Washington: Offering a glimpse into the scope of his network, wealth and the elite people who moved within his orbit, the US Department of Justice has released more than 3 million pages of documents connected to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. The files are gradually revealing how he leveraged his fortune and connections to operate a sprawling sex trafficking network that targeted dozens of underage girls over a decade.
Epstein was a financier who rose to wealth and influence despite never completing a university degree. He began his career teaching mathematics and physics at the Dalton School in Manhattan before moving to Wall Street. Following a regulatory violation, he left Bear Stearns and launched his own financial management firm, which served ultra-rich clients. In this process, he developed ties with prominent politicians, business tycoons and academicians across the world. He met Ghislaine Maxwell in 1991, and she became his intimate associate and primary coconspirator in his criminal enterprises.
Mandated by the Epstein Files Transparency Act signed into law on November 19, 2025, the recent release was intended to make all unclassified records concerning Epstein and Maxwell public within 30 days. Of 6 million pages identified by the Department of Justice, 3.5 million have now been released, including 180,000 images and 2,000 videos. These files comprise emails, text messages, internal investigative reports, financial records, flight logs and FBI interview summaries. All of these are organised into 12 separate datasets.
Datasets 1 through 8 primarily include FBI interviews and police reports from Palm Beach in Florida, documenting the period between 2005 and 2008.
Dataset 9 houses private emails between Epstein and high-profile individuals and internal Department of Justice correspondence about the 2008 non-prosecution agreement that granted immunity to Epstein and several coconspirators.
Dataset 10 contains heavily redacted photographs and videos seized from Epstein’s properties.
Dataset 11 includes financial ledgers, flight manifests to Epstein’s private island and property seizure records.
Dataset 12 contains supplemental materials that require detailed legal review.
Compared to other large-scale investigations and leaks, the Epstein files rank among the most extensive in history.
His criminal history stretches back to 2005 when the Palm Beach Police Department began investigating allegations that he had molested a 14-year-old girl. The FBI later identified 36 minor victims.
In 2007, federal prosecutors prepared an indictment containing 60 counts, but Epstein received a secret non-prosecution deal granting immunity to himself and coconspirators. He later pleaded guilty to just two state charges, served under 13 months in a minimum-security facility and was allowed work release for 12 hours a day.
He was a registered sex offender, and subsequent allegations continued to surface. His arrest in July 2019 on federal sex trafficking charges in New York brought the decades-old case back into the spotlight, only for Epstein to be found dead in his cell on August 10, 2019. The death was officially ruled a suicide by hanging.
Maxwell, his longtime associate, was later charged, convicted and sentenced to 20 years in prison for her role in recruiting underage girls for abuse.
Epstein’s private island, Little Saint James, purchased in 1998 for $8 million, served as the epicenter of his trafficking operations. Accessible only by boat or helicopter, the island offered extreme isolation and became the focal point of the investigation.
He later bought Great Saint James, a neighboring larger island. In 2023, both islands were sold to billionaire Stephen Deckoff for $60 million.
Epstein also owned multiple other properties, including a Manhattan townhouse sold for $51 million, a ranch in New Mexico, a Palm Beach estate demolished in 2021 and a luxury Paris apartment.
The Department of Justice also documents also map Epstein’s inner circle, revealing the roles of prominent persons who helped manage his finances, coordinate logistics and facilitate access to victims. Ghislaine Maxwell, Jean-Luc Brunel, Darren Indyke, Richard Kahn, Harry Beller and Lesley Groff are among those named. Some of them are now deceased or convicted.
Other high-profile persons such as Les Wexner also played a financial role, with Epstein holding power of attorney over his fortune.
The files name numerous prominent individuals, though inclusion does not automatically imply criminal involvement. Among those referenced are US President Donald Trump, former President Bill Clinton, Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates, Elon Musk, Richard Branson, former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak and royalty, including Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor.
Documents include emails, photographs and correspondence detailing interactions with Epstein over several decades.
Other individuals mentioned span business, politics and media, including Peter Mandelson, Steve Bannon, Noam Chomsky, Deepak Chopra, Ariane de Rothschild, Sergey Brin and Norwegian officials like Thorbjorn Jagland and Mona Juul.
While many of these persons maintain that their interactions were limited to professional or social contexts, the files highlight the extraordinary reach and influence Epstein wielded over global elites.
As investigators, journalists and the public sift through this immense trove, the Epstein files continue to illuminate the vast networks of wealth, power and exploitation that allowed his crimes to persist for years. The documents offer both a detailed record of Epstein’s operations and a reminder of how privilege and access shielded him for so long.
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