Survivors of Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell will be on the Capitol’s doorstep Saturday to honor the late survivor Virginia Roberts Guiffre, marking one year since her passing.
Guiffre was arguably the most enmeshed with Epstein and Maxwell, spending years being trafficked by the pair. She also spent years embroiled in lawsuits against former Prince Andrew, Maxwell, and others searching for justice. Though she is no longer alive, her family told Scripps News she is still inspiring them to keep going. In the year since Guiffre died by suicide, her brother Sky Roberts and sister-in-law Amanda Roberts have picked up the torch to carry on her fight for justice for Epstein survivors.
"It's been incredibly difficult this year," Sky Roberts said through tears. "It was just this like sense of urgency to jump and say, we have to do something here, you know, like her life cannot be lost in vain."
"It was like this moment that we lost her, and the way that in which we lost her, really sparked this fierceness inside of us that we couldn't put down," Amanda Roberts added.
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Guiffre’s is one of the most identifiable faces of this saga. She spent years putting herself in public, wounds and all, demanding accountability. Now, her family is pushing for the same.
"It's really it's really hard to do it without Virginia. She just had this like light around her that you know, especially in these moments where you're advocating, like she was just so strong," her brother Sky said.
Their vulnerability has been their strength, standing shoulder to shoulder in tears with survivors just like Guiffre. They have been embraced by the women. Their presence is a visual representation of the ripple effects on the families of survivors.
"It brought this sense of family and this idea of humanity that I don't think people have seen, especially with this case," Amanda Roberts told Scripps News.
The year without Guiffre has been arguably the most consequential for this movement. It included the tsunami of pressure that pushed the Epstein Files Transparency Act’s passage, the release of millions of files with more to go, the resignations of high-level leaders across influential industries, and a prince losing his title.
"She'd be ready to keep fighting. She would be the one standing on Capitol Hill. She'd be the one screaming out loud, you know, this year unfolding. I mean, why did it take so long to get here?" Sky Roberts said.
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Choosing Washington, D.C. for their celebration of life Saturday, rather than Palm Beach or New York, represents the duality of their continued fight and the hope Guiffre had for real impact.
"I remember her saying that after the court case in New York and the victory there that they had, there was one thing that she said, like, I can't wait to be on the doorsteps. DC and effect real change and legislation. And even though a lot of the times we go to DC and we feel like we're fighting and we're pushing, we've accomplished things they told us wasn't going to happen," Amanda Roberts explained. "She deserves to be recognized. She deserves to be honored for all of the work. And I think it's her day in DC that she was waiting for."
Sky and Amanda Roberts tell Scripps News they will be taking over Guiffre’s nonprofit, SOAR, to help sex trafficking survivors harness their strength. Their other focus is passing Virginia’s Law, which would remove the statute of limitations for sexual abuse and trafficking survivors to file claims.
