Overview
- House Oversight Committee Democrats held a voluntary field hearing Tuesday in West Palm Beach where survivors testified publicly under oath about abuse and government failures.
- A survivor identified as Roza said Epstein raped her over three years beginning in 2009, including while he was on house arrest and work release, after she was brought to the U.S. by modeling agent Jean‑Luc Brunel and threatened over her visa status.
- Roza told lawmakers the Justice Department’s records release exposed her name more than 500 times, and DOJ has acknowledged some victims’ identities were mistakenly left unredacted and later removed.
- Committee leaders said the investigation is entering a new phase and announced planned reports arguing the 2008 non‑prosecution agreement brokered by then–U.S. attorney Alex Acosta enabled Epstein’s network to continue operating.
- Survivors pressed for fixes to the Crime Victims’ Rights Act, new investigations of alleged co‑conspirators, and on‑the‑record testimony from former Florida attorney general Pam Bondi, while renewing criticism of the Palm Beach deal that gave Epstein 13 months with work release.