Controversies are a part of history. Explore the biggest scandals linked to Jeffrey Epstein.
Jeffrey Epstein was an American financier and convicted sex offender. He began his career in education before transitioning to finance, eventually starting his own firm. Epstein cultivated a network of powerful individuals and was accused of sexually abusing numerous underage girls and women. His crimes led to investigations, charges, and ultimately, his death by suicide in jail while awaiting trial.
In August 2020, it was revealed that a lawsuit was filed against Epstein by a Jane Doe for abuse that occurred in 1975.
In 1985, the claims of abuse began. These claims were among those included in a lawsuit filed in December 2019, alleging battery, assault, and intentional emotional distress.
In 1987, the fraudulent Austrian passport found in Epstein's safe had already expired, and had numerous entrance and exit stamps, including entrance stamps that showed the use of the passport to enter France, Spain, the United Kingdom, and Saudi Arabia in the 1980s.
In 1992, Footage of Donald Trump and Jeffrey Epstein talking at the Mar-a-Lago party appears in the 2020 comedy mockumentary Borat Subsequent Moviefilm.
In 1993, Towers Financial Corporation imploded when it was exposed as one of the biggest Ponzi schemes in American history.
In 1994, Maxwell and Epstein allegedly recruited a 13-year-old music student at the Interlochen Center for the Arts, subjecting her to sexual abuse. This allegation was part of a lawsuit filed in January 2020.
In April 2016, a federal lawsuit was filed in California against Epstein and Donald Trump alleging sexual assault at a series of parties at Epstein's Manhattan residence in 1994, when the plaintiff was 13 years old.
In 1996, Jeffrey Epstein changed the name of his firm to the Financial Trust Company and based it on St. Thomas in the U.S. Virgin Islands for tax advantages.
In 1996, Maria Farmer reported the incident to the New York City Police Department and the FBI, in which she and her 15-year-old sister, Annie, had been sexually assaulted by Epstein and Maxwell.
In 1996, Maria Farmer, an artist who worked for Jeffrey Epstein, noted that Epstein showed her a media room in the New York mansion where there were individuals monitoring pinhole cameras throughout the house.
In December 2014, Virginia Giuffre alleged in a sworn affidavit that she had been sexually trafficked by Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell starting in 1999, for their own use and for use by several others, including Prince Andrew and Alan Dershowitz.
In December 2014, Virginia Giuffre alleged in a sworn affidavit that she had been sexually trafficked by Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell until 2002, for their own use and for use by several others, including Prince Andrew and Alan Dershowitz.
In September 18, 2019, a New York accuser of Epstein, known only as Jane Doe, announced a federal lawsuit against his estate stating that she was recruited in 2002 and sexually abused by Epstein for three years starting at age 14.
In November 2004, Jeffrey Epstein and Donald Trump's friendship ran into trouble when they became embroiled in a bidding war for a $40 million mansion, Maison de L'Amitié, which was being auctioned in Palm Beach.
In 2004, JJ Doe was abused by Jeffrey Epstein when she was a 14-year-old resident of Palm Beach County. This information was revealed in a lawsuit filed in December 2019.
In 2004, Jane Doe No. 2 alleged that she was recruited at 16 years old to give Epstein a massage.
In March 2005, a woman contacted Florida's Palm Beach Police Department and alleged that her 14-year-old stepdaughter had been taken to Jeffrey Epstein's mansion and paid to strip and massage him.
In 2005, Jane Doe No. 2 alleged that she was recruited at 16 years old to give Epstein a massage.
In 2005, police in Palm Beach, Florida, began investigating Jeffrey Epstein after a parent reported that he had sexually abused her 14-year-old daughter.
In 2005, the Palm Beach Police began a thirteen-month undercover investigation of Jeffrey Epstein after an allegation that he paid a minor to massage him. The police search of Epstein's home found hidden cameras and photos of girls.
In May 2006, Palm Beach police filed a probable cause affidavit stating that Jeffrey Epstein should be charged with multiple counts of unlawful sex with minors and sexual abuse.
In July 2006, the FBI began its own investigation of Jeffrey Epstein, nicknamed "Operation Leap Year."
On July 27, 2006, Jeffrey Epstein was arrested by the Palm Beach Police Department on state felony charges of procuring a minor for prostitution and solicitation of a prostitute and was later released on bond.
In August 2006, Jeffrey Epstein pleaded not guilty to a felony solicitation of prostitution charge after a Palm Beach County grand jury returned the single charge.
In August 2006, a month after the federal investigation of him began, Jeffrey Epstein invested $57 million in the Bear Stearns High-Grade Structured Credit Strategies Enhanced Leverage hedge fund.
In November 2006, Jeffrey Epstein attempted to redeem his $140 million investment in the D.B. Zwirn Special Opportunities Fund after being informed of accounting irregularities.
