WASHINGTON, D.C. — The House Oversight Committee released a transcript of testimony given under oath by Lesley Groff on June 9, 2026. Groff, who worked for Jeffrey Epstein for nearly two decades, addressed her role in managing travel logistics for Epstein's network.

In her testimony, Groff stated she did not believe she ever arranged travel for individuals under the age of 18. She said her understanding was that bookings were for "traveling assistants" employed by Epstein. Groff denied being aware of any instance in which the purpose of the travel was for Epstein or anyone in his network to engage in sexual activity with the women involved.

Groff referenced a 2016 email to Natalia Molotkova, an American Express relationship manager assigned to Epstein's account. In the email, Groff wrote, "Natasha, we need to find a flight that departs Rome and goes to London on the 29th for [redacted]." She added, "This is a decoy flight. She will not really take it, but she needs to show an itinerary for this flight." When asked by House Oversight Committee Senior Counsel Brittany Brignac if a separate booking was an example of a decoy flight, Groff replied, "no." Her attorney, Michael Bachner, told the committee, "with all due respect, there is no indication that it was to obtain a visa." Groff told lawmakers, "This woman wanted to take a flight to visit Mr. Epstein. She did not want to tell her parents that she was going to take this flight."

In a December 2012 email, Groff wrote to Molotkova that a redacted individual "has an interview with the consulate at 1030… she needs proof of hotel stay and air for this meeting." Groff directed Molotkova to cancel the fully refundable travel itinerary that was being held. When questioned about the purpose of the booking, Groff replied, "I don't know. I think that this was an assistant of Mr. Epstein's that wanted to get her visa." She stated, "The only thing I facilitated was getting her a ticket and a hotel room reservation." Groff added, "It looks to me like she needed to get her visa, and she was requesting it, and that's it."

American Express declined to comment on Groff's testimony. In February, prior to the release of the transcript, a spokesperson for the company stated, "We terminated his account following federal charges against him, and we continuously update our processes and controls." The spokesperson also said, "We regret having him as a customer," and noted the company "strongly condemns abuse, exploitation, and human trafficking."