Maria Farmer

Maria Farmer
Born1969 or 1970 (age 55–56)[1]
Paducah, Kentucky, US
EducationSanta Clara University
New York Academy of Art
OccupationVisual artist
StyleFigurative painter
WebsiteMariaFarmerArt.com

Maria Kristine Farmer[2] (born 1969 or 1970) is an American visual artist. She came to media attention in 2019 after she told reporters that in 1996, at the age of 26, she provided the first criminal complaint to the FBI about the conduct of financier and sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.[3][4]

In 2002, Farmer described her and her sisters experiences with Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell to a journalist at Vanity Fair. However, the publication elected not to include the allegation in the article, citing legal concerns.[5]

Early life

Farmer was born in 1969 or 1970 in Paducah, Kentucky, to Frank Farmer and Janice Swain.[6][7][8] She has two younger brothers and two younger sisters.[6][7] The family lived for a time in Phoenix, Arizona.[9] From an early age, she had a set intention to become an artist.[10]

Farmer attended Santa Clara University and graduated in 1992.[11] She relocated to New York City in 1993 to study at the New York Academy of Art,[6][12] and earned her master's degree in 1995.[13][14] Farmer attended a post-graduate workshop at the Santa Fe Art Institute in 1995.[13]

Early career and association with Epstein

Farmer is a visual artist who primarily makes figurative paintings and pastel drawings of individual people or groups of people.[3][6] In the mid-1990s, she attended the New York Academy of Art (NYAA), and reported selling her artwork for $20,000 out of her studio.[3] Farmer says she was aware Epstein was an important arts patron at the academy,[3] and that he attended events and observed art students working in their studios.[13] Epstein served as a board member at the Academy from 1987 to 1994.[13]

Farmer recalled meeting Jeffrey Epstein at her graduate exhibition in 1995. She said that NYAA dean Eileen Guggenheim introduced her to Epstein, and his companion Ghislaine Maxwell.[13] According to Farmer, she had already sold her painting for $12,000 to a German buyer, however Epstein wanted to buy it at the reception for half price, and Guggenheim urged Farmer to cut him a deal, saying "you are going to make them happy. Do you understand?".[13] Guggenheim denied that this occurred, stating: "Farmer's claims against Eileen Guggenheim are inconsistent with her sworn testimony and filings in two federal court actions, in which Farmer herself states that she negotiated the sale of the painting to Epstein, and that she did so herself because Epstein offered to help her career".[15]

In the summer of 1995, Farmer was one of four artists chosen to attend an NYAA all-expenses-paid trip to Santa Fe, New Mexico.[16] In 2019, Farmer and another artist alleged that during the 1995 trip, a dinner party was hosted by Epstein, Maxwell and Eileen Guggenheim at Epstein's home on Zorro Ranch, and that Epstein tested artists with unusual tasks and promised to reward one with a commission.[16] Farmer alleged that Guggenheim told her to "act grateful and tell [Epstein] how wonderful he is".[16]

Farmer's allegation caused controversy, prompting the New York Academy of Art to solicit an investigation from a law firm. The investigation found that "evidence supports that the visit occurred during the daytime" rather than a dinner, and that "a number of these allegations are contradicted by Farmer’s own sworn statements, as well as by other witness testimony."[17]

Epstein hired Farmer to work as an art advisor and property manager for his New York residence.[18] She oversaw the acquisition of artwork by Chuck Bowdish and Damian Loeb for Epstein's collection.[13] She continued to work for Epstein at the front desk of his New York mansion, signing in "tradesmen, decorators, and friends".[19][6] In 2019, Farmer said she observed a large number of young girls coming and going from the house, and said that Maxwell would leave on frequent missions to recruit girls for Epstein.[19] She alleges that Epstein showed her the security room at his New York mansion that was equipped with extensive video surveillance devices focused on the beds and toilets in the property.[20] Farmer alleged seeing lawyer Alan Dershowitz regularly visiting Epstein's New York home.[21] Dershowitz contends that Farmer "provably lied" about seeing him, stating that he had not yet met Epstein at that time.[22]

