Lesley Groff, who served as Jeffrey Epstein’s executive assistant for 18 years, appeared before the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform on Tuesday, testifying under subpoena about her role organizing the daily life of the late convicted sex offender.
Groff began working for Epstein in 2001 after a headhunter contacted her, according to notes from a 2021 FBI interview released as part of the millions of pages of Epstein-related documents the Department of Justice made public earlier this year. In that interview, Groff told agents she had not previously heard of Epstein. She interviewed for the position with several people, including Epstein and his long-time associate Ghislaine Maxwell, who is serving a 20-year prison sentence for sex trafficking crimes. Groff said she signed a non-disclosure agreement.
Her responsibilities, according to the FBI notes, included scheduling meetings, making phone calls, coordinating with Epstein’s driver and chef, and managing much of his daily calendar and appointments. The document states that Groff told investigators that “from the beginning, massage was a part of Epstein’s day; they were normal appointments.” Groff’s job, the notes say, was to schedule those appointments. “To Groff, making massage appointments was just another appointment she had to make for Epstein,” the document read, adding that Epstein would call Groff in the morning and say, “Call and see if she can do a massage at 4.”
Groff has faced public scrutiny in recent years after her name appeared among four women identified as possible “co-conspirators” who received immunity under Epstein’s controversial 2007 non-prosecution agreement with federal prosecutors in Florida. She has consistently denied any knowledge of Epstein’s criminal activities. No criminal charges have ever been filed against her.
Her attorney, Michael Bachner, told the Guardian last month that after Epstein’s 2008 arrest and conviction on state prostitution charges, he repeatedly lied to Groff and other staff members, “insisting that he had been blackmailed and set up.” Bachner said Epstein “angrily said that the allegations against him were simply false, and he had no idea that the ‘prostitute’ he had contact with was a minor.” In Groff’s mind, Bachner added, that explanation was why Epstein was treated “so leniently by law-enforcement.”
The Epstein files released earlier this year also include an internal FBI document from 2019 listing eight possible co-conspirators, including Groff. In a statement to NBC News, her lawyer said Groff “was unaware of it” and had never seen that document. “Neither Lesley nor her counsel were ever notified by law enforcement that she was considered an Epstein co-conspirator,” her lawyer said. “On the contrary, after Lesley voluntarily spoke with prosecutors, and answered each and every question asked of her, she was told that she was not being prosecuted.”
Groff’s name also appeared in a 2020 FBI interview with a survivor of Epstein’s abuse, whose name is redacted, who said they felt Groff “knew what was going on” and “knew the massage appointments were sexual.” That person acknowledged they “never said anything to Lesley about the massages.”
Following Epstein’s death in 2019, Groff was named alongside other employees and associates in civil lawsuits filed by survivors against his estate. Some plaintiffs accused her of facilitating Epstein’s abuse. Her attorney said she never engaged in misconduct and never knowingly made travel arrangements for anyone under 18. The civil claims against Groff were later dismissed, with her attorney calling them “simply wrong, confused, and devoid of any facts.”
The House committee subpoenaed Groff in March. In a letter, Rep. James Comer (R-Ky.), the committee chairman, wrote that “due to public reporting, documents released by the Department of Justice, and documents obtained by the Committee, the Committee believes you have information that will assist in its investigation.”
Groff’s testimony follows that of Sarah Kellen, another former Epstein assistant, who testified before the same committee last month. Kellen denied she was an accomplice to Epstein and said she was “sexually and psychologically abused” by the financier during her employment.