The director of Florida Atlantic University's Center of Autism and Related Disabilities resigned Thursday, Sept. 17, after pleading guilty in federal court to falsifying documents in an effort to receive $750,000 from a compensation fund for Palm Beach sex predator Jeffrey Epstein's victims.
Jennifer Percival, who worked at FAU for 12 years, submitted her resignation on Sept. 17, three days after entering a plea agreementin federal court in New York.
Epstein was a financier with connections throughout the business, political and entertainment world. Teenage girls say he sexually assaulted them for years at his home in Palm Beach. He died in a New York City jail cell in August 2019 as he faced charges including sex trafficking.
His estate created
the Jeffrey Epstein Victims Compensation Program to compensate victims. During a Sept. 14 hearing, Percival admitted that she sought permission in 2024 to apply to it but was found ineligible.
Percival then submitted an altered version of the EVCP letter falsely stating she had been approved for compensation and had already received $500,000.
The Epstein Victims Compensation Program sent Percival $750,000 in May 2024 based on the fraudulent document, court records show.
A year later, Federal Bureau of Investigation agents interviewed Percival and confronted her with the original letter. Percival said she lied to the agents, claiming she had successfully appealed that decision to the EVCP fund and had subsequently been approved for compensation.
Percival said she directed her attorney to submit fabricated emails to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York in an effort to defer prosecution related to the fraud scheme.
"I know that my actions were wrongful, and I accept full responsibility," Percival said during the plea hearing.
As part of the plea agreement, Percival presented a check for $776,031 that she owed in restitution.
A sentencing date has not been set for Percival. Under federal sentencing guidelines outlined in her plea agreement, Percival could face three to four years in prison. She was released from custody pending a sentence.
Valentina Palm covers immigration and breaking news for The Palm Beach Post. Email her at vpalm@pbpost.com and follow her on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, at @ValenPalmB. Support local journalism: Subscribe today
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: FAU autism center director resigns after Epstein fund scheme plea
