Brazilian Marina Lacerda, one of the women accusing Jeffrey Epstein of sexual abuse, began sleeping with a gun next to her bed after suffering threats and harassment since she decided to make her story public.
According to a Reuters report published this Monday (8), Lacerda claims to live in a constant state of alert and fears that someone will break into his home. Today, she lives with her 12-year-old daughter in a gated community in the United States.
“I’m scared of someone coming into my house. I’m paranoid all the time,” she told the outlet.
The threats began shortly after she appeared, in September last year, at a press conference calling for the release of documents linked to the Epstein case. In comments posted online, strangers wrote that she would be murdered and that she should have remained silent.
The situation worsened months later, when Lacerda’s name appeared dozens of times in documents from the United States Department of Justice released without due secrecy. On social media, she started to be called a liar and a prostitute. His daughter was also the target of teasing at school, where classmates even asked if she was Epstein’s daughter.
To make it difficult for strangers to find out where she lives, the Brazilian woman changed the name registered on real estate documents. Still, he says he does not regret having denounced the businessman.
“I love breaking the silence. What came after that is pure paranoia,” he said.
Lacerda’s case is not isolated. Reuters identified at least 23 women who report having suffered threats, harassment or intimidation after reporting Epstein or having their identities exposed in official documents.
One of them is Danielle Bensky, now 39 years old. The American claims that she began receiving violent threats after her personal information appeared unmarked in files released by the Department of Justice. In a message sent on social media, a man wrote that he would rape her to death. According to Reuters, the profile displayed photos of him holding a rifle.
Another accuser, Maria Farmer, reported that she had to move house after strangers published her address on the internet. She told the agency that she considered suicide in the face of constant threats and harassment suffered since making the accusations against Epstein public.
Lacerda was identified as “Minor Victim 1” in the federal sex trafficking indictment filed against Epstein in 2019. She claims she was 14 years old when she was abused by the financier in 2002.
According to Reuters, many of the women began to live under permanent surveillance. Some installed security cameras, hired armed protection or started carrying guns, knives, tasers and pepper spray to protect themselves.
Epstein died in a New York prison in 2019 while awaiting trial on federal charges of sex trafficking of minors. The death was officially ruled a suicide. His ex-partner, Ghislaine Maxwell, was convicted in 2021 and is serving a 20-year prison sentence.