What 20 years of investigations tell us about the Epstein files
At the heart of recent controversy over disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein are multiple criminal investigations that stretch back more than 20 years.
The case has long been the subject of conspiracy theories, even before Mr. Epstein died in prison in 2019. But the Trump administration鈥檚 flip-flops over releasing more details 鈥� including how President Donald Trump could feature 鈥� have caused a surge in public interest. Mr. Trump on Monday said he didn鈥檛 have the 鈥減rivilege鈥� of traveling to Mr. Epstein鈥檚 private island (and that he turned down invitations to go).聽
Here are details about the investigations, and the ambiguities that have only grown more glaring over time.
Why We Wrote This
The Trump administration faces pressure to release additional files from investigations of sex-offender Jeffrey Epstein. Here鈥檚 what鈥檚 known from two decades of lawsuits and what could come from efforts to reveal more.
Who is Epstein, and what did he do?
Born and raised in New York City, Mr. Epstein made his fortune as a banker and financier. As he built a multimillion-dollar fortune, he also developed a social circle of powerful and wealthy elites and celebrities.
His legal troubles began in 2005, when the parents of a 14-year-old girl in Palm Beach, Florida, told police that she had been molested by Mr. Epstein at his mansion in the city. Local law enforcement uncovered dozens more victims dating back years.
鈥淭his was not a 鈥榟e said, she said鈥� situation. This was 50-something 鈥榮hes鈥� and one 鈥榟e鈥� 鈥� and the 鈥榮hes鈥� all basically told the same story,鈥欌�� retired Palm Beach Police Chief Michael Reiter told in 2018.
Florida police found evidence that Mr. Epstein had paid teenage girls to come to his house for sexual encounters and to recruit other teens. The FBI around this time was also investigating Mr. Epstein, interviewing victims and witnesses 鈥渇rom across the United States,鈥� according to the Miami Herald.
Local police for major charges to be brought against Mr. Epstein in 2005, but the top local prosecutor took the unusual step of referring the case to a grand jury. (Grand juries for non-capital cases are rare in Florida.) After hearing from alleged victims, the grand jury returned an indictment on one count of solicitation of prostitution. Local police then forwarded their evidence to federal prosecutors, and a federal investigation began in 2006.
Federal grand jury investigations resulted in an unusual in 2008. Instead of facing a potential life sentence, Mr. Epstein pleaded guilty to state charges. He registered as a sex offender and served 13 months in a county jail work-release program, spending six days a week working outside the jail. The deal immunized him and 鈥渁ny potential co-conspirators鈥� from all federal criminal charges.
After his release from jail, dozens of alleged victims brought civil suits against Mr. Epstein. (More than one hundred 鈥淛ane Does鈥� have been identified in court documents, according to the Miami Herald). Many of them reached out-of-court settlements with the disgraced financier.
One long-running civil case in the 2010s, in which Epstein accusers sued the federal government for violating a victims鈥� rights statute with the 2008 plea deal, revealed more details about Mr. Epstein鈥檚 sex trafficking and abuse of minors. The judge ultimately of the plaintiffs in February 2019.
Months later, in July 2019, federal agents arrested Mr. Epstein in New York on charges of child sex trafficking. Epstein pleaded not guilty, and a judge denied his request for release on bond. A month later he was found dead in his jail cell; officials ruled his death a suicide.
In 2020, federal prosecutors charged Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein鈥檚 ex-girlfriend, with sex crimes related to her role in Epstein鈥檚 criminal enterprise. She was convicted in 2021 and is currently serving a.
Some powerful figures 鈥� including Mr. Trump and former President Bill Clinton 鈥� have in court records as having flown in Mr. Epstein鈥檚 private jet over the decades. Both have denied knowledge of or involvement with Mr. Epstein鈥檚 sex crimes. Mr. Trump and Mr. Epstein owned homes in Palm Beach, Florida, and socialized together in the 1980s and 1990s until falling out in the early 2000s.
What are the Epstein files?
The combination of the horrific alleged crimes, the unusual prosecutorial decisions, and the high-profile individuals possibly implicated in Mr. Epstein鈥檚 activities have kept the controversy alive even after two decades of legal scrutiny.
Much of that controversy relates to the first Epstein prosecution. Federal grand jury investigations in 2005 and 2007 had been probing the scope of Mr. Epstein鈥檚 activities, including the number of victims and other potential co-conspirators. The 2008 plea deal effectively ended these investigations. Other details presented in court during criminal investigations of the disgraced money manager have been kept under seal. The New York investigation a decade later ended with Mr. Epstein鈥檚 death.
How much new information there is to unearth is unclear. Last year, a federal judge who oversaw one survivor鈥檚 civil lawsuit against Ms. Maxwell ordered the release of documents that included mentioned in court documents related to the case. Among those names are Mr. Trump, Mr. Clinton, and former Vice President Al Gore.
