Sarah Kellen Tells Congress She Was Jeffrey Epstein’s ‘Indentured Slave,’ Abused Weekly, Yet Survivors Say She Scheduled Their Assaults
Victim, victimizer or both?
Sarah Kellen told Congress this week that she was Jeffrey Epstein’s “indentured slave,” enduring years of weekly sexual and psychological abuse while being forced to assist in his crimes. In a closed-door testimony before the House Oversight Committee, Kellen, 46, denied being an accomplice and instead described herself as another victim of Epstein’s manipulation.
According to The Guardian, Kellen’s account directly contradicts years of allegations from survivors who say she played an active role in scheduling their assaults. Her testimony marks the first time she has publicly detailed her decade-long ordeal under Epstein’s control. In her prepared remarks, she painted a harrowing picture of grooming, domination, and gaslighting that left her unable to distinguish her own thoughts from his.
“It was like living with a permanent virtual reality headset on,” she said. “I was reminded every day how powerful he was, how influential he was, and that to turn on him or disobey him would mean losing everything: my job, my home, everyone I knew in the world, even my life.”
The hearing comes nearly 20 years after Kellen was named potential co-conspirator
Around two decades ago, Kellen was named as one of four “potential co-conspirators” in Epstein’s controversial 2007 plea deal with Florida prosecutors. That agreement allowed Epstein to plead guilty to state charges of soliciting prostitution from a minor, serve just 13 months in county jail, and avoid federal sex-trafficking charges.
Kellen said she had no knowledge of the deal until after it was signed. “The federal government of the United States branded me a criminal in a secret deal with my own abuser, without ever once speaking to me,” she said.
Kellen’s claims of victimhood clash sharply with the accounts of multiple Epstein survivors. Over the years, women like Teresa Helm have accused Kellen of grooming them for abuse, arranging massages and sex sessions, and even encouraging them to recruit other girls.
In a 2020 interview, Kellen’s spokesperson acknowledged she had scheduled appointments for Epstein and Maxwell “at their direction,” but maintained that Epstein had abused her for years. Kellen herself told Congress she would not “speak for or about other victims,” though she did say she has privately repaired relationships with some of Epstein’s survivors.
Kellen provided three new names of people involved in Epstein’s abuse
The House Oversight Committee, led by Republican James Comer, described Kellen’s testimony as the “most substantive and productive” interview they’ve conducted so far in their review of the federal investigation into Epstein. Comer said after the hearing that Kellen provided three new names of people involved in Epstein’s abuse. The committee plans to release a transcript of her testimony “as quickly as possible.”
Kellen’s appearance before Congress follows her interviews with MS Now, where she first publicly labeled herself a survivor of Epstein’s abuse. In those conversations, she described enduring decades of harassment and threats after being named in the 2007 plea deal.
“It literally put a muzzle on us,” she said. “It made us a target and made it impossible for us to speak.” She also revealed that Epstein once Skyped her from jail, ordering her to undress on camera while he served his sentence in Florida.
The 2007 nonprosecution agreement has been a focal point of criticism for years, particularly after Epstein’s 2019 arrest on federal sex-trafficking charges. Documents released under the Epstein Files Transparency Act show that prosecutors initially considered charging Epstein with assaulting Kellen on an airplane around 2005.
However, within days, that charge was dropped after pushback from Epstein’s legal team, who argued Kellen was one of the “main perpetrators” of the crimes prosecutors planned to indict Epstein for. By the time the deal was finalized, Kellen and three other women were granted immunity from prosecution, without ever being consulted.
Kellen’s lawyers say she was entirely under Epstein’s control during the investigation
She allegedly believed his claims that the probe stemmed from extortion attempts by girls who had lied about their ages. She said Epstein manipulated her into thinking the victims were “in cahoots” with plaintiffs’ lawyers.
It wasn’t until years later, after Epstein’s death, that federal prosecutors in New York began to view Kellen differently. In 2020, they initially sought to charge her with witness tampering but ultimately declined to prosecute after recognizing her as a victim.
One of the most striking revelations from Kellen’s interviews is how Epstein allegedly interfered with law enforcement’s attempts to speak with her. She recalled an incident in 2007 at an airport in St. Thomas, where a baggage handler told her and another woman that the FBI wanted to talk to them. Epstein left to speak with the agents, then returned and simply said, “Let’s go.”
Documents later confirmed that an FBI agent had rushed to the airport to serve target letters to the women but was told Epstein was traveling alone. Kellen said she never received the letter.
For survivors like Dani Bensky, Kellen’s situation is “complicated”
Bensky, who has spoken publicly about her own abuse, told MS Now that Kellen’s role in Epstein’s operation was part of a larger pattern of manipulation. “When you are victimized and then you are put in a position where you are manipulated to recruit, that is a very sticky, complex situation,” she said. “People really need to understand what sex trafficking is and what it looks like. It really is like a pyramid scheme.”
Kellen’s testimony before Congress is unlikely to settle the debate over her culpability. While she insists she was a powerless victim, others see her as an active participant in Epstein’s crimes. Her story adds another angle to the already complex narrative of Epstein and his abuse of victims.
(Featured image: Victor Grigas)
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