What lurks beneath the surface.
A deep-dive into the court documents, flight logs, and connections
that the powerful hoped would stay buried at the bottom of the ocean.
The deeper you go, the darker it gets.
Jeffrey Edward Epstein born in Brooklyn, New York. The creature that would build an empire of exploitation begins its life cycle.
Hired as math/physics teacher at elite Dalton School despite lacking a degree. First access point to wealthy families. Attorney General William Barr's father hired him.
Founds J. Epstein & Co. Claims to only manage money for billionaires. His client list remains one of the most closely guarded secrets in finance.
Purchases Little St. James island in the U.S. Virgin Islands for $7.95M. Construction of the infamous compound begins. Locals call it "Pedophile Island."
Palm Beach Police begin investigating after a parent reports her 14-year-old daughter was brought to Epstein's mansion. Police identify 36 victims.
FBI launches federal investigation. Identified victims now number over 40. Despite overwhelming evidence, what follows is the most controversial plea deal in modern history.
U.S. Attorney Alexander Acosta grants Epstein a non-prosecution agreement. Pleads guilty to state charges, serves 13 months in county jail with work release 6 days a week. Victims were never notified — a federal crime.
Virginia Giuffre files civil suit. Court documents begin naming powerful individuals. The first cracks in the wall of silence appear.
Arrested at Teterboro Airport on federal charges of sex trafficking. Found with hundreds of nude photos of underage girls in his Manhattan mansion safe.
Found dead in his cell at Metropolitan Correctional Center, New York. Ruled suicide by hanging. Both guards were asleep. Cameras malfunctioned. The world asks: who benefited?
Ghislaine Maxwell convicted on 5 of 6 counts including sex trafficking of a minor. Sentenced to 20 years. The first real accountability — for the recruiter, not the clients.
Federal judge orders release of over 900 pages of court documents. Names surface. Flight logs confirmed. The ocean floor is finally illuminated — but accountability remains at zero.
Connections documented in court filings and public records. Every name below appeared in sworn testimony, flight logs, or legal proceedings.
Recruiter & Accomplice
Convicted on 5 counts including sex trafficking of a minor. Sentenced to 20 years. Described in court as Epstein's "partner in crime" who recruited, groomed, and participated in abuse.
Source: U.S. v. Maxwell, S.D.N.Y. (2021)Model Agency Owner
MC2 modeling agency founder. Accused of trafficking over 1,000 women and girls. Named in court documents as procurer. Found dead in Paris jail cell, February 2022. Ruled suicide.
Source: Giuffre v. Maxwell filings; French investigationDuke of York
Named in Virginia Giuffre's civil lawsuit. Photographed with accuser. Settled civil suit for reported £12M. Stripped of royal duties and military titles. Appeared in flight logs.
Source: Giuffre v. Andrew, civil settlement (2022)U.S. Attorney (then Labor Secretary)
Negotiated the 2008 non-prosecution agreement that let Epstein plead to lesser state charges. Later appointed Secretary of Labor; resigned in 2019 after deal scrutiny.
Source: OPR Report on Acosta's handling; Miami Herald investigationFormer U.S. President
Appeared on Epstein's flight logs at least 26 times according to released records. Visited the island per witness testimony. Clinton has denied knowledge of Epstein's crimes.
Source: FAA flight logs; Giuffre v. Maxwell depositionsFormer U.S. President
Socialised with Epstein in the 1990s-2000s. Quoted in 2002: "He likes beautiful women as much as I do, and many of them are on the younger side." Later banned Epstein from Mar-a-Lago. Appeared in flight logs (one domestic flight).
Source: New York Magazine (2002); FAA flight logs; court depositionsBillionaire, L Brands CEO
Epstein's most prominent known financial client. Gave Epstein power of attorney and his Manhattan mansion ($77M townhouse). Claims Epstein "misappropriated" funds. The full financial relationship remains opaque.
Source: NYT investigation; Wexner public statement (2019)Banking Relationship
Maintained Epstein as a client until 2013, five years after his first conviction. USVI sued JPMorgan for facilitating trafficking. Settled for $290M. Internal emails showed executives knew of allegations.
Source: USVI v. JPMorgan Chase, settlement (2023)Banking Relationship
Took over Epstein's accounts after JPMorgan dropped him. Processed hundreds of transactions including payments to women and girls. Fined $150M by NY regulators for compliance failures.
Source: NYDFS consent order (2020)Research Institution
Accepted $7.5M+ from Epstein, including after his conviction. Director Joi Ito resigned after investigation revealed deliberate concealment. Epstein was listed as "disqualified" donor but funds were accepted through intermediaries.
Source: Ronan Farrow, New Yorker (2019); MIT internal reportResearch Institution
Received $9.1M from Epstein between 1998-2008. Allowed Epstein to maintain an office and email address after his 2008 conviction. Internal review found donations were accepted improperly.
Source: Harvard internal review (2020)Attorney
Represented Epstein during 2008 plea deal. Named in Virginia Giuffre's allegations (which he denied). Later settled defamation suit with Giuffre in 2024, stating he could no longer deny the allegations with certainty.
Source: Giuffre v. Dershowitz; 2024 settlement statementEvery documented flight route plotted from FAA records. Click an airport to see all flights. Line thickness indicates route frequency.