In 2006, during a police raid on his Palm Beach residence, two hidden cameras were discovered in Jeffrey Epstein's home.
By May 2007, Jeffrey Epstein had begun to negotiate a plea deal with the U.S. Attorney's Office concerning imminent charges for sex with minors.
In June 2007, the FBI's "Operation Leap Year" resulted in a fifty-three page indictment; however, Alexander Acosta agreed to a plea deal that granted immunity from all federal criminal charges to Epstein.
In August 2007, Alexander Acosta, the U.S. attorney in Miami, entered into direct discussions about the plea agreement with Jeffrey Epstein's legal team.
By 2007, Donald Trump reportedly banned Jeffrey Epstein from his Mar-a-Lago club for unseemly pursuit of young girls, though this was later said to be a rumor.
On February 6, 2008, an anonymous Virginia woman, known as Jane Doe No. 2, filed a $50-million civil lawsuit in federal court against Epstein, saying that when she was a 16-year-old minor in 2004 and 2005, she was "recruited to give Epstein a massage".
In March 2008, A similar $50-million suit was filed by a different woman, who was represented by the same lawyer.
According to the Miami Herald, Jeffrey Epstein was supposedly an unnamed key witness for the New York federal prosecutors in their unsuccessful June 2008 criminal case against the two managers of the failed Bear Stearns hedge fund. Alan Dershowitz denied this.
On June 30, 2008, Jeffrey Epstein was sentenced to eighteen months in prison after pleading guilty to a state charge of procuring for prostitution a girl below age 18.
In 2008, Alexander Acosta reached a settlement with Epstein's lawyers that allowed him to receive a very light prison sentence.
In 2008, Alexander Acosta, the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, handled Jeffrey Epstein's criminal case.
In 2008, Jeffrey Epstein was convicted by a Florida state court of procuring a child for prostitution and soliciting a prostitute as part of a controversial plea deal.
In 2008, a Broward County woman claimed that she was trafficked and repeatedly raped by Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell in Florida. She made the claim in a civil suit filed in March 2021.
When Jeffrey Epstein pleaded guilty in 2008 to soliciting and procuring prostitution, his lawyers stated he was a billionaire with a net worth of over one billion dollars.
On July 22, 2009, Jeffrey Epstein was released from prison after serving almost thirteen months and began a year of probation on house arrest.
In 2009, Fortress Investment Group bought the assets of the closed D.B. Zwirn fund, including Epstein's investment, and Epstein later went to arbitration with Fortress over his redemption attempt.
On June 18, 2010, Alfredo Rodriguez, Epstein's former house manager, was sentenced to eighteen months' incarceration for obstructing justice by failing to turn over a journal detailing Epstein's activities.
In August 2010, Jeffrey Epstein's year of probation on house arrest concluded.
In 2010, Epstein received a notice from New Mexico Department of Public Safety that said he was not required to register as a sex offender.
In January 2011, after a contested hearing, Jeffrey Epstein remained registered in New York State as a "level three" (high risk of repeat offense) sex offender, a lifelong designation.
According to a New York Times article, Bill Gates's relationship with Jeffrey Epstein started in 2011, just a few years after Epstein's conviction, and continued for some years.
On August 6, 2012, Pedro Gaspar, a model and party promoter associated with MC2, died of what some consider to be a suspicious drug overdose.
In December 2014, Virginia Giuffre alleged in a sworn affidavit that she had been sexually trafficked by Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell from 1999 to 2002, for their own use and for use by several others, including Prince Andrew and Alan Dershowitz.
On December 30, 2014, a federal civil suit was filed in Florida by Jane Doe 1 (Courtney Wild) and Jane Doe 2 against the United States for violations of the Crime Victims' Rights Act.
On April 7, 2015, Judge Kenneth Marra ruled that allegations made by Virginia Roberts against Prince Andrew had no bearing on the lawsuit by alleged victims seeking to reopen Epstein's non-prosecution plea agreement with the federal government, and ordered that allegation to be struck from the record.
In September 2015, Giuffre sued Maxwell for defamation as a result of Giuffre's allegations and Maxwell's comments about them.
In 2015, the Attorney General of the state of New York was reported to be trying to gain information but was refused since the charities were based outside of the state and did not solicit in New York State.
In April 2016, a federal lawsuit was filed in California against Epstein and Donald Trump alleging sexual assault in 1994 when the plaintiff was 13 years old.
In May 2016, the federal lawsuit filed in California against Epstein and Donald Trump was dismissed by a federal judge.
In June 2016, a second federal suit was filed in New York against Epstein and Donald Trump, but it was later withdrawn.
In September 2016, a third federal suit was filed in New York against Epstein and Donald Trump.
On November 4, 2016, the federal lawsuit filed against Epstein and Donald Trump was dropped.
