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HUNTER EXCLUSIVE: Epstein victim Virginia Giuffre 'feared she would be murdered'

Author says suicide of 41-year-old 'threw me for a loop'

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The fetid stench of Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell’s vile sex trafficking apparatus couldn’t kill Virginia Giuffre.

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But the aftermath did.

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Giuffre was the public face of pedophile billionaire Epstein’s countless victims. She took her own life at her home in Australia on Friday.

The 41-year-old was the third Epstein victim to die by suicide or drug overdose.

Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell trial photos Avalon
A photo of Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell shown at her trial.

“That threw me for a loop,” author Barry Levine told the Toronto Sun. “Virginia’s death was a real gut punch. This stung and left me depressed. Virginia was the heart and soul of my book.”

Levine (an old friend of mine) wrote the seminal book on the sex trafficking that pierced the highest echelons of business, politics and royalty.

The Spider: Inside the Criminal Web of Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell pulls back the covers on the sinister perversions and schemes of the twisted twosome. Levine knows his subject well.

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Legendary reporter Barry Levine has added to the Jeffrey Epstein canon with his new tome, The Spider.
Legendary reporter Barry Levine has added to the Jeffrey Epstein canon with his new tome, The Spider. Photo by HANDOUT /PENGUIN RANDOM HOUSE

“Virginia gave the other women strength, but she paid a heavy price,” Levine said. “Many of the women were from troubled homes, and Maxwell had a good eye for them.”

Giuffre (nee Roberts) may have been a particularly appealing target for Ghislaine Maxwell.

“She had a terrible background. She was sexually assaulted by a family friend when she was 7, then ran away and ended up in foster care,” Levine said. “When she was 12, she fell into the hands of notorious Miami sex trafficker Ron Eppinger.”

Virginia Roberts Giuffre holds a photo of her and Prince Andrew and Ghislaine Maxwell that she insists is not doctored. 60 MINUTES AUSTRALIA

Giuffre became addicted to drugs before getting clean and landing a job as a towel girl at Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago. Her dream was to become a masseuse. Disgraced socialite Maxwell spotted her reading a book on massage.

Epstein and Maxwell’s Palm Beach abode was about one mile from the resort. And Giuffre’s unsuspecting father dropped the 16-year-old into their clutches.

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“She gave Epstein his massage and was forced to perform oral sex on him while Maxwell watched,” Levine said, adding that Giuffre may have thought a connection to the billionaire could lead to a better life.

MAXWELL CALLS IT A FAKE: Prince Andrew, Virginia Roberts Giuffre and socialite Ghislaine Maxwell in a photo Giuffre says was taken in March 2001.
OH DEAR: Prince Andrew, Virginia Roberts Giuffre and socialite Ghislaine Maxwell in a photo Giuffre says was taken in March 2001. Photo by VIRGINIA ROBERTS /FACEBOOK

What followed was forced sex with Epstein, Maxwell, and his coterie of high-flying, like-minded pervert pals. Sometimes there were orgies, threesomes (with Epstein and Maxwell), and kinky BDSM encounters.

“In that situation, there was no thinking with a clear mind. It was stomach-churning. She was forced to have sex with Epstein, sometimes up to eight times a day,” Levine said.

One of Epstein and Maxwell’s best friends was Prince Andrew, whom Giuffre claimed had sexually assaulted her on three occasions when she was underage. Andrew denied the allegations but coughed up an estimated $20-million settlement to Giuffre.

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By sundown on Jan. 2, 2024, a roster of around 200 names will be released by a Manhattan judge.
Prince Andrew, Duke of York, visits the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital to open the new Stanmore Building, in London on March 21, 2019. Photo by David Mirzoeff /Pool via REUTERS

Epstein and Maxwell were Giuffre’s life for two years, when she frequently travelled to global hot spots with the demented duo. And in capitals like London and Paris, the pair offered the teen up to wealthy men.

“To survive that took remarkable fortitude,” Levine said.

Giuffre met an Aussie martial arts instructor in Thailand, and she pounced at the opportunity to escape Epstein and Maxwell’s clutches.

A residence of financier Jeffrey Epstein is shown in Palm Beach, Florida, March 14, 2019. It is being demolished. (REUTERS/Joe Skipper/File Photo)
A residence of financier Jeffrey Epstein is shown in Palm Beach, Florida, March 14, 2019. It is being demolished. (REUTERS/Joe Skipper/File Photo)

“She finally found some level of peace, but eventually, Epstein and Maxwell caught up with her. There was one lawsuit after another. She won against Epstein, Maxwell and Prince Andrew. Virginia was victorious, but there was a price,” Levine said.

“She was the inspiration for dozens of girls,” he added. “It’s an absolute tragedy. Forty-one is a very young age to die. In the end, I think she would rather have had no part of any of it, just for her peace and sanity.”

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Epstein killed himself in jail in 2019 while awaiting trial for sex trafficking. Maxwell was sentenced to 20 years in prison three years later.

But Giuffre could never shake her past.

Read More
  1. In this image taken from video issued by the BBC, Virginia Roberts Giuffre gestures during an interview on the BBC Panorama program aired on Dec. 2, 2019.
    Jeffrey Epstein, Prince Andrew accuser Virginia Giuffre dies by suicide: Report
  2. Virginia Roberts Giuffre holds a photo of her and Prince Andrew and Ghislaine Maxwell that she insists is not doctored.
    What's going on with Prince Andrew sex accuser Virginia Giuffre?
  3. EPSTEIN VICTIM: Virginia Giuffre claims she has just days to live after being in a horror crash. virginia giuffre/ instgram
    Jeffrey Epstein, Prince Andrew accuser says she has just days to live after crash

“She was fearful she would be murdered, with Maxwell leaving threatening messages. She never escaped the feeling that there were forces that were going to have her killed. That’s extremely difficult to live with,” Levine added.

“She must have been in so much pain, but I never thought she would take over life.”

bhunter@postmedia.com

@HunterTOSun

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