When Roza arrived in the United States in 2008, she believed she was stepping into a world of opportunity.
The teenager from Uzbekistan had been promised a future in modelling, a career that sounded glamorous and far removed from her life back home. The person who brought her into that world was Jean-Luc Brunel, a French fashion scout who had connections with Jeffrey Epstein.
Brunel had promised her a ‘modelling career beyond her dreams’.
But within weeks, Roza’s experience took a completely different turn, according to a report by The Telegraph.
Instead of entering the fashion industry, she found herself working for Epstein at a Palm Beach office while he was supposed to be serving an 18-month prison sentence for a child sex offence.
Years later, she alleged that Epstein abused her during the time she worked at that office. She repeated those claims during testimony before Congress in May.
The office where she worked has since become a major focus in questions surrounding Epstein’s unusually favourable prison arrangement, a workplace that prosecutors, victims and investigators later questioned.
A Prison Sentence That Came With Daily Freedom
Epstein began his 18-month sentence in June 2008 after pleading guilty to state charges of soliciting prostitution and soliciting a minor.
The deal immediately attracted criticism, with many people believing the punishment was far too lenient, especially because multiple victims had cooperated with investigators and several were minors.
But instead of remaining inside the Palm Beach County Stockade throughout his sentence, Epstein was approved for a work-release programme.
The arrangement allowed him to leave jail every day and spend long hours outside.
His destination was a glass office building on South Australian Avenue, just a short distance from the jail.
The company operating from the office was called the Florida Science Foundation.
Epstein told officials that the organisation supported scientific research and that he needed the workplace to continue funding science programmes.
He also claimed the foundation had existed for around 15 years.
However, records later showed that the company had only been registered in November 2007, months before Epstein entered prison.
The paperwork had been filed by his lawyer, Jack Goldberger.
The foundation’s office was located in Suite 1404 at 250 South Australian Avenue, a 14th-floor space surrounded by palm trees and overlooking a lake.
According to Roza, the office became the place where Epstein continued his abuse despite being behind bars.
Other women have made similar allegations, arguing that the arrangement effectively allowed Epstein to continue his activities while serving his sentence.
A Foundation With Little Sign Of Scientific Work
The Florida Science Foundation was presented as a legitimate organisation focused on supporting research.
But a review by The Telegraph of more than 1,000 documents connected to the company painted a different picture.
The office appeared to function less like a research centre and more like a private base for Epstein’s personal life and connections.
The 3,881-square-foot suite contained expensive furnishings and entertainment equipment. There was a television, advanced speakers, framed photographs, a bronze statue of a woman, a bookcase and a large kitchen.
Silver-plated tissue boxes sat near sofas, adding to the appearance of a luxury private space rather than a working scientific office.
Records also show Epstein continued receiving personal comforts there while incarcerated.
Items sent to him included an iPod, a desktop computer brought from his New York residence and luxury leather samples linked to renovations at his private island.
Friends also sent him DVDs and books, including Gone Tomorrow, a Jack Reacher thriller by Lee Child.
Even his subscription to The Nabokovian magazine was redirected to the office after he entered prison.
The publication focuses on Vladimir Nabokov, whose famous novel Lolita, a book Epstein was known to admire, explores the obsession of a middle-aged man with a 12-year-old girl.
Concerns Were Raised Before Epstein Got Approval
The work-release arrangement was not accepted without questions.
Officials raised concerns almost immediately after Epstein applied.
His lawyers submitted the request the same day he entered jail, on June 30, 2008.
They argued that Epstein had a background in physics and needed to work from the Florida Science Foundation office to support scientific initiatives.
A lease for the Palm Beach office, costing $5,549 a month, was signed less than a month later.
But prosecutors questioned whether the foundation was simply a way for Epstein to avoid spending his full sentence behind bars.
Assistant state attorney Ann Marie Villafana contacted the Palm Beach sheriff’s office on July 1, 2008, raising concerns about the company.
She pointed out that the organisation appeared to have been created only months earlier, contradicting Epstein’s claim that it had operated for 15 years. She also highlighted that Epstein’s lead attorney, Jack Goldberger, had an office in the same building.
Despite those concerns, Epstein was granted permission to participate in work release in October 2008.
For the remaining months of his sentence, he travelled from jail to the office every day.
How The Office Became A Place Of Abuse
Later accounts from women and FBI interviews alleged that Epstein used the office for sexual abuse during his sentence.
One former ballet dancer, identified in legal documents as Priscilla Doe, claimed the Florida Science Foundation was simply “a cover” that allowed Epstein to continue exploiting women.
Another woman, who said she met Epstein when she was 17, told the FBI in 2019 that she was brought to the Palm Beach office during his prison term.
The FBI report described the office as having three rooms and a kitchen.
“One of the rooms had a couch or futon on the floor,” the report stated.