Public pressure has built up in recent years to release records that may contain new details of Mr. Epstein鈥檚 criminal activities 鈥� records that are collectively known as the Epstein files. These files range from grand jury transcripts to evidence collected during the course of federal investigations.
鈥淭he Trump administration鈥檚 ability to release the full Epstein file is not unfettered,鈥� says David Aronberg, the state attorney for Palm Beach County from 2012 to 2024.
In particular, Justice Department policy restricts the agency鈥檚 ability to publicize the names of individuals mentioned in an investigation but not ultimately charged. Without a promise of secrecy, witnesses may not speak with full candor; confidentiality also protects unindicted third parties.
鈥淲e want to protect people who are being investigated but it turns out there鈥檚 not enough probable cause鈥� to indict them, says Jeffrey Cohen, a former federal prosecutor.
Unless there鈥檚 new evidence that 鈥渟aid something really clearly about someone actually committing a federal crime, it would [just] be guilt by association,鈥� he adds. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 not how we convict people, or should convict people.鈥�
How has the Trump administration gotten involved?
In February, Attorney General Pam Bondi that the Epstein 鈥渃lient list鈥� 鈥� a purported list of influential figures connected to Mr. Epstein鈥檚 criminal activities 鈥� 鈥渋s sitting on my desk right now to review.鈥�
But earlier this month, in an unsigned and undated, the Justice Department and the FBI announced that after an 鈥渆xhaustive鈥� and 鈥渟ystematic鈥� review of Epstein investigations, they found 鈥渘o incriminating 鈥榗lient list鈥欌�� nor any credible evidence 鈥渢hat Epstein blackmailed prominent individuals as part of his actions.鈥� Addressing another conspiracy theory, the memo concluded that Mr. Epstein had died by suicide.
The agencies reviewed over 300 gigabytes of data and physical evidence, the memo said, but it noted that 鈥� for privacy reasons 鈥� much of it is subject to court-ordered sealing and that 鈥渙nly a fraction鈥� of it would have been made public at trial.
鈥淥ne of our highest priorities is combating child exploitation and bringing justice to victims. Perpetuating unfounded theories about Epstein serves neither of those ends,鈥� the memo concluded.
As the memo has generated significant pushback among Mr. Trump鈥檚 core political supporters, the administration has moved to release more information about Mr. Epstein.
The Justice Department recently asked a federal judge to unseal transcripts from the 2005 and 2007 federal grand juries in Florida, but a federal judge, citing circuit precedent. The administration has not yet appealed.
The department is also asking to unseal records related to the Epstein and Maxwell investigations in New York, where circuit precedent is different. Last week, the judges who oversaw the two cases issued asking the government to provide more information about its requests.
鈥淚 hope and expect that the [New York circuit court] will afford an opportunity to people who are in those transcripts to object,鈥� says Professor Cohen, who now teaches at Boston College Law School.
鈥淏ut there鈥檚 no reason why, with some court oversight, the grand jury transcripts couldn鈥檛 be released.鈥�
Will new information be surfaced?
Reinterviewing witnesses and defendants could be another route to new information. Over two days last week, Todd Blanche, the deputy Attorney General, interviewed Ms. Maxwell in Florida where she鈥檚 currently in custody. Experts say it鈥檚 unusual for such a high-level Justice Department official to conduct a prison interview.
鈥淭he Department of Justice will share additional information about what we learned at the appropriate time,鈥� Mr. Blanche posted on the social media site X last week.
Members of Congress are also pushing to glean more details. Before their summer recess, the House Oversight Committee voted to subpoena the Justice Department for Epstein investigation files and for Ms. Maxwell to testify before the committee.
That these new inquiries will lead to new information, and new criminal charges, is unlikely, experts say. Assuming prosecutors acted in good faith, the reason more individuals haven鈥檛 been charged is because there isn鈥檛 enough evidence to charge them.
And if new information does emerge, will people trust it when there is already so little trust in how the Epstein case has been handled? On Monday, Mr. Trump he鈥檚 鈥渁llowed鈥� to pardon or commute Ms. Maxwell鈥檚 sentence, but 鈥渘obody鈥檚 approached me with it.鈥� Ms. Maxwell鈥檚 attorney said that 鈥渢here鈥檚 been no asks and no promises.鈥� Ms. Maxwell鈥檚 lawyers on Monday petitioned the Supreme Court to review her conviction.
鈥淭he possibility of a Ghislaine Maxwell pardon [is] sowing more distrust,鈥� says Mr. Aronberg, who is now in private practice.
鈥淭here鈥檚 nothing that鈥檚 going to satisfy the public on this matter unless the file is released. And the file is not going to be released any time soon.鈥�
