Wild CVRA Advocacy & Victim Rights Campaign

VICTIM IMPACT STATEMENT — COURTNEY WILD Case: United States v. Jeffrey Edward Epstein, No. 19-cr-490 (S.D.N.Y.) Submitted: July 2019 STATEMENT: My name is Courtney Wild. I was 14 years old when I was recruited to provide "massages" to Jeffrey Epstein at his Palm Beach mansion. What happened to me there changed the course of my life forever. RECRUITMENT: I was recruited by another girl at my high school who told me I could earn $200 for giving a massage to a wealthy man. I was from a struggling family and the money seemed like a lifeline. I had no idea what I was walking into. THE ABUSE: What began as supposed massage sessions quickly escalated into sexual abuse. Epstein was a predator who preyed on girls from vulnerable backgrounds. He knew we needed the money. He used that vulnerability against us. THE COVER-UP: When the police finally investigated, I believed justice would be served. Instead, prosecutors cut a secret deal with Epstein — the non-prosecution agreement — without telling me or any of the other victims. I learned about it from the newspaper. FIGHT FOR VICTIMS' RIGHTS: For more than a decade, I fought in court under the Crime Victims' Rights Act to have the NPA invalidated. In 2019, Judge Kenneth Marra ruled that the government had violated our rights by keeping the deal secret. That ruling came too late to change the NPA, but it established an important precedent. THE SYSTEM FAILED US: Every institution that was supposed to protect us failed. The local prosecutor. The federal government. The prison system. Only the Palm Beach Police Department genuinely tried to hold Epstein accountable. I speak not only for myself but for all of Epstein's victims who were denied justice by a system that valued the comfort of the powerful over the safety of children. Source: SDNY Court Records Available at: https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/16797028/united-states-v-epstein/