Iran Press/America: "He raped me, forcefully raped me," Araoz told NBC News, adding that "he knew exactly what he was doing," Iran Press reported citing NBC.
Epstein, who has been charged with running a sex-trafficking ring involving underage girls, has ties across the United States' political arena, including close friendship with US President Donald Trump and former President Bill Clinton.
"I was terrified and I was telling him to stop. ‘Please stop’ ... he did not stop," she continued. "He had no intentions of stopping and that’s what he wanted, that’s what he got."
Araoz recounted how she was recruited by a young woman outside her high school in 2001 and later brought to Epstein’s nearby townhouse in Manhattan.
"She was definitely trying to get to know me, trying to find out where I was from, where I grew up, who I lived with," Araoz said.
US Labor Secretary Alexander Acosta, who allowed the financier practically escape punishment for a sex-crimes case in 2008, has defended his role as US attorney in Miami at the time.
"Facts are important and facts are being overlooked," Acosta told reporters at the Labor Department in Washington. "These cases are complex, especially when they involve children."
Acosta negotiated a non-prosecution deal with the multimillionaire Epstein at the time.
Earlier in the day, Marc Short, the chief of staff to Vice President Mike Pence, told reporters at the White House that the crimes should be prosecuted.
"I think that Alex [Acosta] will probably be sharing more information with you all," Short said. "And as you heard Alex say yesterday, we welcome the fact that there's additional evidence that can be prosecuted, the crimes and atrocities, and certainly should be prosecuted to the full extent of the law."
Epstein was arrested Saturday on sex-trafficking charges dating back to the 2000s. Some 30 other girls have also accused him of sexual assault.203/209
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