A Neighborhood Friendship Shows How Jeffrey Epstein Grew His Trafficking Ring
A neighborhood connection
Lacerda knew the friend who took her to Epstein from their neighborhood near Steinway Street in Astoria, Queens. The friend was a couple of years older, and Lacerda was 13 when they went to Manhattan in 2001.
The neighborhood included Italian, Egyptian, Romanian and Brazilian families. Lacerda recalled girls forming a Spice Girls group and making up dances.
The trip to Manhattan
Epstein paid for a cab to take Lacerda and her friend to the city. She knew Manhattan had skyscrapers, but had never seen a mansion or visited a wealthy person’s home.
She arrived at Epstein’s townhouse on East 71st Street in clothes she wore often: bell-bottom jeans, a flowered T-shirt and white platform sneakers with the Union Jack. She said the outfit was what she imagined Sporty Spice would wear.
Limited clothing options
Lacerda’s mother worked as a cleaning lady and took her daughter to thrift stores and Payless for clothes. The outfit she wore to the townhouse was among the few she had.
Lacerda was one of Epstein’s victims and also helped him find other girls. The account describes how a friend from her neighborhood led to the meeting.
Key points
- Marina Lacerda was 13 when she went to Jeffrey Epstein’s townhouse in 2001.
- An older friend from Astoria brought Lacerda to meet Epstein, who paid for their cab.
- Lacerda had never visited a wealthy person’s home before entering the East 71st Street townhouse.
- Lacerda was a victim of Epstein and also helped him find other girls.