Virginia Giuffre

Virginia Roberts Giuffre declared under oath that she was 16 years old and working as a locker-room attendant at the Mar-a-Lago Club in Palm Beach, Florida, when Ghislaine Maxwell approached her in the summer of 2000.

Maxwell told Virginia that she knew a wealthy man who was looking for a personal masseuse and that it would be a great opportunity. Virginia, who had a troubled childhood including time in foster care, was eager for the work.

Maxwell drove Virginia to Epstein’s Palm Beach mansion. During the first visit, what began as a massage escalated to sexual abuse. Virginia stated that Maxwell was present and participated in some of the sexual acts.

Over the next two years, Virginia declared that she was sexually exploited and trafficked to multiple locations: Epstein’s Manhattan townhouse, his private island Little St. James in the U.S. Virgin Islands, his ranch in New Mexico, and properties in London and Paris. She stated that she was directed to have sexual encounters with other powerful men at Epstein’s instruction.

Virginia described a system of control: Epstein and Maxwell used a combination of financial dependence, isolation, intimidation, and the power dynamics of extreme wealth to keep her compliant. She stated that she was paid and given gifts, but felt she had no ability to refuse or leave.

Virginia declared that Maxwell was the central figure in Epstein’s trafficking operation — she recruited girls, trained them, transported them, and managed the logistics of Epstein’s sexual exploitation. Virginia described Maxwell as “the one who controlled the girls” and “the center of the spider’s web.”

Virginia’s decision to come forward publicly and file civil lawsuits was pivotal in bringing renewed attention to the case. Her lawsuit against Maxwell ultimately led to the unsealing of thousands of pages of court documents that revealed the scope of the trafficking operation.