Art dealer who warned FBI about Epstein says he threatened to BURN her house down

Epstein Accuser's 1996 FBI Complaint Surfaces, Revealing Early Warning and Alleged Death Threat

New York — Newly released Justice Department files have confirmed that artist Maria Farmer reported Jeffrey Epstein to the FBI in 1996 for allegedly stealing nude photographs of her underage sisters and threatening to burn her house down if she spoke out — a decade before federal authorities launched their first investigation into the financier turned convicted sex offender.

The handwritten FBI complaint, dated September 3, 1996, details how Farmer, then a 25-year-old professional artist hired by Epstein to assist with art acquisitions, claimed he stole photos and negatives she had taken of her sisters, aged 12 and 16, for her personal artwork. The document alleges Epstein may have sold the images to buyers and had previously asked Farmer to photograph young girls at swimming pools.

Most chillingly, the report states Epstein threatened the complainant, warning that "if she tells anyone about the photos he will burn her house down."

Farmer, now 56, told The New York Times she broke down in tears upon seeing the document publicized for the first time. "I’ve waited 30 years," she said. "They can’t call me a liar anymore." She expressed devastation that the FBI took no apparent action, allowing Epstein to continue his alleged abuses. "They should be ashamed," Farmer added. "They harmed all of these little girls."

The complaint emerged as part of a massive release of Epstein-related files under the Epstein Files Transparency Act. Farmer and her sister Annie, who has also accused Epstein and his associate Ghislaine Maxwell of assault, have long maintained that Maria reported the crimes in 1996, first to the New York Police Department and then to the FBI.

Despite the early alert, the FBI did not open a formal probe into Epstein until 2006, leading to his controversial 2008 plea deal in Florida where he served just 13 months. Epstein faced federal sex trafficking charges in 2019 but died in jail that August, officially by suicide.

Farmer's attorney, Jennifer Freeman, called the release a "triumph and tragedy," noting that a proper investigation in 1996 could have prevented years of further victimization. Farmer has sued the FBI, alleging it "did absolutely nothing" despite her warnings.

17GEN4.com