Jeffrey Epstein papers: Underage girls were recruited to be exploited 'for massages'

The second batch of unsealed court documents related to convicted sex offender and late financier Jeffrey Epstein was released on Thursday (Jan 4) which mainly focused on how teen girls were recruited in his Florida home.

Some of the depositions which were released Thursday (Jan 4) emphasised how the teen girls were convinced to go to Epstein's home as well as bring their friends if they wished for an additional payment.

'Jeffrey took my clothes,' woman recalls ordeal

A woman, whose name has been redacted and was 16 or 17 when she met Epstein, said that she had no experience of giving a massage and had not expected that the visit would involve sexual activity.

“Jeffrey took my clothes off without my consent the first time I met him,” as per a transcript of the statement submitted by a woman.

In 2016, former Palm Beach police Det. Joseph Recarey said that Ghislaine Maxwell, currentlyserving 20 years imprisonment, was involved in recruiting girls to givemassages and workat Epstein’s home.

Recarey had claimed to have interviewed nearly 33 women, as per a transcript. He added that only two girls were older and had massage experience. Most of the girls recruited at Epstein’s home were younger than 18, he said.

"Each of the victims that went to the home was asked to bring their friends to the home. Some complied and some didn’t," Recarey, who is now no more, stated.

As per Recarey, the girls who were hired for a 'massage' at Epstein's home in Florida, were actually hired for "sexual gratification", reported CNN.

Maxwell's involvement in recruitment of girls

Recarey, in his deposition, further spoke about how a scheme was allegedly used by Epstein and Maxwell to find and recruit girls “to perform massages and work at Epstein’s home.” He was the lead investigator on a previous case against Epstein in the mid-2000s.

Watch:Who was Jeffrey Epstein? Where did he source his $580 mn fortune?

When quizzed about the number of girls he had interviewed regarding getting recruited by Maxwell, Recarey said, “I would say approximately 30; 30, 33.”

The first batch of court papers, which was released, mostly had names of people who had already been disclosed in other media outlets as well as court proceedings. Maxwell has been in federal prison after being convicted of sex trafficking in 2021. “She has consistently and vehemently maintained her innocence,” according to Maxwell’s lawyers.

(With inputs from agencies)