even forced her to undergo an unnecessary, disfiguring surgery.
Her account of Epstein’s control is confirmed by another former assistant, Sarah Kellen.
After J. Epstein was convicted in 2008 for luring a teenage girl into his home by offering her a job as a masseuse, he changed tactics. It is noted that the sexual offender began targeting more adult women, mostly from Russia or other Eastern European countries.
Ania was one of them. She grew up in Russia, had strict parents who constantly drilled into her head that “education would determine her success.” But at that time, opportunities to achieve anything in Russia were lacking, so after obtaining higher education, she left the country to work as a model.
She worked in Europe for luxury brands such as Fendi and Chanel. She had friends, a supportive network, and a family she could fly back to whenever she wanted.
However, when she was 20 and visited a Paris agency and met with modeling scout Daniel Siad, the girl fell under J. Epstein’s sphere of influence. D. Siad praised her intellect, “which is not typical for the modeling business,” and offered to introduce Ania to his friend with connections in the fashion industry: J. Epstein.
According to her, she often wondered before what would have happened if she hadn’t stopped by the agency that day, but now Ania believes she was consciously chosen as a victim.
“It was fully staged,” she said, describing D. Siad as “essentially a professional human trafficker.”
This man’s name is mentioned thousands of times in Epstein’s cases. D. Siad’s lawyer said his client cannot comment but previously denied knowing about the threat posed by the financier.
Ania recalled that she first met J. Epstein in his huge 18-room apartment in Paris, decorated with photos of him posing with people like Bill Clinton and other world leaders. She said she felt comfortable because there were two other women there – one Russian and the other Epstein’s then-girlfriend from Eastern Europe.
Then J. Epstein asked Ania to undress so he could assess whether her body was suitable for modeling work. Standing in just her underwear, the businessman didn’t mince words and told her she was “not in good shape” and needed to “start exercising,” calling her lazy.
Such comments, according to Ania, were common in the modeling business, and she believed his claims that if she tried hard, he would introduce her to the right people.
The woman said he asked about her family, hobbies, wanted to know what she aimed for in life, why she worked as a model.
“In the fashion world, no one asks such questions,” Ania emphasized. Several women told the BBC News Service that Epstein liked to know what mattered to them so he could later use that information against them.
He also responded bluntly to her doubts. “I see you’re smart and suspicious,” Ania recalled his words. Epstein said he didn’t want to sleep with her.
Ania admitted that his words reassured her: “I told myself: ‘Wow, this man is just incredible. He sees right through me.’”
Persistent seduction
But that was just the beginning of the seduction process, which lasted many months – Ania was expected to be tamed with empty promises and prolonged deception.
For almost a year, Ania, as she says herself, began persistently exercising to strengthen her body as Epstein wanted. Lesley Groff – his executive assistant who managed his schedule – sent emails asking for updates on her progress, and in turn, Epstein pressured her to send photos, saying she shouldn’t be “shy.”
Epstein, as promised, arranged a meeting for her with the founder of the modeling agency Next Management. Afterward, the financier said the agency didn’t want to hire her because she was “not good enough for the New York market.”
The woman felt disappointed, so Epstein suggested she visit him in Palm Beach, Florida. To see him, Ania had to sign in at a register managed by a uniformed police officer. Epstein escorted her to a room where he assaulted her for the first time. At least two other women also claimed he used sexual violence against them while serving his sentence.
“I thought maybe nothing really bad happened here. Maybe my reaction is wrong,” the girl said. “Maybe it’s my Russian upbringing, maybe it’s that my parents were so strict, but something is wrong with me, not with him.”
Only when Epstein’s cases were made public did Ania realize what really happened. It became clear to her that Epstein had led her on for months and deliberately put her in a position where she had to break down, executing a “very carefully prepared seduction plan.” Then, when she was vulnerable, isolated, and far from home, Epstein dealt the fatal blow.
The slow and steady seduction Ania talks about is designed so the victim doesn’t feel danger.
“Come work for me”
Epstein did not abandon Ania and continued to lure her with the prospect of modeling work, introducing her to Jean-Luc Brunel, founder of the agency MC2. However, Epstein did not tell her that he was one of the company’s financial backers.
“I received almost zero” job offers from the agency, she said. Instead, her agent would say she was going to Palm Beach for a “direct booking.” But she never saw modeling work, only more Epstein coercion.
