Floor SpeechNeutral2026-05-26

TESTIMONY OF MR. SPENCER KUVIN, "SURVIVORS FIGHT FOR JUSTICE: EXPOSING EPSTEIN'S CRIMES IN PALM BEACH AND ACROSS THE WORLD"

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On 2026-05-26, Representative Dave Min (D-CA-47) delivered a floor speech titled "TESTIMONY OF MR. SPENCER KUVIN, "SURVIVORS FIGHT FOR JUSTICE: EXPOSING EPSTEIN'S CRIMES IN PALM BEACH AND ACROSS THE WOR" in the House.

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TESTIMONY OF MR. SPENCER KUVIN, "SURVIVORS FIGHT FOR JUSTICE: EXPOSING EPSTEIN'S CRIMES IN PALM BEACH AND ACROSS THE WORLD"

Congressional Record, Volume 172 Issue 89 (Tuesday, May 26, 2026) [Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 89 (Tuesday, May 26, 2026)] [Extensions of Remarks] [Page E493] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [ www.gpo.gov ] TESTIMONY OF MR. SPENCER KUVIN, ``SURVIVORS FIGHT FOR JUSTICE: EXPOSING EPSTEIN'S CRIMES IN PALM BEACH AND ACROSS THE WORLD'' ______ HON. DAVE MIN of california in the house of representatives Tuesday, May 26, 2026 Mr. MIN. Mr. Speaker, on May 12, 2026, Oversight Committee Democrats convened the first-ever hearing to solicit testimony from survivors of Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell's crimes. The hearing, ``Survivors Fight for Justice: Exposing Epstein's Crimes in Palm Beach and Across the World,'' marked a critical step forward in the fight for justice and accountability. On behalf of all the survivors of Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell's crimes, I rise to include in the Record the testimony offered by Mr. Spencer Kuvin into the Congressional Record: Ranking Member, and Members of Congress, my name is Spencer Kuvin, and I have represented numerous survivors of sexual exploitation and trafficking over the years, including the first victim to come forward in the Epstein investigation here in Palm Beach. I am here today because what happened during the prosecution of Jeffrey Epstein was not simply a failure of judgment--it was a systemic failure of justice. In Palm Beach County, credible evidence of widespread sexual abuse involving minors was presented to state prosecutors. Law enforcement initially identified dozens of victims. The conduct was organized, repeated, and devastating. Yet instead of a prosecution that matched the scale of the harm, what followed was a secret agreement that minimized the abuse and insulted the children who had been abused. Despite the efforts of some fantastic Federal agents, the U.S. Attorney's office in the Southern District, decided to have secret meetings with Epstein's attorneys. The U.S. Department of Justice in conjunction with the Palm Beach County State Attorney's Office colluded in secret to quietly shelve this case with minimal state charges that branded and treated 15 and 16 year old child victims as ``prostitutes''-- a sweetheart deal for Epstein and four named, as well as ``unnamed'' co-conspirators. The Southern District U.S. Attorney at the time, Alex Acosta, spearheaded what every attorney looking at it subsequently would describe as the worst non-prosecution agreement every entered by a U.S. Attorney. This sent a message. It told victims that even when the evidence is strong, accountability is negotiable if you're rich and powerful. This awful non-prosecution agreement effectively shut down further federal charges for the events they were investigating in Florida. As I mentioned that tragic deal was negotiated and signed in secret. Not only was it kept secret from the world, it was kept secret from me as an advocate for multiple victims at the time and it was kept secret from the victims of the crime. I was forced to file motions with the court to compel its disclosure, and even take the matter up to the appellate court before it was finally provided to the victims, a full year after it was signed. The victims were not consulted. Their advocates like me, were not consulted. Victims were never given an opportunity to be heard. This was not just a moral failure--we believed it was a violation of law. Under the Crime Victims' Rights Act, originally passed in 2004, and subsequently amended in 2006, 2008 and 2015, victims have the right to confer with prosecutors and the right to be treated with fairness and respect. Yet those rights were ignored at the very moment they mattered most--when decisions were being made that would determine whether justice would ever be pursued. The result was predictable. Survivors were retraumatized-- not only by the abuse they endured, but by a system that excluded them from the process designed to protect them. And the public was left questioning whether justice can be trusted when powerful interests are involved. This failure by the Department of Justice was the subject of litigation in the case of in In re Wild. What that case ultimately exposed is a gap in the law--one that must be closed. Today, I want to offer a clear path forward. First, Congress should amend the Crime Victims Rights Act to make explicit that victims must be notified and given a meaningful opportunity to confer before any non-prosecution agreement or deferred prosecution agreement is finalized. Second, there must be enforceable remedies. Rights without remedies are not rights--they are suggestions. Victims should have standing to challenge agreements reached in violation of the Act, and courts must have the authority to review and, where appropriate, void those agreements. Third, transparency must be the rule, not the exception. Secret agreements that extinguish criminal liability-- particularly in cases involving multiple victims--should not exist in our system of justice. And finally, there must be accountability. When prosecutors fail to uphold victims' rights, there must be consequences sufficient to ensure that these failures are not repeated. This is not about relitigating the past. It is about ensuring that what happened here never happens again. The survivors in this case showed extraordinary courage. They came forward. They told the truth. They trusted the system. The system failed them. Congress now has the opportunity--and the responsibility-- to fix it. Thank you. I look forward to your questions. ____________________

