Lesley Groff testifies before US House Oversight Committee, says she never recognized underage victims

Lesley Groff, who served as Jeffrey Epstein’s executive assistant from 2001 until his 2019 arrest, appeared voluntarily for a closed‑door interview with the House Oversight Committee on June 9. Over an eight‑hour session she denied ever knowingly enabling Epstein’s alleged crimes and asserted that “nobody ever sounded like they were underage.”

Groff explained that she routinely arranged massage appointments for Epstein and his guests, describing the calls as brief and the massages as a “normal part of his day.” She said she had no knowledge of the masseuses’ ages and that no one ever told her they were minors. The committee questioned how she could have been unaware after 18 years of service, referencing a 2008 plea deal in which Epstein admitted to soliciting a minor. Groff told lawmakers that Epstein later misled her about the circumstances of his arrest, claiming he had been blackmailed.

The interview, not under oath, marks Groff’s first direct questioning by Congress since she spoke to the FBI in 2021. She has never been charged in connection with the case.