Lesley Groff: 62,331 FBI Mentions, 18 Years Scheduling Epstein's 'Massages'

She found the job on Monster.com.

In early 2001, a headhunter named Russell matched Lesley Groff's resume to a listing for someone to "organize one man's life" — described only as a "Manhattan socialite." She had never heard of Jeffrey Epstein. She interviewed first with an assistant, then with Ghislaine Maxwell, then with Epstein himself at 457 Madison Avenue, fourth floor vol00009-efta01246216-pdf.

She got the job. She would keep it for eighteen years.

By the time FBI agents catalogued their files, Groff's name appeared 62,331 times — more than any person in the Epstein case except Epstein himself. She is the most documented employee in the entire federal investigation. And she was never charged with a crime.

The Gatekeeper at 457 Madison Avenue

Groff's official title was Executive Assistant. Her employer was initially listed as NES, splitting her $60,000 salary between NES and "Epstein Interests." Later, her entire compensation came through DKI PLLC — the same entity where her LinkedIn profile identified her as "Executive Assistant at DKIPLLC" as late as October 2017 EFTA02226340.

Her work schedule evolved over the years. Initially Monday through Friday, 9 to 5. After having a son, she moved to a job share: Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday in the office, plus Fridays from home. Epstein, she said, did not contact her on weekends vol00009-efta01246216-pdf.

Payroll documents from 2010 reveal the full picture of her compensation vol00009-efta00709105-pdf:

• Salary: $60,000 initially, rising to $120,000, later adjusted to $108,000
• Bonuses: $5,000 to $10,000 annually
• Benefits: Gym membership (~$2,000/year), health/dental/life insurance ($13,000–$17,000/year), Simple IRA at 3%, education allowance ($14,650 one year), car, cell phone, and home phone
• Total compensation: $93,000 to $168,000 depending on the year

Then there was the wire transfer. On January 3, 2017 — years after Epstein's 2008 conviction and more than a decade into her employment — Epstein wired $100,000 to Groff from Southern Financial via Bankwell Bank vol00009-efta00092643-pdf. The co-conspirator payments timeline notes explicitly: "Lesley Groff was one of the four co-conspirators given immunity in connection with Epstein's Non-Prosecution Agreement."

"Call Her and See If She Can Do a Massage at 4"

In a nine-page FBI proffer interview conducted on July 23, 2021 — with her attorney Michael Bachner present — Groff described how the scheduling worked vol00009-efta01246216-pdf:

"EPSTEIN would call GROFF in the morning and say something like, 'Call [name] and see if she can do a massage at 4.' EPSTEIN would then call GROFF every 15 minutes."

Her script was simple: "Hi [name], how are you? Mr. Epstein is in New York and he's wanting to know if you can give him a massage at 4."

When investigators showed her a document titled "Masseuses from JAN" — a list with the metadata notation "Last saved by Lesley Groff" — she acknowledged "this looks like a list she could have put together."

Groff maintained that scheduling massages was "around 1% of GROFF's job" and that the practice was presented as "totally normal" from her first day. Maxwell, she claimed, had told her: "EPSTEIN had to have a massage every day."

The victims told a different story.

What the Victims Said

The DOJ co-conspirators prosecution memo contains multiple victim statements naming Groff directly vol00012-efta02731082-pdf:

Victim-1 identified "Leslie" as the person who scheduled her appointments: "Victim-1 would schedule appointments for the girls by phone with Epstein's assistant, 'Leslie.' Based on the investigation, we have identified 'Leslie' as Leslie Groff."

Another victim described Groff's role in travel arrangements: "Over the years, Leslie Groff would contact [victim] to invite her to meet Epstein and would make her travel arrangements."

A third victim placed Groff within feet of the abuse: "[Victim] recalls that Groff was right outside the closed door to Epstein's office on one occasion when Epstein forced [victim] to perform oral sex on him, but she does not know whether Groff knew what was happening inside the office."

Other victims described how Groff arranged school payments, coordinated commercial flights, answered the phone and transferred calls directly to Epstein for massage scheduling, and operated from an office inside Epstein's New York residence during the times victims visited.

Deposition testimony paints a picture of the waiting room: "I would go in, I would say hi, and she'd say Jeffrey's busy, wait. And I would wait in the little office...and then she would say, Jeffrey's ready to see you" EFTA02726849.

None of the victims reported that Groff discussed the abuse. As one stated: she "did not discuss Epstein's sexual abuse with anyone, including Maxwell, Groff, and [redacted] because she felt that it was taboo."

