The Washington Post
Andrew Jeong wrote the following article in The Washington Post:
A compensation fund created for victims of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein has handed out more than $121 million to about 150 claimants, the fund’s administrator said in a statement Monday, concluding the program about a year after its launch.
The Epstein Victims’ Compensation Program began accepting claims from Epstein victims a year after he died by suicide while awaiting trial for sex trafficking. His death angered some alleged victims who felt he had escaped justice.
About 225 claims were submitted to the compensation fund, more than double the initially expected number, during a nine-month period. The program ended up offering compensation to 150 claimants, and 92 percent of them accepted the offers, receiving in total about $121 million.
The fund was set up using the wealth left behind by Epstein, whose worth upon death was estimated to be at least $550 million.
The payouts come as the effects of Epstein’s actions continue to ripple for his friends and alleged co-conspirators. Also on Monday, an Epstein accuser filed suit against Britain’s Prince Andrew, alleging that the prince sexually assaulted her on at least three occasions when the two were together with Epstein, from 2000 to 2002.
The same day, another woman who had accused former Wall Street executive Leon Black of sexual assault and defamation amended her suit to allege that Black took her to Epstein’s residence in Florida in 2008, threatening to frame her as a drug trafficker should she tell others about the trip, according to her lawsuit filed against Black.
Representatives for the British royal and Black could not be reached. Both have denied sexual abuse accusations.
Epstein is suspected of having collaborated with an inner circle of wealthy and politically powerful friends in the trafficking and sexual assault of women and girls. Despite being investigated multiple times, he escaped lengthy imprisonment or any hefty settlement with victims for decades, until 2019 when he was arrested by federal prosecutors. In 2007, a federal prosecutor signed a non-prosecution deal with Epstein, who in return accepted a 13-month sentence for felony solicitation of underage girls.
The compensation fund was administered independently by Jordana Feldman. Claimants who accept compensation waive their rights to take legal action against Epstein’s estate.
The fund, which has kept claimants anonymous, aimed to serve as an alternative to lawsuits, which often involve “the glare of public proceedings and ... the costs and confrontation of litigation.” Feldman, who also administered the Sept. 11 victims fund, said she also did not record or transcribe her meetings with victims, according to the Associated Press.
“I am proud of what we were able to accomplish with this Program,” Feldman said in the statement, “but also recognize that no amount of money will erase the years of pain these victims have endured because of Jeffrey Epstein.”
A compensation fund created for victims of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein has handed out more than $121 million to about 150 claimants, the fund’s administrator said in a statement Monday, concluding the program about a year after its launch.
The Epstein Victims’ Compensation Program began accepting claims from Epstein victims a year after he died by suicide while awaiting trial for sex trafficking. His death angered some alleged victims who felt he had escaped justice.
About 225 claims were submitted to the compensation fund, more than double the initially expected number, during a nine-month period. The program ended up offering compensation to 150 claimants, and 92 percent of them accepted the offers, receiving in total about $121 million.
The fund was set up using the wealth left behind by Epstein, whose worth upon death was estimated to be at least $550 million.
The payouts come as the effects of Epstein’s actions continue to ripple for his friends and alleged co-conspirators. Also on Monday, an Epstein accuser filed suit against Britain’s Prince Andrew, alleging that the prince sexually assaulted her on at least three occasions when the two were together with Epstein, from 2000 to 2002.
The same day, another woman who had accused former Wall Street executive Leon Black of sexual assault and defamation amended her suit to allege that Black took her to Epstein’s residence in Florida in 2008, threatening to frame her as a drug trafficker should she tell others about the trip, according to her lawsuit filed against Black.
Representatives for the British royal and Black could not be reached. Both have denied sexual abuse accusations.
Epstein is suspected of having collaborated with an inner circle of wealthy and politically powerful friends in the trafficking and sexual assault of women and girls. Despite being investigated multiple times, he escaped lengthy imprisonment or any hefty settlement with victims for decades, until 2019 when he was arrested by federal prosecutors. In 2007, a federal prosecutor signed a non-prosecution deal with Epstein, who in return accepted a 13-month sentence for felony solicitation of underage girls.
The compensation fund was administered independently by Jordana Feldman. Claimants who accept compensation waive their rights to take legal action against Epstein’s estate.
The fund, which has kept claimants anonymous, aimed to serve as an alternative to lawsuits, which often involve “the glare of public proceedings and ... the costs and confrontation of litigation.” Feldman, who also administered the Sept. 11 victims fund, said she also did not record or transcribe her meetings with victims, according to the Associated Press.
“I am proud of what we were able to accomplish with this Program,” Feldman said in the statement, “but also recognize that no amount of money will erase the years of pain these victims have endured because of Jeffrey Epstein.”
