A dozen of the victims of Jeffrey Epstein, all of whom are identified only as “Jane Doe,” have filed a lawsuit against the Federal Bureau of Investigation. They did so on Wednesday, February 14, alleging that the FBI ignored the numerous tips it received about Epstein’s abominable behavior as early as 1996, and failed to alert federal and state authorities about his alleged misconduct.
Further, the dozen victims argue that the FBI did not begin its probe until 2006, a decade after it received the first credible tips about Epstein, but then ended it when he pleaded guilty to a charge in Florida and resumed ignoring credible tips until 2019, when Epstein was arrested yet again.
Making those allegations from the start, the lawsuit provides, “For over two decades, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (hereinafter “FBI”) permitted Jeffrey Epstein to sex traffic and sexually abuse scores of children and young women by failing to do the job the American people expected of it and that the FBI’s own rules and regulations required: investigate the reports, tips, and evidence it had of rampant sexual abuse and sex trafficking by Epstein and protect the young women and children who fell victim to him.”
Continuing, it notes that the FBI had long known about Epstein, providing, “Since the 1990s, the FBI has received and been aware of reports of sex crimes, rape, abuse and sex trafficking perpetrated against young women and children by Epstein and associates occurring in New York, Florida, the U.S. Virgin Islands and elsewhere. The full extent of the reports and tips are unknown as the FBI files for Epstein are still largely sealed.”
Giving an example and describing how the FBI’s alleged insouciance led to the abuse of the Jane Does, the lawsuit noted, “By way of example only, in August of 1996, Maria Farmer reported to the FBI that Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell had sexually abused her and that they, together with others, were committing multiple illegal sexual abuse crimes, including crimes against minors and vulnerable young women. The FBI hung up on Maria Farmer and did nothing in response. The failure to comply with FBI guidelines resulted in the ongoing sexual abuse of Jane Does 1-12.”
Then, more directly accusing the FBI, the lawsuit alleges, “During the FBI investigation, the FBI was complicit in permitting Epstein and coconspirators to continue to victimize Jane Does 1-12 and other young women. The FBI had photographs, videos and interviews and hard evidence of child prostitution and failed to timely investigate and arrest Epstein in deviation from the FBI protocols.”
Further, establishing what the FBI’s duty was and how it breached that duty, thus providing grounds for suit, the lawsuit alleges, “The FBI had a non-discretionary obligation, governed by established policies, procedures, rules, and protocols, to handle and investigate tips concerning potential and ongoing Case 1:24-cv-01071 Document 1 Filed 02/14/24 Page 5 of 276 underage child erotica, rape, sex with minors, and sex trafficking in a reasonable manner and to act against Epstein and to prevent him from committing repeated crimes. Yet, contrary to its own established rules, the FBI failed to take appropriate action and botched and covered up investigations for years. If the FBI had complied with its mandatory obligations to investigate and intervene, Epstein would not have been able to continue to commit heinous crimes and sexually abuse and traffic Jane Does 1-12. The FBI’s repeated and continued failures, delays and inaction allowed Epstein and others to continue their sex trafficking conspiracy for almost 25 years.”
It then alleges, “The FBI made fundamental errors when it did not respond to the allegations, failed to notify the appropriate FBI field office or state or local authorities of the allegations, and failed to take other steps to mitigate the ongoing threat posed by Epstein and associates. The inaction of the FBI and their omissions, having been alerted by victims and other law enforcement agencies of Jeffrey Epstein’s abuse, failed to pursue, delayed, and overall allowed his abuse and trafficking to continue for over twenty years.”
Featured image credit: By White House photographer, probably Ralph Alswang – https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/clinton-epstein-maxwell/, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=143417692
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