Maria Farmer, one of the earliest accusers of Jeffrey Epstein, has criticized the FBI following the release of documents related to her 1996 complaint about the convicted sex offender.
On Friday, approximately 300,000 documents were made public after the Department of Justice missed a deadline to release all relevant files concerning the late financier.
These documents included numerous files, photographs, and handwritten notes connected to Epstein, featuring several images with well-known celebrities.
Among the released documents was a redacted version of Farmer’s 1996 complaint to the FBI, in which she raised concerns about Epstein allegedly stealing images of her then 12-year-old and 16-year-old sisters.
In her complaint, Farmer stated her belief that Epstein sold the photos to potential buyers and threatened to burn her house down if she disclosed this information.
The document reveals that “Epstein at one time requested to take pictures of young girls at swimming pools.”
It continues, “Epstein is now threatening [redacted] that if she tells anyone about the photos he will burn her house down.”
Following the public release of these documents, Farmer expressed her frustration to the BBC regarding the FBI’s handling of her case.
“Thank you for believing me. I feel redeemed,” she shared, reflecting on the public acknowledgment of Epstein’s crimes.
“This is one of the best days of my life,” she added, though she acknowledged the mixed emotions due to the harm caused to others, like Virginia, because of the FBI’s inaction.
“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 Department of Justice was supposed to make all Epstein files public by 11:59pm on Friday. However, they admitted earlier that day that they would not meet this deadline, opting instead to release the documents in stages.
The initial release occurred around 4pm EST, with 300,000 documents spread across several folders, including images of Epstein and Ghislane Maxwell with high-profile individuals such as Bill Clinton, Kevin Spacey, Mick Jagger, Michael Jackson, and the former Prince Andrew.
It’s important to note that appearing in these files does not necessarily imply any wrongdoing.
A second batch was released later that evening, primarily featuring images of boxes, suitcases, and envelopes.
Further document releases are anticipated in the coming days, but some Democrats have expressed dissatisfaction with the failure to meet the legal deadline.
Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer criticized the justice department for ‘releasing just a fraction of the whole body of evidence’ on Epstein.
He stated, “Simply releasing a mountain of blacked out pages violates the spirit of transparency and the letter of the law.”
“The law Congress passed and President Trump signed was clear as can be – the Trump administration had 30 days to release ALL the Epstein files, not just some. Failing to do so is breaking the law.”
“This just shows the Department of Justice, Donald Trump and Pam Bondi are hellbent on hiding the truth.”