In 2005, allegations of Jeffrey Epstein engaging in sex acts with minors surfaced, leading to a deep dive into his life. Born in 1953, Epstein started as a math teacher and later became a financier with a unique wealth management approach. Accused of preying on underage girls, he evaded severe consequences through a controversial plea deal in 2007. Despite facing federal charges in 2019, Epstein died in jail, leaving unanswered questions and a trail of trauma for his victims.
1. Jeffrey Epstein was named an international money man of mystery by New York magazine in 2005.
2. Allegations of Epstein engaging in sex acts with minors began to surface around this time.
3. Epstein was born on January 20th, 1953, in Brooklyn, New York.
4. He was known for wearing a fur coat, gold chains, and an open shirt that exposed his chest.
5. Epstein was hired as a junior assistant by Bear Stearns in 1976 and became a senior partner in 1980.
6. He left Bear Stearns to open his own wealth management firm, J Epstein and Co, in 1981.
7. Epstein refused to take any client who didn't have at least one billion dollars in assets.
8. He charged a flat fee, never taking commissions or percentages, but demanded power of attorney to control his client's entire fortune.
9. Epstein was known for his connections to powerful parents, including Ace Greenberg, a senior partner at Bear Stearns.
10. In 2005, a 14-year-old girl confessed to her parents that she had been molested by Epstein at his Palm Beach mansion.
11. The girl's parents went to the police with her story, leading to an investigation that identified dozens of victims.
12. Epstein was accused of sexually exploiting and abusing dozens of minor girls in the early 2000s at his homes in Manhattan and Palm Beach.
13. Despite confirmed credibility of the accusations, Epstein was able to negotiate an unusually generous plea deal with U.S. Attorney Alex Acosta in 2007.
14. Under the deal, Epstein pled guilty to two counts of soliciting prostitution from a minor and was sentenced to serve just 13 months in a Florida county jail.
15. Epstein was placed in a private wing of the Palm Beach County Jail, given release privileges to work in his luxury office in West Palm Beach, and allowed to leave the jail six days a week for 12 hours a day.
16. In 2019, Epstein was arrested by the Manhattan U.S Attorney's Office on federal charges of sexual trafficking of minors.
17. Epstein was denied bail and was returned to the Metropolitan Correctional Center in lower Manhattan.
18. On July 23, 2019, Epstein was found dead in his cell. The New York Medical Examiner officially ruled the death a suicide by hanging.
19. Galaine Maxwell, one of Epstein's alleged recruiters, was arrested on charges related to the sexual trafficking of minors in 2020 and is currently in prison awaiting trial.
20. The victims of Epstein's alleged crimes still await any form of justice.