Florida woman pleads guilty to defrauding fund for Jeffrey Epstein victims

Jennifer Percival, a 46-year-old scholar and director of Florida Atlantic University's Center for Autism and Related Disabilities, has pleaded guilty to falsifying records to defraud two funds set up for victims of Jeffrey Epstein. On Monday, she entered her plea in federal court in New York, the same day she was charged with the crime.

During her court appearance, Percival admitted to using altered documents to obtain payments from both the Epstein estate fund and JPMorgan Chase's settlement fund. She claimed that applying for the funds gave her a sense of validation, but prosecutors have not determined if she was or was not one of Epstein's victims. She was charged in December 2025 with the misuse of documents and was released from custody after the hearing, awaiting sentencing.