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Congressional Inquiry · Epstein · Lesley Groff · Reputational Risk
Lesley Groff, Jeffrey Epstein's former executive secretary, denied any awareness of his sex crimes during an eight-hour interview with the House Oversight Committee, despite routinely scheduling massages and travel for women who later alleged sexual abuse, maintaining she never knew they were underage or victims.
Groff, who worked for Epstein for over 18 years, claimed she believed his daily massages were routine and that she never met the women or heard underage voices, a stance Representative Raja Krishnamoorthi called "strains credulity." Federal prosecutors previously identified Groff as a potential co-conspirator, with DOJ records indicating victims alleged she scheduled sexual massages and one witness claimed to have explicitly told Groff she was underage. Groff, now 59, was not charged in 2021 after an FBI interview, and her recent testimony was not under oath.
She stated she felt "terrible for this survivor" but insisted the witness was "mistaken" about informing her. Groff also acknowledged booking travel for women who later alleged exploitation but contended she believed them to be "traveling assistants" and saw no signs of duress.
She described her post-2019 life as difficult, marked by harassment and being "shunned."
