NEW YORK (AP) — Newly disclosed government files on Jeffrey Epstein are offering more details about his interactions with the rich and famous after he served time for sex crimes in Florida, and on how much investigators knew about his abuse of underage girls when they decided not to indict him on federal charges nearly two decades ago.
The documents released Friday include Epstein’s communications with former White House advisers, an NFL team co-owner and billionaires including Bill Gates and Elon Musk.
President Donald Trump’s Justice Department said it would be releasing more than 3 million pages of documents along with more than 2,000 videos and 180,000 images under a law intended to reveal most of the material it collected during two decades of investigating the wealthy financier.
The files, posted to the department’s website, included documents involving Epstein’s friendship with Britain’s Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, formerly known as Prince Andrew, and Epstein’s email correspondence with onetime Trump adviser Steve Bannon, New York Giants co-owner Steve Tisch and other prominent contacts with people in political, business and philanthropic circles.
Draft indictment detailed Epstein’s abuse
The FBI started investigating Epstein in July 2006 and agents expected him to be indicted in May 2007, according to the newly released records. A prosecutor wrote a proposed or draft indictment after multiple underage girls told police and the FBI that they had been paid to give Epstein sexualized massages.
The draft, included in the latest batch of documents, indicated prosecutors were preparing to charge not just Epstein but also three people who worked for him as personal assistants.
According to interview notes released Friday, an employee at Epstein’s Florida estate informed the FBI in 2007 that Epstein had him buy flowers for a student at a local high school. The employee detailed various tasks including cleaning up after Epstein’s frequent massages with young girls.
Ultimately, the U.S. attorney in Miami at the time, Alexander Acosta, allowed Epstein to avoid federal prosecution. Epstein pleaded guilty instead to a state charge of soliciting prostitution from someone under age 18 and received an 18-month jail sentence.
Famous names show up in Epstein’s emails
The records have countless references to Trump, including emails where Epstein and acquaintances discussed policies and political gossip. Notably, Musk reached out to Epstein on multiple occasions regarding visits to his Caribbean island, where many alleged abuses occurred.
In another exchange, Tisch remarked about his acquaintance with one of Epstein’s assistants. Tisch has expressed regret over any association with Epstein and has distanced himself from the financier.
Emails also revealed Epstein's connections with various prominent individuals, including former White House counsel Kathy Ruemmler, who expressed regret for her past association with Epstein. The records further highlight mounting concerns over Epstein's operations and the leniency with which his crimes were treated.
The documents follow last month’s release of earlier files, which included flight logs and other pertinent data about Epstein's extensive connections to the powerful. Many remain unanswered regarding the culpability of figures linked to Epstein and the systemic failures within the justice system.
Epstein, who died by suicide in a New York jail in August 2019, left behind a network of influential friends and a troubling legacy that continues to provoke public outrage over accountability and justice.
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