Tucson sexual assault survivor says network did not die with Epstein

For Tucson residents, the continuing fallout from Jeffrey Epstein’s sexual abuse network is not only a national story. It is also connected to a survivor living here, a local sexual assault support organization, and a new member of the Pima County Tucson Women’s Commission who says she is working to expose how abuse can continue through networks of people and institutions, even after a central perpetrator is gone.

Dana Taylor told KGUN 9 that Epstein’s death in 2019 did not end the system she believes he built. Epstein, a financier and convicted sex offender, died while in custody at a Manhattan jail. Ghislaine Maxwell, described as his accomplice, is serving a 20 year prison sentence. Taylor said the public desire to identify a small number of villains and declare the matter finished overlooks what she describes as a much broader structure involving multiple levels of perpetrators and enablers.

Taylor now lives in Tucson, but she lived for decades in New Mexico, where she says she has firsthand knowledge of Epstein’s activities and connections. She is assisting an investigation into his operations at Zorro Ranch and in Santa Fe. Taylor said her late former husband, Phillip Ray Houtz, introduced her to Epstein as early as the 1990s. She recalled recognizing Epstein as someone with substantial power, but said drugging made it difficult at the time to understand or piece together her memories.

She also described her former husband as a well connected figure in the New Mexico network and accused him of drugging and psychologically manipulating her. Taylor said she endured and witnessed years of abuse and torture. Reports have previously described victims being drugged during abuse connected to Epstein, but Taylor’s account is her own description of what happened to her and what she observed.

In Tucson, Taylor credits the Southern Arizona Center Against Sexual Assault, known as SACASA, with helping her address the trauma. The organization offers support for people affected by sexual assault, and KGUN 9 directed victims and survivors to SACASA for assistance. Taylor has also created an organization of her own, which she says she is using to advocate for survivors. Her appointment to the Pima County Tucson Women’s Commission gives her another local platform for pursuing women’s equality and discussing the systems that she believes allowed abuse and disbelief to persist.

Taylor said she plans to meet again this month with U.S. Representative Melanie Stansbury, who has been a prominent advocate for transparency and state level investigations involving Epstein’s New Mexico properties and activities. Taylor said she is speaking now because she feels able to break away from people who controlled her for decades. She also said she wants to speak for victims who are no longer alive. Her stated goal is to keep pressing for change for women who were abused, disbelieved, or treated as less important than people with greater wealth and influence.

The legal and financial aftermath is continuing as well. On August 27, a federal judge gave final approval to a $72.5 million settlement between Bank of America and about 60 women who said they were sexually abused or trafficked by Epstein and people associated with him. The claims covered alleged abuse and trafficking between June 2008 and Epstein’s arrest in July 2019. Bank of America agreed to the settlement without admitting wrongdoing and continues to deny the claims.

The lawsuit accused the bank of overlooking suspicious transactions connected to Epstein’s alleged trafficking operation and failing to file legally required suspicious activity reports in a timely manner. The women pointed to unusual payments and transactions involving Epstein’s associates, including payments from Leon Black, the former chief executive of Apollo Global Management. An independent review found that Black paid Epstein $158 million for estate planning. Bank of America has said the settlement allows it to put the case behind it while denying every claim against it.

The settlement follows agreements with two other major banks. JPMorgan Chase agreed in 2023 to pay $290 million to more than 100 Epstein survivors, while Deutsche Bank agreed that year to pay $75 million to dozens of women. Together, the three settlements total more than $437 million. The payments may help survivors with medical care, therapy, lost wages, and other costs, but they do not establish that any bank legally enabled Epstein’s crimes. Because the cases ended through settlements, there was no trial verdict determining what the institutions knew, when they knew it, or whether they helped facilitate abuse.

That distinction matters to survivors and to the public. A settlement can provide compensation while ending the discovery process that might reveal internal communications, financial records, or compliance reports. The judge’s approval of the Bank of America agreement confirmed that the settlement class had been properly notified, but did not decide whether the bank ignored Epstein’s conduct or knew about it. Other potential defendants, including individuals, organizations, institutions, or Epstein’s estate, may face separate claims. Legal deadlines differ by state, and some have been extended to allow survivors to report abuse later in life. People affected by Epstein or anyone connected to his network can contact SACASA, a lawyer, or a survivor advocacy organization to learn what options may be available.