In September 1996, nearly ten years before Jeffrey Epstein was first arrested, a professional artist filed a criminal complaint with the Federal Bureau of Investigation accusing the financier of involvement in “child pornography.” The complaint predates Epstein’s public criminal cases by almost a decade and has long been cited by Epstein survivor Maria Farmer as evidence that law enforcement had early warning signs but failed to act. For years, Farmer has maintained that she alerted authorities in 1996, only to be ignored as Epstein went on to face accusations of abusing hundreds of underage girls and young women over the following decades.
The Department of Justice’s initial and incomplete release of Epstein-related government files did not introduce major new revelations about his crimes or identify new individuals involved. However, the documents did confirm that law enforcement received Farmer’s early complaint, making public for the first time a written description of the September 1996 report. Although the complainant’s name is redacted in the released material, Farmer’s attorney has confirmed that the complaint was filed by her. The disclosure has given official documentation to claims Farmer has repeated for years regarding her attempt to report Epstein well before his first arrest.
Among the thousands of pages of records and images released by the Department of Justice on Friday and Saturday are photographs of several well-known individuals. These include political figures such as former President Bill Clinton and Peter Mandelson, the former United Kingdom ambassador to the United States, as well as celebrities including Michael Jackson and Diana Ross. The partial nature of the release has prompted criticism from several of Epstein’s victims and from congressional lawsuits that sought the full disclosure of the files. Despite the broader frustration, Farmer, now in her fifties, said she felt “redeemed,” according to a statement released through her attorneys on Friday.
“This is one of the best days of my life,” Farmer said. “I’m crying for two reasons. I want everyone to know that I am shedding tears of joy for myself, but also tears of sorrow for all the other victims that the FBI failed.”
The documents provide insight into what the Department of Justice has released so far and highlight significant gaps in what remains undisclosed.
The FBI Report Filed Against Epstein in 1996
A handwritten summary of Farmer’s complaint, dated September 3, 1996, was included among the documents made public. The report states that a professional artist told the FBI that Epstein had stolen photographs she had taken of her 16-year-old and 12-year-old sisters, images created for her personal artwork, and that she believed Epstein sold them to “potential buyers.” The document further alleges that Epstein once asked her to “take pictures of young girls at swimming pools” and that he later threatened her, stating “that if she tells anyone about the photos, he will burn her house down.” At the top of the page, the “character of the case” is explicitly described as “child pornography.” In a lawsuit filed earlier this year, Farmer stated that the stolen images included nude and partially nude photographs of her younger sisters.
Farmer has alleged that in late July or August of 1996, Epstein and his longtime associate Ghislaine Maxwell sexually assaulted her, and that she later discovered the photographs of her sisters had been taken during that visit. According to her account, she reported both Epstein and Maxwell to law enforcement weeks later, first contacting the New York Police Department and then the FBI. She said she informed the FBI that Epstein and Maxwell had sexually abused her, were operating a child trafficking ring together, and possessed and produced child pornography.
Despite reporting that Epstein had stolen and transported nude images of her sisters across state lines, describing a “modeling book” containing child pornography kept in a safe at Epstein’s New York mansion, and warning that she believed Epstein and Maxwell continued to abuse children, Farmer has said the FBI failed to act. She stated that the agent she spoke with hung up on her mid-sentence and never followed up on her report.
“Had the government done their job, and properly investigated Maria’s report, over 1000 victims could have been spared and 30 years of trauma avoided,” Jennifer Freeman, one of Farmer’s attorneys, wrote in an email to The Guardian. “After several years of asking for her records, the gov[ernment] finally released at least some of them today.”
A 2020 internal investigation into the Justice Department’s handling of the Epstein case did not reference Farmer’s 1996 complaint. In an interview with the Times, Farmer described having mixed emotions as the report surfaced publicly decades later. “I’ve waited 30 years,” she said. “I can’t believe it. They can’t call me a liar anymore.” While she expressed a sense of vindication, she also voiced frustration with what she described as the FBI’s failure to respond to her warning. Farmer said she did not hear from the FBI for ten years after making the complaint, until a wider investigation culminated in Epstein’s 2008 plea deal in Florida, and that she lived in fear after attempting to report him.
“They should be ashamed,” Farmer said, adding, “They harmed all of these little girls. That part devastates me.”
According to Farmer, the complaint documented only part of what she reported to authorities. She has said she also urged investigators to examine Epstein’s broader network, including his relationship with Maxwell and connections to prominent figures such as former President Bill Clinton and President Donald Trump. The document included in the newly released files does not reference Maxwell or any other powerful individuals linked to Epstein.
Newly Released Images of Prominent Figures
The latest release from the Justice Department includes a collection of photographs showing a number of high-profile individuals connected, at least socially, to Jeffrey Epstein. Among those pictured are former President Bill Clinton; musicians Mick Jagger, Michael Jackson, and Diana Ross; actor Kevin Spacey; comedian Chris Tucker; and journalist Walter Cronkite. These images add to previously disclosed materials that have shown Epstein in the company of well-known public figures over the years. The photographs themselves do not appear to depict illegal activity, and none of the individuals shown have been accused of wrongdoing in connection with Epstein. The release also contains images of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, formerly known as Prince Andrew, and Peter Mandelson, the former United Kingdom ambassador to the United States.
Prince Andrew’s association with Epstein has drawn renewed attention in recent months, particularly following the posthumous publication of Epstein victim Virginia Giuffre’s memoir. In the book, Giuffre alleged that Andrew forced her into sexual encounters when she was a teenager, claims he has repeatedly denied. Amid the renewed scrutiny, Andrew was stripped of his remaining titles and removed from his royal residence earlier this fall. The newly released photographs further underscore the extent of Epstein’s connections to influential figures across political and social circles, even as disputes over responsibility and knowledge of his crimes continue.
Peter Mandelson’s appearance in the files has also prompted renewed focus on his relationship with Epstein. Mandelson was dismissed from his role as the United Kingdom’s ambassador to the United States in September after emails surfaced showing that he continued communicating with Epstein after the financier’s 2008 conviction in Florida. After his removal, Mandelson wrote to embassy staff describing the ambassadorship as the “privilege” of his life and stating that he felt “utterly awful” about his association with the convicted sex offender. The photographs released by the Justice Department place Mandelson among other prominent figures whose past ties to Epstein have resurfaced through the disclosure of government records.
The Justice Department appeared to place particular emphasis on Clinton in the latest release, with two agency spokespeople posting images of the former president posing with victims on social media. In photographs made public on Friday, Clinton is shown in a swimming pool with Ghislaine Maxwell and another individual whose face is blacked out, as well as in a hot tub with a second person whose identity is partially redacted. Clinton has previously said that he regretted socializing with Epstein and that he was unaware of any criminal activity at the time.
Following the release, Clinton’s deputy chief of staff, Angel Urena, criticized the administration’s handling of the documents, suggesting that the focus on Clinton was misplaced. “They can release as many grainy 20-plus-year-old photos as they want, but this isn’t about Bill Clinton,” Urena wrote on X, adding that the administration was attempting to “shield themselves” from scrutiny. Separately, former President Donald Trump said last month that he would direct the Justice Department to investigate Epstein’s ties to Clinton, as well as other figures and institutions, a move critics said was intended to redirect attention away from Trump’s own past connections to Epstein.
