NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — Newly released files from the Jeffrey Epstein grand jury investigation include a report from a global nonprofit with its U.S. headquarters in Nashville.
Earlier this month, U.S. District Judge Richard Berman ordered the release of records from the 2019 grand jury investigation.
One of those files contains an account of human trafficking reported to Hope for Justice, the Nashville-based organization confirmed.
"We were assisting a survivor with her disclosure as it related to Jeffrey Epstein," said Sarah Butler, the group's U.S. Programs Director.
The two-page document, dated Aug. 1, 2019, is heavily redacted, but some details remain visible.
According to the records, the victim told an investigator from the nonprofit she had been sex trafficked twice — once when she was 5, and again at 17.
Butler said all of Hope for Justice's investigators are former law enforcement.
"We were able to assist the survivor with her disclosure, with validating and bolstering some of the pieces of evidence that she had provided us with, and then turning that over to the FBI field office in New York, which is where it was taken," Butler said.
At 5 years old, the victim recalled being forced to live under a house in a crawl space. She said she was taken to Florida, where she reported seeing several other young children.
At 17, she said, she was sold again — this time in the U.S. Virgin Islands. She told investigators she and other young girls were taken to a room that looked like a horse stall, where they were forced to watch and engage in sexual activity.
The files indicate she could not break free until she was 30. She told Hope for Justice she came forward so she could help other victims.
"We have to be really responsible to steward survivors the best way that we can, without sacrificing their safety, their autonomy, or their trust in us," Butler said.
Butler emphasized that the group's mission is to end all human trafficking — and that begins with believing survivors.
"They need to be heard, and they need to be believed," Butler said. "So I think that's the really critical feature here — that the public needs to put aside their preconceived notions and believe what these survivors are saying. And I hope that is what our community will take away from the release of these files."
The unredacted portions of the Hope for Justice document do not explicitly name Epstein. Epstein's private island was located in the U.S. Virgin Islands. The files also provide no indication that the victim lives in Nashville or had any connection to the city other than calling the nonprofit's office to make the report.
For more information about resources or training, click here.
Do you have more information about this story? You can email me at Patsy.Montesinos@Newschannel5.com
In this job, we have the opportunity to meet truly remarkable people. The Sullivan family has faced incredibly tough times, but time and time again, turn their grieving into giving. What an honor to tell their story.
- Carrie Sharp
