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Courtney Wild, alleged Jeffrey Epstein victim, urges others to come forward

Posted at 1:43 PM, Jul 16, 2019
and last updated 2019-07-16 19:54:12-04

NEW YORK (AP) — One of Jeffrey Epstein's accusers is urging victims to speak out against the wealthy financier as authorities prosecute him on sex trafficking charges.

Courtney Wild told reporters Tuesday that Epstein "will never stop sexually abusing children until he is in jail."

"We will not get justice until you speak out," Wild said, addressing anyone who believes they have been abused by Epstein. "You are not alone, and this was not your fault."

Wild's remarks came a day after she urged a federal judge to deny Epstein bail.Wild said Epstein started sexually abusing her when she was 14 in Palm Beach, Florida.

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An email from the Associated Press was sent to Epstein's attorney seeking comment.

Epstein has pleaded not guilty to conspiracy and sex trafficking charges brought by the U.S. Attorney's Office in Manhattan. Wild's accusations are not part of that indictment.

Epstein's attorneys have argued that the new charges should not have been filed because he signed a non-prosecution agreement with the U.S. Attorney's Office in Miami year ago.

Wild's attorney, Brad Edwards, said his client was first identified as a victim of Epstein in 2005 but was not consulted about the once-secret non-prosecution deal that allowed Epstein to plead guilty to lesser state charges.

Edwards said he was surprised by Epstein's recent arrest.

WPTV and the Associated Press contributed to this report.