Virginia Giuffre’s brother says ‘Epstein case has been mishandled, again and again’ as he joins survivors of paedophile financier to demand answers
Virginia Giuffre’s brother has said the Jeffrey Epstein case has been ‘mishandled, again and again’ as he joined survivors in Washington to demand answers.
Sky Roberts and his wife Amanda gave a press conference alongside survivors of Epstein’s abuse in which they called Attorney General Pam Bondi’s handling of the release of the Epstein files as ‘nothing short of a failure’.
It came ahead of a planned grilling for Bondi before the House Judiciary Committee today, where she will face questions following mounting criticism in recent days.
The Department of Justice has faced scrutiny over the redaction of names of alleged perpetrators of abuse in the files, as well as failing to properly protect the identities of victims by redacting their names, faces and personal information.
Mr Roberts made the comments after yesterday insisting that Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor must ‘show up’ to testify before Congress over his relationship with Epstein.
Speaking in Washington today, Mr Roberts said: ‘Pam, I have a clear and simple message for you. The way this administration and you in particular have handled survivors has been nothing short of a failure.’
Sharing a message from one of the victims of Epstein and his socialite former girlfriend Ghislaine Maxwell, he continued: ‘I’ve a message from Annie Farmer […] And she said Pam, do your job. Do your job Pam, and I feel that.
‘There are serious questions that demand answers. Why are the perpetrators names being redacted while survivors names are left unredacted?
Virginia Giuffre’s brother has said Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor (pictured in a photo released as part of the Epstein files) must ‘show up’ to testify before Congress amid the fallout from the latest DoJ release
After being asked about the infamous photograph that shows the former prince with his arm around his young sister, Mr Roberts said Andrew ‘should show up and answer questions’ about Epstein
‘We are done with excuses, we are done with delays, no more lies, no more deflection, we want answers and we want accountability.’
Turning to his sister Virginia Giuffre, who died in April by suicide aged just 41, he said: ‘Virginia was not a headline, she was a daughter, a sister, a mother and a human being.
‘She carried what was done to her for years and still chose to fight, not just for herself but for others who were afraid or silenced.
‘And we need to say this plainly, the handling of the Jeffrey Epstein case has been mishandled, again and again across administrations, across agencies and across years.
‘That failure is not abstract, it has caused real lasting damage to survivors and that is not up for debate.
‘We are here to see whether our representatives will stand with survivors not with excuses, not with delay, not with political convenience. We are here to see whether you will ask the hard questions that have been avoided for far too long.’
Yesterday, Mr Roberts and his wife were at the US Capitol as politicians in Washington unveiled Virginia’s Law, some ten months after her death.
The new law will mean survivors of sexual abuse will be able to pursue justice against their attackers without a time limit.
An emotional Mr Roberts told the press conference: ‘Virginia’s dream was to inspire and empower survivors to come forward in a world that too often turns away from abuse and pushes it into the shadows. She wanted to bring light.’
After being asked about the notorious photograph that shows the former Prince Andrew with his arm around his young sister, he added: ‘I think he should show up in front of our Congress.
‘He has a lot of questions he needs to answer and he has been exploited through these files to have inconsistencies in his own messages.
‘I want today to be about Virginia’s law, to not allow this to happen again, but to Andrew, he needs to show up and answer questions in front of our Congress.’
Sky Roberts, brother of Virginia Giuffre, speaks to reporters in the US Capitol on Tuesday alongside his wife Amanda
US Attorney General Pam Bondi is sworn in before being questioned in front of the House Judiciary Committee in Washington today
There is mounting pressure on Andrew to testify before Congress after he and his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson appeared in the Epstein files (Pictured: The couple attending the funeral of Katharine, Duchess of Kent at Westminster Cathedral on September 16, 2025 in London)
Ms Giuffre was Epstein’s most prominent accuser and claimed she had been trafficked to have sex with Andrew on three occasions, including in London and on Epstein’s private island.
Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor has always denied any wrongdoing.
Speaking in Washington on Wednesday, Ms Giuffre’s sister-in-law Amanda said she is ‘deeply disappointed’ at the way Pam Bondi and the DoJ have treated survivors.
