'They Worked Together As A Team': Jeffrey Epstein Accuser Annie Farmer Claims Ghislaine Maxwell 'Was A Really Important Part Of The Grooming Process'
Annie Farmer, the only alleged victim from the criminal complaint against Ghislaine Maxwell to self-identify, is opening up about her experiences with the former British socialite.
Farmer gave an explosive new interview for an upcoming 20/20 episode, which dives into the elusive past of one of the world’s most notorious accused sex traffickers, currently awaiting trial on charges of allegedly aiding convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein in sexually abusing underage girls.
"Maxwell was a really important part of the grooming process," Annie claimed on the program. "They worked together as a team, I think."
In 1995, Farmer's sister Maria was working for Epstein as a receptionist at his New York City townhouse, which is where she says she came to know Maxwell.
"Ghislaine was 100 percent the lady of the house at Jeffrey's," Maria told 20/20. "He made that very clear. We knew who was in charge and it was Ghislaine."
When Maxwell asked about her family, Maria said she spoke about her little sister Annie, who was still in high school and would be looking at colleges soon. Maxwell allegedly suggested she talk to Epstein about it.
“What I understood was that Maria had a very wealthy boss and that he might want to help me with school,” Annie said. "I just thought, 'Wow, this sounds like a great opportunity.'"
Annie claimed Epstein called her mother to tell her about a supposed program that would include 20-25 students from all over the U.S., and that Maxwell would be the chaperone. Believing the offer to be legitimate, Annie traveled to Epstein’s ranch in New Mexico.
When Annie arrived at the ranch far outside of Santa Fe, she said she realized there were no other students there and seemingly no school program at all. She said she was alone with Epstein and Maxwell.
"As a young woman I looked up to her as an older sister type," Annie said of Maxwell, adding she would take her shopping and encouraged her to pick out things she'd liked including expensive cowboy boots.
Annie said the first incident that gave her pause was when Maxwell allegedly told her Epstein really liked to get foot rubs, and that it would be a good idea for her to learn how to massage his feet.
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"I think if Epstein had been suggesting that, I would have been clearly alarmed. But because it was her, I was more open to that," she said. "They were really really good at figuring out how to push boundaries so that I didn’t say, 'No I’m not going to do this.' I just felt uneasy, but [I] did it."
Annie recalled the trio going to see Primal Fear, a movie that contains sexual content and themes of pedophilia, at a theater. "It was uncomfortable to be exposed to that with him," she said, claiming: "Epstein sat himself next to me, and very quickly started holding my hand and caressing me, and kind of touching my feet and my leg."
In court filings, Annie said Maxwell also repeatedly insisted on giving her a massage.
"I was very aware that the door was opened and I could be seen getting a massage, and then at some point she just takes the sheet down, so she exposed my breasts,” Annie claimed. "I feel uncomfortable. I feel like Epstein can probably see me right now. She touches me around my chest ... blurring the boundaries of normal or not normal… This was such a scary situation for me, so I just needed to just manage that and to go on as if everything was normal."
At only 16 years old, Annie was completely isolated on the ranch while her family was back home in Arizona. At one point, she alleged Epstein came into her bedroom, got in bed with her and tried to sexually assault her. Annie claimed that Epstein physically restrained her and started pressing up against her. She said she remembered getting out of bed, going to the bathroom and shutting the door.
In 2019, Annie filed a lawsuit against Epstein’s estate and Maxwell. She eventually accepted a compensation offer from the Epstein Victims’ Compensation Fund, which required her to drop her lawsuit.
Following Epstein's arrest in July 2019 Maxwell went into hiding. Facing persistent allegations of procuring and sexually trafficking underage girls for Epstein and others, Maxwell was finally arrested in New Hampshire by the FBI in July 2020, nearly one year after the convicted sex offender was found dead in his prison cell from a reported suicide.
Prosecutors, led by United States District Attorney Audrey Strauss, have charged Maxwell with six federal crimes, including enticement of minors, sex trafficking, and perjury. The indictment charged that between 1994 and 1997, she “assisted, facilitated, and contributed" to the abuse of minor girls despite knowing that one of three unnamed victims was 14 years old.
On March 29, 2021, U.S. prosecutors added new charges of sex trafficking a minor and sex trafficking conspiracy, alleging that Maxwell was involved in grooming a fourth girl, aged 14, to engage in sexual acts with Epstein between 2001 and 2004 at his Palm Beach estate.
With bail being denied, she is currently being held at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, N.Y. She has plead not guilty to all charges. The judge set a trial date of July 12.
20/20 airs Friday, June 25, at 9:01 p.m. EST on ABC.