After a while, the financier told her that her modeling career was not working out and that the industry was dead. Ania recalled how he said: “Come work for me, I’ll teach you real business. You will travel, meet important people around the world.”
But working as Epstein’s assistant was not what Ania imagined. According to her, she mostly sat and waited for Epstein to give her something to do, and the businessman scolded her for sitting and doing nothing. Sometimes he gave her trivial tasks: answering phone calls, escorting someone to a meeting room.
However, Epstein’s assistants had to be available to him at any time of day, every day of the week. Once, Ania recounts, she ran out during lunch to meet someone, and Epstein went crazy, calling her nonstop and insisting she could never leave the house without his permission.
Ania was completely dependent on Epstein. If she got sick and needed medical help, he told her: “I am your health insurance.” She had no bank account or the necessary documents to rent her own place. According to her, Epstein kicked her out of the Manhattan apartment several times, telling her to “figure out where to stay on your own.” These were strong control mechanisms, the woman noted.
Epstein only started paying the woman a small salary after several years because her visa required it. He often said: “Don’t worry, I will always support you.” During this entire period, Ania was frequently sexually exploited.
Former Epstein assistant S. Kellen, speaking to US lawmakers, painted a similar picture: “I had no money, family, education, or sense that I deserved anything better.”
Meanwhile, Epstein demonstrated his power and connections to her. “Jeffrey made sure I knew: if I disobeyed him, it would cost me my life,” the woman admitted.
“You will never resist me”
Ania also recalled that one assistant once escaped. She said that woman called her, and Ania panicked, fearing Epstein would find out, as he monitored their phones and calls.
The financier hired a private investigator to find the missing assistant. Ania said he showed her an email detailing expenses that, according to his calculations, the missing woman owed him – a total of $700,000. Ania said she understood the message clearly and unambiguously: if you leave, you will owe me, and I will track you down to recover the money.
This was not the only thing Epstein used to blackmail women. Ania said he also collected compromising material and sometimes reminded her that he had naked photos of her.
Once, she revealed, he called his assistants to a photo shoot. Epstein urged them to undress to the waist and dance cheerfully, claiming everything was being filmed. Ania remembered his words: “This way I will know that you will never resist me.” This sexual offender made it clear that it would be hard for them to claim they didn’t consent if he showed that video.
“That’s his evidence archive,” Ania emphasized.
The financier also forced his assistants to write him emails they called “thank you letters,” in which they sensually thanked their abuser.
“I was so scared I wouldn’t say thank you enough,” Ania said. “I think partly those thank you letters were another mechanism of his, saying: how can you oppose me if you’re always thanking me?”
Speaking to journalists, Ania lifted her shirt and showed several scars on her abdomen. Then she pulled out old photos from her modeling days showing a small tattoo left from her teenage years.
Epstein wanted her to remove it. A doctor was called to his home, Ania recalled. But he didn’t want laser treatment because it would take too long, so he suggested the doctor simply cut out the tattooed skin.
“Only I could come up with such a thing,” Ania recalled Epstein rejoicing.
She said she underwent surgery, which left scars. A year later, he insisted the surgery be repeated because he didn’t like the result.
“An ecosystem of abuse”
The most shameful part of her time with Epstein was that she had to recruit other women, Ania said, eyes full of tears.
Each assistant had to bring in at least one other assistant, and Epstein ordered them to recruit young women similar to themselves.
“Whether one or ten – you are already an accomplice,” Ania emphasized.
The woman admitted she wanted to speak out now to help people understand how women fell into Epstein’s traps and to draw attention to the fact that he trafficked not only children but also adults like her.
“He created this whole ecosystem of abuse that served him,” she noted. “When people like Bill Gates come to his house for dinner and shake his hand, you think: who am I to question this? Who am I to speak out here? It gave legitimacy to the abuse.”
Both Ania and S. Kellen later received compensation from the Epstein Victims Compensation Fund, which was established to provide financial assistance to surviving women and required proof of exploitation.
“While he was alive, I didn’t tell a single person about it,” Ania said. Now she hopes her voice will help at least one woman escape abusive relationships.
“I’m not special,” she said. “I just somehow found the strength to endure and survive. If I can do it, you can too.”
