Ghislaine Maxwell has finally been arrested over allegations she was part of Jeffrey Epstein child sex operation. Photo / Getty
Ghislaine Maxwell has finally been arrested over allegations she was part of Jeffrey Epstein child sex operation. Photo / Getty
One of Jeffrey Epstein's earliest victims has revealed the chilling threats she allegedly received from his accused co-conspirator, Ghislaine Maxwell, as vengeance for going to the authorities.
In 1996, Maria Farmer became the first woman to report Epstein and Maxwell to law enforcement for sexual abuse. The FBI interviewed her, but did nothing in response.
"They were so dismissive that I just felt daunted, and I stopped," Farmer told 60 Minutes, which aired a story on Epstein and Maxwell on Sunday night, days after the British socialite's arrest in the United States.
Farmer said her decision to seek help from the law was followed by a campaign of threats and intimidation from Maxwell.
"Originally, it started with things like, 'I'm going to burn your art'," she said.
"Then, 'I'm going to burn your career.' And then, 'I'm going to burn you and the house you live in. And then it was, 'Oh, be careful crossing a street, you know, you can get shot in the back of the head.'
"They were threats against my life. And I told the FBI this."
"Do you reflect on how different life would be for so many women today, if the FBI had investigated your complaints in 1996?" asked journalist Tara Brown.
"Yeah. They – yeah. I think about it all the time. I do," Farmer said, tears in her eyes.
"It hurts a lot. And I never had children because of it. Because I didn't feel like they could be safe."
When Maria went to the FBI, she was the very first victim to officially report Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell to the authorities. But by going to police, Maria felt the full force of Ghislaine Maxwell’s fury. #60Minspic.twitter.com/fObG3OEVIF
Farmer, an artist, met Epstein and Maxwell in 1995. The billionaire financier hired her to procure art for his massive townhouse in New York.
She told 60 Minutes she had witnessed Maxwell drawing young girls into Epstein's orbit.
"Several times I was in the car with her, and she would ask the driver to stop the car. And she'd dash across to the school or the park or wherever she was going, and she would write down her phone number for a child, a young girl," she said.
A tearful Farmer told 60 Minutes she'd never had children because she didn't think they would be safe from Epstein and Maxwell. Photo / Supplied
"And then I'd see that child at the house. And she'd say, 'She's auditioning',"
The story Maxwell gave Farmer was that the girls were models. At the time, Epstein claimed to help manage Victoria's Secret, and Maxwell was supposedly his talent scout.
"I thought it was really strange because I did see a couple of girls in braces. And I've never seen a model in braces," said Farmer.
Any illusion Epstein had successfully created fell away one night, when Farmer alleges both he and Maxwell sexually abused her.
"Ghislaine came in to get me one evening. Basically, Ghislaine escorts me to Jeffrey's room," she recounted.
Epstein told her to sit down next to him. Maxwell joined them. Then, Farmer alleges, they assaulted her.
"The whole time I'm thinking, 'My sister has been around these people. My sister is 16. She's been around them alone'," she said.
Farmer's fears were justified. Her younger sister Annie had indeed been another victim.
Maria and Annie Farmer. Photo / Channel 9
Epstein did not merely attempt to intimidate his victims. In more recent years, he also targeted the lawyers who dared to help them.
"He would make no bones about, that he could inflict harm," Brad Edwards, who represents several of the victimised women, told the programme.
"You know, he might say, 'I tell you what. If you keep prosecuting me this way, if you keep doing this, someone is going to get hurt.' Clearly it was a threat. There's no other way to perceive it. But his delivery was as non-threatening as possible."
Brown spoke to two more victims – Virginia Roberts Giuffre and Courtney Wild.
Giuffre has publicly accused the Queen's son, Prince Andrew, of participating in Epstein's underage sex ring and abusing her on multiple occasions. She said Maxwell's arrest should deeply worry the Duke of York.
"Prince Andrew should be panicking at the moment, because Ghislaine doesn't really care about anyone else but Ghislaine," she said.
Giuffre alleged that, during one of the incidents involving Andrew, he was surrounded by more than half a dozen young girls.
"There were a lot of younger girls with us and it was very shocking. I believe there were eight," she said.
Giuffre said she was "elated" to know that Maxwell "is where she belongs", in jail.
"She ruined so many lives. She belongs in jail. You want to hurt kids? That's where you go," she said.
"She is the most narcissistic, evil, vain woman I've ever known. And she's finally been knocked off her pedestal."
Giuffre described a cathartic moment from Maxwell's remote court hearing on Thursday, following her arrest. Coronavirus restrictions meant reporters could only hear the audio.
"A very loud British woman screaming, 'Why is this happening? How is this happening? How could this happen?' And just crying her eyes out," she said, recounting Maxwell's disbelief at the situation.
She expressed hope that Maxwell would now turn on others who were involved in Epstein's crimes and reveal their names to the authorities.
"I really hope she comes forward and says, 'A, b, c, d, e was involved; this is how it ran.' You know, just help us victims get some accountability," said Giuffre.
In this June 5, 1991 file photo, British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell arrives at Epsom Racecourse. Photo / AP
Wild only appeared on the programme briefly, but she expressed her shock that Maxwell had sued Epstein's estate, seeking reimbursement for her legal fees and security costs.
"I'm like, what? She's doing what? I just can't even believe she has the balls to do something like that," Wild said.
"She basically conspired with him. And the fact that she would come back for money after he's passed is just offensive."
Finally, Brown spoke to Christina Oxenberg, a writer and fashion designer who also happens to be a cousin of Prince Andrew. She provided some insight into Epstein and Maxwell's unusual relationship, having met them at social events in the early 1990s.
Oxenberg said Maxwell had tried, unsuccessfully to convince her she was Epstein's girlfriend.
"How did you know that she wasn't his girlfriend?" Brown asked.
"Because she's not 12," Oxenberg replied.
She said the Maxwell she knew was "very cocky".
"She told me she had just got her helicopter pilot's licence. And that as a gift, to reward her, Jeffrey had bought her a helicopter," said Oxenberg.
"And I said, 'So dangerous. Why would you want to do that?' And she said, 'Well this way we have total control over privacy, who's doing – who's with us.'"
Oxenberg admitted that while she disliked Epstein and Maxwell, she had no idea what the pair were truly capable of.