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TESTIMONY OF MR. SPENCER KUVIN, "SURVIVORS FIGHT FOR JUSTICE: EXPOSING EPSTEIN'S CRIMES IN PALM BEACH AND ACROSS THE WORLD" Congressional Record, Volume 172 Issue 89 (Tuesday, May 26, 2026) [Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 89 (Tuesday, May 26, 2026)] [Extensions of Remarks] [Page E493] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [ www.gpo.gov ] TESTIMONY OF MR. SPENCER KUVIN, ``SURVIVORS FIGHT FOR JUSTICE: EXPOSING EPSTEIN'S CRIMES IN PALM BEACH AND ACROSS THE WORLD'' ______ HON. DAVE MIN of california in the house of representatives Tuesday, May 26, 2026 Mr. MIN. Mr. Speaker, on May 12, 2026, Oversight Committee Democrats convened the first-ever hearing to solicit testimony from survivors of Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell's crimes. The hearing, ``Survivors Fight for Justice: Exposing Epstein's Crimes in Palm Beach and Across the World,'' marked a critical step forward in the fight for justice and accountability. On behalf of all the survivors of Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell's crimes, I rise to include in the Record the testimony offered by Mr. Spencer Kuvin into the Congressional Record: Ranking Member, and Members of Congress, my name is Spencer Kuvin, and I have represented numerous survivors of sexual exploitation and trafficking over the years, including the first victim to come forward in the Epstein investigation here in Palm Beach. I am here today because what happened during the prosecution of Jeffrey Epstein was not simply a failure of judgment--it was a systemic failure of justice. In Palm Beach County, credible evidence of widespread sexual abuse involving minors was presented to state prosecutors. Law enforcement initially identified dozens of victims. The conduct was organized, repeated, and devastating. Yet instead of a prosecution that matched the scale of the harm, what followed was a secret agreement that minimized the abuse and insulted the children who had been abused. Despite the efforts of some fantastic Federal agents, the U.S. Attorney's office in the Southern District, decided to have secret meetings with Epstein's attorneys. The U.S. Department of Justice in conjunction with the Palm Beach County State Attorney's Office colluded in secret to quietly shelve this case with minimal state charges that branded and treated 15 and 16 year old child victims as ``prostitutes''-- a sweetheart deal for Epstein and four named, as well as ``unnamed'' co-conspirators. The Southern District U.S. Attorney at the time, Alex Acosta, spearheaded what every attorney looking at it subsequently would describe as the worst non-prosecution agreement every entered by a U.S. Attorney. This sent a message. It told victims that even when the evidence is strong, accountability is negotiable if you're rich and powerful. This awful non-prosecution agreement effectively shut down further federal charges for the events they were investigating in Florida. As I mentioned that tragic deal was negotiated and signed in secret. Not only was it kept secret from the world, it was kept secret from me as an advocate for multiple victims at the time and it was kept secret from the victims of the crime. I was forced to file motions with the court to compel its disclosure, and even take the matter up to the appellate court before it was finally provided to the victims, a full year after it was signed. The victims were not consulted. Their advocates like me, were not consulted. Victims were never given an opportunity to be heard. This was not just a moral failure--we believed it was a violation of law. Under the Crime Victims' Rights Act, originally passed in 2004, and subsequently amended in 2006, 2008 and 2015, victims have the right to confer with prosecutors and the right to be treated with fairness and respect. Yet those rights were ignored at the very moment they mattered most--when decisions were being made that would determine whether justice would ever be pursued. The result was predictable. Survivors were retraumatized-- not only by the abuse they endured, but by a system that excluded them from the process designed to protect them. And the public was left questioning whether justice can be trusted when powerful interests are involved. This failure by the Department of Justice was the subject of litigation in the case of in In re Wild. What that case ultimately exposed is a gap in the law--one that must be closed. Today, I want to offer a clear path forward. First, Congress should amend the Crime Victims Rights Act to make explicit that victims must be notified and given a meaningful opportunity to confer before any non-prosecution agreement or deferred prosecution agreement is finalized. Second, there must be enforceable remedies. Rights without remedies are not rights--they are suggestions. Victims should have standing to challenge agreements reached in violation of the Act, and courts must have the authority to review and, where appropriate, void those agreements. Third, transparency must be the rule, not the exception. Secret agreements that extinguish criminal liability-- particularly in cases involving multiple victims--should not exist in our system of justice. And finally, there must be accountability. When prosecutors fail to uphold victims' rights, there must be consequences sufficient to ensure that these failures are not repeated. This is not about relitigating the past. It is about ensuring that what happened here never happens again. The survivors in this case showed extraordinary courage. They came forward. They told the truth. They trusted the system. The system failed them. Congress now has the opportunity--and the responsibility-- to fix it. Thank you. I look forward to your questions. ____________________