In May 2017, the defamation case between Giuffre and Maxwell was settled under seal, leading to legal efforts to unseal the documents.
In 2017, Sarah Ransome filed a suit against Epstein and Maxwell alleging sexual coercion and threats.
In 2017, a former senior White House official reported that Alexander Acosta claimed Epstein 'belonged to intelligence' and should be left alone during Trump's transition team interviews.
In March 11, 2019, the appeal of the district judge's refusal to unseal the documents relating to the 2017 defamation settlement of Giuffre v. Maxwell was being processed.
In December 2018, a state civil lawsuit against Epstein was settled on the first day of trial, with Epstein publicly apologizing to attorney Bradley Edwards.
In 2018, Jeffrey Epstein implied to a New York Times reporter, off the record, that he had blackmail material on powerful people, including information about their sexual proclivities and recreational drug use.
In 2018, Sarah Ransome's suit against Epstein and Maxwell was settled under undisclosed terms.
In January 2020, a lawsuit alleged that Jeffrey Epstein's sex trafficking conspiracy ran through 2018, involving children on his Caribbean islands.
On February 21, 2019, Judge Kenneth Marra ruled that federal prosecutors violated the law by failing to notify victims before allowing Epstein to plead guilty to only the two Florida offenses.
On March 11, 2019, in the appeal of the district judge's refusal to unseal the documents relating to the 2017 defamation settlement of Giuffre v. Maxwell, the Second Circuit Court gave parties one week to provide good cause as to why they should remain under seal.
On March 19, 2019, the Second Circuit Court ordered the documents relating to the 2017 defamation settlement of Giuffre v. Maxwell to be unsealed after having them redacted.
On April 16, 2019, Maria Farmer went public and filed a sworn affidavit alleging that she and her 15-year-old sister, Annie, had been sexually assaulted by Epstein and Maxwell in 1996.
On July 6, 2019, Jeffrey Epstein was arrested again on federal charges for the sex trafficking of minors in Florida and New York.
In July 2019, the immunity agreement and Epstein's lenient treatment became the subject of public dispute, with accusations of preferential treatment and a "deal of a lifetime" given by U.S. Attorney Acosta.
On July 19, 2019, following Jeffrey Epstein's arrest on sex trafficking charges, U.S. Attorney Acosta resigned from his position as Secretary of Labor.
On July 22, 2019, while in jail awaiting trial, Epstein was served with a petition regarding a pending state civil lawsuit filed by Jennifer Araoz.
On August 10, 2019, Epstein was found dead in his cell at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in New York City.
On August 10, 2019, Jeffrey Epstein died in jail while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges. His death was ruled a suicide, although this remains controversial.
On August 11, 2019, an autopsy was performed and found that Epstein sustained multiple breaks in his neck bones, including the hyoid bone.
On August 14, 2019, Jennifer Araoz filed her suit, when New York State law was updated to allow one year for adult survivors of child sexual abuse to sue for previous offenses, regardless of how long ago the abuse took place.
In August 2019, it was reported that Epstein had planned to "seed the human race with his DNA".
On August 16, 2019, the New York City medical examiner, Barbara Sampson, ruled Jeffrey Epstein's death a suicide by hanging, based on limited security camera footage. However, Epstein's defense team disputed the conclusion and launched an independent investigation, suggesting the evidence was more consistent with murder.
On August 20, 2019, Three women (Katlyn Doe, Lisa Doe and Priscilla Doe) sued the estate of Jeffrey Epstein, alleging they were recruited, subjected to unwanted sex acts, and controlled by Epstein and a "vast enterprise" of co-conspirators.
On August 23, 2019, the prosecutor's office in Paris, France, opened a preliminary investigation into Epstein, after Yael Mellul reported the international dimensions of the pedophile network involving Jeffrey Epstein, criticizing the slow pace of justice.
On August 29, 2019, all criminal charges against Jeffrey Epstein were dismissed following his death, precluding the possibility of pursuing criminal charges against him.
On September 18, 2019, a New York accuser of Epstein, known only as Jane Doe, announced a federal lawsuit against his estate stating that she was recruited in 2002.
In October 2019, Jennifer Araoz amended her complaint to include over twenty corporate entities associated with Epstein and named the additional individuals Lesley Groff and Cimberly Espinosa as enablers.
In October 2019, Michael Baden, an independent pathologist hired by Epstein's estate, observed the autopsy and suggested that injuries, including a broken bone in Epstein's neck, pointed more towards homicidal strangulation than suicide.
In November 2019, Five women (Teresa Helm, Annie Farmer, Maria Farmer, Juliette Bryant, and an unidentified woman) sued Epstein's estate, accusing him of rape, battery and false imprisonment.
