Jul 10, 2019

New Jeffrey Epstein accuser comes forward with rape allegation

Jennifer Araoz shared her story on NBC's "Today" on Wednesday, saying she was sexually assaulted by Jeffrey Epstein in 2002, when she was 15.

"He raped me, forcefully raped me. He knew exactly what he was doing. ... I was terrified, and I was telling him to stop. 'Please stop."

— Araoz, now 32.

Details: The federal indictment unsealed this week against Epstein, 66, mentions 3 anonymous victims but none of them is Araoz.

She never reported the assault, but told her mother and her old boyfriend around the same time in 2008.
2 close friends were told about 10 and 6 years ago, respectively. NBC confirmed the accounts from all 4 people.

When Araoz was 14, she said she was recruited outside her performing arts high school in New York to give massages to a wealthy financier nearby.

She visited Epstein's mansion several times with the woman who had recruited her, where she would give Epstein massages, and he would masturbate. She was paid $300 each visit.
The time she showed up alone was the time she was assaulted. She never returned afterward even though Epstein's people continued to reach out for more than a year later.
"I kind of hated myself for it. I was like, 'I'm stupid, I should have known better. I'm a bad kid," she told NBC's Savannah Guthrie.

Watch her interview here.