Lesley Groff is scheduled to testify before the House oversight committee on Tuesday, marking another significant moment in Congress's ongoing investigation into Jeffrey Epstein's criminal network. Groff served as the convicted sex offender's executive assistant for nearly two decades, managing the logistics of his daily life until his arrest in July 2019.
The former assistant's appearance comes after the Justice Department released millions of documents earlier this year, including FBI interview notes that detail her nearly two decades working directly for Epstein. According to those notes, Groff was recruited through a headhunter in 2001 who described the position as a job "to organize one man's life." She had no prior knowledge of who Epstein was when she accepted the role.
Groff's responsibilities ranged widely. She scheduled meetings, coordinated with his driver and chef, managed his daily calendar, and arranged appointments. Among those appointments were massages, which Groff described to FBI agents as routine calendar items. In the FBI documents, agents noted that Epstein would contact her directly in the morning to request massages at specific times, much like any other standing appointment.
She interviewed with multiple people for the position, including Epstein himself and Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein's longtime associate now serving a 20-year prison sentence for sex trafficking. Groff signed a non-disclosure agreement before beginning work.
The question of what Groff knew has shadowed her for years. Following Epstein's 2008 arrest and death in custody, civil lawsuits filed by abuse survivors named her alongside other employees and associates. Some plaintiffs claimed she facilitated his crimes. Those civil claims against her were ultimately dismissed. Her attorney has repeatedly stated she never knowingly arranged travel for minors and had no idea of Epstein's criminal conduct.
Groff remains one of four women identified under Epstein's controversial 2007 plea deal as a possible "co-conspirator" who received immunity from prosecution. An internal FBI document from 2019 listed her among eight potential co-conspirators, though her legal team says she was never informed of this designation and was explicitly told by prosecutors she would not face charges after voluntarily cooperating with them.
In a 2020 FBI interview with one abuse survivor, the person said they believed Groff "knew what was going on" regarding the massage appointments and their true nature. That same person acknowledged, however, they "never said anything to Lesley about the massages."
When asked about Epstein's 2008 conviction, Groff's attorney Michael Bachner explained that Epstein had lied to her about the charges, claiming he was blackmailed and framing the victims as willing "prostitutes." According to Bachner, Epstein "angrily" denied knowing any of the women were minors, an account Groff apparently accepted at face value.
The House panel subpoenaed Groff in March. Representative James Comer, the Republican chairman of the committee, wrote that the body believes she possesses information "that will assist in its investigation" based on publicly available reporting and Justice Department disclosures.
Her testimony follows that of another Epstein assistant, Sarah Kellen, who appeared before the committee last month. Kellen denied being an accomplice and testified that she herself was "sexually and psychologically abused" by Epstein during her employment.
Author James Rodriguez: "Groff's testimony could finally put on record exactly what happened behind closed doors at Epstein's offices, but her credibility hinges on whether she can convince lawmakers she was truly blind to what her boss was doing."
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