Playboy founder Hugh Hefner allegedly reported Jeffrey Epstein to the FBI in 2005 after a Playmate accused the financier of rape and sex trafficking, according to an amended complaint filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida. Audra Lynn Christiansen, a 2003 Playmate, stated that she was living at the Playboy Mansion when she confided in Hefner about her alleged experiences with Epstein.
Christiansen, now 46, reportedly asked Hefner to contact authorities due to his celebrity status, believing his influence would lend more weight to her claims. The complaint states that Hefner made multiple calls to the FBI on her behalf to report Epstein. Christiansen claims she did not hear back from the FBI until October 2020, 15 years after Hefner's initial reports. Hefner died in 2017.
Christiansen told FBI agents that she was introduced to Epstein after her 2003 Playboy shoot. The allegations are detailed in a lawsuit brought by Epstein victims, which accuses the FBI of failing to act on numerous reports of his alleged sexual abuse dating back to 1996. The lawsuit was first reported by Miami Herald journalist Julie K. Brown.
Epstein died by suicide in August 2019 while awaiting trial on charges of sex trafficking minors and conspiracy. His death fueled speculation of a cover-up to protect high-profile individuals allegedly involved in his crimes. Aside from his associate Ghislaine Maxwell, who was sentenced to 20 years for her role in luring underage girls for Epstein, no other individuals have been arrested in the U.S. in connection with his case.
Hefner himself faced accusations of rape, though these emerged after his death in 2017. Multiple women detailed alleged encounters in the 2022 A&E docuseries "Secrets of Playboy," accusing Hefner of sexual assault and misconduct. However, some, like actress and former Playmate Jenny McCarthy, have defended Hefner, describing the Playboy Mansion during their time there as run like a "strict dormitory" with limited access to Hefner.