Question
How did journalist Julie K. Brown gain access to Epstein’s victims for her investigation?
Answer
Julie K. Brown’s Perversion of Justice investigative series was the product of more than a year of methodical journalism. Her methodology combined document investigation with patient, persistent source development:
Starting with court records: Brown began by mining the extensive legal filings from the CVRA litigation in the Southern District of Florida — filings that were publicly accessible but largely unread by journalists. These records contained victim names, case references, and leads that were not synthesized into a public narrative.
Tracking down individuals: Using the legal record, Brown located individuals who had been identified as victims or witnesses in the case and sought to contact them directly. Many had moved, changed their names, or were difficult to find — requiring the kind of skip-tracing work that is part of investigative reporting.
Building trust slowly: Many victims had been burned by prior attempts to engage with journalists, law enforcement, or lawyers — experiences that had gone nowhere or caused them further exposure. Brown built relationships over many months, meeting women repeatedly, demonstrating trustworthiness, and making clear she was committed to a serious investigation rather than a quick story.
Guaranteeing accuracy: Women who came forward had often been disbelieved or publicly disparaged in prior appearances. Brown’s commitment to rigorous fact-checking — verifying accounts against independent records before publication — helped build the trust that allowed women to tell their stories.
The result was a series that combined victim testimony with a documented evidentiary record, making it far harder to dismiss or legally challenge than previous reporting.
Brown’s work won the Goldsmith Prize for Investigative Reporting and was credited by SDNY prosecutors with prompting the renewed federal investigation.
Sources
Julie K. Brown, Perversion of Justice (Miami Herald, 2018); Brown’s book of the same title; journalism industry coverage of the investigation’s methodology; SDNY acknowledgment of the Herald reporting’s role.