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Sarah Kellen, a former personal assistant to Jeffrey Epstein, testified Thursday in a closed-door deposition on her yearslong connection to the convicted sex offender, saying she was a target of his abuse as she managed logistics of his relations with girls and young women.
The House Oversight Committee took her deposition as part of itsongoing investigationinto the federal government's handling of cases involving Epstein and his former girlfriend, Ghislaine Maxwell.
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Kellen's name appears in the recent files released by the Department of Justice, Miami Herald journalist Julie K. Brown'sfamous investigative seriesand civil lawsuits pursued byJane Doeplaintiffswho survived Epstein's abuse.
She was identified as one of four potential co-conspirators named inEpstein's 2007 "non-prosecution agreement."Authorities, members of Congress and some Epstein survivors have wrestled whether to deem this group of young women as accomplices in his crimes or victims themselves.
Kellen, who has denied wrongdoing, wrote in her opening statement to the committee that Epstein sexually and psychologically abused her for more than a decade. Through the help of therapy, Kellen now sees herself as a survivor as well, she wrote.
"I was trapped inside Jeffrey Epstein's world," her statement read. "He groomed me, sexually and psychologically abused me, controlled me, manipulated me, dominated me, and gaslit me until I could no longer tell which thoughts were mine and which were his."
Kellen, and the three women cited as "potential co-conspirators" in the agreement, have not been charged with crimes associated with Epstein.
Her lawyers alsotold MS NOWthat Kellen continues to endure harassment and threats ever since that non-prosecution agreement was made public with her name visible.
Citing sources in the room during Kellen's testimony, the Miami Herald reported that she was alsosexually abused by three other men: former Miami Beach Mayor Philip Levine, celebrity hairstylist Frédéric Fekkai and fashion photographer Patrick Demarchelier.
Kellen's voluntary, closed-door deposition is one of several sought by the Republican-controlled House committee. Other notable figures who have provided testimony to the committee includeformer President Bill Clinton,former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton,billionaire Les Wexnerand Ted Waitt, Maxwell's ex-boyfriend.
From across the political spectrum and the worlds of finance, entertainment and beyond, a number of powerful figures have emerged in the Epstein documents, pictures and emails released by the DOJ. Inclusion in the files does not necessarily indicate wrongdoing, but the fallout has led to some high-profile resignations and calls for more accountability.
