New testimony sheds light on how, according to the account of a former assistant, Jeffrey Epstein exercised total control over the women who came into his circle. In an interview with the BBC, the woman identified by the pseudonym Anya describes a scheme of seduction, isolation and dependency that, she says, turned into years of sustained abuse.
The promise of a career and entry into Epstein’s circle
According to Anya’s testimony, it all began after she met Epstein through a modeling scout in Paris. She says she was promised connections in the modeling industry and job opportunities.
Later, she says, she realized that the promise of a career had served as a way to bring her close to the American financier, who has been accused of sex trafficking and abuse.
Financial dependency, isolation and daily fear
In her account to the BBC, Anya claims that Epstein built complete financial and emotional dependency among the women who worked around him. According to her, he controlled their meetings, phone calls and contacts with others.
She describes this as a daily regime of surveillance and psychological pressure, in which victims felt trapped and without real autonomy over their lives.
Claims of sexual abuse and control over the body
Anya says the first sexual abuse took place during a visit to Palm Beach, at a time when Epstein was serving a sentence in an earlier case. According to her, the abuse continued afterward for years.
Her testimony also includes control over physical appearance. She claims she was forced to undergo surgery to remove a tattoo, which, she says, left permanent marks on her body.
Compromising material and an “ecosystem of abuse”
Another element of control, according to Anya, was the collection of compromising material. She claims that Epstein photographed and filmed women, while asking them to write thank-you letters that could later be used against them.
She also says that every assistant was required to bring other women into his circle, creating what she describes as an “ecosystem of abuse.”
Testimony reinforcing a known pattern
Anya’s account, according to the BBC report, is also supported by earlier statements from Sarah Kellen, another former Epstein assistant. Kellen previously testified before the US Congress that victims lost their autonomy and became completely dependent on him.
Epstein died in prison in 2019 while awaiting trial on charges of sex trafficking of minors. Since then, dozens of victims have come forward publicly with new testimony, and the compensation fund for survivors has distributed payments to many of them.
The new account does more than reinforce the criminal weight of Epstein’s case; it brings back into focus the question of how abuse networks sustained by power, money and imposed silence can function for years.
Beyond the well-known name, such testimony shows that the mechanism of control, according to victims, was based not only on violence, but also on dependency, manipulation and carefully cultivated fear.