Epstein’s Sex Trafficking Empire: The Inside Story of a Grand Jury Probe Undermined by the Plea Deal
A grand jury investigation into Jeffrey Epstein’s alleged sexual misconduct in Florida has been released, revealing that prosecutors made a lenient plea deal with the disgraced financier despite hearing disturbing testimony. Testimony indicated that Epstein had raped girls as young as 14 and paid them to recruit others.
The investigation began in 2005 when a woman reported that her stepdaughter had been paid $300 for sexual activity with a man in Palm Beach. In 2006, a detective testified before the grand jury that more girls were brought to Epstein’s house by their friends for financial gain. One teenager said she visited Epstein’s house hundreds of times starting at 16 and was paid for nude massages. She revealed that she was given $1,000 after Epstein raped her. Despite police believing there were more victims, State Attorney Barry Krischer held the grand jury proceedings behind closed doors, undermining the case.
In 2008, Epstein made a deal with prosecutors, avoiding federal charges and pleading guilty to lesser state charges. He served 1.5 years in jail and was allowed to leave for work release six days a week. The Palm Beach Post sued the government to release the grand jury transcripts in 2019. Epstein was arrested again in 2018 on federal sex trafficking charges and died by suicide in jail due to lapses in jail officials’ monitoring of him. Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein’s associate, was also arrested and convicted for her role in the sex trafficking ring.
