EPSTEIN ASSISTANT LESLEY GROFF TESTIFIES BEFORE HOUSE PANEL

Lesley Groff, who served as executive assistant to Jeffrey Epstein for nearly two decades, appeared before the House oversight and reform committee on Tuesday. Lawmakers on the panel are continuing their investigation into Epstein, who died in 2019 after his arrest on sex trafficking charges. Groff worked for Epstein from 2001 until his arrest in July 2019. She was recruited through a headhunter, who contacted her after finding her résumé and described the role as a position "to organise one man's life".

Notes from a 2021 FBI interview with Groff, released by the Department of Justice earlier this year as part of a large tranche of Epstein-related documents, detail the scope of her duties. These included scheduling meetings, making telephone calls, coordinating with Epstein's driver and chef, and managing his daily appointments. The FBI document states that Groff told agents massage appointments were a routine part of Epstein's schedule from the outset of her employment. Groff also told agents that she interviewed for the position alongside Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell, who is currently serving a 20-year prison sentence for sex trafficking crimes. According to the same document, Groff signed a non-disclosure agreement.

Groff was among four women named as possible co-conspirators and granted immunity from prosecution under Epstein's 2007 plea deal with federal prosecutors in Florida. Through her lawyers, Groff has consistently maintained she had no knowledge of Epstein's crimes and did not engage in any misconduct. The House oversight and reform committee's investigation into Epstein remains ongoing.