Portraying victims: Three Russians are among Epstein's classified heiresses

The names of Jeffrey Epstein's six heiresses, classified by the US Department of Justice, became known to Izvestia. There are three Russian models among them, Svetlana Pozhidaeva, Yulia Stepanova and Renata Bolotova, our source, who was part of the scandalous financier's inner circle, said. They could have been bequeathed sums from $3 to $15 million according to a document drawn up by Epstein two days before his death. The US Department of Justice classified the names of the girls, as it recognized them as victims during the investigation. However, Epstein's files and data from the Izvestia source suggest that in fact they could have served as recruiters for many years — they participated in the selection of girls for the financier's sex parties. Who these heiresses are, how they entered Epstein's entourage, whether they received part of his assets, and what they are doing now — in the Izvestia article.

Epstein's Black Squares

Two days before his death, Jeffrey Epstein transferred almost all of his fortune — $630 million — to The 1953 Trust, and in his will he indicated how this money should be distributed. The first three positions in the list were: his girlfriend and right-hand man Karina Shulyak (about $100 million plus real estate and jewelry), lawyer Darren Indyke ($50 million) and accountant Richard Kahn ($25 million). Next is a list of several dozen more people.

At the same time, in the photo of the will, which was published by the US Department of Justice, paragraphs four to ten are covered with black squares. The agency explained this by saying that these people received the status of "victims" during the investigation of Epstein's crimes. Seven people were supposed to receive from $3 to $15 million, for a total of $58 million.

Until today, these names were unknown. But the source of Izvestia, a former employee of Epstein, said who could be hiding behind the black rectangles in the will. According to him, all the heirs are girls from the financier's inner circle who have accompanied him around the world for years. Some of them lived in his mansion in Manhattan, while others lived in apartments specially purchased for them in New York.

—From the fourth to the tenth numbers in the will are Epstein's long—term assistant Susan Hamblin, Russian models Svetlana Pozhidaeva and Yulia Stepanova, an American, his confidant Jennifer Kalin, one of the closest and most influential assistants Sarah Kellen, as well as a model from Buryatia Renata Bolotova," a source told Izvestia on condition of anonymity. — The girls are all very nice and pleasant, almost all come from good families, but in fact they constantly gossiped and framed each other.

An older friend

Susan Hamblin is an American who for many years worked as Epstein's personal assistant, was his confidant, and dealt with practical issues of his life and business. According to the source of Izvestia, Susan is most likely in the will at number four, and this is not surprising.

— Sue devoted half her life to him, was the most loyal, devoted, and he believed her 100%. Until he met Karina Shulyak, he imagined Sue as his right-hand man. Before Karina, she was the one who had full access to his finances, but she didn't use it. She is the oldest of all those whom he listed in the top ten heirs," the source said.

After Epstein's death, a scandal broke out around Hamblin. The British newspaper The Sun claimed in materials about the Epstein case that Susan allegedly lured a 16-year-old girl to Epstein, ignored her screams during the rape and paid her $500 after the incident. In 2022, Hamblin won a libel and data protection case against the publisher of The Sun. The newspaper officially apologized, deleted the materials and paid compensation, acknowledging that Hamblin had nothing to do with the events described.

It's a shame to be a victim

Svetlana Pozhidaeva is a Russian model and former close assistant of Jeffrey Epstein. Originally from Moscow, she graduated from MGIMO with a red diploma. At the beginning of her career she worked as a financial analyst, but in the late 2000s she decided to become a model. She signed a contract with the agency Elite Models, and later with MC2 Model Management (the agency of Jean-Luc Brunel, closely associated with Epstein), moved to the United States in 2010.

She met Epstein around 2008, according to her version, through a scout under the pretext of casting and "participating in conferences." Soon she became his personal assistant, and later, according to many accounts, they began to have a personal relationship. As Izvestia determined, in correspondence with Epstein, Pozhidaeva appears as a person who was engaged in recruitment: she was looking for young Russian girls through Skype and agencies, luring them with a "modeling career," "charity projects," or "work in foundations." She organized meetings, flights, and parties, including on Little St. James Island. Epstein paid her salary, helped with housing and visas, it follows from her correspondence with him.

After Epstein's death in 2019, she changed her place of residence, and began calling herself a "victim of human trafficking" on her personal website, although she had previously presented herself as an "international entrepreneur" and a fighter for women's rights.

For 2026, there are practically no details about Pozhidaeva's current life. According to a number of publications, she has now allegedly changed her name to Sophia Platt.

The road to great PR

Yulia Stepanova (who also uses the name Julia Cuomo on social media) is also a Russian model. From Epstein's files, it can be concluded that she belongs to the category of girls whom Epstein actively promoted in New York society: beautiful, ambitious, and quickly became part of his inner circle.

