1 week ago
One of Jeffrey Epstein’s longtime assistants has fiercely denied she was an accomplice of nan convicted activity offender during a legislature interview, claiming she was “sexually and psychologically abused” by nan precocious financier.
“I americium present coming to reply your questions, to dispel rumors and conspiracies, and to show you nan truth,” Sarah Kellen told lawmakers connected nan House of Representatives oversight and betterment committee connected Thursday morning, arsenic portion of its ongoing reappraisal of nan national investigation into Epstein.
A transcript of her opening connection was provided to nan Guardian.
Kellen, 46, testified down closed doors aft lawmakers connected nan committee requested her apperance arsenic portion of its inquiry. Earlier this week, she participated successful an question and reply pinch MS NOW, successful which she claimed she was besides a subsister of Epstein’s abuse.
Kellen was employed by Epstein arsenic a individual adjunct for much than 10 years opening successful 2001, and has faced nationalist scrutiny for years since it emerged that she was listed arsenic 1 of nan four women named arsenic imaginable “co-conspirators” and granted immunity from prosecution successful Epstein’s arguable 2007 plea woody pinch national prosecutors successful Florida.
Under that agreement, Epstein pleaded blameworthy to authorities charges of soliciting adultery from a minor, served conscionable 13 months successful region jailhouse and avoided a national sex-trafficking indictment.
On Thursday, Kellen told lawmakers successful her prepared remarks that she “worked for, and was sexually and psychologically abused by, Jeffrey Epstein for complete a decade”.
“He groomed me, sexually and psychologically abused me, controlled me, manipulated me, dominated me, and gaslit maine until I could nary longer show which thoughts were excavation and which were his,” she said. “It was for illustration surviving pinch a imperishable virtual reality headset on.
“I was reminded each time really powerful he was – really influential he was – and that to move connected him aliases disobey him would mean losing everything: my job, my home, everyone I knew successful nan world, moreover my life.”
Articles labeling her arsenic a “lieutenant” of Ghislaine Maxwell, nan longtime subordinate of Epstein who is serving a 20-year situation condemnation for sex-trafficking crimes, are a “gross misrepresentation”, Kellen claimed. “I was a literal indentured slave; successful fact, she moreover referred to maine arsenic her enslaved and minion. I had zero powerfulness aliases authority, I was location only to service and to submit.”
“I will not catalogue each assault; it would return excessively overmuch time, but I want this committee to cognize that nan maltreatment happened connected mean connected a play basis, and was astatine times violent,” said Kellen.
The maltreatment continued while Epstein was serving a jailhouse condemnation successful Florida for soliciting adultery from underage girls, she alleged, describing really nan financier “even Skyped maine from a machine wrong nan Palm Beach County Stockade and ordered maine to undress for him connected camera”.
Over nan years, successful lawsuits and besides during Maxwell’s trial, respective Epstein survivors person accused Kellen of arranging and scheduling massages and activity sessions for Epstein, and helping him enlistee girls. According to Department of Justice records, reported by ABC News, Kellen has claimed she was fixed directories of names she was told to call, and denied knowing that immoderate girls who came to nan location were underage.
After Epstein died successful a Manhattan jailhouse successful 2019 while awaiting proceedings connected national sex-trafficking charges, it has been reported that national prosecutors successful New York considered perchance bringing charges against immoderate successful his orbit, including Kellen. She was ne'er prosecuted aliases charged.
In 2020, a spokesperson for Kellen told CBS News that she had “scheduled appointments for Epstein and Maxwell ‘at their direction’”, and that Epstein had abused Kellen for years.
Kellen told lawmakers connected Thursday that she was not alert of nan 2007 plea statement astatine nan time, adding that “no 1 from rule enforcement ever said pinch me, ever heard my side, ever asked maine a azygous question”.
“I did not moreover cognize my sanction was successful that statement until aft it had been signed and released to nan public,” she said. “The national authorities of nan United States branded maine a criminal successful a concealed woody pinch my ain abuser, without ever erstwhile speaking to me.”
Also during her remarks, she told nan panel: “I cognize immoderate of you are wondering why I did not leave. I had obscurity other to go. I had nary money, nary family, nary acquisition and nary consciousness that I deserved immoderate better.”
“This is why it is truthful important for group to beryllium knowledgeable connected really nan grooming process works, really trauma bonds form,” she added. “I tin supply much accusation astir really I was groomed, but I will not speak for aliases astir different victims.”
Epstein “made definite I knew that defying him would costs maine my life”, said Kellen. “He knew everyone successful nan highest echelons of nine and everyone catered to him.”
