Some survivors of the abuse by Jeffrey Epstein on Friday welcomed the release of files in the case, prompted by a federal law that demonstrated the public demands for information to be revealed.
Maria Farmer, who said the complaint she made to the FBI in 1996 about Epstein was ignored, called the release of those documents "amazing" — but she said her feelings included sadness for others who were abused.
“This is amazing. Thank you for believing me. I feel redeemed. This is one of the best days of my life. Of course, it’s mixed with the fact that I’m devastated about all the other little girls like Virginia who were harmed because the FBI didn’t do their job,” Farmer said in a statement through her attorneys.
In 1996, Farmer made a complaint to the Miami FBI field office in which she alleged that Epstein stole photos she had taken of her 12 and 16-year-old sisters, and that she believed those images were sold.
The complaint also alleged that Epstein requested that pictures be taken of young girls at swimming pools.
“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,” Farmer said in Friday’s statement.
The Justice Department on Friday released thousands of pages of records related to Epstein, more than five years after the financier and convicted sex offender killed himself in a Manhattan jail cell in August 2019.
Epstein had been arrested and indicted on federal sex trafficking charges. The federal indictment came over a decade after Epstein in 2008 pleaded guilty in Florida to procuring a person under 18 for prostitution and felony solicitation of prostitution — in a plea deal that has since been criticized as far too lenient.
The DOJ release comes 30 days after President Donald Trump signed into law the Epstein Files Transparency Act, a bipartisan bill that required the DOJ to release "all unclassified records" related to Epstein. The bill made limited exceptions, including to protect the victims.
Dani Bensky, who has said she was sexually abused by Epstein when she was 17 years old, welcomed the release of the documents — but said that she and other survivors hoped more would have been released Friday.
“There’s so much information, and yet not as much as we may have wanted to see,” Bensky said during an interview with NBC News.
“There is part of me that feels a bit validated at this moment, because I think so many of us have been saying, ‘No, this is real, like, we’re not a hoax,’” Bensky said.
Some of the photos in the 3,500 files released on the Department of Justice's website appear to be highly sexual in nature and have been redacted. Some are marked CSAM, which stands for Child Sex Abuse Material.
Not all of the documents were released by the Friday deadline.
Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche told Congress that more documents would be released in the coming weeks.
He said the law requires information about victims to be redacted, and that "we are looking at every single piece of paper that we are going to produce" to ensure that the names and information of victims is protected.
Ghislaine Maxwell, who was convicted of recruiting and grooming teenage girls to be sexually abused by Epstein, is serving a 20-year prison sentence that was handed down in January 2022.
If you or someone you know is in crisis, call or text 988, or go to 988lifeline.org, to reach the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. You can also call the network, previously known as the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, at 800-273-8255, or visit SpeakingOfSuicide.com/resources.
