The FBI concluded that Jeffrey Epstein sexually abused underage girls but found scant evidence he was running a sex trafficking ring for powerful men, according to internal Justice Department records reviewed by the Associated Press.
Agents examined bank records, emails, and homes in New York, Florida, and the Virgin Islands, but videos and photos did not depict abuse of victims or implicate others. Financial payments to entities linked to influential figures in academia, finance, and diplomacy showed no connection to criminal activity.
One victim, Virginia Roberts Giuffre, claimed Epstein “lent her” to rich friends, but agents could not confirm this and found no other victims with similar stories. Investigators said four or five accusers alleged abuse by others, but evidence was insufficient for federal charges, so cases were referred to local police.
The investigation began in 2005 after a 14-year-old girl reported molestation. At least 35 girls described Epstein paying them for sexualised massages. Instead of federal charges, then-Miami US attorney Alexander Acosta struck a deal allowing Epstein to plead guilty to state prostitution charges, resulting in 18 months in jail.
After a 2018 Miami Herald series, New York prosecutors reopened the case. Epstein was arrested in July 2019 and died by suicide a month later. Ghislaine Maxwell was later convicted of recruiting victims and is serving 20 years.
