According to a New York Times report, a California model has accused currently incarcerated millionaire Jeffrey Epstein of pretending to be a talent scout for fashion retailer Victoria's Secret in order to grope her in a hotel room.
Epstein is currently in a New York City jail on charges of sex trafficking, and recently claimed he was assaulted leading him to be put under on suicide watch as he awaits his trial.
In an interview with the Times, Alicia Arden claimed that the attack happened in 1997 when she was 27.
“His weapons were his hands,” she said of the multi-millionaire who was a close adviser to the company’s chief executive, Leslie H. Wexner.
According to Arden, said that she was introduced to a man who identified himself as a talent scout for Victoria’s Secret, who promptly invited her to his Santa Monica hotel room to audition for a spot the company's catalog. She recalled that the man -- who she identified as Epstein -- "grabbed her, tried to undress her and said he wanted to 'manhandle' her."
The report notes that two executives were notified that Epstein was posing as a scout for the lingerie and clothing brand when speaking to young women and promptly alerted CEO Wexner who reportedly told Epstein to stop -- but maintained his financial relationship with now-accused sex trafficker for years after.
Asked about the incident, a spokesperson for L Brands, home to both Victoria's Secret and Bath & Body Works, stated: "While Mr. Epstein served as Mr. Wexner’s personal money manager for a period that ended nearly 12 years ago, we do not believe he was ever employed by nor served as an authorized representative of the company.”
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