The Federal Bureau of Investigation has finally made public a damning 1996 complaint that accused the late financier Jeffrey Epstein of child pornography offences, corroborating an art dealer's claims that she was silenced by threats for nearly three decades.
A Three-Decade Wait for Validation
Maria Farmer, who was hired by Epstein to help purchase artwork, has long maintained that she reported the sex offender to authorities in September 1996. For years, her account was met with scepticism. On Friday, the FBI released a copy of that very complaint, a move her lawyer described as 'remarkable' after a 30-year delay. 'I’ve waited 30 years,' Farmer told The New York Times. 'I can’t believe it. They can’t call me a liar anymore.'
The released document, with Farmer's name redacted, details how Epstein stole personal photographs from her portfolio. These images were of her two younger sisters, aged 12 and 16 at the time. Farmer, then 25, alleged that Epstein 'sold the pictures to potential buyers' and warned her that 'he will burn her house down' if she told anyone. She has since clarified that the stolen photos included nude images.
Systemic Failures and Missed Opportunities
Farmer's lawyer, Jennifer Freeman, stated that her client reported both Epstein and his accomplice, Ghislaine Maxwell, to the New York Police Department and the FBI for child sex abuse crimes, including child pornography. 'As far as we can tell, it looks like the government did absolutely nothing,' Freeman told the Associated Press. 'Horrible things have happened, and had they acted - had they investigated in even the smallest way - they could have stopped him.'
Despite this early warning, federal investigators did not launch an official probe into Epstein until May 2006. He later served less than 13 months in a controversial plea deal. Authorities only revisited the case in July 2019. Epstein died by suicide in a New York City jail the following month while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges.
Farmer asserts the released complaint is just the tip of the iceberg. It does not mention Maxwell – now serving a 20-year prison sentence – nor other powerful associates like Bill Clinton or Donald Trump. She ended her association with Epstein after she and her sister, Annie Farmer, were sexually abused by him and Maxwell.
A Family's Trauma and a Call for Transparency
Annie Farmer, now 46, provided crucial testimony against Maxwell, detailing how Epstein climbed into bed to 'cuddle' and massage her when she was 16. Speaking about the FBI's document release, Annie told CNN: 'Just to see it in writing and to know that they had this document this entire time and to know how many people were harmed after that date...it has been very emotional.'
The release of files has been mandated by Congress through the Epstein Files Transparency Act, signed by then-President Donald Trump on November 19. The Department of Justice was given a 30-day deadline, which it admits it has not fully met, with hundreds of thousands of documents still pending. Survivors and lawmakers have criticised the Trump administration's handling of the release, noting the heavily redacted and context-lacking nature of the files so far.
For Maria and Annie Farmer, the document offers a bittersweet validation—a long-overdue confirmation of their truth, but a stark reminder of the suffering that might have been prevented.
