Latest / The Epstein Chronicles / Epstein Survivors Amend Their Lawsuit Filed Against The U.S. Government (Part 3) (10/11/26)
Transcript
- 0:00Speaker 1: What's up everyone and welcome to another episode of the
- 0:03Speaker 1: Epstein Chronicles. In this episode, we're going to pick up
- 0:06Speaker 1: where he left off with the survivor lawsuit filed against
- 0:10Speaker 1: the government of the United States. B. After 1996, the
- 0:15Speaker 1: FBI received additional tips and red flags that Jeffrey Epstein
- 0:19Speaker 1: abused and trafficked women and girls. Again, the FBI failed
- 0:24Speaker 1: to investigate despite assurances they would do so. Between 1996
- 0:29Speaker 1: and 2005, the FBI continued to receive direct reports, complaints,
- 0:33Speaker 1: and tips concerning the illegal sex trafficking of women and
- 0:37Speaker 1: underage minors, sex abuse, and human rights violations committed by
- 0:41Speaker 1: Jeffrey Epstein and his associates. The FBI failed to act
- 0:46Speaker 1: upon and investigate the complaints and tips and failed to
- 0:49Speaker 1: comply with protocol and guidelines notwithstanding credible reports of solicitation
- 0:55Speaker 1: of child prostitution and sex trafficking. In fact, during this time,
- 0:59Speaker 1: it was common knowledge that Epstein abused and trafficked children.
- 1:04Speaker 1: For instance, on October 28, 2002, a New York Magazine
- 1:08Speaker 1: article that reads, in relevant part, he comes with cash
- 1:11Speaker 1: to burn, a fleet of airplanes, and a key eye
- 1:13Speaker 1: for the ladies. Further, it's a life full of question marks.
- 1:17Speaker 1: Epstein is said to run a $ 15 billion for wealthy clients,
- 1:21Speaker 1: yet aside from limited founder Leslie Wexner, his client list
- 1:25Speaker 1: is closely held secret. Epstein is frequently seen around town
- 1:29Speaker 1: with a bevy of comely young women. A. After Maria
- 1:33Speaker 1: Farmer's tips, Epstein traveled frequently on private planes with young girls,
- 1:38Speaker 1: which the FBI did not investigate or prevent. The New
- 1:41Speaker 1: York Magazine article also discussed Epstein's frequent travel. Still, federal
- 1:46Speaker 1: authorities continued to give him clearance to travel. For instance,
- 1:49Speaker 1: he was given clearance in 2002 to fly on his
- 1:52Speaker 1: private Boeing 727 to Africa. Epstein traveled with a former
- 1:57Speaker 1: president of the United States, famous comedian and actor, and
- 2:01Speaker 1: several young women. In November of 2002, a sex abuse
- 2:05Speaker 1: survivor was issued a visa to Brazil to travel with
- 2:08Speaker 1: Epstein on his jet. Scores of girls were issued visas
- 2:12Speaker 1: and passports to lure them to travel on his private jet,
- 2:15Speaker 1: and the FBI did nothing to investigate these red flags.
- 2:18Speaker 1: Epstein's office also initiated passports on behalf of a sex
- 2:22Speaker 1: abuse survivor represented by this firm to travel to Paris
- 2:26Speaker 1: with Epstein and associates. The issuance of passports and visas
- 2:30Speaker 1: would have required background check, which was not conducted pursuant
- 2:34Speaker 1: to the usual channels. In fact, recently it was disclosed
- 2:38Speaker 1: to the public that Epstein's office initiated passports and visas
- 2:41Speaker 1: for other women and underage girls for the purpose of
- 2:45Speaker 1: sex trafficking them. The FBI failed to investigate the red
- 2:48Speaker 1: flags and failed to conduct appropriate background checks. Epstein frequently
- 2:54Speaker 1: requested new passports, reported lost passports, and would use multiple
- 2:58Speaker 1: passports for traveling. Of late, it was discovered that the
- 3:02Speaker 1: FBI seized Epstein's passports and he would use different addresses
- 3:05Speaker 1: and names on the passports. Had the FBI done its job,
- 3:09Speaker 1: it would have been discovered that Epstein was operating a
- 3:12Speaker 1: years-long international sex trafficking ring. A. Christensen reported Epstein sex
- 3:17Speaker 1: trafficking and sexual abuse to the FBI in 2005. Plaintiff
- 3:23Speaker 1: Audra Christensen, a former Playboy playmate who was sexually abused
- 3:27Speaker 1: and trafficked by Jeffrey Epstein. In 2005, after she was
- 3:31Speaker 1: trafficked and abused, Ms. Christensen lived at the Playboy Mansion
- 3:34Speaker 1: in Los Angeles, California for several months. Ms. Christensen feared
- 3:39Speaker 1: that she would be sexually abused and trafficked again by
- 3:42Speaker 1: Jeffrey Epstein. So while living at the Playboy Mansion, she
- 3:45Speaker 1: sought help from Hugh Hefner. Mr. Hefner recommended that Ms.