Wexner artist residency and alleged assault

In the summer of 1996, Farmer was commissioned to create two large-scale paintings for the film set of As Good as It Gets.[23] At the time, she was living in a small apartment in Greenwich Village.[23] Epstein offered her more space to create the artwork as an artist-in-residence[24] at a (10,600 sq. ft.) guest home on Les Wexner's property in New Albany, Ohio. In May 1996, Farmer traveled to the Wexner property in Ohio.[23] Farmer said she found the property to be spacious, but was "disturbed" that the home was guarded by Wexner's armed security personnel and that she was required to call Wexner's wife, Abigail, for permission to leave the property.[25][23]

Farmer stated, in an affidavit filed in support of a defamation lawsuit brought by Virginia Giuffre against Alan Dershowitz, that Epstein and Maxwell came to the property in Ohio and sexually assaulted her.[21] She said that she escaped into another part of the house and barricaded herself inside by pushing furniture up against the door.[3] Farmer called members of her family,[6] her mentor artist Eric Fischl,[26] and reached out to authorities.[3] Security guards on the property reportedly told her that she could not leave and she was held against her will for 12 hours.[14][27] Farmer was eventually able to depart the scene when her father arrived, after driving from Kentucky to Ohio, to pick her up.[6]

Shortly after she left the New Albany property in August 1996, Farmer says she learned that her younger sister Annie said she had also been assaulted by Epstein in April when she visited him at his Zorro Ranch in New Mexico.[28][23] In a lawsuit filed in 2019 against Epstein's estate, Annie Farmer stated that Epstein had groped, harassed, and crawled into bed with her in New Mexico,[28] and Maxwell had given her an inappropriate topless massage.[23] During the 2021 trial of Ghislaine Maxwell, a judge determined that Annie's allegations about Epstein and Maxwell did not constitute "illegal sexual activity", but jurors could consider her testimony.[29][30]

According to Farmer's lawsuit against the Federal Government, she called the New York City Police Department on August 26, 1996 to report child sexual abuse material allegations, citing a copy of her police report.[31] The NYPD referred her to the FBI because the incident was out of state.[3] Farmer says she reported the sexual assault and the child sexual abuse material allegations in two calls to two different offices,[31] alleging that authorities took no action.[32][3]

Farmer's complaint to the FBI, listed under child pornography,[31] was released as part of the Epstein Files in 2025.[33] It was handwritten in FBI paperwork and dated September 3, 1996:[33]

Complainant stayed [sic] that she is professional artist and took pictures of her sisters 12 and 16 yrs for her own personnel [sic] art work. Epstein stole the photos and negatives and is believed to have sold the pictures to potential buyers. Epstein at one time requested [redacted] to take pictures of young girls at swimming pools. Epstein is now threatening [redacted] that if she tells anyone about the photos he will burn her house down.[33]

In 2002, Farmer, her sister, and her mother reportedly shared their stories with journalist Vicky Ward, then at Vanity Fair, who was writing a profile on Epstein.[34] Their mention was excluded from the final story by then-editor Graydon Carter in 2003.[21][35] In 2019, Carter alleged that he had been pressured by Epstein at the time of publication to omit mention of the Farmer sisters;[6] and claimed that a bullet and a dead cat were found outside his home. However, Carter later recalled that the bullet appeared in 2004, not in 2003 when the Epstein article was under review.[34]

In 2019, art collector Stuart Pivar,[36][26] and artist Eric Fischl told reporters they were told about Farmers experience with Epstein.[6]

In 2019, Farmer alleged that Maxwell threatened her life repeatedly after the event.[24] In 2019, Farmer has said that following the Vanity Fair profile, threats from Maxwell intensified, leading her to leave the New York art world.[6] Farmer has stated that she received multiple direct threats from Maxwell and Epstein, who reportedly called her clients and contacts in the art world in an effort to destroy her credibility.[37] She stated: "I was terrified of Maxwell and Epstein and I moved a number of times to try to hide from them."[37] Farmer says she changed her name and moved first to North Carolina,[38] where she sold antiques and restored houses in the American Southeast, reportedly to stay under the radar.[10]

According to Farmer, in 2006 the FBI came to her door to question her just before Epstein's arrest for his first criminal prosecution, but she says little came of the matter.[24] Farmer was contacted once more in 2016, this time by lawyers who were working with Virginia Giuffre.[4] Still in hiding, Farmer recounted her experiences with Epstein and Maxwell to Stanley Pottinger and Bradley Edwards to assist in a better understanding of the defendants' patterns over time.[4]

