In the week following the death of sex-criminal financier Jeffrey Epstein, a woman known as Anya (not her real name) was told by Epstein’s brother, Mark, that she had to vacate her New York apartment.
For years, Anya had lived in one of several flats on East 66th Street in Manhattan used by Epstein to house women he abused. Mark Epstein has denied any awareness of his brother’s wrongdoing, reports BBC.
Anya, who served as one of Epstein’s “assistants,” has provided a rare account to the BBC regarding life within what Epstein himself described as a “cult”. She detailed how the financier maintained a hold over roughly a dozen women at a time through coercive control, psychological demeaning, and financial exploitation.
‘A complete set-up’
After his 2008 conviction for abusing a teenage girl, Epstein shifted his tactics to target adult women, primarily from Russia and Eastern Europe. Anya, a former model for brands such as Fendi and Chanel, was recruited in her early twenties after meeting modelling scout Daniel Siad in Paris.
Anya describes the introduction as a “complete set-up” and labels Siad as “essentially a professional trafficker”. While Siad’s lawyer stated he was unavailable for comment and has previously denied knowledge of Epstein’s threat, Siad’s name appears thousands of times in government-released Epstein files.
The grooming process
The grooming process lasted many months, involving empty promises of high-level fashion connections. Epstein’s executive assistant, Lesley Groff, reportedly managed the process, emailing for updates on Anya’s physical progress and relaying Epstein’s demands for nude photographs.
Epstein eventually arranged a meeting for Anya with Faith Kates, co-founder of Next Management. Anya was later told by Epstein that she was rejected for being “out of shape”.
However, files released later suggested the agency had rejected her a year prior, leading Anya to realise she had been “strung along” and “set up to fail”.
A lawyer for Faith Kates called any claim of involvement in trafficking “false and defamatory,” stating the agency made its own independent decisions.
Coercive control and surgery
Anya’s first sexual assault occurred in Palm Beach, Florida, while Epstein was on day-release during his sentence. Following the assault, Epstein joked about her being “shy” in front of other assistants, a reaction that led Anya to blame herself.
The mechanisms of control were extensive. Assistants were on call 24/7 and required permission to leave the house. Epstein gathered “compromising material,” including topless videos he called his “library of evidence,” to ensure the women would “never go against” him. He also forced assistants to write “gratitude letters” gushingly thanking him.
In one instance, Epstein forced Anya to undergo unnecessary, disfiguring surgery to remove a small tattoo. Rather than laser treatment, he insisted a doctor cut the skin off, later ordering the procedure to be repeated because he disliked the results.
‘Ecosystem of abuse’
Anya described an “ecosystem of abuse” where assistants were forced to recruit other young women, making them feel “complicit”. She noted that the presence of high-profile figures, such as Bill Gates, at Epstein’s home served to “legitimise the abuse”.
Clinical psychologist Dr Tara Quinn-Cirillo noted that such grooming is designed to fly “under the radar,” and that adults remain vulnerable to coercive control.
Both Anya and fellow former assistant Sarah Kellen have since received compensation from the Epstein Victims’ Compensation Fund. Anya stated she chose to speak out now to help other women understand and escape abusive relationships.
