Jeffrey Epstein Was Reportedly Allowed Out of Jail for a 'Fake Office' — Victims Say He Used It To Abuse Women

Jeffrey Epstein was allegedly allowed to leave jail daily during his 2008 prison sentence to work from what victims and newly examined records describe as a sham office in Palm Beach, Florida, where several women say they were sexually abused.

The allegations have resurfaced following newly published documents and congressional testimony for the late convicted sex offender's work release arrangement.

Epstein pleaded guilty in Florida in June 2008 to state charges of solicitation of prostitution and solicitation of a minor, receiving an 18-month sentence under a plea agreement that attracted widespread criticism.

He was later granted access to a work release programme that allowed him to spend much of each day outside prison. The latest reporting, based on documents presented to Congress, has raised fresh questions about whether that privilege enabled him to continue offending while serving his sentence.

Jeffrey Epstein's 'Fake Office' Lets Him Go Out of Jail

The 'fake office' in question was allegedly the Florida Science Foundation, a non-profit organisation Epstein told a local court he had worked for for many years. Records cited in the report, however, indicate the organisation was incorporated only in November 2007, months before his imprisonment began.

The foundation occupied a suite on the 14th floor of an office building in Palm Beach. According to testimony given to Congress in May by a woman identified as Roza, she was recruited to work there after arriving in the United States from Uzbekistan in 2008.

Roza told lawmakers that she met Epstein while he was supposed to be in custody and later accepted work answering telephones at the office. During her testimony, she alleged that Epstein sexually assaulted her there before subjecting her to years of abuse.

Her account is one of several allegations linking the office to misconduct during Epstein's incarceration. Court filings and FBI interview summaries referenced in the report describe other women alleging that the suite functioned as a location where Epstein continued exploiting victims despite wearing an ankle monitor and being subject to work release restrictions.

Epstein's Eye-Raising Work Release Programme

Internal correspondence suggests prosecutors questioned the legitimacy of the Florida Science Foundation before Epstein was approved for work release.

An assistant state attorney reportedly warned in July 2008 that the organisation had been incorporated only months earlier, contradicting statements made in court. The same communication also noted that investigators could find little evidence that the foundation operated as a genuine business.

Despite those concerns, Epstein was approved for work release in October 2008. Documents reviewed by the newspaper indicate he was permitted to leave jail for around 12 hours a day, and sometimes longer, while claiming to conduct foundation business.

Emails between federal officials reportedly reveal surprise after learning of the arrangement weeks after it began. One official questioned how Epstein had obtained work release, while another described the foundation as existing solely to provide him somewhere to spend his days outside custody.

Victims' representatives argue the arrangement effectively undermined the purpose of his prison sentence. Gloria Allred, who has represented more than two dozen Epstein survivors, told sources that the office appeared to function not as a legitimate workplace but as what she described as 'a play house for a predator.' She called for a fresh congressional investigation into how the arrangement was approved.

The report also states that official records show Epstein paid approximately $128,000 (£97,000) for sheriff's deputies to escort him between jail and the office and provide security during his work release.

The Palm Beach Sheriff's Office said a 2021 investigation by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement found no inappropriate or criminal conduct by its personnel in connection with Epstein's work release. A spokesperson added that the sheriff later discontinued the work release programme after a separate review concluded it offered no benefit to the agency.

Former Epstein assistant Sarah Kellen, who has denied witnessing abuse and has said she was herself a victim, told Congress she believed the Florida Science Foundation had been established so Epstein would have somewhere to go during work release. She also suggested there may have been additional undisclosed arrangements connected to his treatment while incarcerated.

Although the latest documents and testimony have revived long-standing criticism of Epstein's unusually lenient prison conditions, no new criminal charges have been filed in relation to the Florida Science Foundation.