Alleged FBI contact with former Epstein associate who fled to Australia

James PATTERSON this trip as well. I was supposed to interview a girl and bring her back to the United States for Epstein. 31. [Left blank in the original] 32. I did the massage training in Chiang Mai. While I was there, I met a great and special guy and told him hon- estly what I was being forced to do. He told me I should get out of it. I told him that the people I was working for were very powerful and that I could not walk away or disobey them without risking serious punishment, including my life. He told me he would protect me. I had confidence [in] him and I saw his love and help as my opportunity to escape and to be with someone who truly loved me and would protect me. I married him and flew to Australia. 33. I called Epstein and told him I was not coming back. He asked why? I said “I’ve fallen in love.” Epstein basically said “good luck and have a good life.” I could tell he was not happy. I was afraid of what he was going to do to me. I thought he or one of his powerful friends might send some- one to hurt me or have me killed. 34. From that point onward, out of concern for my safety and general well-being, I stayed in Australia with my hus- band. I was in Australia from late 2002 to October 2013. To be clear, I was never in the United States during these years, not even for a short trip to visit my mother. And my absence from the United States was not voluntary —I was hiding from Epstein out of fear of what he would do to me if I returned to the United States. 35. In around 2007, after not hearing from anyone for years, out of the blue I was contacted by someone who identi- fied himself with a plain sounding name and claimed he was 246 Fi with the FBI. It seemed ve cial criminal investigatior that. I hadn't heard Epste who this person was and tell what was going on. 36. This man said he The man asked if I had be instinct was to say nothii really with the FBI or any ¢ questions, telling him that met him at a young age. Bu This man never offered to « Instead, he asked me right practices. I thought it woulc ment officer to behave tha uncomfortable and suspicic ing me. 37. I told the man nothi versation probably didn’t immediately triggered all of erful friends that had cause If the call accomplished an state of fear and told me t and had nobody officially pi 38. I suspected that the i for Epstein or one of Epstein’: if this was really an agent w would have known who I wa ual crimes in many differen viewed me in a way that woul HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_022053