Two sisters. One saw the monster first—and tried to stop him before the world even knew his name.
In 1996, Maria Farmer became the very first person to report Jeffrey Epstein to the police. Shaken and terrified, she described the abuse she endured at his lavish homes in New York and New Mexico—powerful people turning a blind eye while a predator operated in plain sight. No one listened. The warning vanished into silence.
Years later, her younger sister Annie—only 16 at the time—faced the same darkness. In a packed courtroom during the Ghislaine Maxwell trial, Annie’s voice never wavered as she testified to the topless “massage” Maxwell gave her, followed by Epstein’s calculated abuse that stole her innocence.
Together, the Farmers carried the truth when almost no one else would.
Maria sounded the alarm in 1996.
Annie made sure the world finally heard it.
Their courage still echoes—and the unanswered questions burn brighter than ever.
Two sisters. One saw the monster first—and tried to stop him before the world even knew his name.
In the summer of 1996, Maria Farmer, a promising visual artist in her mid-20s, became the very first person to report Jeffrey Epstein to law enforcement. Hired by Epstein to acquire art and manage the front desk at his lavish Manhattan townhouse, she witnessed the parade of young girls coming and going, recruited by Ghislaine Maxwell. She observed extensive surveillance cameras focused on bedrooms and bathrooms, and noted powerful visitors like Alan Dershowitz. But the horror became personal when, while staying at Les Wexner’s Ohio estate as an artist-in-residence, Epstein and Maxwell allegedly sexually assaulted her, groping her violently. Terrified, she barricaded herself for hours until her father drove from Kentucky to rescue her.
Shaken and terrified, Maria contacted the New York City Police Department and the FBI on August 26, 1996 (with an FBI report dated September 3), detailing the assault, Epstein’s theft of nude photographs she had taken of her younger sisters (aged 12 and 16) for personal artwork, and her belief that he was producing and distributing child pornography. She urged authorities to investigate. No meaningful action followed—the warning vanished into bureaucratic silence, allowing Epstein’s network to continue unchecked for decades.
Years later, the darkness reached her younger sister, Annie Farmer, who was only 16 in 1996. Introduced to Epstein through Maria, Annie was flown to New York for what seemed like educational opportunities. During a movie outing, Epstein caressed her leg and foot, making her uneasy. In April 1996, she accepted an invitation to Epstein’s Zorro Ranch in New Mexico, believing Maxwell would chaperone and help with her academic goals. Instead, Maxwell gave her an inappropriate topless massage, exposing and rubbing her breasts while instructing her to remove her top. The next morning, Epstein climbed into her bed, pressing his body against hers in an unwanted “cuddle.” Annie escaped by pretending to need the bathroom, feeling sick and violated.
Annie never told Maria immediately, fearing it would jeopardize her sister’s job. But when Maria later learned of the abuse, the sisters’ shared trauma solidified their resolve. In 2019, Maria filed a sworn affidavit in federal court detailing the 1996 assaults on both. Annie, now a psychologist with a PhD in educational psychology, became the only accuser to testify under her full name at Ghislaine Maxwell’s 2021 sex-trafficking trial. Her voice never wavered as she recounted the grooming, the massage, and the bed incident—raw, detailed testimony that helped secure Maxwell’s 20-year sentence in 2022.
Together, the Farmers carried the truth when almost no one else would. Maria sounded the alarm in 1996, long before Epstein’s 2008 plea deal or 2019 arrest. Annie ensured the world finally heard it in open court. Their courage, amplified by the 2025 Epstein Files Transparency Act—which vindicated Maria’s long-ignored FBI report—has exposed decades of institutional failure. Maria continues advocating, including through a 2025 lawsuit against the U.S. government for negligence that she says enabled over a thousand more victims.
Their story echoes louder than ever: early warnings ignored, systemic blind eyes turned, and two sisters who refused silence. The unanswered questions—why authorities failed, who else knew—burn brighter than ever, demanding full accountability.
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