Among the vast dump of files from the U.S. Department of Justice relating to the Jeffrey Epstein investigation are many insights into the corrupt mentality of the rich and powerful, but one item upset me because it gave an insight into the psychological harm caused by Epstein’s cynical trafficking in girls and women. It’s a scrapbook, with the first page containing a birthday card for a sixteen-year-old and pages of dark messages spelt out using magazine cuttings. There are also hand-written notes, in a simple code (a two-rail “rail fence cipher”; this blog post provides a convenient decode). The notes tell a story of a girl being drawn into Epstein’s circle, apparently through Ghislaine Maxwell, and her increasing sense of being lost and abandoned by her mother. There are hints of bad encounters with named man, some identifiable such as Leon Black, former head of a big hedge fund and Epstein’s client, who she describes biting her. Next to a cutting about Ivana Trump’s divorce (on page 16) is the text “Does this lady know you cant have any dignity if you’ve been with him? I know I have none. Only skittles.”
The worst page is towards the end (page 27): “Flights and yachts of horror”. “They are always flights of horror whether its with Jeffrey…”[or a number of other men’s names]. “I am so confused by everything and people who you expect to be good like even old senators like George Mitchell who you think will be like a grandpa are bad.”
Sometimes the grammar is faulty, but that adds to the sense of authenticity. I assume that the document is genuine, and created by one of Epstein’s victims. Which one is not yet known. However the sense of being trapped in a world where you have no power is palpable and very disturbing. All she has is the desire to “survive with sensitivity and grace” (page 25). I hope that she has.