Epstein victims accuse FBI of enabling sex trafficking in new lawsuit

A dozen victims of Jeffrey Epstein sued the U.S. government Wednesday, accusing the FBI of allowing and enabling his sex trafficking for two decades.

The anonymous victims alleged that the FBI had received credible tips about Epstein’s sex trafficking operation as early as 1996 but did not investigate them. 

A probe finally began in 2006, the suit says, but ended once Epstein pleaded guilty to a soliciting prostitution charge in Florida and was sentenced to 18 months in prison. The suit claims the FBI continued to ignore tips until Epstein was arrested on sex trafficking charges in 2019. He killed himself in prison months later.

“As a direct and proximate cause of the FBI’s negligence, plaintiffs would not have been continued to be sex trafficked, abused, raped, tortured and threatened,” the suit reads. “Jane Does 1-12 bring this lawsuit to get to the bottom — once and for all — of the FBI’s role in Epstein’s criminal sex trafficking ring.”

The plaintiffs also allege that the FBI had evidence of crimes that the agency refused to pursue.

“During the FBI investigation, the FBI was complicit in permitting Epstein and co-conspirators to continue to victimize Jane Does 1-12 and other young women,” the suit reads. “The FBI had photographs, videos and interviews and hard evidence of child prostitution and failed to timely investigate and arrest Epstein in deviation from the FBI protocols.”

“The FBI had a non-discretionary obligation, governed by established policies, procedures, rules, and protocols, to handle and investigate tips concerning potential and ongoing underage child erotica, rape, sex with minors, and sex trafficking in a reasonable manner and to act against Epstein and to prevent him from committing repeated crimes,” it continued. “Yet, contrary to its own established rules, the FBI failed to take appropriate action and botched and covered up investigations for years.”

The plaintiffs seek monetary damages from the federal government.

The Hill has reached out to the Department of Justice for comment.