News summary produced by Claude AI
Anya, a Russian-born woman who worked as a model in Europe, has given an account of her years as one of roughly a dozen assistants housed and employed by financier Jeffrey Epstein. She describes a lengthy grooming process that began when she was introduced to Epstein through a modeling scout in Paris and eventually led to years of abuse, control, and exploitation.
According to Anya’s account, Epstein employed elaborate tactics to gain her trust and make her dependent on him. He learned details about her life and aspirations, promised modeling opportunities through connections, and positioned himself as her supporter. Over nearly a year, he requested progress updates on her fitness and explicit photographs. When a meeting with a modeling agency founder failed to produce results, Epstein blamed the rejection on Anya’s appearance. She later discovered through released documents that the agency had actually rejected her much earlier, revealing the entire process had been designed to manipulate her.
Once Anya began working as Epstein’s assistant, she experienced comprehensive control over her daily life. Epstein managed her finances, monitored her movements, controlled her communications, and dictated where she could go. He maintained her dependence by providing housing and healthcare rather than allowing her autonomy. When she attempted to leave briefly, he responded with anger and threats of financial retaliation. He also employed psychological manipulation tactics, including pitting assistants against one another to prevent them from forming supportive relationships and having them write letters thanking him for his abuse.
Anya further describes Epstein’s use of compromising material as a control mechanism, including nude photographs and videos of the assistants. She also disclosed that Epstein forced her to undergo disfiguring surgical procedures, including having a tattoo removed by cutting rather than through standard medical methods. Additionally, each assistant was required to recruit other young women into the operation.
Anya’s account is corroborated by Sarah Kellen, another former assistant who testified to the US House Oversight Committee earlier this year about how Epstein eliminated her autonomy and increased her dependence on him. Both women have subsequently received compensation from the Epstein Victims’ Compensation Fund. Anya states she is speaking publicly now to help others understand how women became trapped by Epstein and to demonstrate that his trafficking operation involved adults as well as children.