She alleged that Epstein invited her and another woman into the room while he watched the television show 24.
According to her account, Epstein asked them to massage him while topless, asked them to pinch his nipples and masturbated. She also claimed he was wearing an ankle monitor at the time.
The FBI document stated that the officer monitoring Epstein would usually remain near the entrance of the office.
Another woman alleged in a civil lawsuit that she visited Epstein several times at the office while he was on work release.
The lawsuit claimed women would watch movies with him on a couch and that she was added to a list of approved drivers who could transport him.
She alleged that after leaving the office and travelling back toward jail, Epstein and women would stop near the prison area and have sex inside the car.
The office was also linked to encounters with Epstein’s accusers
The Palm Beach office was not only described by victims as a place where Epstein continued his abuse, but some also said it became a place where they felt pressured and intimidated.
The building at 250 South Australian Avenue had another connection that made the situation even more troubling.
A court-related service operating from the same building was used by some of Epstein’s accusers for legal proceedings, including depositions and medical examinations.
According to legal records, there were instances when victims arrived for appointments and unexpectedly came across Epstein in the same building.
Some appointments were reportedly cancelled after these encounters.
Epstein maintained that such meetings were accidental.
One such incident took place in November 2009, after Epstein had already left prison and was serving the remainder of his sentence under house arrest while still connected to the office.
A victim identified as Jane Doe No. 3 said she encountered Epstein when she arrived for a medical examination.
She alleged that he tried to intimidate her by staring at her.
During the incident, her lawyer said, “We ran into Jeffrey Epstein who is present in the building and in violation of three court orders.”
The lawyer further described the victim’s reaction, saying, “He made direct eye contact with me and obviously to me appeared to have recognised me. I did my best to shield my client, but obviously there was a moment of contact and she is now crying hysterically and unable to compose herself.”
A Place Where Epstein Maintained His Powerful Connections
While the Florida Science Foundation office was supposed to represent Epstein’s work activities, records suggest it also became a place where he continued managing his social and professional network.
Even while serving his sentence, Epstein remained in contact with influential people.
The office was reportedly visited by Sarah Ferguson, the former Duchess of York, on two occasions in 2009.
Lord Mandelson, who was the UK business secretary at the time, also communicated with Epstein through Skype from the office during the same period.
David Stern, a German businessman who later became an aide to Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, contacted the office multiple times and arranged for documents to be delivered there.
Despite being described as a science organisation, the office generated little evidence of actual scientific activity.
One recorded exchange from April 2009 showed Epstein asking a contact to suggest people who might attend a gathering in Florida.
He wrote, “give me a list of who you think would enjoy a get together in florida„ smart , out of the box types.”
Al Seckel, a writer known for his work on optical illusions, responded with 33 names. Among them was Elon Musk.
Questions Continued After Epstein Left Prison
Epstein was released from jail early in July 2009, around five months before the end of his sentence.
However, his work-release arrangement continued while he served the remainder of his punishment under house arrest.
Soon after, questions were raised about whether he was following the conditions imposed on him.
On August 18, 2009, a police officer saw Epstein walking away from the direction of his home.
Epstein said he was heading to the Florida Science Foundation office for work.
But a week later, officers again questioned his movements.
When police checked the Palm Beach office on August 26, they found that the company’s name had been removed from the door.
Epstein was not there, and authorities later discovered he had travelled to New York.
A police report recorded, “Received phone call from Captain Frick from Palm Beach Police Department that the subject is in New York City as we speak… he is scheduled to be at the office from 9am till 1pm today.”
The office that had played such an important role during Epstein’s sentence was effectively disappearing.
A Company That Ended After Serving Its Purpose
The Florida Science Foundation officially closed in April 2010.
During its existence, it appears to have made only one contribution connected to science, such as a $10,000 donation to a student competition involving gadgets.
Five months after shutting down the office, the company itself was dissolved.
For critics, the foundation represented another example of how Epstein was able to use wealth, influence and legal arrangements to create an environment where normal restrictions did not apply to him.
Gloria Allred, an attorney who has represented more than two dozen Epstein survivors, said renewed attention on Epstein’s 2008 deal was important.
She told The Telegraph, “I am very happy that there is new attention to Jeffrey Epstein’s sweetheart deal’ in 2008 in Florida in which he was allowed to enter a plea to two state felonies rather than more severe federal sex trafficking charges.”
Questioning the purpose of the office, she said, “His ‘office’ appears now not to have been a real business office for a Florida Science Foundation, but instead was what I will call ‘a play house for a predator’, where a number of women were brought and then sexually abused.”
Allred also called for a fresh congressional investigation into how the arrangement was allowed to happen.
The controversy surrounding the Florida Science Foundation remains tied to broader questions over Epstein’s 2008 plea agreement and how he was able to maintain access to freedom, resources and influential contacts while serving a sentence for serious offences.
