A Boca Raton woman who runs a Florida Atlantic University disability research center has pleaded guilty to falsifying records she used to collect $750,000 from a compensation fund set up for people sexually abused by Jeffrey Epstein. Jennifer Percival, 46, entered her plea in federal court in New York, and prosecutors say she brought a check for $776,031 in restitution to the hearing itself.
How the Fraud Allegedly Unfolded
According to WPLG Local 10, Percival applied to the Epstein estate fund in late 2020, but the fund decided she was ineligible for payment. Prosecutors say she then altered her rejection letter to make it appear she had been approved, and gave altered and fabricated emails to her own lawyer. She went on to claim the estate fund had found her eligible and paid her $500,000, the outlet reports.
Separately, JPMorgan Chase created a new fund for Epstein victims in 2024 as part of an agreement to pay $290 million to settle legal claims brought by people who said the bank enabled Epstein's abuse, per the same report. That JPMorgan Chase compensation fund wired Percival $750,000 in 2024, according to the account. When FBI agents confronted her about her conduct in late 2025, Percival claimed she had successfully appealed and become eligible for the payout, the station's report notes.
Guilty Plea and What Comes Next
Percival ultimately pleaded guilty to falsifying records used in an application for Epstein-related compensation, and told the court she accepted responsibility for her wrongful actions, the outlet reports. She did not speak about Jeffrey Epstein — who died while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges — during her court appearance, and prosecutors did not say whether Percival was one of his victims, per the same account.
Federal sentencing guidelines recommend three to four years of imprisonment, though a judge is not required to follow that recommendation, the report notes. A sentencing date has not yet been set, and Percival was released from custody while awaiting sentencing, according to the outlet.
A Researcher's Public Profile
University materials describe Percival as an award-winning researcher in disability studies who serves as director of Florida Atlantic University's Center for Autism and Related Disabilities, the report states. She is also described as a scholar who has written books on autism and who participates on national and regional advisory boards, per the same account. Prosecutors said her defense lawyer is likely to argue that her life's work helping people with disabilities merits leniency at sentencing, the outlet reports.
Had the case gone to trial, prosecutors said their evidence would have included search warrant returns for Percival's email account, her bank records, and testimony from the administrator of two Epstein settlement funds, according to the report. Separately, the U.S. Department of Justice maintains an Epstein Files Transparency Act library that it says contains materials including descriptions of sexual assault, though that library is not tied to Percival's case.
