Trigger warning: sexual abuse and exploitation of minors, government negligence
The Department of Justice has released more than 3 million pages of records related to Jeffrey Epstein. For decades, survivors have begged for answers and accountability. But they say the latest tranche of documents—many containing unredacted names, contact information and identifying details—have left them retraumatized, exposed and furious.
Some describe the release as careless. Others call it deliberate. Many say it confirms what they have long believed: that survivors are still not being centered, protected or heard.
Below, survivors speak in their own words. (Some statements are lightly trimmed.)
Annie Farmer
“It’s been a really heavy few days, and at this point I think I’m feeling most of all angry about the way this has unfolded. There’s been a lot of information that’s come out—some of which we really wanted to have light shed on—but the fact that it’s been done in such a … beyond careless way, and people have been endangered because of it, is really horrifying.
“I just right now don’t believe that the leadership at the DOJ had any intention of following through with what they told us over and over. There was so much lip service from this administration about protecting victims. But when you know there’s been … nude images of potentially girls and young women included completely unredacted, and you see entire lists of victims that are completely unredacted, it’s hard to believe this was anything other than intentional.
“I found my own date of birth, my own phone number. But I was also really disturbed to see evidence of names of people that I knew did not want to be public included—and intimate details of people’s lives that did not need to be included.
“When something is out there in a digital way, they can take it down. But as we know, the damage has been done.
“[Do I feel protected by the government?] No. It’s hard to imagine what this administration and this DOJ could do. Right now what we want is for them to follow the law and be extremely responsive when these things are brought to their attention.
“My sister Maria Farmer filed a lawsuit against the government for negligence in this case, and really as I see it this is just further examples of that—of the ways that we have not been protected and that DOJ has not done their job.
“We will not be intimidated and we will not back down. The ways that power protected power is why we have chosen to push forward together so hard. People need to understand that. These people need to be held accountable.”
Annie Farmer says she was 16 when Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell sexually abused her. She and her sister Maria reported Epstein to law enforcement in 1996, making them among the earliest known complainants. Farmer later became a key witness at Maxwell’s 2021 trial.
Dani Bensky
“I thought it was carelessness, and then I went to incompetence, and now it feels a bit deliberate. … I feel like the Department of Justice has really made us feel unsafe.”
Dani (Danielle) Bensky, a former ballerina, says she met Epstein at 17 under the guise of mentorship and was later sexually abused.
Jess Michaels
“There is not a single bit of closure.
“Today I actually brought a little show and tell. This is the only 302 that could be found so far in the files by someone combing through them for hours. It was seven pages—and four of them looked like this. Completely blacked out.
Editor’s note: “FD-302” forms are detailed written summaries of interviews conducted by FBI agents with witnesses, victims, and associates in criminal cases.
“We know the victim’s name is here—that’s appropriately redacted. So what is all of this? There’s no way for me to say to you that there’s closure here. This is the exact opposite of transparency.
“If any one of us did our jobs the way the DOJ did this job, we wouldn’t be working. This has been so egregiously done, horrifically done.
“To stand on that podium and say there’s no list of men—then what is this? If there’s nothing there, why are you redacting it? This is clearly protecting someone, something.
“People tell me they feel sad for survivors. I remind them: This isn’t just about us. This is a Department of Justice showing the American people who they are. Everyone should be concerned.
“It’s been 41 days and they haven’t even complied with the law about explaining redactions. None of us were shocked. It’s frustration and disappointment and grief—but not shock.”
Jess Michaels was raped by Epstein in 1991 after being introduced to him as a client who helped dancers by paying for “massage training.” She left New York after the assault and spoke publicly for the first time in 2019.
Marina Lacerda
“We’ve had so many interviews, and I think today is the most saddening, deeply upsetting, heartbroken day that we have experienced as survivors.
“I can’t help but wonder why the DOJ has once again failed us. Again. It feels like they’re ignoring our need for protection, especially when they’ve taken the time to redact the names of powerful individuals … but not ours. This double standard makes it even harder for us to trust them.
“When I read those six pages of allegations, that mentions our president and a lot of other prominent people, my heart just immediately stopped. …
“Not only were our names not redacted, but there are personal information out there that can hurt us—addresses, IDs, phone numbers that connect us to now and the future. That is very dangerous for us who have been speaking, and for Jane Doe survivors who have not spoken. Their names are out there, not redacted.
“We have powerful, rich men getting all these redactions. And we are at a loss for words.”
Marina Lacerda was a 14‑year‑old Brazilian immigrant in New York when Epstein began abusing her. She later became “Minor Victim 1” in his 2019 federal indictment. In 2025, she chose to reveal her identity publicly.
Lisa Phillips
“From a survivor’s point of view, what should happen now is pretty clear. It starts with centering victims as a group of people to protect—not the politicians.
“Survivors have already waited decades for accountability. We’ve been ignored, actively disbelieved, silenced. Many have turned to drugs and un-aliving themselves to cope with the pain. Meanwhile Epstein was protected by systems that were supposed to stop him. …
“Protecting victims’ identities is non-negotiable. Survivors should never be re-exposed or re-traumatized in the name of transparency. And survivor protections cannot be used as a blanket excuse to withhold information about enablers or institutional failures. …
“What is being reviewed? Why is it taking so long? Who is responsible? The silence only deepens mistrust.
“There’s a moral urgency here. It’s about whether the government is willing to confront how wealth, power and connections allowed children, teens and young adults to be abused unchecked.
“We don’t care if it’s uncomfortable or embarrassing for them. Try being locked in a room with a man four times your age. We’re done with you being uncomfortable now. That’s what justice looks like from a survivor’s perspective.”
—quoted on CNN on Jan. 28 just before the new files were released
In 1998, Lisa Phillips (then 21 years old) joined another model to visit a “friend” on a nearby private island, who turned out to be Epstein. She was abused by Epstein for years, who also opened doors for her professionally, causing a confusing power imbalance. Phillips testified in a 2022 civil case related to Virginia Giuffre and filed a separate claim as Jane Doe under New York’s Adult Survivors Act.
You may also like: these episodes of the podcast On the Issues, in which Ms. Studios executive producer and host Michele Goodwin recenters the women and girls at the center of Epstein’s empire of exploitation. This two-part series includes a conversation with Jess Michaels, a 1991 Epstein survivor, and Moira Donegan, a feminist writer and journalist with The Guardian U.S.
Great Job Roxanne Szal & the Team @ Ms. Magazine for sharing this story.
