A former employee of Jeffrey Epstein reported [1] to federal authorities in the mid-1990s that the financier was viewing child pornography and threatening her, years before Epstein became publicly known, but she says the warnings went unaddressed for nearly a decade.
Maria Farmer, who previously worked for Epstein helping him purchase artwork, filed a report with the FBI and other authorities on Sept. 3, 1996, according to records cited by The New York Times.
Just to note. Maria Farmer is the original whistleblower on Jeffrey Epstein. She should be accorded all the rights and recognition that extend to that brave responsibility when she was willing to report a powerful man to the FBI 30 years ago in 1996.
She also reported to NYPD. pic.twitter.com/y7yeNBYu8V [2]
— Thomas Volscho (@TVolscho) December 20, 2025 [3]
Farmer said she recently learned that her complaint had been made public as part of a new document release by the Trump administration and confirmed that the redacted report was hers.
Farmer told the outlet she feels vindicated after decades of claiming she attempted to alert authorities to Epstein’s conduct.
“I can’t believe it. They can’t call me a liar anymore,” she said, adding that she has “waited 30 years” for her account to be substantiated.
According to Farmer, her complaint stemmed from a series of events involving her personal artwork and her younger sisters.
She told authorities that she had taken photographs of her sisters, who were 16 and 12 years old at the time, as part of her own art projects.
Some of those photographs included nudity. Farmer said Epstein stole the nude photos and negatives and later asked her to take photographs of young girls at swimming pools.
The FBI complaint details those allegations in direct language. “Complaintant [stated] that she is a professional artist and took pictures of her sisters 12 and 16 yrs for her own personnel [sic] art work,” the document stated.
“Epstein stole the photos and negatives and is believed to have sold the pictures to potential buyers. Epstein at one time requested [redacted] to take pictures of young girls at swimming pools. EPSTEIN is now threatening [redacted] that if she tells anyone about the photos, he will burn her house down.”
Farmer said she was stunned by the lack of response after filing the report.
Epstein victim Maria Farmer breaks down in tears after seeing proof of her sister’s ignored 1996 FBI report: “I’ve waited 30 years. I can’t believe it. They can’t call me a liar anymore.”
The complaint alleged Epstein stole nude photos Maria took of her young sisters (ages 12 &… pic.twitter.com/5OhiLrLZ9Z [4]
— Gunther Eagleman™ (@GuntherEagleman) December 20, 2025 [5]
According to her account, she did not hear back from the FBI for nearly 10 years, until federal authorities launched a broader investigation into Epstein in Florida.
That investigation ultimately resulted in Epstein receiving a controversial plea deal that allowed him to avoid federal prosecution at the time.
Farmer has long maintained that her original complaint did not fully capture all of her concerns about Epstein and others in his orbit.
She said she also tried to raise alarms about Epstein’s longtime associate and girlfriend, Ghislaine Maxwell, who was later convicted on federal sex trafficking charges.
Farmer told The New York Times that she urged authorities to scrutinize multiple powerful figures connected to Epstein during that period, including then-President Bill Clinton and Donald Trump.
The FBI complaint released as part of the recent document disclosure does not name any individuals other than Epstein.
Farmer said the absence of additional names in the document does not reflect the full scope of what she attempted to communicate to investigators at the time.
Farmer has been outspoken for years about what she describes as systemic failures by federal authorities to act on credible allegations.
“They should be ashamed,” Ms. Farmer said of the federal authorities that ignored her report.
“They harmed all of these little girls. That part devastates me.”
Her sister, Annie Farmer, has also publicly testified about her experiences connected to Epstein.
Annie Farmer previously stated that when she was 16 years old, she traveled to Epstein’s ranch and had contact with Ghislaine Maxwell.
She testified that she got into bed with Maxwell to “cuddle” and that Maxwell gave her a massage and rubbed her bare chest.
Epstein, who was arrested on federal sex trafficking charges in 2019, died later that year in a New York jail cell.
His death was ruled a suicide.
Maxwell was later convicted and sentenced to prison for her role in facilitating Epstein’s abuse of underage girls.
The newly released FBI documents have renewed scrutiny of how early warnings about Epstein were handled and why reports such as Farmer’s did not result in immediate or sustained investigative action.
Farmer said the public release of her complaint has finally confirmed what she has said for decades: that federal authorities had detailed information about Epstein’s alleged conduct long before his crimes became widely known.