Meet Sarah Kellen — One Of The Women Accused Of Recruiting Underage Girls For Jeffrey Epstein
She's not speaking to authorities.
Getty Images Rumors have circulated since the 1990s that financier Jeffrey Epstein raped young girls who attended his parties. Allegations were also brought forward by a woman identified as Jane Doe, who claimed Epstein hired her to seek out and recruit young women for his parties.
In the wake of Epstein’s alleged 2019 suicide, reports have surfaced of other women who were hired to find victims for Epstein.
Though Epstein is dead (or under witness protection if you believe the multiple conspiracy theories surrounding his passing), the women accused of helping to traffic girls should be worried — because they're just as guilty as Epstein.
Who is Sarah Kellen?
A report by the New York Times suggested that Epstein relied on these women, including 39-year-old Kellen. Referred to as his “lieutenant,” she allegedly kept a list of the girls whom she would call and arrange for them to meet with Epstein. But there’s much more to know about her.
With the recent release of the Netflix documentary Jeffrey Epstein: Filthy Rich, fans are hoping to finally get some answers about Kellen. So, here are some things to know.
She owns an interior-design firm.
Her firm, SLK Designs, once had an office in midtown Manhattan and was owned by Mark Epstein, Jeffrey Epstein’s brother. The address listed is the same address where Epstein was alleged to have rented housing units to “models.”
Kellen also goes by Sarah Kensington, professionally, and her bio reads:
“Sarah Kensington makes a living doing what she loves in life: interior design. She is the owner of SLK Designs, LLC., and has studied at several schools including the University of Hawaii and New York School of Interior Design. Sarah loves fashion, photography, travel, delicious cuisine, and anything design related (housewares, interior design, art, architecture). In her free time, Sarah enjoys working with clay and painting.
At the present time, Sarah Kensington is working with a number of clients on various projects including renovating several corporate apartments in New York, the Caribbean, and Paris. For the houses that Sarah manages, she does a number of duties which can involve organizing staff schedules, looking for and interviewing housekeepers and chefs, purchase and source items that are needed for the household (flatware, dishes, furniture, art, etc.), design floral arrangements, and interior design.”
She’s married to a NASCAR driver.
Kellen wed former NASCAR driver Brian Vickers in 2013 in Wyoming. Though they’ve been married for seven years, Vickers hasn’t commented on the allegations brought against his wife.
The allegations are lengthy.
In court documents, Kellen was accused of booking “massages” and calling girls from her list, seeing if they “were available for encounters” at Epstein’s Palm Beach mansion. Victims claim a woman named Sarah led them into the home and lined up oils on the massage table. She also booked travel for the victims.
According to a lawyer representing some of Epstein’s accusers, “She saw herself as the boss. Sarah was really running that organization, bringing girls and getting them in and out of the Palm Beach home,” they said in the New York Times post.
One accuser also claims, “it was Kellen [and Ghislaine] that showed me how to please Jeffrey.”
She was “like an assistant to Ghislaine.”
Ghislaine Maxwell, a British socialite who was a close associate of Epstein and is also accused of recruiting young girls, denies she was involved in the abuse. But multiple allegations brought against Maxwell say she was Epstein’s “main girlfriend” and was referred to as “Lady of the House” by his staff.
In civil cases and accusations, Maxwell was accused of recruiting young girls and minors, some of which met her at Donald Trump’s Palm Beach Mar-a-Lago Club. One victim says Maxwell and Epstein groomed her “for his pleasure, including lessons on Epstein’s preferences during oral sex.”
Another victim, identified as Sarah Ransome, filed a lawsuit claiming Epstein and Maxwell hired her for massages and was then threatened when she didn’t comply with their sexual demands.
Maria Farmer, another victim who filed a sworn affidavit, said she and her sister were sexually assaulted by both Maxwell and Epstein. Jennifer Araoz filed a lawsuit in August 2019 against Maxwell and Epstein’s staff for similar allegations.
Kellen hasn’t been charged.
Despite being named by multiple victims, she has invoked her Fifth Amendment when questioned by police. She hasn’t been arrested on any charges, though the investigation continues.
Palm Beach police had also reportedly prepared a warrant for her arrest as an accessory to sex and molestation with minors, but was never carried out.
She flew on Epstein’s private plane.
According to flight logs obtained in 2015, Kellen traveled on his private plane quite frequently. She was on flights with Epstein and Bill Clinton at least 11 times, and joined them on a five-day trip to Africa.
Kellen is thought to have had a close relationship with Epstein, and in an article from 2005, he said, “[My assistants] are an extension of my brain. Their intuition is something that I don’t have.”
She told the victims not to speak out.
Court papers indicate that both Kellen and Epstein threatened the girls not to go to the authorities about their interactions. Victims say they were intimidated and frightened by the threats.
Jeffrey Epstein: Filthy Rich is streaming now.
The new documentary is available to watch on Netlfix now.
The film maintained that Kellen was one of the women who recruited the young girls for Epstein. Kellen has also reportedly apologized for her part in the abuse against Sarah Ransome.
Samantha Maffucci is an editor for YourTango who focuses on writing trending news and entertainment pieces.
Editor's Note: This article was originally posted in September 2019 and was updated with the latest information.