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"Without having legitimate connections to so
many high-powered people, Jeffrey Epstein
would not have been able to traffic most ot these
women after 2008," said lawyer Brad Edwards.
Vong with his law-firm partner, Brittany Hen-
derson, he represents the Polish model and more
than 150 of Epstein's accusers. "These are smart
women who would not have believed him other-
1Ni SP."
Under tederai law, sex trafficking ot adults
involves the use of force, fraud or coercion to
compel sex acts in exchange for money or favors.
The law doesn't require movement across a bor-
der, and the coercion can be psychological. When
the victims are minors, the law doesn't require
proof of fraud or coercion.
Edwards's clients have sued Epstein's estate and
financial institutions that provided banking ser-
vices to him. Edwards said that most of the
women were sexually abused and exploited by
Epstein himself, but that he also groomed some
for certain of his friends. He said a total of more
than 20 men have been named as participants in
sexual exploitation or abuse by women who were
trafficked by Epstein. He declined to name the
men, citing client confidentiality.
Epstein often instructed women to report back
their encounters with other men, Edwards said.
"He would make the women describe the details
of the abuse, alailiftlada , it would get
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