The Money Courier

Groff's role extended beyond scheduling. From her own FBI proffer vol00009-efta01246216-pdf:

"Sometimes GROFF was asked to messenger money for massages... GROFF got the money from accounting and would pay someone around $100. GROFF would type a message to BELLA; GROFF thought BELLA had the petty cash box. BELLA put money in an envelope. Then it would be put in a messenger box."

"Bella" is Bella Klein, another longtime Epstein household employee who appears 8,815 times in the FBI files. The cash-in-envelope system that Groff described is consistent with victim accounts of being paid in cash after visits to Epstein's residences.

The Rolodex of Power

The 62,331 document mentions reveal that Groff was the connective tissue between Epstein and some of the most powerful people in the world. Her emails show direct coordination with:

Bill Gates: In a January 2011 email, Groff wrote: "I know that Bill Gates likes meat so my bet is we order from a steak place. Bill drinks diet coke, red wine or a good champagne." The schedule showed: "8:30 DINNER WITH BILL GATES AND BORIS NIKOLIC" vol00009-efta00560718-pdf.

Jes Staley (JPMorgan CEO): In December 2014, Groff emailed Epstein: "Jes Staley is asking if the meeting with Bill Gates is still on for tomorrow...if so what time?" vol00011-efta02711455-pdf. She also fielded requests from Staley's office for Prince Andrew's contact number vol00009-efta00778964-pdf.

Prince Andrew: In a June 2011 email about ranch security, Groff wrote casually: "not like when Prince Andrew was here!" vol00010-efta02187753-pdf.

Leon Black (Apollo Global): Groff coordinated directly with Melanie Spinella, Black's executive assistant, scheduling meetings as late as May 2016 vol00009-efta00324627-pdf. One email shows Groff providing Woody Allen's home address — 118 East 70th Street — to Black's assistant vol00009-efta00330372-pdf.

Leon Botstein (Bard College president): Extensive email coordination with Catherine Luiggi, Botstein's assistant, for meetings with Epstein vol00009-efta00387654-pdf.

Other names that flow through Groff's inbox: Boris Nikolic (Gates advisor), Peter Mandelson, Charlie Rose, Katie Couric, Aby Rosen. She maintained what she described as a "computer directory of contacts" that included "politicians, actors, Wall Street individuals, and royalty."

The $100,000 NDA and Maxwell's Rules

Groff described a tightly controlled work environment. At hiring, she signed a $100,000 non-disclosure agreement. Maxwell's instructions were blunt: "You're here to work" — and Groff was "not allowed to fraternize" or "engage in frivolous conversation with EPSTEIN" vol00009-efta01246216-pdf.

Groff claimed she "never went to EPSTEIN's house until 2013" — twelve years into her employment — and that she "did not travel with EPSTEIN." She said she "did not have conversations with MAXWELL about massages."

The Shield: Immunity Without Testimony

The 2007 Non-Prosecution Agreement between Epstein and the Southern District of Florida contained an extraordinary provision vol00012-efta02731082-pdf:

"The NPA further purported to commit the SDFL to not bringing charges against any potential co-conspirators of Epstein, including but not limited to [redacted names], Lesley Groff, or [redacted names], none of whom were signatories to the NPA."

Groff received blanket immunity from prosecution — without ever having to sign the agreement herself, and without being required to cooperate or testify against Epstein.

The memo notes that Groff "and [redacted] are believed to have worked for Epstein to schedule massages, and [redacted] are believed to have recruited Epstein's victims."

Even after Epstein's 2019 arrest, federal investigators continued to examine Groff's role. A February 2019 indictment memo states that the investigation "focused on Ghislaine Maxwell, [redacted names] and Leslie Groff" and "summarizes the potential charges for the conduct at issue, and analyzes the evidence against certain of Epstein's associates and employees" vol00012-efta02731039-pdf.

No charges were ever filed.

62,331 Mentions, Zero Accountability

Lesley Groff appears in more FBI documents than Ghislaine Maxwell. More than Prince Andrew. More than any banker, lawyer, or socialite in Epstein's orbit.

She scheduled the appointments. She couriered the cash. She maintained the contact list. She sat outside the closed door. She coordinated travel for victims. She managed the interface between a convicted sex offender and heads of state, billionaires, and university presidents — for eighteen years.

Her defense: it was only 1% of her job.

The documents say otherwise. All 62,331 of them.

This article cites 17 documents from the FBI investigation files and DOJ prosecution memos released through FOIA and court proceedings. All document references can be verified through the InvArchives document database.

Sources: FBI FD-302 Proffer Interview (vol00009-efta01246216), DOJ Co-Conspirators Memo (vol00012-efta02731082), JEE Payroll Analysis (vol00009-efta00709105), Co-Conspirator Payments Timeline (vol00009-efta00092643), and 13 additional email and court filing records.