‘Today while you’re being questioned, we ask you to look into the eyes of every single one of us and remember Virginia Roberts Giuffre, who paid the ultimate sacrifice for the trauma that she endured. We ask you to remember the lives that we have lost during this process,’ she said.
‘We are here because survivors have had their lives defined by what powerful people did to them behind closed doors while institutions have continually looked away.
‘Today Congress has a chance to prove that this country is still not looking away.
‘We are not here for theatre, and we are not here for talking points. We are here for truth, we are here for justice and we are here for accountability, for Virginia and every survivor.’
Lara Blume McGee, one of the survivors who was abused by Epstein, told those gathered it had taken ‘courage’ to speak out about her experiences, continuing: ‘That courage should never cost us our safety, our privacy or our right to heal. Our current system does the opposite.
‘The people who have harmed us are hidden while survivors are exposed. Abusers’ names and contact information is redacted while our faces and stories are left on full display.
‘This is not protection, this is betrayal. It hands power back to the abusers and further strips survivors of our dignity.’
She concluded: ‘Truth, integrity and the pursuit of justice should be non-negotiable and we will no longer negotiate with people or institutions that fail us.’
In an extraordinary set of pictures released as part of the Epstein files, Andrew is seen looking directly at the camera as he kneels on all fours above a woman whose face is redacted
The press conference came amid mounting pressure in Britain for Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor to travel to the US following Ms Giuffre’s allegations that she was first trafficked to London – where the photograph with Andrew and Ghislaine Maxwell was taken – when she was 17 and forced to have sex with the 41-year-old former Duke of York.
Andrew eventually settled her claims, without admitting wrongdoing, in a reported £12 million out-of-court agreement.
There is now mounting pressure on Andrew to testify about what he knew of convicted paedophile Epstein before Congress, with US Vice President JD Vance adding his voice to the fray last week.
In an interview with the Daily Mail he said he was ‘open’ to Andrew testifying, but added it is the decision of Congress itself.
Meanwhile after the latest release of around three million documents, photos and videos from the files last month, UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said Andrew has a duty to give evidence.
Sir Keir said victims ‘have to be the first priority’ and that ‘anybody who has got information should be prepared to share that information in whatever form they are asked to do that’.
He added that a ‘victim-centred’ approach was why Andrew should co-operate fully and provide information ‘in whatever form’ he is requested.
Speaking at the Capitol on Tuesday, Ms Giuffre’s brother said the introduction of Virginia’s Law would ‘amplify the voices of survivors around the world’.
He continued: ‘We send a clear message to perpetrators everywhere by introducing Virginia’s law. Survivors deserve justice not expiration dates. Change must mean justice… justice in law.’
He added: ‘Virginia did not survive what she survived just to be silenced again.’
The bill will end the statute of limitations for adult victims or their survivors bringing civil suits against perpetrators of sexual abuse.
It would also widen options for victims, enabling them to bring suits concerning sex crimes that take place outside of the US, as long as a US court has jurisdiction.
It is hoped this could help some of Epstein’s victims, after the disgraced financier died in 2019 before he himself could face justice.
His former girlfriend and associate, British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell, is currently serving a 20-year prison sentence in a US jail for her role in procuring and trafficking young girls for Epstein.
Epstein is pictured with a young woman who appears to be in her underwear in a photograph released as part of the Epstein files
The email from the files appears to show Andrew forwarded on reports from his trade envoy trips to Epstein five minutes after he got them from his then-special adviser, Amit Patel
The latest files released by the American Department of Justice revealed more disturbing pictures of Andrew crouching over a young woman, as well as dozens of emails showing further details of their friendship.
This includes allegedly sharing confidential information from his role as the UK trade envoy such as confidential briefings on investment opportunities in the reconstruction of Helmand province, Afghanistan, as well as reports of visits to Hong Kong, Vietnam and Singapore.
Other emails show how Andrew entertained Epstein and four women, including a young Romanian model, at the Palace while Queen Elizabeth was away at Balmoral in 2010.
And it was announced this week that police are assessing a complaint from a second woman who also claims she was sent to the UK for a sexual encounter with Andrew in 2010.
Buckingham Palace has said it is ready to ‘support’ any police inquiry should UK authorities decide to investigate Andrew further as a result of the files.
