Epstein survivor on new files: “It didn’t stop with Epstein’s death”

taz: Ms. Phillips, you were abused by Jeffrey Epstein for years, but you do not describe yourself as a victim, but as a survivor. How come?

Lisa Phillips: After the abuse, I no longer wanted to live with the victim mentality because that would leave me powerless. As a survivor, I can say: I accept that I have been a victim, but I am now starting to fight back. Most survivors want to go through this process so they can regain control.

taz: How long did the process take for you?

Phillips: Long time. I felt alone and had no support from family or partner. Nobody asked: Can I help you? Rather, I felt underlying accusations that I was to blame for what happened to me. That changed when I came into contact with other Epstein survivors. That’s when I knew: You’re not judging me, we can talk on a deeper level because we share the same experiences.

taz: You were 21 years old when you first met Jeffrey Epstein. How did this come about?

Phillips: I had just moved from Europe to New York to become a model. That was my big dream. Back then I was allowed to do a cover shoot in the British Virgin Islands for a British magazine. There was also a Polish model with whom I got along well. She invited me to visit a friend on an island who had helped her a lot. His name is Jeffrey Epstein.

taz: Did you know who Epstein was back then?

Phillips: No, I had never heard his name before. I trusted her and went to the island with her. We had a lovely day, swimming in the sea and in the pool. I just found it strange that there were also a lot of underage girls on the island. One of them was making out with a much older guy in the pool. That unsettled me. I was then seated next to Epstein at dinner. He was very charming and asked me a lot of questions.

taz: Do you remember what questions those were?

Phillips: He talked to me about my goals in life. Wanted to know everything about my childhood and my relationship with my parents. Asked how often I talk to my dad on the phone. I had a great childhood, but I didn’t have a particularly emotional relationship with my parents. That gap had left me hurting, and Epstein felt that. To me he didn’t seem like a playboy at all, but more like a sensitive mentor. During the conversation I had told him that I lived in Oxford as a child and he said: Oh, then you certainly know the royals. Would you like to meet a prince? And he introduced him to me.

taz: Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor?

Phillips: Exactly. Prince Andrew came to the table, said a quick hello and disappeared again. He was the man I had seen earlier with the girl in the pool.

taz: How did the evening continue?

Phillips: After dinner a young girl knocked on our door and said: Girls, Jeffrey is ready for his massage. I was confused. There was a small argument between my Polish colleague and me. She said: Listen, if Jeffrey says he wants to give you a massage, then you have to do it. I wanted to leave so badly, but without a boat I had no chance. So I went to him. And while I was massaging this old man, he was joking with me, flirting. Then something tipped. The massage turned into an assault. The other girl and I had to take off our clothes and touch each other. At some point he also touched us and penetrated us with a vibrator. It didn’t last long, but it was extremely hurtful. I tried to hold back my tears the whole time.

taz: Did you talk to anyone about the attack afterwards?

Phillips: No, I was embarrassed. I felt like I had done something wrong. I didn’t know what system was behind it. I tried to forget everything and carry on with my normal life in New York. But after a while his secretaries started calling every day to lure me back. But I never went, I was afraid of him. I had seen his dark side.

taz: How did we meet again?

Phillips: One day Epstein called me personally and said: You told me you wanted to be a model at Ford; I’m good friends with Katie Ford, she wants to get to know you. I thought maybe this was his way of apologizing and I met with Katie. I became a Ford model and from then on I was under Epstein’s spell for years.

taz: Have you ever thought about reporting him to the police?

Phillips: Never. I was so afraid of him. Whenever his name was mentioned anywhere, everyone started raving. Everyone thought he was a great guy: in the fashion and art worlds, in the tech industry, in universities or in politics. I quickly realized that he had his fingers in everything.

taz: Epstein is in 2019 Died in prison, suspected suicide. How did you find out about it?

Phillips: I saw it on the news and started hyperventilating and crying. I was sad because something in my heart told me that Epstein was a good person who helped me and many of my friends. At the same time, I was so incredibly angry because I knew how evil he could be. He had these two sides, the good and the evil. I think every survivor says that. Because for a crime like this you have to have both in you.

taz: Was his death the trigger for going public with your story?

Phillips: Not directly. It wasn’t until a year later, in 2020, that I went public. After Virginia Giuffre After speaking publicly about Epstein’s human trafficking and sex trafficking ring, I wanted to support other survivors. As I spoke to Virginia, I realized that she was the young girl I had seen in the pool with Prince Andrew. I spoke to over a hundred people affected and found a support network in the Survivor Sisters.

taz: With these other survivors you stood in front of the Capitol in Washington, D.C. in September 2025 and demanded the release of the entire Epstein files. Now, with some delay, a good three million pages have been published. Does that feel like a win?

Phillips: No, when President Trump signed the relevant law, it was about publishing all the files and blacking out the names of the victims. Now most of those responsible have been blacked out, but the names of the survivors can be read. Nude photos of some minors were uploaded online. For me this is a form of bullying. It is quite obvious who politics protects here and who it doesn’t.

taz: There are reports that some of the survivors are now being threatened with death.

Phillips: Yes, people don’t like it because they want to protect their system. There are just creepy people out there. When I went public, I was also contacted by a man who wanted to imitate Epstein. He stalked me and wanted to abuse me.

taz: Despite all the information, according to the US Department of Justice there will be no further investigations or charges.

Phillips: This is a scandal. There are so many dark and disturbing things in the files, but there are no consequences. Our laws protect the perpetrators, the perverts and the pedophiles. They don’t protect the victims. But we won’t stop doing our own research and bringing things to light. It can’t be that the only person in prison is is a woman.

taz: Do you still have trust in the state and its authorities?

Phillips: That’s a good question that I don’t have a real answer to. I trust that many people want to do the right thing and expose the web of crime. But many of the perpetrators are billionaires, and as we all know, money makes the world go round. Money silences people. So far, the entire system has been acting against the victims. As if everyone doesn’t care how we feel. That’s why it’s so important that we continue to be loud and be heard. That we do not allow ourselves to be intimidated, but continue to demand justice.

taz: What would justice look like for you?

Phillips: It would be fair if all the men who enabled the abuse were put in prison. How can it be that they can live freely and carefree while 1,200 victims await consequences? There’s something wrong there.

taz: Do you want to draw a line at some point?

Phillips: No, I will keep fighting. We want to put pressure on the right people to do something about this system. We continue to fight so that all files are finally published. Because the human trafficking ring didn’t stop with Epstein’s death. It still exists and has branches in all sorts of countries. I feel a moral obligation not to stop.

taz: Why is that?

Phillips: First and foremost because I am a mother and I want my children to live in a safe world. I realize that a fight for justice will be long and hard. Because it is a fight against the powerful. They’ve gotten away with doing whatever they want for hundreds of years. This has to stop. Those in power need a hobby other than abusing little girls.