Jeffrey Epstein

American financier and convicted sex offender. Born January 20, 1953, in Brooklyn, New York. Hired in 1973 to teach math and physics at the elite Dalton School despite lacking a college degree — the headmaster who hired him was Donald Barr, father of future Attorney General William Barr.

Joined Bear Stearns in 1976, made limited partner by 1980, left in 1981. Founded J. Epstein & Co.

in 1982, claiming to manage money exclusively for billionaires. His most significant known client was Leslie Wexner (L Brands/Victoria's Secret), who granted Epstein sweeping power of attorney in 1991 and transferred his Manhattan townhouse at 9 East 71st Street (valued ~$77M) to Epstein for $0. Epstein amassed properties including a Palm Beach mansion (358 El Brillo Way), Zorro Ranch (~10,000 acres, New Mexico), Little St. 5-acre private island, USVI, purchased 1998), Great St. James (165-acre island, purchased 2016), and a Paris apartment on Avenue Foch.

In 2005, Palm Beach police identified 36+ underage victims; the FBI expanded the investigation. S. Attorney Alexander Acosta negotiated a non-prosecution agreement shielding Epstein and unnamed co-conspirators from federal charges.

Epstein pleaded guilty to two state prostitution charges, served approximately 13 months with 6-day/week work release. The NPA was later ruled to have violated the Crime Victims' Rights Act. Key named associates included Ghislaine Maxwell (primary recruiter), Sarah Kellen (scheduling), Nadia Marcinkova (brought from Yugoslavia as a teenager), Lesley Groff (executive assistant), and Jean-Luc Brunel (modeling agent, found dead in Paris jail February 2022).

Epstein's black book contained approximately 1,500+ names including heads of state, billionaires, and celebrities. His Boeing 727 ('Lolita Express'), Gulfstream II, and helicopter flew hundreds of documented passengers between 1995-2013. Arrested July 6, 2019, at Teterboro Airport on federal sex trafficking charges (SDNY).

Bail denied. Found dead August 10, 2019, in his cell at the Metropolitan Correctional Center. Death ruled suicide by hanging.

Two surveillance cameras outside his cell malfunctioned that night. Guards Tova Noel and Michael Thomas admitted to falsifying logs and sleeping through required checks. No definitive public accounting of Epstein's wealth or its source was ever established — his claimed business model was described by financial professionals as implausible.

Estate valued at ~$634M, partially distributed through a Virgin Islands trust established two days before his death. In January 2026, the DOJ released millions of pages under the Epstein Files Transparency Act (EFTA), revealing new financial records, communications, and investigative materials.