Control, threats, disfiguring surgery: My life inside Jeffrey Epstein's 'cult'
A woman identified as 'Anya' has provided a rare account to the BBC detailing the coercive control and abuse she experienced while working as an assistant for the late financier Jeffrey Epstein. She describes a cult-like environment where Epstein exploited vulnerable women through financial control, psychological manipulation, and forced medical procedures.
Why it matters
This testimony provides further insight into the systemic abuse perpetrated by Epstein and the methods he used to maintain control over his victims, contributing to the ongoing public and legal scrutiny of his network.
By Chi Chi Izundu , Olivia Davies and Will Dahlgreen , BBC News Investigations Published 19 minutes ago In the week after the sex-criminal financier Jeffrey Epstein died, Anya (not her real name) opened the door of her New York apartment. Outside was Epstein's brother, Mark, telling her she had to leave, she says.
Anya had lived for years in one of several flats on East 66th Street in Manhattan used by Jeffrey Epstein to house women he abused. In one moment, she lost her home but escaped a nightmare. (Mark Epstein denies he was aware of his brother's wrongdoing.)
"I'm still struggling to reconcile with the fact that I was abused for years," Anya says. "You were not chained to a door or something, right? You were not locked up in a basement. The chains were less obvious, but they were there."
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