A Florida woman who received $750,000 from a financial settlement meant for victims of sexual abuse by convicted financier Jeffrey Epstein has admitted in court that she lied about her eligibility for the funds. Jennifer Percival, a 46-year-old academic and author who has written extensively on autism, entered a guilty plea in a federal court in New York on Monday. The plea came on the same day she was formally charged with the crime. A court transcript of the hearing was filed Wednesday, though Percival did not discuss Epstein directly during her brief appearance, and prosecutors did not confirm whether she was or was not a victim of Epstein. Percival had applied in late 2020 to a fund established by Epstein’s estate to compensate victims after his death. However, the fund concluded she was not eligible for compensation, though the court did not specify the reason. In 2024, she applied for a separate $290 million settlement fund created by JPMorgan Chase to resolve claims that the bank had failed to end its relationship with Epstein after he was accused of sexually abusing underage girls. To support her application, she falsely claimed that the Epstein estate had approved her case and given her $500,000. She altered a rejection letter from the Epstein fund to make it appear as though she had been accepted. The bank’s fund transferred her $750,000 based on her false claims. However, the FBI began investigating, and in late 2025, Percival was shown the original rejection letter. She then falsely claimed she had successfully appealed her case. She also provided her previous lawyer with altered and fabricated emails as part of a request for a legal deal to avoid prosecution. During her court hearing, Percival admitted her actions were wrong and accepted full responsibility. She also presented a check for $776,031, the amount she owes in restitution. A sentencing date has not yet been set. Percival is the director of the Center for Autism and Related Disabilities at Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton. She is described as an "award-winning researcher in disability studies" and has participated in national and regional advisory boards. Her defense is expected to argue for leniency based on her work with people with disabilities. Prosecutors, however, indicated that evidence such as her bank records, search results from her email account, and testimony from administrators of the Epstein settlement funds would have been used in a trial. Federal sentencing guidelines suggest she could face three to four years in prison, though a judge is not obligated to follow that recommendation. She was released after her plea hearing and will await sentencing.