WASHINGTON — A woman who identified herself as a survivor of Jeffrey Epstein told a congressional subcommittee on Tuesday that the late financier sexually abused her while he was under house arrest in 2008, directly contradicting court records and federal oversight claims.

Speaking before the House Judiciary Committee’s subpanel on crime, the woman—identified only as “Jane Doe #3”—stated that Epstein lured her into his New York mansion under the guise of a modeling audition, then sexually assaulted her in a room monitored by federal agents. Her account emerged during a hearing examining the failures of the U.S. Probation Office, which oversaw Epstein’s confinement after his 2008 conviction for soliciting prostitution from a minor in Florida.

Jane Doe #3’s testimony marks the first public account of abuse occurring during Epstein’s house arrest, a period widely documented in court documents as one of strict confinement. Yet her detailed description paints a starkly different picture—one of unmonitored access and continued predation. “He told me the cameras were off,” she said. “He said the agents never came upstairs.”

The revelation threatens to reignite scrutiny over how Epstein, despite being labeled a sex offender and facing ongoing investigations into sex trafficking, was permitted to operate with minimal restrictions. Court filings from the time show Epstein was required to wear an ankle monitor, submit to unannounced inspections, and remain in his 9,000-square-foot townhouse. Yet Jane Doe #3’s account suggests those conditions were not enforced.

Lawmakers in attendance expressed shock. “This isn’t just a failure of supervision—it’s a breach of public trust,” said Rep. Karen Bass, D-Calif., chair of the subcommittee. “If these allegations are true, it means the system that was supposed to protect us failed.” The U.S. Probation Office has not issued a public response, but a spokesperson did confirm to committee staff that an internal review is underway.

Jane Doe #3’s identity has not been disclosed, but her attorney, Gloria Allred, confirmed her account and stated that she is cooperating with federal investigators reviewing the Probation Office’s handling of Epstein’s case. “This was not an accident,” Allred told reporters after the hearing. “This was a violation enabled by bureaucracy.”

1. Federal oversight — U.S. Probation Office claimed continuous electronic monitoring with ankle bracelets and daily agent visits
2. Survivor testimony — Claims agents rarely entered upper floors, cameras were inactive at times, and Epstein received advance notice before inspections
3. Ongoing investigation — House subcommittee has requested all surveillance logs, agent logs, and monitoring reports from 2008–2009

The hearing comes amid renewed calls for accountability in Epstein’s case, now the subject of multiple lawsuits and a reopened federal investigation into sex trafficking. In 2019, Epstein was arrested in New York on charges that included sex trafficking of minors. He died in custody at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in August 2019, in an apparent suicide that remains under scrutiny.

• 📊 170+ victims — Number of individuals identified in the 2015 federal indictment linked to Epstein’s network
• 🔍 $75 million — Amount Epstein paid to settle a defamation lawsuit filed by a victim in 2018
• ⚠️ Zero — Number of federal agents who corroborated full compliance during house arrest period, according to court records

As the hearing adjourned, Rep. Bass announced the subcommittee would expand its probe into whether other survivors were targeted during Epstein’s house arrest. “We need to know how many others were in that townhouse while he was supposed to be locked down,” she said. “And we need to know why no one stopped it.”