The administrator of a $121 million fund for victims of Jeffrey Epstein announced the final awards to more than 135 people Monday, the day before the second anniversary of the convicted sex offender’s death.<\/b>
\nAug.9 (UPI) — The administrator of a $121 million fund for victims of Jeffrey Epstein announced the final awards to more than 135 people Monday, the day before the second anniversary of the convicted sex offender’s death. The Epstein Victims‘ Compensation Program began accepting claims starting June 2020 with a deadline of March 25, 2021. Jordana H. Feldman, an attorney who also worked on the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund, was the administrator of the Epstein VCP. Around 225 people came forward seeking restitution. More than twice the amount of people administrators expected were approved for compensation. The few people who didn’t accept the money will be able to pursue lawsuits against the estate. Since Epstein left much of his money in trusts, there were concerns the funds would take years to reach victims. The fund was created by the estate of Epstein, which is valued at $600 million. Feldman told The New York Times that some victims received larger amounts than others depending on the extent of the abuse and the amount of evidence they had to support the claim. „It is a highly individualized process and not one where you type the number into a computer and everyone gets the same award,“ Feldman told The New York Times. „It can be heavy stuff. It is intimate and people are coming in and laying bare this private information that they may not have shared with their own spouse or family members.“ Epstein was found dead in a federal jail in August 2019 while awaiting trial on child sex trafficking charges. He was a former friend of Presidents Donald Trump and Bill Clinton and Britain’s Prince Andrew. His associate Ghislaine Maxwell is set to go on trial in federal court in Manhattan on charges related to Epstein’s sexual abuse. She has pleaded not guilty and is being held without bond in jail.<\/p>\n