Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell gained an accuser's trust by lying and claiming they were married, new documentary says

• Epstein accuser Maria Farmer says Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell lied to her about being married.
• Farmer recounts thinking they were a "weird couple" when she first met the duo.
• "I believed they were a married couple that really were into philanthropy and education," she said.

Maria Farmer, one of over 20 women who have accused Jeffrey Epstein of sexual assault, said that despite thinking the late financier and Ghislaine Maxwell were "weird" at first, Farmer grew to feel "comfortable" around the two because they lied to her about being a married couple.

Farmer first opened up about her experience with the duo, who she says assaulted her in 1996 when she was in her 20s, in a 2019 New York Times report. The artist repeated her allegations in the newly-released three-part docu-series titled "Epstein's Shadow: Ghislaine Maxwell," which premiered on Peacock on Thursday.

Farmer also delved deeper into how she met and got to know the two in the 1990s when she was a recent college graduate.

"I just remember thinking they were kind of a weird couple. I thought they were strange," Farmer said in the documentary about her first impression of Epstein and Maxwell, his alleged confidante and co-conspirator.

"Jeffrey was all smiley and a little bit too much, you know?" she continued. "Very gregarious, warm, affable guy."

Maxwell, Farmer said, "was just, kind of, standing there, you know, pretending to be nice."

Farmer said Epstein and Maxwell pretended to be a married couple

Farmer said in "Epstein's Shadow: Ghislaine Maxwell" that despite a lukewarm first impression, she went on to feel comfortable around Maxwell and Epstein because the two told her they were married.

"I believed they were a married couple that really were into philanthropy and education," she said.

Though Maxwell and Epstein met in the 1990s and were romantically involved for some time (although it's unclear for exactly how long), they were never married.

Insider previously reported in July 2020 that Maxwell is currently married, but she declined to reveal the identity of her spouse, according to prosecutors. (Maxwell has been linked to tech CEO Scott Borgerson, although there is no official record of the two getting married.)

The former socialite is being held in a New York jail without bail while awaiting trial in connection with accusations that she recruited minor girls for Epstein to sexually abuse.

The producers for "Epstein's Shadow: Ghislaine Maxwell" noted in the documentary that Maxwell didn't respond to their request for an interview. Farmer's statements in the documentary were provided in a sworn affidavit.

Insider separately reached out to Maxwell's legal representatives for comment on Farmer's allegations, but had not heard back at the time of publishing.

Farmer said Epstein 'created a job' for her

In "Epstein's Shadow: Ghislaine Maxwell," Farmer described how, after meeting at an art exhibit in 1995, Epstein first approached her to acquire artwork on his behalf before tasking Farmer with supervising the front desk at his Manhattan townhouse.

Epstein "moved a big, white desk into the 71st Street mansion," according to Farmer. "That was my job ... to watch that door. I had a big white book and I signed people in."

Farmer said that during one of her first visits to his Upper East Side home, when Epstein gave her a tour of the place, she noticed Maxwell and Epstein "recording everyone who ever came and went," including a lot of "little girls" along with "all these dignitaries ... and presidents."

Insider previously reported in 2019 that investigators found "hundreds" of nude pictures of young girls at the home along with some peculiar items like a painting of former president Bill Clinton wearing a blue dress.