All you need to know about Jeffrey Epstein
As the sealed documents of the American financier are going public, here’s the low-down on the man, his crimes and alliances
1 WHO WAS JEFFREY EPSTEIN?
The American financier and investment banker, specifically marketed his services to “those with assets worth more than $1 billion,” and operated his company out of the US Virgin Islands for “tax reasons”. In July 2019, Epstein was arrested on charges of sex trafficking and conspiracy to engage in the same. He was later found dead in prison, and it was officially ruled as death by suicide.
2 PARTNER IN CRIME: GHISLAINE MAXWELL
In July 2020, his exgirlfriend and longtime associate Ghislaine Maxwell was arrested on charges relating to Epstein’s sex trafficking operation. She was found guilty for five out of six charges. In June 2022, she was sentenced to 20 years in prison.
3 WHO FILED THE LAWSUIT?
The disclosure in federal court in New York stems from a defamation suit filed in 2015 by Virginia Giuffre against Ghislaine Maxwell. Giuffre accused Epstein and Maxwell of trafficking her to powerful people, including Prince Andrew, in the early 2000s when she was a teenager.
4 WHY WAS HE ARRESTED?
According to the indictment, Epstein sexually exploited and abused several minor girls at his homes in Manhattan, New York, Palm Beach and Florida, as well as other locations, over a period of several years. His indictment also noted that “in order to maintain and increase his supply of victims, Epstein also paid some of his victims to recruit additional girls to be similarly abused”. The prosecution alleged that he sexually assaulted girls as young as 14 years old.
5 HIS HIGH-PROFILE SOCIAL CIRCLE
His former associates include American presidents Bill Clinton, Donald Trump, and Queen Elizabeth II’s son Prince Andrew. Court papers relating to Epstein were unsealed in January 2024 under a judge’s orders. The papers formed part of defamation lawsuit that Virginia Giuffre filed against Ghislaine Maxwell and included the testimony of Epstein victims, as well as that of witnesses and other evidence relevant to the now-settled 2015 case.
6 THE UNUSUAL SUSPECTS
The initial batch of what is anticipated to be a large collection of documents, revealed identities of over 170 individuals. It was made public on Wednesday, and names of high-profile personalities such as scientist Dr Stephen Hawking, linguistics wizard Noam Chomsky, actors Cameron Diaz and Kevin Spacey, among others.
7 WHY ARE THE NAMES BEING UNSEALED NOW?
It was a decision by a judge who said too many names have been redacted in the documents filed in the old suit against Maxwell. American daily, The Miami Herald and others had asked the court to release the names. The US District Judge Loretta Preska ruled in December that many of the names were already reported in the media or the person in question didn’t raise any objections that would outweigh the presumption of access.
8 EPSTEIN ISLAND
Called Little St James, Epstein’s 72-acre island included several villas and is about 2 miles off the coast of St Thomas, part of the US Virgin Islands in the Caribbean. Epstein had stakes in businesses in the US Virgin Islands, including Hyperion Air. According to reports, Epstein called the island “Little St Jeff” whereas for the local residents, who witnessed the vulgar acts being committed there, called it “Paedophile Island”.