Diksha Sundriyal
Netflix’s ‘Jeffrey Epstein: Filthy Rich’ follows the stories of the survivors who endured varying levels of abuse by Jeffrey Epstein. Over the course of four episodes, the docuseries unravels the crimes of the man through the testimonies of the women who fell into his orbit and went through some of the worst times of their lives with him. Michelle Licata was only sixteen when she met Epstein, and this experience changed her life forever.
Michelle Licata Survived a Deeply Traumatic Ordeal
In 2004, 16-year-old Michelle Licata was approached by a friend who told her that she could make some quick bucks by giving a massage to an old man. Since the pay was $200, Michelle thought that it was a good deal, and she was certainly looking to earn some extra cash during the holiday season. However, when she accompanied her friend to the other side of Palm Beach and entered the driveway of Jeffrey Epstein’s house, she was told that she would be asked to take off her shirt and pants, but she could keep her undergarments on. This unsettled Michelle, but as she walked up to the house, she noticed that everyone around her was an adult, and none of these people seemed to care that two young girls were walking into the house.
When she first saw Epstein, he was lying face down on the massage table and was occupied with a phone call. When he got off the call, he turned over to look at her and told her to take her clothes off. Following this, he touched her inappropriately and then touched himself as well. Michelle was so scared that she froze, and later revealed that “his face was enough to terrify me for the rest of my life and haunt me for the rest of my life.” Once the deed was done, she was given the money. As she left the place, she cried all the way back home and felt so used that she vowed she would never let anybody touch her again.
The trauma of the experience stayed with Michelle as she started to shut everyone out. She was angry at herself, and this frustration would come out in ways that completely changed her personality. Her mother became concerned about her, but it wasn’t until a year later, when the cops knocked at her door after finding her name in one of the memos in Epstein’s place, that Michelle’s mother found out about what had happened to her.
Michelle Licata is Leading a Happy and Content Life Today
Now in her late 30s, Michelle Licata is focused on the happy family that she has built with her loving partner. She is a devoted mother and credits her son for being one of the major factors behind her motivation to move on to better things and not let her past trauma control her present and the future. She says that she has moved forward in life and is pretty good now. She works at her parents’ cafe and loves to create fun memories with them, other family members, and friends. She also enjoys spending time with her dogs and often takes them on long walks. Her life is much more peaceful now, and she intends to make the most of everything.
Having suffered abuse at the hands of Jeffrey Epstein, Michelle, like many other survivors, had to stay silent for a long time, but now that the truth is out in the open, she is glad that she doesn’t have to live with that silence anymore. She revealed that the first time she found out Epstein had been arrested, she felt relieved as it made her feel safer, while she was also happy that the man was finally getting his due. She also appeared in court alongside other survivors to testify against him, but when she saw him there (which was for the first time in many years), she felt like being transported back to the massage room and panicked a little.
Michelle also had the urge to ask him if he remembered her, though she knew that he probably wouldn’t because she was one of hundreds of girls who had crossed the threshold of his house. She also felt attacked by his lawyers, as they asked her the most intimate details of her life, including how many guys she had slept with and if she’d had an abortion. This made her feel paranoid, but she also questioned the morality of the lawyers for representing a guy like Epstein. Epstein’s arrest also made Michelle happy that, finally, the survivors were being heard and that their “stories were mattering.” She wishes that this momentum would continue and that she could also help other survivors of sexual abuse to come forward and speak out.
Even in the midst of all this chaos, she befriended Courtney Wild, another survivor. Their shared experience allowed them to bond instantly, and they have been friends ever since. Michelle also befriended Maria Farmer, who painted her portrait as part of ‘The Survivors Project’ series. Apart from all this, Michelle prefers to live a private life that is as far from public scrutiny as possible. Still, when it comes to speaking out about her experience and helping others who have been through similar circumstances, she appears on media outlets to talk about it and keep the conversation going about getting justice.
Read More: Where Are Maria and Annie Farmer Now? Update on Jeffrey Epstein’s Survivors
