Jennifer Araoz, a 32-year-old woman who alleged that now-deceased sex offender Jeffrey Epstein raped her in 2002, when she was 15 years old, named alleged co-conspirators in an amended version of her lawsuit on Tuesday.
The original complaint named Epstein’s estate, Epstein’s former partner, friend and alleged co-conspirator Ghislaine Maxwell, and three Jane Does as defendants. Now that Epstein is dead and gone, the executors of Epstein’s estate have been named as defendants; they are Darren K. Indyke and Richard D. Kahn. In addition to Maxwell, Lesley Groff and Cimberly Espinosa (also Cimberly Ann Foley or Cim Galindo), and Jane Doe 1 have also been named as defendants. Groff and Espinosa are plainly the Jane Does 2 and 3 referred to in the original lawsuit. They were identified as an Epstein secretary and an executive assistant, respectively. Jane Doe 1 was a “recruiter.” Rosalyn Fontanilla, a maid, was dubbed a co-conspirator in the lawsuit, but she was not named as a defendant because she is deceased.
The rest of the named defendants are various trusts and Epstein-related corporations.
Allegations against Maxwell
Allegations against Groff and Espinosa
Role of Jane Doe 1
Prior to his death by suicide, Epstein was accused of sexually exploiting and abusing dozens of minor girls–both at his Palm Beach, Florida and Manhattan, New York homes–from around 2002 to 2005. Prosecutors said Epstein knew the victims were minors because they “expressly told him their age.” The girls were as young as 14. Prosecutors also said Epstein created and maintained a “network” of minors for the purpose of sexual abuse with the help of associates and victim-recruiters.
Epstein would allegedly have associates (co-conspirators) or victims lure other victims to his residence. He allegedly paid nude or partially nude young girls hundreds of dollars for massages that eventually turned sexual, then paid these victims to recruit other victims. Authorities described what would happen when a victim arrived at Esptein’s palatial Upper East Side townhouse: “During the encounter, Epstein would escalate the nature and scope of physical contact with his victim to include, among other things, sex acts such as groping and direct and indirect contact with the victim’s genitals. Epstein typically would also masturbate during these sexualized encounters […]”.
Jennifer Araoz alleged that when she was 14 she was recruited outside of her NYC school by a young woman (Jane Doe 1) to go to Epstein’s townhouse. That was in 2001. Araoz described strange things at Epstein’s residence–of which there were many–including a painting of a young naked woman that hung on the wall of Esptein’s “favorite room in the house.” In that room was a massage table. “When he first brought me up there, he was like, ‘You know, you remind me so much of this woman in the painting,’” she told NBC News in her first public interview.
“All the rooms were very grand and had a lot of artwork, a lot of murals on the walls,” Araoz said.
Epstein allegedly asked Araoz about her hopes and dreams, and she revealed that she wanted to become an actress on Broadway.
Araoz said that for the next year she would go back to the Epstein residence. During that time, she said, Epstein made her take off her clothes, give him massages and then paid her hundreds of dollars. Araoz said that Epstein gave her $300. She said that Epstein would masturbate during these massages, just as the feds alleged in the Epstein indictment.
“He would also like when I would play with his nipples,” Araoz said. “He used to get turned on by that. And then he would finish himself off and then that would be the end of it.”
Araoz also said that Epstein raped her in 2002.
“He raped me, forcefully raped me,” she said. “He knew exactly what he was doing.” Araoz recalled saying “Please stop,” but Epstein didn’t stop. She said that this was the last time she went to Epstein’s residence; she said she struggled to cope with the trauma for several years.
The amended complaint is around 40 pages longer than the original. You can read it in full below.
Jennifer Araoz’s amended complaint by Law&Crime on Scribd
[Image via NBC News screengrab]
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