Archive · 15 Aug 2026
Hugh Hefner alerted FBI about Epstein abuse, lawsuit says
A long time ago, in 2005, a woman named Audra Christiansen asked magazine boss Hugh Hefner for help because she said a man named Jeffrey Epstein had hurt her.
Mr. Hefner was famous, and Audra thought the police would listen to him, so he reportedly called the FBI many times.
Nobody from the FBI called Audra back for almost 15 years.
In October 2020, after Mr. Epstein had died, FBI agents finally contacted her.
Now many people who say Epstein hurt them have joined together in a lawsuit against the FBI.
They say the FBI knew about Epstein's bad behavior for years but did nothing.
The FBI says it does not have to investigate every complaint it receives.
A court will decide what happens next.
Playboy founder Hugh Hefner allegedly called the FBI multiple times in 2005 on behalf of former Playmate Audra Lynn Christiansen, who said Jeffrey Epstein abused and trafficked her.
The FBI reportedly did not follow up with Christiansen, now 46, until October 2020 — nearly 15 years after her complaint and after Epstein's death.
The allegations are part of an amended complaint filed in May in the US District Court for the Southern District of Florida by 32 Epstein victims.
Christiansen said she was trafficked to Macau casino billionaire Stanley Ho and asked Hefner to intervene because he had the 'clout' to reach authorities.
The FBI has sought dismissal of the lawsuit, saying it was 'not required to investigate every complaint,' and has not publicly addressed Hefner's alleged reports.
- Who
- Playboy founder Hugh Hefner, former Playmate Audra Lynn Christiansen, Jeffrey Epstein, Macau casino billionaire Stanley Ho, the FBI, and 32 Epstein victims who filed the amended complaint.
- What
- Hefner allegedly alerted the FBI multiple times in 2005 about Epstein's abuse of Christiansen, but the FBI did not follow up with her until about 15 years later.
- When
- Hefner's alleged calls were in 2005; the amended complaint was filed in May; the FBI contacted Christiansen in October 2020.
- Where
- The lawsuit was filed in the US District Court for the Southern District of Florida, and Christiansen said she was trafficked to Stanley Ho in Macau.
- Why
- Christiansen said she asked Hefner to report the allegations because agents would take them more seriously coming from someone with his 'clout.'
Epstein Victims
FBI
Failure to investigate Epstein reports
Epstein Victims
The lawsuit alleges the FBI failed to act on multiple reports about Epstein's sexual abuse dating back to 1996, including Hefner's 2005 calls on behalf of Christiansen.
FBI
The FBI argues it was 'not required to investigate every complaint' it received and has sought to have the lawsuit dismissed.
Delayed FBI contact
Epstein Victims
Victims say the FBI did not follow up with Christiansen until October 2020, nearly 15 years after her original report and only after Epstein's death.
FBI
The FBI has not publicly addressed the allegations about Hefner's reports or the timing of its follow-up with Christiansen.
- Alleged FBI reporter
- Hugh Hefner (died 2017)
- Alleged victim
- Audra Lynn Christiansen, Miss October 2003
- Year of Hefner's alleged calls
- 2005
- FBI follow-up contact
- October 2020
- Legal filing
- Amended complaint in the US District Court for the Southern District of Florida
- Number of plaintiffs
- 32 Epstein victims
- Reporting journalist
- Julie K. Brown (Miami Herald Substack)
- Alleged trafficking recipient
- Stanley Ho, Macau casino billionaire (died 2020)