Trump has signed legislation compelling the Justice Department to release the files on Jeffrey Epstein.
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Dachshund Dash: Adoption surge of wiener dogs raises some concerns after shelter, rescue differ on numbers, process Read full article: Dachshund Dash: Adoption surge of wiener dogs raises some concerns after shelter, rescue differ on numbers, processDriver strikes two telephone poles, dies in Putnam County crash: Florida Highway PatrolPolice arrest 13, 16, 19-year-olds accused of downtown Jacksonville attack that left 64-year-old man deadFILE - Marina Lacerda speaks during a news conference at the U.S. Capitol, Sept. 3, 2025, in Washington. FILE - Jena-Lisa Jones, center, hugs Haley Robson, right, as Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., left, speaks during a news conference at the U.S. Capitol, Sept. 3, 2025, in Washington. Alicia Arden sits for a portrait at The Huntley Hotel Santa Monica Beach, Friday, Nov. 21, 2025, in Santa Monica, Calif. Alicia Arden sits for a portrait at The Huntley Hotel Santa Monica Beach, Friday, Nov. 21, 2025, in Santa Monica, Calif. FILE - Marina Lacerda speaks during a news conference at the U.S. Capitol, Sept. 3, 2025, in Washington. represent more than an opportunity for justice: Lacerda says she was just 14 when Epstein started sexually abusing her at his New York mansion, but she struggles to recall much of what happened because it is such a dark period in her life. Now, she’s hoping that the files will reveal more about the trauma that distorted so much of her adolescence.“I feel that the government and the FBI knows more than I do, and that scares me, because it’s my life, it’s my past,” she told The Associated Press.It isn't clear yet how much new information will be in the files, gathered over two decades of investigations into Epstein's alleged sexual abuse of many girls and women. Some of his accusers expect the files to provide a level of transparency they had hardly allowed themselves to believe would materialize, but the release of the documents will be a more complicated moment for others.The FBI and police in Palm Beach, Florida, began investigating Epstein in the mid-2000s after several underage girls said he had paid them for sex acts. He pleaded guilty in 2008 to charges including procuring a minor for prostitution, but a secret deal with the U.S. attorney in Florida allowed him to avoid a federal prosecution. He served little more than a year in custody. Jena-Lisa Jones says she was abused by Epstein in Palm Beach, in 2002, when she was 14. She did not report the abuse to the police at the time, but she later became one of many accusers to sue the multimillionaire. The Miami Herald published a series of articles about Epstein in 2018 that exposed new details about how the federal prosecution was shelved. A year later, federal prosecutorsJones said she was interviewed during that federal investigation and was prepared to testify in court. “It was very important for me to have my moment, for him to see my face and hear my words, and me have that control and power back,” Jones said.In lieu of her day in court, Jones and others are hoping for a public reckoning with the publication of the government files on Epstein. While the government only ever charged two people — Epstein and his longtime confidante Ghislaine Maxwell — in connection with the alleged abuse, at least one of Epstein's accusers has claimed she was instructed to have sex with other rich and powerful men. Jones didn't make similar claims but said she believes the documents could map out a “broad scheme” involving others.Filling in the gaps Lacerda, now 37, is also hoping the files will clarify her own personal experience, which is muddled by the pain she said she endured at that time in her life.An immigrant from Brazil, Lacerda said she was working three jobs to support herself and her family the summer before 9th grade when a friend said she could make $300 if she gave Epstein massages.Lacerda said she was soon spending so much time working for Epstein that she dropped out of school. The sexual abuse persisted until she turned 17, when Epstein informed her that she was “too old,” she said. Lacerda wondered whether the files might include videos and photographs of her and other victims at Epstein’s properties. “I need to know — for my healing process and for the adult in me — what I did as a child,” Lacerda said. “It will be re-traumatizing, but it’s transparency — and I need it,” she said.For Lacerda, the elation around the upcoming release of the files gave way to familiar feelings for many women who survive abuse: fear and paranoia. “In the heat of the moment, we were like, ‘wow, this is like, everything that we’ve been fighting for.’ And then we had to take a moment and be like, ‘Wait a minute. Why is he releasing the files all of a sudden?’” Lacerda said.Others echoed her concerns, and wondered if the government would sufficiently protect victims who have remained anonymous, who fear scrutiny and harassment if their names were to become public. “For the rest of my life, I will never truly trust the government because of what they’ve done to us,” Jones said.in advocating for the Florida legislation signed in 2024 that unsealed the grand jury transcripts from the 2006 state case against Epstein. She said the political maneuvering in recent months about the files led to non-stop anxiety — reminiscent of how she felt when she was abused as a teenager. “I guess it really comes from the trauma I’ve endured, because this is kind of what Jeffrey Epstein did to us. You know, he wasn’t transparent. He played these manipulation tactics,” she said. “It’s triggering for anybody who’s been in that situation.”“This is the first time since 2006 where I don't feel like the underdog," she said. Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. 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