This Hollywood Actress Said Jeffrey Epstein Sexually Assaulted Her in the 90s: "Let Me Manhandle You"

Trigger Warning: This article contains themes of sexual abuse that some readers may find distressing.

Jeffrey Epstein was taken into custody on charges of sexual offenses, including abuse of minors. He allegedly committed suicide in August 2019 while incarcerated, pending trial. His supposed partner, British heiress, Ghislaine Maxwell, was also arrested in 2020. The charges against her include perjury, transportation of a minor to engage in illicit sex acts, and conspiracy to induce minors to engage in criminal sex acts.

Soon after Maxwell's arrest former actress and model, Alicia Arden, alleged that she was 'manhandled' by Epstein in the 1990s. Arden held a press conference and revealed that she met Epstein in 1997, in California. As per Rolling Stone, he introduced himself as a Victoria's Secret model scout and asked Arden to come to his room at the Shutters Hotel, in Santa Monica, for a private audition. When she arrived, Epstein allegedly “groped her buttocks against her will” and “told her to undress…while saying, ‘Let me manhandle you for a second." “His weapons were his hands,” Arden told The New York Times, recalling the harrowing experience.

As per People, the then 28-year-old model entered the hotel room with her portfolio when Epstein jerked her skirt down and took off her top. "I started to feel scared and I began to cry," she recalled. The model reported that she hastily changed into her clothes and made her way out the door when Epstein was preoccupied with a phone call. She claimed that he later offered her $100. "I told him, 'Jeffrey, I'm not a prostitute...I want to be in the Victoria's Secret catalog,'" to which he allegedly replied, "Let me see what I can do." "I felt violated and mistreated...He took advantage of me," she stated.

As per APNews, Arden filed a police complaint at the Santa Monica Police Department but was disappointed with their inaction. “I’m very distraught about what’s going on, now that I hear about these teenage girls,” she said, opining that it “could have been stopped.” Her lawyer, Gloria Allred, who organized the press conference asserted that "Alicia deserves answers."

As per Daily Mail, Allred stated that letters had been sent to Santa Monica Police Chief, Cynthia Renaud, and Los Angeles District Attorney, Jackie Lacey, inquiring whether local law enforcement had investigated Arden's accusations. "We'd like to know, first, what happened. Was there an investigation? Was there not an investigation," Allred said. "I don't think Alicia should have to live with the unanswered question...Why was it disregarded? Did they interview Mr. Epstein? Did he decline to be interviewed? Did they take his words against hers? Or did they not do anything?"

Leslie Wexner, the CEO of L Brands, which owns Victoria's Secret and other apparel businesses including the Limited, was close friends with Epstein. After learning that the convict had been posing as a Victoria's Secret modeling scout to pursue young ladies, two executives informed Wexner. They stated that although Wexner had pledged to talk to Epstein, it was not apparent what steps, if any, he had taken against his friend. Not until 2006, following the sex offender's indictment on several charges of child sex abuse and molestation, did Wexner formally sever their relationship. Wexner refused to talk about the issue, but according to an internal memo distributed to L Brands staff, he was "never aware of the illegal activity charged in the indictment.” 

SEXUAL ASSAULT: If you are being subjected to sexual assault or know of anyone who is, please call the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 800.656.HOPE (4673).