Decision to speak out publicly

External videos
The first person to report Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell to the FBI
5:27 video from 60 Minutes Australia July 2020
Right Hand Woman
27:21 video from 60 Minutes Australia July 2020
(Farmer's interview starts at 4:50)

After being diagnosed with a brain tumor by early 2019, Farmer described her realization and anger over the impact that the abuse (plus the years of hiding after threats to her life) had on her and her family as the impetus for speaking out publicly.[10] On April 16, 2019, Farmer filed a sworn affidavit in federal court in New York, alleging that she and her sister, Annie, had been sexually assaulted by Epstein and Maxwell in separate locations in 1996.[23]

In an interview with Grazia in September 2019, Farmer expressed that it was the betrayal by women that she found hardest to bear in addition to the lack of interest with which the authorities handled her early reports of abusive behavior by Epstein and Maxwell.[39] In November 2019, Farmer was also interviewed by Anthony Mason for CBS This Morning.[40]

ABC News reported that Farmer and her younger sister Annie Farmer[41] shared similarities with Chauntae Davies[42] and her younger sister Teala Davies[43] in that Epstein manipulated the trust within both family groups to further his criminal interest in abusing young girls.[44]

In late 2019 and early 2020, five victims in the Ohio State University abuse scandal called on state and federal officials to conduct further inquiry into Farmer's allegations of sexual assault at the Wexner property.[25][45]

Farmer appeared in a four-part Netflix series, released in May 2020, Jeffrey Epstein: Filthy Rich, directed by Lisa Bryant and based on the earlier book of the same name by James Patterson.[46]

The New York Academy of Art issued an apology to Farmer in August 2020 after several female board members resigned from the organization.[47]

Later artwork

In late 2019, Farmer resumed creating artwork[24] and began working on a series of paintings and pastel drawings called The Survivors Project consisting of individual portraits of known survivors of Epstein's abuse.[3][10] She believes the harm experienced by countless other victims of Epstein could have been prevented had authorities acted when she first reported the abuse.[3]

Farmer created a seven foot long artwork on canvas about the Epstein abuse network titled The Setiles, 2020, which portrayed individuals involved in the scandal in a style akin to Hieronymus Bosch.[10] In The Setiles, Kate Briquelet of the Daily Beast described Farmer's depiction of some of Epstein's associates as "murderous lizard people" whereas some of the "victims’ lawyers who fought for justice" were illustrated as cherubs.[10]

Lawsuit against the federal government

On May 29, 2025, Farmer filed a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia against the federal government accusing the Justice Department, U.S. Attorney's Offices, and the FBI of negligence and negligent infliction of emotional distress for failing to protect her and other victims of Epstein.[48]

Personal life

After being diagnosed with a brain tumor and non-Hodgkin lymphoma, she was receiving treatment for cancer in May 2020.[49][10]