- 3:49Speaker 1: Christensen contact the FBI. Ms. Christensen asked Mr. Hefner to
- 3:53Speaker 1: call on her behalf because she believed that Mr. Hefner
- 3:56Speaker 1: had law enforcement connections and clout that would ensure her
- 4:00Speaker 1: allegations were taken seriously. Mr. Hefner called the FBI multiple
- 4:05Speaker 1: times on behalf of Ms. Christensen to report Jeffrey Epstein.
- 4:09Speaker 1: In January of 2005, Mr. Hefner called the FBI again
- 4:13Speaker 1: on Ms. Christensen's behalf. Ms. Christensen was in the room
- 4:17Speaker 1: during the call and overheard the entire conversation, including what
- 4:21Speaker 1: the FBI agent said. Mr. Hefner explained that Jeffrey Epstein
- 4:25Speaker 1: had trafficked and abused Ms. Christensen. The FBI explained that
- 4:29Speaker 1: they would investigate the allegations and help Ms. Christensen. Ms.
- 4:34Speaker 1: Christensen relied on the FBI to investigate Jeffrey Epstein as
- 4:38Speaker 1: they represented they would. Relying on the FBI to investigate
- 4:41Speaker 1: her claims as they said they would Ms. Christensen did
- 4:44Speaker 1: not contact other law enforcement agencies. For about 15 years,
- 4:49Speaker 1: the FBI did not investigate Ms. Christensen's tips or follow
- 4:53Speaker 1: up on her allegations. In October of 2020, the FBI
- 4:57Speaker 1: finally reached out to Ms. Christensen, seeking more information about
- 5:01Speaker 1: the information she provided 15 years earlier. On October 19, 2020,
- 5:06Speaker 1: because the FBI wanted to speak to her, Ms. Christensen
- 5:10Speaker 1: again called the FBI. She again explained that she'd been
- 5:13Speaker 1: trafficked and abused by Jeffrey Epstein, as well as another individual.
- 5:18Speaker 1: The FBI's report of that call is pictured below. Based
- 5:22Speaker 1: on the FBI's affirmative representation that they would investigate her
- 5:25Speaker 1: allegation in 2005, Ms. Christensen reasonably believed that the FBI
- 5:30Speaker 1: would in fact follow up on her tips and investigate
- 5:33Speaker 1: her allegations against Epstein. Reasonably relying on the FBI to investigate, Ms.
- 5:38Speaker 1: Christensen said, did not contact any other law enforcement agency
- 5:42Speaker 1: about her tips and allegations about Epstein and his associates. Again, however,
- 5:47Speaker 1: the FBI did not investigate Ms. Christensen's claims. Again, the
- 5:52Speaker 1: FBI violated mandatory policy and protocol requiring it to investigate claims,
- 5:57Speaker 1: like Ms. Christensen's, of child sexual abuse and trafficking. By
- 6:02Speaker 1: failing to investigate Ms. Christensen's allegations, the FBI failed to
- 6:06Speaker 1: exercise reasonable care. That failure to exercise reasonable care increased
- 6:12Speaker 1: the risk of the harm that plaintiff ultimately suffered. The
- 6:16Speaker 1: FBI knew or should have known that its failure to
- 6:18Speaker 1: investigate Ms. Christensen's allegations created an unreasonable risk of harm
- 6:23Speaker 1: to other victims, including plaintiffs. Thus, by failing to investigate
- 6:28Speaker 1: credible tips such as Ms. Christensen's allegation, the FBI created
- 6:32Speaker 1: a foreseeable zone of risk to future victims of Epstein
- 6:36Speaker 1: Sex Trafficking Enterprise, including plaintiffs. The FBI knew, should have known,
- 6:41Speaker 1: or foresaw, that its failure to act endangered Ms. Christensen
- 6:45Speaker 1: and other potential victims of child sex abuse and child
- 6:48Speaker 1: sex trafficking for several reasons. First, the FBI knew that
- 6:52Speaker 1: Epstein and his co-conspirators were sexually abusing minors, running a
- 6:56Speaker 1: sex trafficking operation, and in possession of child pornography. Second,
- 7:01Speaker 1: the FBI knew that these acts were ongoing and not
- 7:04Speaker 1: likely to stop without its intervention. Third, the FBI knew
- 7:09Speaker 1: that no other law enforcement organization could investigate Ms. Christensen's
- 7:13Speaker 1: claims of sexual trafficking and abuse of minors. Fourth, the
- 7:17Speaker 1: FBI knew that Ms. Christensen and other victims had nowhere
- 7:21Speaker 1: else to turn for help. Plaintiff's injuries occurred within the
- 7:25Speaker 1: zone of risk created by the FBI's failure to intervene
- 7:29Speaker 1: and prevent Epstein from continuing to sexually abuse plaintiffs, including
- 7:33Speaker 1: other women and minor girls. Plaintiff suffered harm because Ms.