4,272 emails from House Oversight documents. Search, filter, and explore the correspondence network.
| Date | From | To | Subject |
|---|
Force-directed graph of the top 30 email correspondents. Node size reflects total emails. Lines represent exchanges between individuals.
71.5 acres of paradise that concealed systematic abuse.
U.S. Virgin Islands, 1 mile southeast of St. Thomas. Accessible only by boat or helicopter.
Bought in 1998 for $7.95M. Extensive construction followed including the main compound, guest houses, a temple-like structure, and a helipad.
A blue-and-white striped structure on the hilltop. Workers reported it had a lock on the outside, not the inside. Its purpose remains disputed in court documents.
According to employee testimony, hidden cameras were installed throughout the island and properties. Former IT contractor testified about removing computer drives at Epstein's direction.
Guests arrived via helicopter or boat. Staff were instructed to avoid eye contact with guests and never discuss who visited. Phone collection was standard upon arrival.
Construction workers testified to building secret rooms, seeing underage girls, and being instructed to keep quiet. Multiple employees later became witnesses in federal proceedings.
Epstein purchased neighboring Great St. James (312 acres) in 2016 for $18M. Began illegal construction. USVI later sued and seized properties after his death.
Both islands were sold in 2023 for $60M as part of the Epstein estate settlement. The USVI government received $105M in the settlement with JPMorgan. Structures have been partially demolished.
FAA records of Epstein's Boeing 727 (N908JE) — nicknamed "The Lolita Express" — and his Gulfstream jets. Released through FOIA and court proceedings.
The primary aircraft. Configured with a bed, purchased in 1999. Flight logs from 1997-2006 were obtained through FOIA requests and entered into court record during the Maxwell trial.
The triangle between Epstein's New York mansion, Palm Beach estate, and the island. Hundreds of flights documented on this corridor.
Regular transatlantic flights documented. Paris trips often coincided with Jean-Luc Brunel's modeling operations. London trips corresponded with Maxwell's UK connections.
Flight logs frequently listed only first names or initials. Many entries show unnamed "female" passengers. Pilots testified they were instructed not to record all passenger names.
Flight frequency by passenger name from FAA records. Who flew the most on Epstein's aircraft?
Key court filings and released records — recovered from the deep.
Over 900 pages unsealed in January 2024 by order of Judge Loretta Preska. Contains depositions, testimonies, and communications naming multiple powerful individuals. The most significant document release in the case.
Released: Jan 2024Federal criminal trial. Maxwell convicted on 5 of 6 counts: conspiracy, enticing a minor to travel for illegal sex acts, transporting a minor, sex trafficking of a minor, sex trafficking conspiracy. Sentenced to 20 years.
Verdict: Dec 2021U.S. Virgin Islands sued JPMorgan for facilitating Epstein's trafficking through banking services. Internal emails revealed executives knew of allegations. Settled for $290 million.
Settled: Jun 2023Initial investigation triggered by a parent's complaint. Detective Joseph Recarey identified 36 victims, documented the "massage" operation, and built a case for federal prosecution that was ultimately undermined by the plea deal.
Filed: 2006Investigated Alexander Acosta's handling of the 2008 non-prosecution agreement. Found Acosta exercised "poor judgment" but did not commit professional misconduct. Critics called the finding inadequate.
Released: Nov 2020Federal Aviation Administration records of Epstein's aircraft movements from 1997-2006. Hand-written passenger manifests. Key evidence in establishing who visited the island and how often.
Various releasesCourt-verified facts from federal proceedings, sworn testimony, and public records.
Epstein operated a sex trafficking network from at least 1994 to 2019 — a period of 25 years. He used his homes in New York, Palm Beach, New Mexico, Paris, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
The 2008 Non-Prosecution Agreement was negotiated in secret. Victims were not notified, violating the Crime Victims' Rights Act. A federal judge ruled this illegal in 2019.
During his 2008 "jail sentence," Epstein was allowed work release 6 days per week, 12 hours per day. He was driven to his office by private driver. His cell was reportedly left unlocked.
When arrested in 2019, agents found a locked safe containing hundreds of nude photographs of underage girls, CDs labeled with names, and a fake passport with a Saudi address.
On the night of Epstein's death, both guards assigned to his unit fell asleep and falsified records. Two cameras outside his cell "malfunctioned." He had been taken off suicide watch days earlier.
Epstein's estate was valued at over $634 million at the time of his death. A victims' compensation fund distributed approximately $121 million to over 135 claimants. The remaining assets were dispersed to unknown beneficiaries.
Ghislaine Maxwell's trial revealed she helped recruit, groom, and abuse victims as young as 14. Testimony described a systematic operation with specific roles for identifying, befriending, and delivering victims.
JPMorgan internal emails showed executives were aware of the trafficking allegations while continuing to bank Epstein. One executive received benefits from Epstein personally. The bank paid $290M to settle.
Despite hundreds of pages of evidence and dozens of named individuals, no person other than Ghislaine Maxwell has been criminally charged in connection with Epstein's trafficking network as of 2024.
Two people connected to the case — Jeffrey Epstein and Jean-Luc Brunel — both died by apparent suicide while in custody awaiting trial. Both deaths involved unusual circumstances. No other suspects have been charged.