Epstein Whistleblower And Prince Andrew Accuser Hospitalized After ‘Serious Accident’

Virginia Giuffre—one of the most prominent accusers of disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein who also alleged she was abused by Prince Andrew—was in a “serious accident” and is receiving medical care, her spokesperson told Forbes Monday.

Virginia Giuffre holds a photo of herself as a teen, when she says she was abused by Jeffrey … More Epstein, Ghislaine Maxwell and Prince Andrew, among others.

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Key Facts

An Instagram account claiming to belong to Giuffre, who also goes by Virginia Roberts, posted a photo Sunday of Giuffre looking bruised and claimed she was hit by a school bus, went into renal failure and only has four days to live.

Forbes was not able to verify the account belongs to Giuffre, but Dini von Mueffling, Giuffre’s spokesperson, told Forbes she is “receiving medical care in the hospital” and “greatly appreciates the support and well wishes people are sending.”

Giuffre was a key figure in the investigation into Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell for allegedly sex trafficking underage girls, and she accused Prince Andrew of abusing her while she was a minor.

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Who Is Virginia Giuffre?

Giuffre is one of Epstein’s most public accusers and one of an estimated 150 known victims of the disgraced financier. She has claimed for years that she was abused by Prince Andrew on multiple occasions in New York, London and at Epstein’s private island. Giuffre settled a lawsuit with Epstein in 2009 for $500,000, ending her suit alleging he sexually abused her when she was a minor. Giuffre also sued Maxwell in 2015 for defamation, alleging she “wrongfully subjected Giuffre to public ridicule, contempt and disgrace” and tried to depict her as a liar. That case was also settled, though for an undisclosed amount, in 2017. Giuffre filed her civil suit against Prince Andrew in August 2021—after he had stepped down from his royal duties because of his ties to Epstein—and that suit was settled the next February. Giuffre also filed suit against lawyer Alan Dershowitz for assaulting her, though she dropped that case and said she may have been mistaken.

What Happened When Virginia Giuffre Sued Prince Andrew?

In her suit against Prince Andrew, Giuffre alleged he sexually abused her three times while she was being trafficked by Epstein and Maxwell. She accused Prince Andrew of inflicting emotional distress and battery and was seeking an unspecified amount in damages. David Boise, Giuffre’s attorney, said in a statement at the time that “Prince Andrew’s wealth, power, position enabled him to abuse a frightened, vulnerable child with no one there to protect her.” Prince Andrew had previously denied having sexual relations with Giuffre in a 2019 interview, and in his out-of-court settlement he did not admit guilt but acknowledged Giuffre was “an established victim of abuse” and a target of “unfair public attacks.”

Key Background

Epstein was indicted in federal court in 2019 for sex trafficking, but died later that year in prison. He was accused of trafficking more than 100 underage women from 2002 to 2018 and abusing them alongside his high-profile associates. Epstein was a hedge fund manager and had been previously arrested and pleaded guilty to charges of soliciting and procuring a minor for prostitution, but he avoided a prison sentence by signing a controversial non-prosecution agreement and registering as a sex offender. The Justice Department later investigated the 2008 agreement and said Alex Acosta, who served as labor secretary in President Donald Trump’s first administration but handled the 2008 Epstein case when he was a U.S. attorney, used “poor judgment” in the situation but didn’t engage in misconduct, the Associated Press reported. After Epstein’s 2019 arrest, Maxwell was also arrested and eventually sentenced to 20 years in prison for her role in the sex trafficking.

Tangent

Late last month, Attorney General Pam Bondi released highly anticipated files related to the Epstein investigation, though they lacked bombshell information and most of the information had already been leaked. Two weeks after the failed release, Bondi said on Fox Business she received a “truckload” of more documents but did not give an estimation of when they would be released to the public. She said the FBI needed to go through the documents to protect victims, but that they would “get out as much as we can as fast as we can.”

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