Epstein survivor speaks publicly for the first time: ‘He was very manipulative; it was like a cult'

Julia Molchanova, after years of abuse, made her way out of the Epstein snare in 2019, the same year he was arrested in NYC and found dead weeks later.

Updated on: Sep 6, 2026, 16:56:14 IST

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Julia Molchanova, a survivor of convicted sexual predator Jeffrey Epstein, has spoken up publicly for the first time about the "manipulation, ensnarement, and control" abuse she suffered through.

From setting up accounts and an alleged design company in her name as a facade, to using them for his own benefits and sexual abuse purposes, Epstein reportedly used Molchanova on several occasions.

Molchanova, speaking to The Wall Street Journal, revealed that she was also the lead 'Jane Doe' plaintiff in a class-action lawsuit against Bank of America, a case also linked to Epstein.

She said she opened a credit-monitoring app on her phone in early 2019, and noticed credit cards and spending she didn't recognise.

When Molchanova met Epstein

Jeffrey Epstein's sexual exploitation didn't end when he was convicted in 2008 in Florida. Instead, his capades continued till his second arrest in 2019, many of his known associates reportedly believe.

During the 2008-2019 period, Epstein lured several women, mostly from Russia and Europe, on the pretext of jobs and other opportunities, WSJ reported.

He targeted women who were above the age of 18, like Molchanova, but looked like teenagers.

Molchanova was 22 when she first met Epstein in December 2011 during a trip to New York. At the time, she was living in Russia and wasn't very fluent in English.

On a New York street one day, near Barneys on Madison Avenue, Epstein spotted her and told her something about her blue eyes, then directed her towards one of his nearby townhouses.

Molchanova said that there were several people inside the townhouse, and one of them was a young Russian woman who translated the conversation between the two. Epstein had reportedly invited her to breakfast the next morning, during which he asked her several questions about her dream and what she wanted to do.

As Molchanova told Epstein she was interested in fashion design, he offered to help her get into the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) in New York City.

"That was the hook," she told WSJ.

Epstein even paid for the sewing classes she took back in Russia while preparing for an FIT programme.

Epstein sexually abused Molchanova for the first time in January 2012 when he called her back to New York to show her FIT. He had put her up in an apartment he owned, where he reportedly kept several of his victims.

Molchanova expressed discomfort to Epstein, to which he said that sexual frankness was a part of American culture and that she'd have to adjust to it.

What really made her get trapped was a trip to Paris, she said. Molchanova had gone to Paris with her boyfriend the next month. An argument broke out between the two, and it turned abusive. She said she was scared at the moment and texted Epstein, who reportedly happened to be in Paris as well.

She said he helped her escape from her boyfriend and arranged for her to return to Russia.

Molchanova's move to NYC and the deepening Epstein 'cult'

Eventually, Julia Molchanova moved to New York and began following Epstein's advice in hopes of making a career in fashion design. However, nothing came out of her FIT graduation.

Epstein reportedly even registered an LLC in her name, posing it as a design company for Molchanova. However, she said, he used it to his own benefit.

"He was a very manipulative man," she said. "It was an illusion that you had something. In reality, I had nothing, and it was only beneficial for him," she added.

Since her design career didn't take off, Epstein eventually wanted her to become an "assistant." She said his advice turned into rules, and he wanted her to act happy and be friendly to everyone.

She described being in Epstein's surroundings as a cult experience. Molchanova said, "It was like a cult." She and other Epstein victims have said that besides coercing women into sex acts with him on a regular basis, he also expected them to bring him other women.

But Molchanova chose not to bring anyone, which, according to her, further fueled his anger toward her. On some occasions, he even reportedly sent her to stay in a room in his home to be in isolation for several days.

Epstein went so far as to keep tabs on Molchanova's spending and sometimes gave her less than $3,000 per month. The amount fluctuated, she said.

Additionally, the convicted sex predator even controlled what Molchanova wore, how long her hair was, which doctors she visited and whom she spent time with.

Business formed, but as a front

In 2014, Jeffrey Epstein's lawyer, Darren Indyke, reportedly helped register a company in Molchanova's name, calling it JSC Interiors.

Epstein presented it as a way to help her launch a design business. However, aside from running a few errands, Molchanova didn't have much to do for the company. Instead, Epstein reportedly used a company-linked account to move money and conduct transactions behind her back.

"I still have so many questions about what that company was, because no one ever explained it to me, and I wasn’t allowed to ask questions. It made me super scared because I couldn’t understand what I was responsible for," Molchanova told WSJ.

Facade beyond Bank of America

The class-action suit against Bank of America, in which Molchanova was the main plaintiff under 'Jane Doe', said that Epstein abused Jane Doe for several years and held accounts at the bank to facilitate his sex trafficking. The suit also accused the bank of ignoring suspicious transactions.

Julia Molchanova said the legal process was gruelling, as she had to share her private medical history.

However, she said she feels good knowing that it may have helped several other victims.

Recently, a federal judge approved a $72.5 million settlement with Bank of America, which will be distributed to the dozens of Epstein victims.

The case "brought actual justice, although partial," for the women, the judge said.

Bank of America, in its statement, maintained that it didn't facilitate sex trafficking crimes and "this resolution allows us to put this matter behind us and provides further closure for the plaintiffs."

Molchanova said Epstein's activities went beyond Bank of America. This includes the discovery she made in the credit monitoring app and a nearly $40,000 furniture order that she recently learned about through the Justice Department files.

Fear of trap, then an escape

All those years with Epstein took a serious toll on Molchanova's body and mind, she said.

Epstein smart-shamed her, bodyshamed her and disregarded her concerns for her mental health.

Her mental state further deteriorated when a tabloid published photos of her with Epstein in 2016. She said, “I remember thinking that I’m trapped forever, and my life is over.”

Finally, in 2019, Molchanova opened up to her friend about everything that had happened with Epstein. Her friend gave her a road map for getting out.

In March that year, she confronted Epstein's bookkeeper about the credit cards, saying she didn't recognise them on her credit report.

In response, she was told that the report showed the balance of Epstein's entire American Express account and that the bookkeeper would have Molchanova removed from it.

She then told Epstein's accountant that she wanted to be removed from JSC Interiors and also wanted to see her tax returns. He told her that, since she was uncomfortable, she could hire another accountant to handle her returns, and that he would provide her with the paperwork to sign to exit the company.

At the same time, she confronted Epstein via email. “I feel uncomfortable to discuss future," she told him in an email dated April 4, 2019. She further told him that she didn't know anything about an entity he set up in her name and that she wanted to "have my normal life," WSJ reported.

Epstein tried to coax her and invited her to Palm Beach to talk, but she didn't go. Molchanova said she feared at the moment that if she went there, somebody would find her at the bottom of his pool.

Epstein's longtime assistant, Lesley Groff, had also reportedly tried to get her to call Epstein. But she never answered or went back to him.

In July 2019, Epstein was arrested, and a few weeks later, he was found dead in his cell at the Metropolitan Correctional Centre in New York City.

Today, a 37-year-old Julia Molchanova has started a fashion brand and plans to advocate for crime victims, "I'm going forward to prove that women have a voice and the ability to rebuild themselves, move forward and do good things in life."

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