On November 18, 2019, Jane Doe 15 announced that she was suing the estate of Jeffrey Epstein, alleging that he manipulated, trafficked, and sexually abused her in 2004, when she was 15-years-old.
On November 19, 2019, federal prosecutors in New York charged Metropolitan Correctional Center guards Michael Thomas and Tova Noel with creating false records and conspiracy after video footage revealed Epstein was unchecked in his cell for eight hours before his death.
On November 21, 2019, Teala Davies announced her lawsuit against Epstein's estate, stating that after meeting Epstein in 2002, he sexually assaulted and trafficked her in multiple locations.
On December 3, 2019, Jordan Merson filed a lawsuit in New York representing nine anonymous accusers against Jeffrey Epstein's estate, alleging battery, assault, and intentional emotional distress. The accusations spanned from 1985 through the 2000s, involving individuals who were reportedly 13 to 15 years old when they first encountered Epstein.
In late December 2019, Bradley Edwards filed a lawsuit on behalf of his client, JJ Doe, who claimed to have been abused by Jeffrey Epstein in 2004 when she was a 14-year-old resident of Palm Beach County.
In 2019, Forbes deleted a 2013 article that called Epstein "one of the largest backers of cutting edge science".
In January 2020, a lawsuit was filed against Ghislaine Maxwell and Jeffrey Epstein alleging the recruitment and sexual abuse of a 13-year-old music student starting in 1994 at the Interlochen Center for the Arts.
In January 2020, a lawsuit was filed in the U.S. Virgin Islands alleging that Jeffrey Epstein ran a sex trafficking conspiracy for over two decades, up through 2018. The suit claimed the abuse involved children as young as 11 years old on Epstein's Caribbean islands.
In May 2020, the Netflix documentary series Jeffrey Epstein: Filthy Rich premiered, exploring Epstein's life and crimes.
In 2020, Jeffrey Epstein's estate's finances revealed that it had paid out nearly $50 million between June 2020 and December 2020 to more than one-hundred women who brought claims to the "Epstein Victims Compensation Fund" set up in the U.S. Virgin Islands.
On July 1, 2020, a statue of Jeffrey Epstein was left outside the City Hall in Albuquerque, New Mexico as a satirical commentary on opposition to the removal of Confederate monuments and memorials.
In August 2020, a Jane Doe sued Jeffrey Epstein, accusing him of sexually abusing her for over a year, beginning when she was 18 years old.
In August 2020, nine Jane Does filed a lawsuit accusing Jeffrey Epstein of sexual abuse, including allegations from an 11-year-old and a victim from 1975.
In August 2020, the Lifetime documentary Surviving Jeffrey Epstein premiered, focusing on the survivors of Epstein's abuse.
In November 2020, the Department of Justice's Office of Professional Responsibility released an internal review stating that Alexander Acosta showed "poor judgment" in granting Jeffrey Epstein a non-prosecution agreement and failing to notify Epstein's alleged victims about the agreement.
Between June 2020 and December 2020, Jeffrey Epstein's estate's finances revealed that it had paid out nearly $50 million to more than one-hundred women who brought claims to the "Epstein Victims Compensation Fund" set up in the U.S. Virgin Islands.
By February 2021, Jeffrey Epstein's estate was valued at about $240 million, down from estimates of $630 million a year earlier, leading the attorney general of the U.S. Virgin Islands to file an emergency motion seeking the immediate asset freeze.
In March 2021, a Broward County woman filed a civil suit against Jeffrey Epstein's estate, accusing Epstein and Maxwell of trafficking her after repeatedly raping her in Florida in 2008.
On May 22, 2021, Metropolitan Correctional Center guards Michael Thomas and Tova Noel admitted they falsified records related to Jeffrey Epstein's supervision but were spared jail time under a deal with federal prosecutors.
In August 2021, Bill Gates said that he met with Jeffrey Epstein hoping Epstein could provide money for philanthropic work, calling it a "huge mistake".
In 2021, Ghislaine Maxwell was convicted on U.S. federal charges of sex trafficking and conspiracy for helping Jeffrey Epstein procure girls for child sexual abuse and prostitution.
In 2022, the U.S. government sued JP Morgan Chase Bank, alleging that the bank "facilitated, sustained, and concealed the human trafficking network operated by Jeffrey Epstein."
On June 27, 2023, the United States Department of Justice's Inspector General's investigation report criticized jail officials for negligence in connection with Epstein's incarceration and death and denied that it was anything other than a suicide.
On December 19, 2023, a New York judge Loretta Preska ordered a list with names of more than 170 Epstein associates to be unsealed on January 1, 2024.
January 1, 2024, was the deadline for individuals on the list of more than 170 Epstein associates to appeal to have their names removed before unsealing.
In March 2005, it was alleged a victim was paid $300 which is equivalent to $480 in 2024.
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