Epstein was born in Brooklyn, New York on January 20, 1953.
Despite not graduating from university, he was hired to teach physics and mathematics at the age of 21 at the Dalton School, an elite private institution in Manhattan.
After being connected by the father of one of his students, he began working at Wall Street investment bank Bear Stearns, but left the firm following a regulatory violation related to his misconduct.
Epstein then founded his own financial management and consulting firm, which serviced ultra-wealthy clients and built his fortune. He leveraged his wealth to cultivate relationships with powerful figures across politics, business, royalty and academia.
In 1991, Epstein met Ghislaine Maxwell, the daughter of the late British media tycoon Robert Maxwell. The two became romantically involved, and she became his primary coconspirator. Epstein was an American financier and convicted sex offender who used his vast wealth and high-profile social connections to orchestrate a decade-long sex trafficking ring involving dozens of underage girls. Under the Epstein Files Transparency Act, which was signed into law in the United States on November 19, 2025, the DOJ was meant to release all unclassified records related to Epstein and his accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell within 30 days.
In total, the DOJ identified six million pages of evidence. But so far, it has only released 3.5 million pages, including some 180,000 images and 2,000 videos.
The pages consist of email chains, text messages, internal investigative reports, news articles and other material tied to Epstein, including bank statements, wire transfer records, flight logs, and FBI interview summaries. In July 2006, the FBI launched a federal investigation into Epstein, identifying 36 girls who were minors at the time of their abuse.
In May 2007, federal prosecutors had prepared a draft indictment of 60 counts against Epstein. However, in September that year, US Attorney for the Southern District of Florida Alexander Acosta signed a non-prosecution agreement that granted immunity to Epstein, four named coconspirators and “any potential coconspirators”. He was released five months early in 2009 after serving less than 13 months at the Palm Beach County Stockade, and had to register as a sex offender.
In the decade that followed, Epstein faced allegations from multiple women who claimed they were victims of his sexual abuse.
In November 2018, the Miami Herald published a series of investigative pieces revisiting Epstein’s case. The coverage received renewed public interest and, in July 2019, Epstein was arrested on federal sex trafficking charges after prosecutors in New York concluded they were not bound by the terms of the earlier non-prosecution agreement.
While awaiting trial, on August 10, 2019, Epstein was found dead in his cell. Investigators ruled it a suicide by hanging. In 1998, Epstein purchased a private island, Little Saint James, located in the US Virgin Islands, for $8m.
The island provided extreme isolation, requiring access by boat or helicopter, and became Epstein’s primary residence. It served as the central location for his trafficking operation, with released documents including island blueprints, photographs, Little Saint James logbooks, and multiple logs of boat trips.
In 2016, Epstein expanded his Caribbean holdings by purchasing Great Saint James, a larger island neighbouring Little Saint James.
In May 2023, billionaire Stephen Deckoff, the founder of the private equity firm Black Diamond Capital Management, announced the acquisition of the Great Saint James and Little Saint James islands for $60m.
Source: Here
