Virginia Giuffre
Virginia Giuffre | |
|---|---|
| Born | Virginia Louise Roberts August 9, 1983 Sacramento, California, U.S. |
| Died | April 25, 2025 (aged 41) Neergabby, Western Australia, Australia |
| Cause of death | Suicide |
| Citizenship |
|
| Organization(s) | Speak Out, Act, Reclaim (SOAR), formerly known as Victims Refuse SilenceTemplate:Force singular |
| Known for | Advocate of justice for sex trafficking survivors |
| Spouse |
Robert Giuffre
(m. 2002; sep. 2025) |
| Children | 3 |
| Website | speakoutactreclaim |
Virginia Louise Giuffre (née Roberts; August 9, 1983 – April 25, 2025) was an American-Australian advocate of justice for victims of sex trafficking. [1] She was one of the known victims of a sex trafficking operation by convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. In 2015, she founded the nonprofit organization Victims Refuse Silence. [2]
Early life
[change | change source]Virginia Giuffre was born Virginia Louise Roberts in on August 9, 1983 in Sacramento, California. When she was four years old, her family relocated to Loxahatchee in Palm Beach County, Florida.
She reportedly came from a "troubled home". Giuffre told the Miami Herald that she went from being in "an abusive situation, to being a runaway, to living in foster homes." She lived on the streets at age 13 before getting abused by a 65-year-old sex trafficker, Ron Eppinger, in Miami. [3]
Giuffre lived with Eppinger for approximately 6 months. He was raided by the FBI and later said guilty to charges of alien smuggling for prostitution, interstate travel for prostitution, and money laundering.
Lawsuits and trials
[change | change source]- In May 2009 the courts got a civil lawsuit from Giuffre - against Jeffrey Epstein; [4][5] The case was settled for $500,000 (equivalent to $632,000 in 2021); This sum became known to the general public in January 2022.[6]
- In September 2015, the courts got a civil lawsuit from Giuffre - against Ghislaine Maxwell;[7] The case was settled under seal in June 2017 with Maxwell reportedly paying Giuffre "millions".[7][8]
- In 2021, the lower courts of the federal court system of the United States got a lawsuit - Virginia Giuffre v. Prince Andrew. The civil lawsuit (see civil law), says that Andrew had sex in 2001[9] with Virginia Giuffre when she was 17 years old;[10] Prince Andrew "has strongly denied any wrongdoing", media said.[11] The lawsuit is going on (as of 2022's first quarter).
Health issues and death
[change | change source]On March 31, 2025, in an Instagram post, Giuffre said that her car crashed with a bus traveling at 70 mph (110 km/h), resulting in her going into renal failure. Giuffre said she had been given four days to live.[12][13] Almost a month later on April 25, Giuffre died by suicide at her home in Neergabby, Western Australia.[14][15] At the time of her death, she was divorcing her husband Robert Giuffre and demanding custody of her three children.[16]
References
[change | change source]- ↑ "What do we know about the woman at the centre of the Prince Andrew sex allegations?". The Independent. 2015-01-05. Retrieved 2020-07-14.
- ↑ "Subscribe to The Australian | Newspaper home delivery, website, iPad, iPhone & Android apps". www.theaustralian.com.au. Retrieved 2020-07-14.
- ↑ "Perversion of Justice: Even from jail, sex abuser manipulated the system. His victims were kept in the dark". The Seattle Times. 2018-12-04. Retrieved 2020-07-14.
- ↑ Bruck, Connie. "Alan Dershowitz, Devil's Advocate". The New Yorker. Retrieved January 31, 2020.
- ↑ Folkenflik, David (August 22, 2019). "A Dead Cat, A Lawyer's Call And A 5-Figure Donation: How Media Fell Short On Epstein". www.kunc.org. Retrieved January 25, 2020.
- ↑ Jacobson, Don (3 January 2022). "Document: Prince Andrew accuser settled suit against Epstein for $500K". UPI. Retrieved 4 January 2022.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Brown, Julie K. (November 28, 2018). "For years, Jeffrey Epstein abused teen girls, police say. A timeline of his case". Miami Herald. Retrieved January 26, 2020.
- ↑ Brown, Julie K. (March 1, 2019). "Alan Dershowitz suggests curbing press access to hearing on Jeffrey Epstein sex abuse". Miami Herald. Retrieved March 1, 2019.
- ↑ Taylor, Sammi (November 10, 2019). "'I was trafficked to billionaires, politicians, even royalty'". www.9news.com.au. Retrieved February 2, 2020.
- ↑ "Dommer avviser ikke søksmålet mot prins Andrew". 12 January 2022.
- ↑ https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-59987935. Retrieved 13 January 2022
- ↑ "Virginia Giuffre, Jeffrey Epstein accuser, in serious condition after accident with school bus, family says - CBS News". www.cbsnews.com. CBS. 1 April 2025. Retrieved 26 April 2025.
- ↑ Rawnsley, Jessica (April 1, 2025). "Virginia Giuffre grateful for 'love and support' after car crash". BBC News. Retrieved April 2, 2025.
- ↑ Roberts, Sam (2025-04-26). "Virginia Giuffre, Voice in Epstein Sex Trafficking Scandal, Dies at 41". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2025-04-26.
- ↑ Fitzpatrick, Sarah; Schapiro, Rich (April 25, 2025). "Virginia Giuffre, one of Jeffrey Epstein's most prominent abuse survivors, dies by suicide". NBC News. Retrieved April 25, 2025.
- ↑ Hurley, Bevan (2025-04-26). "Virginia Giuffre, Epstein and Prince Andrew accuser, takes her own life". The Times. Retrieved 2025-04-26.
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