Danielle Bensky told lawmakers at a Capitol Hill press conference that Jeffrey Epstein used her mother’s brain tumor scans to threaten and control her, keeping her in what she described as a year-long cycle of abuse. Her testimony came as the House prepared to vote on a bipartisan measure to force the Justice Department to release long-sealed Epstein files. Bensky framed her story as one of many and urged sustained public attention and "complete transparency" to secure justice and protect future youth.
Survivor Says Epstein Threatened to Withhold Care for Her Mother’s Brain Cancer, Trapping Her in a Year‑Long 'Cycle of Abuse'
Danielle Bensky told lawmakers at a Capitol Hill press conference that Jeffrey Epstein used her mother’s brain tumor scans to threaten and control her, keeping her in what she described as a year-long cycle of abuse. Her testimony came as the House prepared to vote on a bipartisan measure to force the Justice Department to release long-sealed Epstein files. Bensky framed her story as one of many and urged sustained public attention and "complete transparency" to secure justice and protect future youth.
01:47 AM, 11/19/2025Politics
Survivor Details How Epstein Used Her Mother’s Illness to Control Her
At a Capitol Hill press conference on Tuesday, survivor Danielle Bensky told reporters that Jeffrey Epstein exploited her mother’s brain cancer diagnosis to coerce and control her. Bensky said Epstein threatened to withhold medical care for her mother and used scans of the tumor as leverage while subjecting Bensky to what she described as a "year-long cycle of abuse."
The testimony came as the House prepared to vote on a bipartisan measure that would compel the Justice Department to release long-sealed files related to Epstein. Bensky stood alongside other survivors and a cross-party group of lawmakers pressing for greater transparency and accountability.
"Coming from the dance world, I was recruited in 2004 after a systematic breaking down where Epstein leveraged my mother’s brain tumor scans. He threatened me to withhold care for her. He trapped me in a year-long cycle of abuse," Bensky said.
Bensky framed her experience as one of many, saying her story was "one of a thousand," and pointed to the other women surrounding her as evidence of the breadth of the alleged abuse and the solidarity among survivors. She described the group as "a beautiful mosaic of women" representing different religions, creeds and political views united behind a demand for "complete transparency to find justice."
She invoked victims who did not live to see this moment, naming "the beautiful, brave Virginia Giuffre," and warned the public not to treat the revelations as a passing news cycle. To underline the stakes, Bensky asked attendees to picture a child they know aged 14 to 18 — the age range many survivors say they were targeted.
"We are standing here for justice for the youth of tomorrow," she said. "We understand that the road is long, but I implore you to stay the course." Video of the press conference is available via CNN.
Why it matters
The push to unseal files seeks to provide more transparency into Epstein’s network and any potential failures by institutions to investigate or prosecute his alleged crimes. Survivors and lawmakers say releasing the records is a necessary step toward accountability and preventing future abuse.