Two women who claimed they were sexually abused as children by multimillionaire Jeffrey Epstein spoke out following his arrest in New Jersey on sex trafficking charges.
Speaking with ABC News and “Good Morning America,” Courtney Wild and Michelle Licata said they were 14 and 16 when Epstein, now 66, forced them to perform sex acts at his Palm Beach, Florida, mansion.
“Like, I remember standing in his kitchen… and he also had a lot of girls there all the time,” Wild recounted, saying that she had braces at the time.
Claiming that she was paid to give Epstein a massage, Licata claimed he told her, “He said, god, you’re just so beautiful and sexy and gorgeous and it was making me feel really uncomfortable.”
Wild and Licata testified against Epstein during his initial 2008 trial in Florida. Epstein ultimately agreed to plead guilty to soliciting and procuring a person under age 18 for prostitution. He served 13 months of an 18-month sentence in a secluded area of a county jail.
While federal authorities located more than three dozen girls that Epstein possibly victimized, they secretly made a non-prosecution deal with the businessman, which spared him from a lengthy federal prison sentence, according to ABC News.
The news outlet reported that earlier this year, a federal judge found that the once-covert agreement violated the rights of Epstein’s victims.
“I’m so relieved to know that he’s behind bars,” Licata told ABC News in light of Epstein’s arrest Saturday. “That’s exactly where he needs to be.”
Wild, who is reportedly listed as “Jane Doe 1” in an ongoing lawsuit accusing the Department of Justice of violating the Crimes Victims’ Rights Act, said she’s “overwhelmed” by the news of Epstein’s arrest.
Both women said they plan to be present for Epstein’s bail hearing in New York on Monday.
“Finally!” Wild told ABC. “Knowing he’s off the streets and so many girls who would be in danger are now safe makes me so happy.”
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[Featured image: Jeffrey Epstein/Police Handout]
