What is document EFTA00037289?

This is an internal FBI email chain from July 2019 where agents at the New York Field Office discuss how to respond to a CNN reporter asking about a 1996 FBI report filed against Jeffrey Epstein. The agents debate whether to confirm the document exists and how to handle questions about an ongoing investigation.

Who is mentioned in this document?

The document mentions Jeffrey Epstein, Ghislaine Maxwell, and CNN reporter Mirna Alsharif. It references an unnamed victim (Maria Farmer, based on the described details) who filed both the 1996 FBI complaint and a 2019 sworn affidavit in federal court.

What does this document reveal?

This document reveals how the FBI handled media inquiries during the renewed 2019 Epstein investigation. It shows agents cautiously coordinating their response to questions about the 1996 victim report—the first-ever federal complaint about Epstein's crimes—which went uninvestigated for over a decade before action was finally taken.

What was the 1996 FBI report about?

The 1996 report, filed by Maria Farmer, documented how she was sexually assaulted by Epstein and Maxwell while working as an artist at Epstein's property. It also described how her 15-year-old sister was molested by Epstein and Maxwell at his New Mexico ranch. Despite this early warning, the FBI took no meaningful action for nearly a decade.

Why is this document significant?

This document is significant because it shows FBI agents in 2019 grappling with questions about why a 1996 complaint against Epstein was never properly investigated. The existence of this early report—and law enforcement's failure to act on it—has been cited as evidence that years of additional abuse could have been prevented.

What is document EFTA00037289?

This is an internal FBI email chain from July 2019 where agents at the New York Field Office discuss how to respond to a CNN reporter asking about a 1996 FBI report filed against Jeffrey Epstein. The agents debate whether to confirm the document exists and how to handle questions about an ongoing investigation.

Who is mentioned in this document?

The document mentions Jeffrey Epstein, Ghislaine Maxwell, and CNN reporter Mirna Alsharif. It references an unnamed victim (Maria Farmer, based on the described details) who filed both the 1996 FBI complaint and a 2019 sworn affidavit in federal court.

What does this document reveal?

This document reveals how the FBI handled media inquiries during the renewed 2019 Epstein investigation. It shows agents cautiously coordinating their response to questions about the 1996 victim report—the first-ever federal complaint about Epstein's crimes—which went uninvestigated for over a decade before action was finally taken.

What was the 1996 FBI report about?

The 1996 report, filed by Maria Farmer, documented how she was sexually assaulted by Epstein and Maxwell while working as an artist at Epstein's property. It also described how her 15-year-old sister was molested by Epstein and Maxwell at his New Mexico ranch. Despite this early warning, the FBI took no meaningful action for nearly a decade.

Why is this document significant?

This document is significant because it shows FBI agents in 2019 grappling with questions about why a 1996 complaint against Epstein was never properly investigated. The existence of this early report—and law enforcement's failure to act on it—has been cited as evidence that years of additional abuse could have been prevented.

EFTA00037289 - EFTA00037290

Internal FBI emails from July 2019 showing agents discussing a CNN inquiry about the 1996 FBI report filed by Maria Farmer against Jeffrey Epstein—the first known federal complaint about his crimes.

This document contains internal FBI New York Field Office communications from July 29, 2019, in which agents discuss how to respond to CNN reporter Mirna Alsharif's inquiry about a 1996 victim report. The reporter was asking the FBI to verify the existence of Maria Farmer's complaint—the first-ever federal law enforcement report about Epstein's sexual abuse. The email chain references the Miami Herald reporting that a victim had filed a sworn affidavit detailing how she and her then-15-year-old sister were sexually assaulted by Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell in 1996. The agents' discussion about whether to confirm the document and how to handle media questions provides insight into the FBI's media relations during the renewed Epstein investigation in 2019.

Key Highlights

•Documents FBI agents discussing whether to confirm the existence of the 1996 victim report—the earliest known federal complaint against Epstein
•References Maria Farmer's sworn affidavit filed in federal court detailing abuse of herself and her 15-year-old sister by Epstein and Maxwell
•Shows FBI New York Field Office coordinating with the Office of Public Affairs (OPA) on media response strategy
•CNN reporter citing Miami Herald investigative reporting that exposed the Epstein scandal

Frequently Asked Questions

Books for Further Reading

Perversion of Justice: The Jeffrey Epstein Story

Julie K. Brown

Investigative journalism that broke the Epstein case open

Filthy Rich: The Jeffrey Epstein Story

James Patterson

Bestselling account of Epstein's crimes and network

The Spider: Inside the Tangled Web of Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell

Document Information

Bates Range

EFTA00037289 - EFTA00037290

Pages

Document Content

Page 1 - EFTA00037289

From: To: Subject: RE: CNN -= Date: Mon, 29 Jul 2019 14:31:16+0000 Importance: Normal Intent-Images: image001.jpg Let's see what IM comes back with first. On Jul 29, 2019 10:29 AM, wrote: I was planning to tell her because it's part of an on-going investigation we can't discuss, but wasn't sure if she came back with Show is this part of the current case' how I would answer. From: Sent: Monday, July 29, 201910:26 AM To: a a Subject: Re: CNN -M Does the team know this victim? Does she show up in Sentinel? The 2006.2007 reference may be because MM interviewed her as part of their investigation. MAC New York Field Office Criminal Branch C From: Sent: Friday, July 26, 201912:02:18 PM To: a Subject: FW: CNN -= - see below. Does this make any sense to you both? Thanks From: NY Sent: Friday, July 26, 201912:38 PM To: Subject: Fw: CNN - Hello OPA, This email was received from a person claiming to be from CNN. Regards FBI NY Federal Bureau of Investigation New York Dtvislon 26 Federal Plaza New York, NY 10278 EFTA00037289

Page 2 - EFTA00037290

Phone: Email: From: Alsharif, Mima •c: > Sent: Friday, July 26, 201912:34 PM To: NY Subject: CNN - Hello, My name is Mirna and I'm contacting you from CNN in New York. We've seen reports that a who says she was sexually assaulted by Jeffrey Epstein in 19%, reported her assault to the FBI in 1996. Can you please verify this document's existence? Please find below excerpts from the Miami Herald alleging the existence of this report: • A new victim has gone public in the Jeffrey Epstein case, filing a sworn affidavit in federal court in New York Tuesday, saying that she was sexually assaulted and her then-ls-year-old sister molested by Epstein and his companion, Ghislaine Maxwell, in 1996. then 26, claims that she was employed by Epstein, a multimillionaire financier who lived in a vast mansion on New York's Upper East Side, and that she frequently saw "school-age girls" wearing uniforms come into the mansion and go upstairs. She was told that the girls were auditioning for modeling work, according to her affidavit. Then an art student In New York Thank you and I look forward to hearing back from you. Mirna Alsharlf CNN I NY Bureau Desk: EFTA00037290