For Marina Lacerda, the upcoming publication of US government files on… Jeffrey Epstein It represents more than just a chance at justice: Lacerda says she was just 14 when Epstein began sexually abusing her at his New York mansion, but she struggles to remember much of what happened because it is a dark time in her life.
Now she hopes the files will reveal more about the trauma that scarred much of her adolescence.
“I feel like the government and the FBI know more than I do, and that scares me, because it’s my life, it’s my past,” she told the Associated Press.
President Donald Trump The legislation was signed Wednesday That would force the Justice Department to release documents from its office Huge files on Epstein.
“We’ve waited long enough. We’ve fought long enough,” Lacerda said.
It is not yet clear how much new information will be included in the files, which were collected over two decades of investigations into Epstein’s alleged sexual abuse of multiple girls and women.
Some of his accusers expect the files to provide a level of transparency they never allowed themselves to believe would be achieved, but for others, revealing the documents will be a more complicated moment.
The FBI and police in Palm Beach, Florida, began investigating Epstein in the mid-2000s after several underage girls said he paid them money for sex acts. He pleaded guilty in 2008 to charges including procuring a minor to engage in prostitution, but a secret agreement with the US Attorney in Florida allowed him to avoid federal prosecution. He spent just over a year in custody.
Gina Lisa Jones says she was abused by Epstein in Palm Beach in 2002, when she was 14 years old. She did not report the assault to the police at the time, but she later became one of several defendants who filed a lawsuit against the millionaire.
The Miami Herald published a series of articles about Epstein in 2018 that revealed new details about how federal prosecution was delayed. A year later, federal prosecutors In New YorkAs Epstein owned a mansion, he revived the case and accused him of sex trafficking
Jones said she was interviewed during this federal investigation and was prepared to testify in court.
“It was very important to me to have my moment, for him to see my face and hear my words, to take back control and power,” Jones said.
But that day never came.
Epstein He killed himself In a federal prison cell in New York City in August 2019.
Instead of her day in court, Jones and others are hoping for a public reckoning over the release of government files related to Epstein.
While the government has only charged two people — Epstein and his close friend Ghislaine Maxwell — in connection with the alleged abuse, at least one of Epstein’s accusers has alleged that she was instructed to have sex with other wealthy and powerful men.
Jones did not make similar claims, but said she believed the documents could paint a “broad scheme” involving others.
“I hope they shake it up a little bit and have what’s coming to them,” Jones said.
Lacerda, 37, hopes the files will clarify her personal experience, which is clouded by the pain she said she endured at that time in her life.
“I was just a kid and it was just trauma. That’s what trauma does to your mind,” Lacerda said.
Lacerda, an immigrant from Brazil, said she was working three jobs to support herself and her family the summer before ninth grade when a friend said she could make $300 if she gave Epstein massages.
The first time she massaged Epstein, she said, he asked her to take off her shirt.
Lacerda said she soon spent so much time working for Epstein that she dropped out of school. The sexual abuse continued until she was 17, when Epstein told her she was “too old,” she said.
Lacerda wondered whether the files might include videos and photos of herself and other victims at Epstein’s properties.
“I want to know — for the sake of my own healing process and for the adult inside of me — what you did as a child,” Lacerda said. “It will be shocking again, but it’s transparency — and I need it,” she said.
For Lacerda, the excitement over the upcoming release of the files has given way to feelings familiar to many women who survive abuse: fear and paranoia.
“In the heat of the moment, we were like, ‘Wow, this sounds like everything we were fighting for.’ And then we had to pause for a moment and say, “Wait a minute.” Why would he release the files all of a sudden?” Lacerda said.
the A sudden change in political momentum It made her uncomfortable. She wondered whether the documents would be tampered with or redacted to protect people associated with Epstein.
Others echoed her concerns, questioning whether the government would provide adequate protection for victims who remain anonymous, and who fear scrutiny and harassment if their names become public.
“For the life of me, I will never truly trust the government for what they have done to us,” Jones said.
haley robson, Who says she was abused by Epstein when she was 16, has the same concerns.
Robson It was a pioneering voice In defense of Florida legislation signed in 2024 that unsealed grand jury transcripts from the state’s 2006 case against Epstein.
She said political maneuvering in recent months over the files had led to persistent anxiety — reminiscent of what she felt when she was abused as a teenager.
“I think it’s because of the trauma that I endured, because that’s what Jeffrey Epstein did to us. You know, he wasn’t transparent. He used these manipulative tactics,” she said. “It’s exciting for anyone who’s been in that situation.”
However, Robson said she is trying to enjoy the victory while she can.
“This is the first time since 2006 that I don’t feel like the underdog,” she said.