A woman seen with Andrew Mountbatten Windsor at Jeffrey Epstein’s New York residence has been identified as a victim of sex trafficking in US legal proceedings, according to a statement by a US lawmaker.
During a session with Attorney General Pam Bondi at the Department of Justice Oversight Committee, California congressman Ted Lieu questioned why the royal figure has not faced prosecution by American authorities in relation to the release of the Epstein Files.
Lieu presented images of Andrew with an unidentified female at the hearing, where victims of Jeffrey Epstein were present. While women associated with Epstein have been recognized as victims under federal trafficking laws, the specific woman with the royal has not been similarly acknowledged.
In a heated exchange led by Lieu, Bondi was pressed on why the FBI and Department of Justice closed their investigation against Epstein and his associates in July. Lieu highlighted the significance of the federal Victims Trafficking Protection Act, pointing out that not only trafficking but also benefiting from such operations is illegal.
The congressman criticized the decision to close the investigation and not prosecute former Prince Andrew, emphasizing the need to hold accountable those who participated in Epstein’s illicit activities.
The pressure on the Department of Justice increased after Lieu’s intervention, challenging the findings of the July 2025 memo that cited insufficient evidence to pursue additional individuals in connection to Epstein.
Despite US prosecutors stating that they found no grounds to charge Andrew, the prince had settled a civil lawsuit with Virginia Giuffre in 2022. Giuffre, who alleged she was trafficked by Epstein and forced to engage in sexual activities with Andrew when she was 17, later passed away. Andrew has consistently denied the accusations and contested her version of events.
The controversy surrounding Andrew’s connections to Epstein intensified with the emergence of a new photo showing him with a victim at Epstein’s New York property. Epstein died in 2019 while in custody, awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges, and Maxwell is currently serving a prison sentence for related offenses.
The Department of Justice reiterated that their review did not uncover enough evidence to pursue additional individuals in the case.
