The plaintiff, identified as "Jane Doe" in a 2020 civil complaint, alleges she met Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell at Interlochen Arts Camp in Michigan when she was 13 and was subsequently groomed and abused. The suit claims Epstein later introduced her to Donald Trump at Mar‑a‑Lago when she was 14; Trump is not accused of criminal conduct in the filing. The complaint was included in documents the DOJ released under the Epstein Files Transparency Act, a release that contained many redactions and prompted controversy. Epstein died in 2019; Maxwell was convicted in 2021 and is serving a 20‑year sentence.
Woman Identified As Jeffrey Epstein’s ‘First Known Victim’ Alleges She Met Him at 13 at His Former Summer Camp
Rick Friedman/Rick Friedman Photography/Corbis via GettyJeffrey Epstein
A woman who filed a 2020 civil complaint under the pseudonym "Jane Doe" alleges she met Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell when she was 13 at Interlochen Arts Camp in Michigan, the suit claims. The complaint was among materials released by the Department of Justice following passage of the Epstein Files Transparency Act.
Allegations In The Complaint
According to the filing, the encounter occurred in 1994 while the plaintiff was attending Interlochen as a vocal student. The complaint says Epstein — who reportedly attended the camp in 1967 and later donated to the program — and Maxwell approached the girl while she sat alone between classes. Epstein is said to have touted his patronage of the arts and asked for the girl's mother's phone number.
"It all started in 1994 when 13-year-old Jane Doe met Epstein and [Maxwell] at a summer camp in Michigan," the complaint states.
The suit further alleges that Epstein contacted the family after camp, arranged transport, and invited them to his mansion, telling the mother he "mentors young kids." Over subsequent months, the complaint contends, Epstein and Maxwell groomed the girl; Epstein allegedly began providing financial support to the family and the relationship later escalated into sexual abuse.
Alleged Introduction At Mar‑a‑Lago
The filing also asserts that when the plaintiff was 14 she was taken to Mar‑a‑Lago, where Epstein allegedly introduced her to the club's owner, Donald Trump. The complaint quotes Epstein as allegedly saying to Trump while indicating the girl, "This is a good one, right?" and says Trump "smiled and nodded in agreement." The civil complaint does not accuse Trump of criminal wrongdoing; the document presents the claim as an allegation, not an adjudicated fact.
Documents Released And Redactions
The complaint was included in a trove of photos, emails and documents the Justice Department released under the Epstein Files Transparency Act. The DOJ said the release contains "untrue and sensationalist claims made against President Trump," and many pages were heavily redacted — Congress allowed the department to withhold classified material, information that could identify victims, or material that could interfere with active investigations.
Some publicly released images depict Epstein in close proximity to unidentified children. The disclosures prompted public controversy, including brief removal and later restoration of certain photos from the DOJ website after backlash.
Legal And Case Context
Jeffrey Epstein was arrested on federal sex‑trafficking charges and died by suicide in federal custody in New York City in 2019. Ghislaine Maxwell was convicted on sex‑trafficking–related charges in 2021 and is serving a 20‑year sentence. The 2020 complaint is a civil filing against Epstein's estate and Maxwell and represents allegations made by the plaintiff; civil claims do not carry the same procedural burdens as criminal prosecutions.
Note: This article uses language such as "alleges" and "the complaint states" to reflect that the events described appear in a civil complaint and have not been proven in court. Readers should treat the claims accordingly.
