Hefner Contacted FBI in 2005 About Epstein Abuse Allegations

Newly revealed court documents show that Playboy founder Hugh Hefner contacted the FBI multiple times in 2005 to report allegations that financier Jeffrey Epstein had abused and trafficked a former Playboy Playmate, but the agency did not follow up with the victim for approximately 15 years. The allegations are part of a lawsuit filed by dozens of Epstein survivors against the United States, accusing the FBI of failing to properly investigate reports of his sexual abuse dating back to the 1990s.

According to the amended complaint filed in May in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida, former Playmate Audra Lynn Christiansen, who was Miss October 2003, approached Hefner for help in 2005. Christiansen, then 23 and living at the Playboy Mansion in Beverly Hills, told Hefner that Epstein had raped and trafficked her. She also alleged she had been trafficked to Macau casino billionaire Stanley Ho. Christiansen asked Hefner to contact the FBI on her behalf because she believed his fame and connections would ensure her allegations were taken seriously.

The lawsuit states that Hefner called the FBI "multiple times" to relay Christiansen's claims. Despite this, the...