Stepanova arrived in New York in 2011. Izvestia found letters in Epstein's files about the organization of her flight to the United States by Epstein's assistant Leslie Groff, who booked a room at a Holiday Inn hotel for the Russian woman. From that moment on, the financier began to actively help the girl: he transferred money through his assistants, paid for flights, hotels and other expenses. In correspondence, Epstein openly referred to her as one of his companions.

As follows from Epstein's letters to Stepanova, he helped her get an internship at the prestigious PR agency of his longtime friend Peggy Segal. Stepanova worked as an intern at her agency, sent invitations to events, regularly appeared at New York Fashion Week shows, and led an active social life.

Fictitious marriage

Jennifer Kalin is an American who has been part of Epstein's inner circle for many years as his assistant and confidant. One of the most notable episodes in her biography was a fictitious marriage. In October 2013, Kalin officially married Karina Shulyak (the LGBT movement is recognized as extremist and banned in the territory of the Russian Federation). This was done in order for Shulyak to receive legal grounds for staying in the United States. They divorced in November 2018.

In Epstein's files published in 2025-2026, Kalin is mentioned in 47 documents, Izvestia calculated. In Explosive Lost Interview 2023, Maria Farmer, one of Epstein's earliest victims (she reported him to the FBI back in 1996, 10 years before the first case against the financier), bluntly calls Jennifer Kalin not a victim, but an active recruiter for the financier, who participated in the selection of girls for more than 10 years and was well I made money from it.

Farmer was particularly outraged by the fact that Epstein's assistants received both victim status and compensation as a result, and their names were kept secret, unlike many other girls from Epstein's network who were not so deeply involved in his activities or even mentioned in the published letters only in passing, but to whom a lot of attention is focused today from-due to the open presence of their names in the files. At the same time, the source of Izvestia drew attention.

— The paradox is that the companions most involved in Epstein's network, who for years lived at Jeffrey's expense and to whom he gave vouchers into life, declared themselves after his death as victims who were allegedly forced to do everything by force, coercion and violence. Although what I saw rather suggested that, even earning good money, they still returned to Jeffrey for a luxurious lifestyle. And now they are not only listed as recipients of the inheritance, but have also received or are in the process of receiving compensation," said a former Epstein employee.

Another of Jeffrey Epstein's closest and most influential assistants is Sarah Kellen. She had been working for Epstein since the early 2000s (from about the age of 22) and served as a key "schedule manager": she organized so-called "massages" and coordinated the girls' comings and goings.

In 2008, as part of a deal with the prosecutor, Sarah was included in the list of "unindicted co-conspirators" (an uncriminated accomplice is a term from American law. — Ed.) in the first case against the financier and received immunity from federal prosecution. In 2022, at the trial of another Epstein assistant, Ghislaine Maxwell, Judge Alison Nathan called her a conscious participant in a criminal conspiracy, but this had no consequences for Kellen.

"Hello, sly dog!"

Renata Bolotova is a model from Buryatia who, in thousands of emails, addressed the financier exclusively as "Sneaky Dog" ("sly" or "secretive dog"). This nickname appears more than 1,400 times in Epstein's files. This is how many of her letters began, as pointed out to Izvestia by a former Epstein employee.

He seemed to love Renata less than the others. But she found an approach to him with her sneaky dog, which he liked," the source said.

Bolotova was born in Ulan-Ude in July 1990. In 2007, she moved to St. Petersburg, where she began her modeling career. Her correspondence with Epstein began around the beginning of the 2010s and was actively conducted until the last years of the financier's life. Epstein gave her instructions on how to "bring gifts," helped with visas and flights for her and her entire family (her parents flew business class from Ulan-Ude via Moscow to New York and Los Angeles). He paid for her education, housing, and tried to promote her career.

As Izvestia learned from Bolotova's correspondence with Epstein, she flaunted the fact that she was Buryat by nationality and advised him to try booze.

As follows from the files published by the US Department of Justice, Epstein, through Bolotov, tried to contact representatives of the Mongolian authorities in order to launch projects related to renewable energy. In September 2015, she attended a dinner in New York in honor of Mongolian President Tsakhiagiin Elbegdorj, along with Epstein himself and former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak.

Since 2018, Bolotova has worked at the International Peace Institute, a New York—based think tank closely associated with the United Nations. Later, she ended up in New York, where she enrolled in The Fletcher School at Tufts University with a degree in international business, graduating in 2023.

As of the spring of 2026, Renata Bolotova's public activity is minimal. She hardly ever runs a social network, officially continues to work in the field of international diplomacy and the promotion of projects related to sustainable development.

Izvestia tried to contact Pozhidaeva, Stepanova and Bolotov through available social media contacts, but received no response.

It is worth saying that none of the heirs of Epstein has received the money specified in the will so far — all payments are possible only after repayment of debts, taxes and claims of victims. As of April 2026, about $170-205 million has already been paid out of Epstein's fortune to victims. Taking into account court costs, taxes and the maintenance of assets, there is now about $127 million left in the inheritance.