References

  1. ^ Burke, Caroline (2019-04-16). "Maria Farmer: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know". Heavy. Retrieved 2020-05-10.
  2. ^ "1992 Undergraduate Commencement Program". cdm17268.contentdm.oclc.org. Santa Clara University. p. 10. Retrieved 20 October 2025.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Hill, James; Remillard, Mark; Effron, Lauren (January 9, 2020). "Jeffrey Epstein survivor paints portraits of other survivors: 'Each one of those should have never happened'". ABC News. Retrieved February 11, 2020.
  4. ^ a b c Edwards, Bradley J.; Henderson, Brittany (2020). "Paducah and Beyond". Relentless Pursuit. New York: Gallery Books. pp. 277–85. ISBN 978-1-9821-4815-7.
  5. ^ Folkenflik, David (22 August 2019). "A Dead Cat, A Lawyer's Call And A 5-Figure Donation: How Media Fell Short On Epstein". NPR. Ward interviewed two sisters, Maria and Annie Farmer. They alleged [...] Epstein sexually assaulted her at his vast New Mexico ranch [...] In March 2003, Vanity Fair did publish Ward's piece [...] It did not report the Farmers' accusations of abuse.
  6. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Baker, Mike (2019-08-26). "The Sisters Who First Tried to Take Down Jeffrey Epstein". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2020-02-11.
  7. ^ a b Ladd, Sarah (July 10, 2019). "21 years before #MeToo, a Kentucky native says Jeffrey Epstein sexually assaulted her". The Courier-Journal. Retrieved 2020-02-11.
  8. ^ Lambe, Jerry (August 26, 2019). "Jeffrey Epstein Accuser: When Donald Trump Eyed Me, Epstein Remarked 'She's Not for You'". lawandcrime.com. Retrieved 2020-02-11.
  9. ^ Patterson, James; Connolly, John; Malloy, Tim (2016). "Vicky Ward: November 2002". Filthy Rich. New York: Little Brown and Company. pp. 149–52. ISBN 9780316274050.
  10. ^ a b c d e f g Briquelet, Kate (2020-05-17). "Epstein Victim Is Painting His Enablers as Murderous Lizard People". The Daily Beast. Retrieved 2020-06-15.
  11. ^ "About Maria Farmer". Retrieved February 11, 2020.
  12. ^ Arnold, Amanda (2019-08-26). "Ghislane Maxwell Allegedly Told Epstein Accuser to 'Watch Her Back'". The Cut. Retrieved 2020-02-12.
  13. ^ a b c d e f g Corbett, Rachel; Davis, Ben (2019-08-26). "Jeffrey Epstein Accuser Maria Farmer Says the New York Academy of Art Helped Enable the Disgraced Financier". artnet News. Retrieved 2020-02-11.
  14. ^ a b Small, Zachary (2019-07-10). "Disgraced Billionaire Jeffrey Epstein's Art World Connections". Hyperallergic. Retrieved 2020-02-12.
  15. ^ Jeffrey Epstein: Filthy Rich (2021) Netflix. Episode 1 at 54:00 minutes.
  16. ^ a b c Corbett, Rachel (2020-01-27). "'It Was a Question of How Far Will They Go?: Former Art Students Remember How Jeffrey Epstein Tested Boundaries". artnet.com. Retrieved 2020-02-11.
  17. ^ Corbett, Rachel (2020-06-30). "The New York Academy of Art Commissioned a Report That Purports to Discredit Claims That the School Enabled Jeffrey Epstein". Artnet News. Retrieved 2026-03-07.
  18. ^ Nayyar, Rhea (March 16, 2026). "New York Academy of Art Says It Will Donate Epstein Money". Hyperallergic. Retrieved 2026-03-23.
  19. ^ a b Bruck, Connie (July 29, 2019). "Alan Dershowitz, Devil's Advocate". The New Yorker. Retrieved 2020-02-11.
  20. ^ "Jeffrey Epstein accuser says his house had cameras "monitoring private moments"". CBS News. November 18, 2019. Retrieved 2020-02-11.
  21. ^ a b c Brown, Julie K. (April 16, 2019). "New Jeffrey Epstein accuser goes public; defamation lawsuit targets Dershowitz". Miami Herald. Retrieved February 11, 2020.
  22. ^ Alan Dershowitz: Epstein accuser Maria Farmer lied about me. NewsNation. 2025. Retrieved 2026-03-24 – via YouTube.
  23. ^ a b c d e f g Ellison, Sarah; O'Connell, Jonathan (October 5, 2019). "Epstein accuser holds Victoria's Secret billionaire responsible, as he keeps his distance". Washington Post. Retrieved February 11, 2020.
  24. ^ a b c d "Jeffrey Epstein accuser Maria Farmer says Ghislaine Maxwell threatened her life, FBI "failed" her". CBS News. November 19, 2019. Retrieved 2020-02-12.
