Who She Is
Sarah Ransome was born in Scotland and raised in South Africa. She was 22 years old and in New York City in 2006 when she was recruited at a nightclub by a young woman who told her Epstein ‘helps a lot of young girls achieve their dreams.’ Days later she found herself on Epstein’s private island, Little Saint James, in the U.S. Virgin Islands.
What She Says Happened
In her 2021 memoir Silenced No More: Surviving My Journey to Hell and Back and interviews with CBS News and Harper’s Bazaar, Ransome writes that Epstein raped her beginning on the island: ‘I was forced into his car, taken to his mansion and raped.’ Maxwell, she says, often called her to Epstein’s room: ‘While Jeffrey was reeling in children by the dozens, Ghislaine was shoring up his social credibility.’ Epstein also controlled her through the promise of helping her get into the Fashion Institute of Technology — contingent on her losing 30 pounds and dropping to 114 pounds at 5’9′. On Maxwell’s role: ‘I will never get my head around how Ghislaine could have betrayed our womanhood.’ She attempted suicide and has described the system re-traumatizing survivors.
What She Did About It
Ransome filed a lawsuit in 2017 against Epstein and Maxwell (Sarah Ransome v. Epstein and Maxwell), alleging Maxwell hired her for massages and then threatened to harm her or destroy her career if she didn’t comply sexually. She settled in 2018 for an undisclosed amount. She published her memoir Silenced No More in 2021. She appeared at Maxwell’s sentencing in June 2022 and attended multiple survivor events, giving ongoing media interviews. She remains a vocal critic of attempts to reduce Maxwell’s sentence.
Timeline
- 2006: Recruited at a New York City nightclub at age 22; brought to Epstein’s private island
- 2006-onward: Repeatedly raped by Epstein; controlled by Maxwell
- 2017: Filed lawsuit against Epstein and Maxwell
- 2018: Settled for undisclosed amount; Maxwell denied allegations
- June 2021: Published memoir Silenced No More: Surviving My Journey to Hell and Back
- June 2022: Appeared at Maxwell’s sentencing
- 2025: Continued advocacy; opposed attempts to reduce Maxwell’s sentence
Sources
- Silenced No More: Surviving My Journey to Hell and Back — Sarah Ransome’s memoir, HarperOne (December 2021)
- Silenced No More — Goodreads listing with publication details
- NPR: Ghislaine Maxwell sentenced to 20 years — Sarah Ransome at Maxwell sentencing (June 2022)
- DOJ SDNY: United States v. Ghislaine Maxwell — federal sex trafficking prosecution
- Jeffrey Epstein: Filthy Rich — Netflix documentary (2020) including Sarah Ransome’s account
Information compiled from public court records, news reporting, and published accounts. This page documents survivor testimony as a matter of public record.