(UnitedVoice.com) – The alleged victims of Jeffrey Epstein are on a mission to hold everyone they believe aided the sex offender responsible. Epstein died while awaiting trial for charges related to an alleged sex trafficking ring that he was accused of running. Though he committed suicide before a court could convict him, his former ex-girlfriend Ghislaine Maxwell was found guilty of participating in the trafficking ring.
Now, fresh off of a victory against major banks, some of the victims have filed a lawsuit alleging the US federal government enabled the billionaire as well.
New Lawsuit
On February 14, 12 of Epstein’s alleged victims — identified only as Jane Doe 1-12 — filed a lawsuit against the US government in the US District Court of the Southern District of New York (SDNY).
The lawsuit alleges the FBI “permitted” Epstein to sexually abuse and traffic “scores of children and young women by failing to investigate tips it received that accused the billionaire of abuse and sex trafficking. The filing mentions December 2023 testimony by FBI Director Christopher Wray to the Senate Judiciary Committee where he was asked to explain why the agency failed to properly investigate. The director said he would ask his team for more information but never provided it, the suit alleges.
According to the women, the FBI received tips against Epstein as far back as the 1990s. For example, a woman named Maria Farmer reported a tip to the agency in August 1996. The woman reportedly told federal agents that Maxwell and Epstein abused her and “were committing multiple illegal sexual abuse crimes, including [some] against minors and vulnerable young women.”
The lawsuit goes on to allege the FBI “sat back” and allowed Epstein to continue his abuse even though it was an “open secret” in both Florida and New York that he enjoyed abusing minors.
The FBI allegedly received a tip from the Palm Beach Police Department in March 2005, accusing Epstein of soliciting her. An investigation began in 2006, but once the suspect pleaded guilty to a state charge in Florida, the FBI reportedly dropped the federal case.
The victims are seeking monetary damages.
Lawsuits Against Banks
The suit against the federal government comes months after JPMorgan Chase settled a case with Epstein’s victims for $290 million. Like the government, the bank was accused of enabling the alleged predator for their own gain. The settlement against the bank provided compensation to almost 200 women who said they were abused by the billionaire.
Similarly, Deutsche Bank settled a suit with the women for $75 million.
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