  25. ^ a b *Siemaszko, Corky (December 6, 2019). "Former Ohio State wrestlers support Jeffrey Epstein accuser". NBC News. Retrieved 2020-05-10.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  26. ^ a b Greenberger, Alex; Selvin, Claire (2019-08-27). "Jeffrey Epstein's Art World Connections: A Guide". ARTnews.com. Retrieved 2020-02-12.
  27. ^ Steel, Emily; Eder, Steve; Maheshwari, Sapna; Goldstein, Matthew (July 25, 2019). "How Jeffrey Epstein Used the Billionaire Behind Victoria's Secret for Wealth and Women". The New York Times. Retrieved 2020-06-16.
  28. ^ a b McKinley, Jesse (2019-11-17). "Why These 5 Accusers of Jeffrey Epstein Want More Than Money". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2020-02-12.
  29. ^ McKinley, Jesse (2019-11-17). "Why These 5 Accusers of Jeffrey Epstein Want More Than Money". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2026-03-05.
  30. ^ Levenson, Lauren del Valle,Eric (2021-12-21). "Jury in Ghislaine Maxwell's sex trafficking trial signals they are focused on accusers' testimony". CNN. Retrieved 2026-03-05.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  31. ^ a b c Mansfield, Erin (December 21, 2025). "Jeffrey Epstein survivor 'redeemed' by release of her 1996 FBI complaint". USA TODAY. Retrieved 2026-03-06.
  32. ^ Neumeister, Larry (November 12, 2019). "Woman who spoke at Epstein's bail hearing sues his estate". AP News. Retrieved 2020-02-12.
  33. ^ a b c Lee, MJ; Cole, Devan (December 20, 2025). "Epstein files vindicate a survivor who reported him in the 1990s, but others are still seeking answers". CNN. Retrieved December 20, 2025.
  34. ^ a b Folkenflik, David (August 22, 2019). "A Dead Cat, A Lawyer's Call And A 5-Figure Donation: How Media Fell Short On Epstein". NPR. Retrieved 2020-02-12.
  35. ^ Ward, Vicky (2015-01-07). "I Tried to Warn You About Sleazy Billionaire Jeffrey Epstein in 2003". The Daily Beast. Retrieved 2020-02-11.
  36. ^ Nally, Leland (August 23, 2019). "Jeffrey Epstein, my very, very sick pal". Mother Jones. Retrieved 2020-02-11.
  37. ^ a b Briquelet, Kate; Cartwright, Lachlan (2019-04-16). "Epstein Accuser Sues Alan Dershowitz Over Alleged Sex Ring". The Daily Beast. Retrieved 2020-06-15.
  38. ^ "Jeffrey Epstein accuser sues federal government for failing to protect her and other victims". NBC News. 2025-05-30. Retrieved 2026-03-06.
  39. ^ Prince, Rosa (September 24, 2019). "Maria Farmer On Epstein: 'They Knew It Was True, They Just Chose To Ignore Me'". Grazia. Retrieved 2020-02-23.
  40. ^ Pompeo, Joe (November 26, 2019). "The Hunt for Jeffrey Epstein's Alleged Enabler Ghislaine Maxwell". Vanity Fair. Retrieved 2020-04-29.
  41. ^ "An Accuser's Story Suggests How Trump Might Appear in the Epstein Files". nytimes.com. 20 July 2025. Retrieved 2 August 2025.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  42. ^ Barker, Memphis (24 July 2025). "The week Clinton and Epstein became close friends". The Telegraph.co.uk. Retrieved 2 August 2025.
  43. ^ "Jeffrey Epstein: newest accuser comes forward, says she was 'perfect victim'". The Guardian. 21 November 2019. Retrieved 2 August 2025.
  44. ^ ABC News. "Video: Jeffrey Epstein's accusers on how their sisters were targeted as well: Part 8". ABC News. Retrieved 2020-02-23.
  45. ^ Siemaszko, Corky (February 10, 2020). "Former Ohio State wrestlers call for investigation into university's ties to Jeffrey Epstein". NBC News. Retrieved 2020-05-10.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  46. ^ Horton, Adrian (2020-05-27). "'It's outrageous': inside an infuriating Netflix series on Jeffrey Epstein". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2020-06-09.
  47. ^ Carrigan, Margaret (2020-08-10). "New York Academy of Art issues apology to Epstein accuser and alumna Maria Farmer after claims of 'victim blaming'". The Art Newspaper. Retrieved 2025-07-19.
  48. ^ Alsharif, Mirna (2025-05-30). "Jeffrey Epstein accuser sues federal government for failing to protect her and other victims". NBC News. Retrieved 2025-07-19.
  49. ^ Bishara, Hakim (2020-05-07). "Petition Calls for Removal of New York Academy of Art Board Chair, Citing Jeffrey Epstein Ties". Hyperallergic. Retrieved 2020-05-10.

Further reading

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 unless otherwise noted. Additional terms may apply for the media files.