Epstein abused them. The Justice Department exposed them. Now they’re under attack by haters

When Marina Lacerda told the world that Jeffrey Epstein had sexually abused her when she was 14, the threats began almost immediately.

In September, she and other accusers appeared at a news conference pressing for the release of the Epstein files. “She’ll be unalived,” a stranger wrote under a YouTube video of a news report about Lacerda that day. “She really should’ve stayed quiet. RIP.”

The harassment intensified when Lacerda’s name appeared at least 46 times in unredacted Justice Department documents months later. Online, she was called a liar and a prostitute who deserved what happened to her. Her 12-year-old daughter was taunted at school by classmates asking if she was Epstein’s child.

Today, Lacerda lives with her daughter in a gated community and sleeps with a handgun on her nightstand. “I’m scared that somebody’s going to come in the house,” she said. “I’m just paranoid all the time.”

Lacerda is one of 23 Epstein accusers Reuters identified who’ve faced threats, harassment and intimidation by trolls, haters and other foes – some after speaking publicly about their abuse, others after their identities were exposed in the Justice Department’s Epstein files, and in some cases both. Drawing on interviews with the women, police and court records, and thousands of online posts, the review is the most comprehensive to date of the scope and severity of attacks on Epstein’s accusers.

The harassment took many forms. Strangers photographed women’s homes. Unfamiliar cars lingered outside and sped off when confronted. Some women received threats of violence, including calls from people claiming to know where they lived. Several say they no longer leave home alone.

The Justice Department said it took steps to protect victim information after releasing millions of pages of Epstein-related investigative files in December and January, and moved quickly to fix redaction errors when notified. Asked about its handling of the files for this report, Justice Department spokesperson Natalie Baldassarre said that “no victim should face harassment, threats, or intimidation after coming forward.” She added that the department is “not to blame for backlash directed at victims who voluntarily revealed their identities long before files were published.”

Former Attorney General Pam Bondi, who President Donald Trump fired in April, acknowledged “redaction errors” in May 29 testimony to Congress about the Justice Department’s handling of the Epstein files. She said she had delegated responsibility for releasing the documents to her then-deputy Todd Blanche.

“We made mi