POWERHOUSE civil rights attorney Lisa Bloom has dealt with cases against her fair share of predators in her time.
But few make her stomach churn as much as Jeffrey Epstein.
GettyLisa Bloom represents 11 of Epstein’s victims[/caption]
Epstein, pictured in 2019, died in jail while awaiting trial3
PAPrince Andrew pictured with Virginia Giuffre and Ghislaine Maxwell[/caption]
For decades, Ms Bloom has built a formidable reputation championing female underdogs against wealthy alpha males.
She has helped many victims of sexual harassment and assault win justice, and along with it large sums of compensation.
Among her conquests are suing Bill Cosby, seeing TV anchorman Bill O’Reilly fired from Fox News and representing actress Mischa Barton in a revenge porn case.
When she first got a phone call from one of Epstein’s victims, however, Ms Bloom had no idea of the depths of depravity she was dealing with.
“Jeffrey Epstein is one of the most prolific predators I think we have ever seen,” Ms Bloom told The Sun.
“It really does shock the conscience. It’s really very deeply disturbing.”
Epstein died in jail in 2019 while awaiting trial – but Ms Bloom believes there are other “vile, rich men” who have escaped prosecution over their dealings with him.
She also shared her message to Epstein’s long-time friend Prince Andrew, who has failed to share with authorities what he knows about the disgraced financier’s behaviour.
Ms Bloom represents 11 of Epstein’s victims, who all bravely made contact after his second arrest.
She said: “I realised that they felt safer once he was arrested and incarcerated and facing criminal charges.
“That’s when victims who had had a secret for a very long time started contacting me.
“We reviewed the cases like we would any case – we have a pretty elaborate vetting process and ended up accepting 11 cases.”
Warped Epstein was arrested in July 2019 and charged with sex trafficking of minors and conspiracy to commit sex trafficking of minors.
In the meantime, Ms Bloom and her small team were building up a civil case against him.
She said: “We began a very labour-intensive process of gathering evidence, going out and trying to find witnesses, trying to get people to talk to us.
“And also doing all of the legal research to evaluate their claims. We need to know when and where things happen.”
Jeffrey Epstein is one of the most prolific predators I think we have ever seen
Lisa Bloom
But while awaiting trial, the cowardly billionaire was found dead in his cell at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in New York.
“That was a huge shock to my clients,” Ms Bloom said.
“They had a lot of different feelings about it. Some of them felt like frankly, good, I don’t have to be afraid of him anymore. They were all very much afraid of him.
“Others felt disappointed that the prison system had not kept a closer eye on him so that he could face justice, and now they’re deprived of that opportunity.”
60 MINTUES/CBSInside the cell where Epstein was found dead in 2019[/caption]
Epstein with his arm around accomplice Ghislaine MaxwellPA
Despite Epstein’s death, Ms Bloom was able to proceed with her client’s cases against his estate – then worth around $500million.
Attorneys for the estate set up a compensation fund for his victims, which paid out around a total of $121million to 150 people – including Ms Bloom’s clients.
The esteemed attorney then managed to fight on her clients’ behalf against JPMorgan after it came to light the banking giant ignored internal warnings about Epstein because he was a valuable customer.
He was their client from 1998 to 2013 – with the bank keeping him on even after he was arrested in 2006 on prostitution charges and pleaded guilty two years later.
I could never have imagined that this birthday book exists, but there it is – so what else is out there? What else is in the files?
Lisa Bloom
JPMorgan, while not admitting wrongdoing, agreed a $290million settlement with Epstein’s victims who were outraged that the bank had turned a blind eye to his sex trafficking.
Ms Bloom said: “JPMorgan covered up a lot of the payments Epstein was making in connection with the sex trafficking.
“I was very pleased to see that even a giant bank in America can be held accountable if there’s evidence that they were complicit.”
But while there have been victories, Ms Bloom believes others who should be held accountable may have escaped being held to justice.
She insisted revelations still hitting headlines such as a so-called birthday book is “hard, cold proof there was a disgusting, vile group of rich men who thought that preying on young girls was a perk of the elite”.
