Epstein survivor Juliette Bryant has shared a detailed account of how she alleges she was trafficked from South Africa by the late American financier after being lured with promises of a modelling career, only to realise during the journey that she had been deceived and placed in a situation she could not escape.
Speaking in an interview with CBS News, Bryant, now 43, said she first encountered Jeffrey Epstein in 2002 when she was a 20-year-old psychology and philosophy student in Cape Town who also worked part-time as a model. According to her account, the introduction came through a woman she met during a night out who claimed she could connect Bryant with an influential American figure capable of advancing her modelling ambitions. Bryant recalled being told that Epstein was accompanied by well-known public personalities, though she clarified that she does not accuse any of them of wrongdoing and that her interaction with them was brief and limited.
Bryant said she was later contacted and informed that Epstein wished to review her modelling portfolio. During their interaction, she alleges he suggested she had the potential to work with major fashion brands and reassured her that travel and related expenses would be covered upfront and deducted from future earnings. Within a few weeks, arrangements were made for her visa and travel to the United States — a process she described as unusually fast compared with normal visa timelines.
After arriving in New York on what she believed was her first professional overseas opportunity, Bryant said she was unexpectedly told she would continue travelling to the Caribbean. She was taken to a private airport in New Jersey and boarded a jet where Epstein was present. She said the lack of standard security checks immediately felt unusual, and her passport was allegedly taken once on board. Bryant claims that during the flight Epstein sexually assaulted her, which she says was the moment she realised the promised modelling opportunity was a deception and that she had effectively been kidnapped.
According to her account, she was transported to Epstein’s private island, where she says she had no practical means of leaving because her passport had been confiscated and she was isolated geographically. Bryant alleged that she was repeatedly sexually assaulted over an extended period, describing a situation in which she felt psychologically trapped and unable to seek help or escape. She said she was not trafficked to other men but was subjected to ongoing abuse by Epstein himself.
In a separate interview with Sky News, Bryant described what she characterised as psychological manipulation and coercive control, saying she felt as though she was restrained by “invisible chains.” She added that she kept the experience secret from family and friends for years and only spoke publicly after Epstein’s death in 2019 while he was awaiting trial on federal sex-trafficking charges in New York.
Bryant also said she was later taken to several of Epstein’s properties, including residences in New York, Palm Beach, Paris and New Mexico, where she encountered women and underage girls from multiple countries. She explained that the scale of the alleged network only became clearer to her over time as more details emerged publicly.
She later received compensation through the Epstein Victims’ Compensation Program in 2020 and reached a separate settlement with JPMorgan Chase in 2023. Bryant said the continued release of court documents and resurfacing of past communications has been emotionally distressing, noting that some emails she sent Epstein years later reflected periods when she was struggling psychologically and still affected by what she described as his lasting influence over her.