- 7:37Speaker 1: Christensen relied on the FBI to investigate her allegations against Epstein.
- 7:42Speaker 1: The FBI's failure to exercise reasonable care increased the risk
- 7:46Speaker 1: of harm and in fact resulted in harm to plaintiff. C.
- 7:51Speaker 1: The Palm Beach Police Department turned their investigation over to
- 7:54Speaker 1: the FBI and relied on the FBI to investigate. In
- 7:58Speaker 1: March of 2005, a woman contacted Florida's Palm Beach Police
- 8:02Speaker 1: Department to report that a 14-year-old girl was recruited to
- 8:06Speaker 1: Epstein's mansion for sexual massage in exchange for money. Palm
- 8:11Speaker 1: Beach police detectives immediately launched an investigation. Detectives picked through
- 8:15Speaker 1: Epstein's trash and discovered incriminating messages on scraps of paper
- 8:20Speaker 1: documenting phone calls. One note read, She is wondering if 2.30
- 8:24Speaker 1: is okay. She needs to stay in school. The notes,
- 8:28Speaker 1: it was clear to police, were about massages and sex,
- 8:31Speaker 1: said Michael Ryder, then chief of police for Palm Beach.
- 8:36Speaker 1: And it isn't just the phone messages, Mr. Ryder said.
- 8:38Speaker 1: Epstein had flowers delivered to one of the victims, whose
- 8:42Speaker 1: performance at her high school, congratulating her at the end
- 8:45Speaker 1: of the performance. A search warrant was executed to raid
- 8:49Speaker 1: Epstein's mansion by Florida Palm Beach County Police Department in 2005.
- 8:54Speaker 1: Local police uncovered a document containing important messages, which were
- 8:58Speaker 1: appointments for massages with young girls. As referenced by investigative
- 9:02Speaker 1: journalist Julie Brown in Perversion of Justice, During the 2005-2006
- 9:06Speaker 1: police investigation, police found phone messages, one of them in which,
- 9:12Speaker 1: it was hinted, that he had 12-year-old twins to send him.
- 9:16Speaker 1: During the Palm Beach Police Department investigation, police documents included
- 9:20Speaker 1: interviews with 1. A Palm Beach Community College student who
- 9:23Speaker 1: said she gave Epstein a massage in the nude, then
- 9:26Speaker 1: brought him 6 girls, age 14-16, years of age for massage,
- 9:30Speaker 1: and sex-tinged sessions at home. 2. A 27-year-old woman who
- 9:35Speaker 1: worked as Epstein's personal assistant also facilitated liaisons phoning the
- 9:40Speaker 1: Palm Beach Community College student to arrange for girls when
- 9:43Speaker 1: Epstein was coming to town and escorted the girls upstairs
- 9:46Speaker 1: when they arrived, putting fresh sheets on the massage table
- 9:49Speaker 1: and placing massage oils nearby. And three sworn statements from
- 9:54Speaker 1: five alleged victims and 17 witnesses who stated that on
- 9:58Speaker 1: three occasions Epstein had sex with the girls. After interviewing
- 10:02Speaker 1: several alleged victims, former Palm Beach Police Chief Michael Ryder explained,
- 10:06Speaker 1: the stories were all the same. They all could describe
- 10:09Speaker 1: the house in detail. They could describe what happened. The
- 10:13Speaker 1: Florida Palm Beach Police Department also uncovered evidence of minors
- 10:16Speaker 1: procuring other minors for sex abuse by Epstein. The Palm
- 10:20Speaker 1: Beach Police Department investigation revealed that Haley Robson met Epstein
- 10:25Speaker 1: at the age of 16. Robson brought six girls to Epstein,
- 10:29Speaker 1: and one of them was the 14-year-old who triggered the
- 10:31Speaker 1: investigation by the Palm Beach Police Department. In July of 2006,
- 10:35Speaker 1: the Palm Beach Police Department referred the case to the
- 10:39Speaker 1: FBI and introduced the victims to the FBI. The referral
- 10:42Speaker 1: was made to the FBI's field office in West Palm Beach.
- 10:47Speaker 1: In July 2006, Mr. Ryder, And the Florida Palm Beach
- 10:50Speaker 1: Police Department relied on the FBI to pick up the
- 10:52Speaker 1: investigation into Epstein and prevent his ongoing child sex abuse
- 10:56Speaker 1: trafficking and CSAM possession. The FBI said to Mr. Ryder,
- 11:01Speaker 1: this is an easy case. This is a horrific situation.
- 11:04Speaker 1: We'll put him away for the rest of his life.
- 11:07Speaker 1: They did not. All right, folks, we're going to wrap
- 11:09Speaker 1: up right here. And in the next episode, we're going
- 11:11Speaker 1: to pick up with Dee. The FBI negligent investigates Epstein
- 11:15Speaker 1: in 2006 and misleads victims about the investigation. All the
- 11:20Speaker 1: information that goes with this episode can be found in
- 11:23Speaker 1: the description box.