Virginia Roberts Giuffre, an outspoken accuser of Jeffrey Epstein, alleged that her own father had abused her and suggested that he took hush money from Epstein in a posthumous memoir releasing Tuesday.
Giuffre, 41, had been working on the book with a co-author before she died by suicide in April. In the memoir, she alleges that other men had abused her before she was groomed by Epstein at age 16.
She alleges that her experience with abuse began as early as 7 by her father. Her father denied the allegation, insisting that he never abused his daughter. And in a statement in the memoir, her father said he “never knew what was going on with Epstein” until he saw the news online.
Giuffre’s brother Sky Roberts Jr. told NBC News’ Hallie Jackson that he confronted his father over the abuse allegation.
“I just, I said — we know,” he recalled, choking up. “I mean, you were Dad. You sexually abused your daughter. It’s absolutely heinous what he did.”
Giuffre recounts in the memoir, “Nobody’s Girl: A Memoir of Surviving Abuse and Fighting for Justice,” that Epstein showed her a photo of her younger brother, then in middle school, and told her to keep quiet about “what goes on in this house.” She also suggested in her book that her father may have taken money from Epstein after he began abusing her.
Her brother recalled that their father would buy “decently nice things” at points in their life, including a boat.
“If there was a payment wired to him, like it would, would be disgusting, be disgusting that he accepted money,” Roberts said.
The final years of Giuffre’s life were marked by her repeatedly calling for criminal charges against Epstein and his associates. Epstein died by suicide in jail in 2019 shortly after he was arrested on federal sex trafficking charges.
In 2008, Epstein pleaded guilty to procuring a person under 18 for prostitution. He served 13 months of an 18-month jail sentence. Federal prosecutors in New York brought new charges against him in 2019, and he died while awaiting trial.
Giuffre provided federal authorities with information that led to the arrest and conviction of his associate Ghislaine Maxwell. Giuffre said she was getting her life back on track after a troubled childhood when she met Maxwell, who steered her into Epstein’s path.
She alleged that the two groomed her into becoming a sex slave for Epstein and that Epstein trafficked her to other prominent men in his circle. Maxwell, a former British socialite, was convicted on five counts of sex trafficking in 2021 for her role in recruiting young girls to be abused by Epstein.
Other survivors have credited Giuffre’s bravery for giving them the strength to come forward with their own allegations. When she died in April, Giuffre’s attorney described her as “an incredible champion for other victims.”
If you or someone you know is in crisis, call or text 988 to reach the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline or chat live at 988lifeline.org. You can also visit SpeakingOfSuicide.com/resources for additional support.
