• A woman told NBC in a new interview that Jeffrey Epstein raped her in his New York City mansion when she was 15.
  • The woman, Jennifer Araoz, told Savannah Guthrie on Wednesday’s “Today” show that she was approached by a woman outside her high school in New York City and groomed to be his victim.
  • Epstein was charged with sex trafficking and abusing minors in a New York court on Monday. He denies the charges. Araoz, 32, is not part of that case against him.
  • Business Insider has contacted Epstein’s lawyer for comment.
  • Visit Business Insider’s homepage for more stories.

A woman interviewed on NBC’s “Today” show says the financier Jeffrey Epstein raped her in his New York City mansion when she was 15.

Jennifer Araoz told NBC’s Savannah Guthrie in the interview, which aired Wednesday, that she was approached by a woman outside a New York City performing-arts high school blocks from Epstein’s Upper East Side mansion.

Business Insider has contacted Epstein’s lawyer about Araoz’s account. NBC said his lawyer did not respond to multiple requests for comment.

Epstein was arrested and charged with sex trafficking in an indictment that was unsealed this week, though NBC said Araoz was not part of that case.

She said she was persuaded to visit Epstein's $50 million Manhattan townhouse, where she said he groomed her over the course of several visits and "forcefully" raped her.

She said she was 14 when first approached and had turned 15 by the time she was raped.

"He raped me, forcefully raped me," Araoz told NBC News. "He knew exactly what he was doing."

"I was terrified, and I was telling him to stop. 'Please stop,'" Araoz added.

Araoz, who is now 32, is not part of the new federal sex-trafficking case that prosecutors brought against Epstein on Monday.

He has pleaded not guilty to the charges.

Read the full interview on NBC News's website.