Concealed documents on Epstein have been released in dribs and drabs since his death, with each bringing a fresh round of shock.
Earlier this month, the US House Oversight Committee released a tranche of files, including a book given to Epstein for his 50th birthday, an address book and his will.
The 238-page scrapbook was a grotesque mash-up of alleged tributes, bizarre notes and deeply creepy photos.
A drawing from inside the book made for Epstein’s 50th birthday in 2003
House Oversight CommitteeThe back of the birthday book features a collage of photos — most faces and bodies heavily blacked out in the released version[/caption]
Ms Bloom said: “It is so appalling to read when I know the stories of these girls, and how Epstein preying on them had such a profound impact on their lives.
“[When it comes to] the birthday book, if you ever really needed any proof, there it is.”
Hundreds of women have come forward against Epstein, with endless damning evidence stacking up against him as the years go on.
But Ms Bloom fears it is just a drop in the ocean of the scale of Epstein’s twisted empire, with many victims still to afraid to speak.
We want to know what’s there, because we really care about justice and accountability
Lisa Bloom
She said: “Hundreds of women have come forward, and to me that’s probably one in ten come forward.
“So if hundreds have come forward, we’re probably talking thousands of victims.
“There have been testimonies in some of the cases that there were as many as three girls a day that he was abusing at some period.
“He had Ghislaine Maxwell at the top of pyramid, then a number of recruiters, young women, many of whom were also his victims.
“And then at the bottom of the pyramid were all these girls and women he was abusing – it was really kind of an elaborate criminal enterprise.
“Do I think this is just a drop in the ocean? Yes, because this was such a vast conspiracy.
“I mean, I could never have imagined that this birthday book exists, but there it is – so what else is out there? What else is in the files? They should be released, with the victim’s names redacted.”
Among the high-profile names linked to Epstein is Prince Andrew, who has repeatedly and vehemently denied he knew of his friend’s criminal actions.
The Duke of York has repeatedly ignored calls to tell US authorities what he knows about Epstein.
He was sued by Virginia Giuffre – who was found dead aged 41 in April – in 2021, claiming she was forced to have sex with the Duke on three occasions when she was a teen.
Andrew has always strongly denied accusations.
But previously appeared to commit to working with law enforcement during his car-crash Newsnight interview in 2019.
It is hoped he could unknowingly hold information that could lead investigators to the “last piece of the jigsaw” to expose the full extent of Epstein’s twisted “sexual pyramid scheme“.
More than 2,000 days have passed since Andrew’s pledge to speak to authorities, and he maintains he knew nothing of Epstein‘s sex trafficking.
Ms Bloom blasted Andrew’s continued silence and said: “Shame on him.”
Jae DonnellyAndrew and Epstein pictured in New York’s Central Park in 2010[/caption]
Maxwell and Epstein on his private jetAFP
She added: “Prince Andrew should be ashamed of himself. He should apologise to the victims.
“He should do what he said he would do years ago, which is cooperate with the authorities, give them whatever information he has about Epstein.
“The fact that he does not do that suggests he has something to hide.
“And the fact that he continues to not do that shows he’s probably going to hide that for the rest of his life.”
Ms Bloom also took aim at Maxwell – who is serving a 20-year prison sentence for her role in Epstein’s vile scheme – for her “stomach-churning” bid to be pardoned.
She added: “She is the reason why Epstein was able to abuse so many girls and women.
“I attended her criminal trial on behalf of some of my clients who also had claims against her. People who don’t attend a trial don’t realise how brutal some of the details are.
“And maybe they have sympathy for her because she is a woman, but they should not. Women who engage in sexual abuse should be behind bars just like men.
“The fact that she’s already been transferred to a minimum security prison that’s much more comfortable is disgusting. She should not be getting any favours.”
With Epstein dead, Maxwell in jail and other potential suspects laying low, Ms Bloom vowed to continue to fighting for the rest of the files held by US authorities on Epstein to be released.
“We are pressing forward with working with other victims now to create our own client list,” she said.
“We will continue to speak out, to advocate that the complete Epstein files get released, just minus the names of the victims and any identifying information about them.
“We want to know what’s there, because we really care about justice and accountability.”