Marina Lacerda, 37, recounts the abuse she experienced and what inspired her to speak publicly amid new revelations
When Marina Lacerda woke on Wednesday to learn that thousands of documents about Jeffrey Epstein had been released by House Republicans, she braced herself for a spate of new revelations.
Before deciding to waive her anonymity in September, Lacerda was known for years as “Minor Victim-1” – unknown, unheard, another teenager groomed and abused by the paedophile financier.
What did not surprise the 37-year-old was to see the scandal once again dismissed as a “hoax” by Donald Trump, after it was revealed in an email sent by Epstein which suggested he believed Trump was aware of his conduct.
“Donald Trump, thank you so much for calling us a hoax, because now you’ve empowered us and now you’ve made people listen to us even more. It actually helped us out,” Lacerda said as she urged the president to release the rest of the Epstein files.
