Epstein Survivor Says Modeling Agency Boss Sent Her to Abuser's Home

A woman who says Jeffrey Epstein raped her in 2009 says the model agency boss who sent her to the convicted sex offender's Palm Beach, Florida, home put her in danger — and that the same man now runs a different modeling agency in the United States, according to the BBC.

The woman, identified only as Roza, was 18 and had arrived in the US from Uzbekistan about a month earlier when MC2 Model Management's US branch sent her to Epstein's beach house for two photoshoots, she told BBC World Service. At the time, Epstein was serving a jail sentence for sex offenses against a minor but was permitted to leave the facility each day to work from his home.

What does Roza say happened at Epstein's Palm Beach home?

"My agency's job was to protect me, and they failed. In fact, they put me in danger. And for that, they should be held accountable," Roza told the BBC. She said the photoshoots led to her being hired as an assistant to Epstein, a role other survivors have described as a ruse the financier used to continue abusing young women, according to the BBC. Roza said Epstein went on to systematically rape her. She also said the person operating the camera at the shoots was not a professional photographer but Nadia Marcinko, Epstein's girlfriend at the time, and described the setup as "strange."

Who is Jeff Fuller and how has he responded?

Jeff Fuller was MC2's US president in 2009 and now runs a separate US agency, The Source Models, the BBC reported. Roza told the broadcaster that "my agency knew exactly where I was. So Jeff knew exactly where I was going." She showed the BBC an expense statement she says shows Fuller booked her flight home from Palm Beach after her second shoot at Epstein's house. Fuller has previously said he did not know Roza was going to Epstein's home or that she was being abused, according to the BBC. He did not respond to the BBC's allegations for this story.

What do newly released DOJ documents show about MC2?

BBC Eye Investigations said it found, through Epstein-related documents released by the US Department of Justice, that ten models from MC2 met or communicated with Epstein after his conviction. The files also show Epstein gave $1 million to MC2 in 2005, the BBC reported — two years before the agency's owners told a US publication that Epstein had no involvement in their company. The BBC said testimony shared with its investigators also raises questions about the roles of former agent Ramsey Elkholy and agency director Faith Kates, both of whom the DOJ files show had close relationships with Epstein.

What accountability measures are lawmakers proposing?

The Justice Department said last year that no evidence had been uncovered that would warrant further investigation of "uncharged third parties," the BBC reported. New York State Senator Zellnor Myrie is challenging that conclusion and has proposed a sex trafficking bill intended to give police greater power to investigate people who enabled Epstein's abuse, according to the BBC. Myrie told the broadcaster he wants those who knew — or should have known — about the abuse to be held accountable.

What do model industry advocates say about agency oversight?

Sara Ziff, founder of the Model Alliance, a group that campaigns for stronger protections for models in the US, told the BBC that agencies themselves are often part of the problem. "They are the link between the model and these predatory men," Ziff said.

The BBC's reporting does not state whether Fuller, Elkholy or Kates currently face any legal proceedings related to the allegations. The Source Models has not issued a public statement responding to Roza's account, according to the BBC's report.

Roza told the BBC she decided to share her story publicly after staying silent for years, saying accountability for the agency that placed her with Epstein was overdue. The full account, including additional testimony gathered by BBC Eye Investigations, is detailed in the BBC's report.

Artiglio is A coming-soon iPhone chief of staff for briefings and drafts. Not on the App Store yet.