In early 2019, Julia Molchanova discovered several credit cards and purchases linked to her name that she had never authorized. This alarming revelation came to light while she was using a credit-monitoring app. Despite the accounts being registered under her name, Molchanova confirmed she had no knowledge of their existence or any transactions associated with them.
She explained that if someone came to the house, Epstein used to introduce her as his assistant rather than reveal that she was being abused. Epstein approached her on the street and appeared kind, so she did not immediately feel that anything was wrong. They exchanged phone numbers.
On April 4, 2019, Molchanova sent Epstein a message. Molchanova first met Epstein when she was 22 and visiting New York from Russia.
She has spoken publicly for the first time about her years around Jeffrey Epstein, describing how she says he controlled the young women who worked for him and used the term “assistant” to hide his abuse. In an interview with The Wall Street Journal , Molchanova said the word “assistant” did not describe what was actually happening inside Epstein’s homes. “This is a legal cover-up and has nothing to do with reality,” she said. She told him she wanted to have a “normal life”. She also said she did not know about an entity he had created in her name. “I feel uncomfortable to discuss future,” she wrote. She said she did not speak English at the time.
Molchanova said she never introduced anyone to him and that she was punished for refusing to do so. The next day, he invited her to breakfast and asked about her life and interests. After breakfast, Molchanova returned to her hometown in Russia. Epstein later invited her back to New York, saying his secretary would arrange a visit to FIT so she could learn about its programmes. Molchanova later met Epstein again in Paris while she was with her boyfriend. After the couple had an argument in a store, she left, sat elsewhere and contacted Epstein, who offered to arrange a ticket for her to return to Russia through someone in Paris. She mentioned that refusing to do so could lead to him screaming at them. She also recalled spending two or three days on an island under his control.
Because she feared doing so could cost her life, she said she never thought about contacting the authorities. On one occasion, she said she was kept there for about 24 hours.
Molchanova said he learned that she was in an abusive relationship and was interested in design and fashion. Epstein then told her that he had contacts in the fashion industry and could help her get into the Fashion Institute of Technology, or FIT, in New York. “He then moved me to an apartment in New York where other women were also staying,” she revealed and said the abuse began around this period. “You’re just confused and you’re lost at that time and realisation comes later and not in the specific moment,” she told the newspaper. She described Epstein as highly manipulative and said he knew how to gain control over people before becoming violent. Molchanova said the control extended to almost every part of her life. She said Epstein gave women credit cards but required them to explain their spending and keep photographs of every receipt. He also provided phones and laptops that were connected to his accounts, she said. He told women what clothes to wear and how to style their hair, and even controlled their weight. The women were also expected to send Epstein messages thanking him for things such as “Thank you for the broadway show”, Molchanova said. At times, she said, women were ordered to stay inside a room and not leave. Molchanova said Epstein isolated the women from their friends and families and made sure they did not speak about the abuse. She also said Epstein encouraged people around him to bring him new girls. Molchanova said she was often depressed during this period. When she once asked Epstein if she could see a therapist, she said he refused. She said Epstein’s influence made it difficult for her to consider seeking help from authorities. “He was a powerful man,” she said, adding that he had connections with politicians and other influential people.
