Nora is a second-year student at Grinnell College. She’s majoring in Biology, and is also a pub master at Grinnell’s Pub Quiz club. Originally from Bethesda, Maryland, she is currently taking a gap year to work as an anti-trafficking intern at the International Rescue Committee. She hopes to use the power of the media to inform others and inspire them to help change the world for the better.
1974-2004:
Epstein began his lifework with strong roots in New York City. He originally taught math at Dalton School, then worked at an investment bank until he opened his own firm aiming to cater to wealthy clients in 1982. How Epstein made his money and how much he had became difficult to track once his business picked up, which he partly handled out of St. Thomas in the U.S. Virgin Islands, where he owned the island of Little St. James. He later bought additional properties in Paris, Florida, and New Mexico.
2005:
The first allegations against Epstein across in March, 2005 from a 14-year-old girl. Her claim corroborated those of dozens of more girls to come; that he brought her to his mansion in Palm Beach, Florida, where he would pay her for nude massages that would progress to groping and then raping.
2006:
In May 2006, the Palm Beach Police Department signed an affidavit that charged Epstein with engaging in sexual acts with a minor. In July, the Palm Beach Police Capt. pressured the FBI into opening a formal investigation against Epstein. This investigation would go on for more than a decade. The FBI titled it “operation leap year.”
2007-2009
Epstein’s computers were later subpoenaed by the court’s grand jury, but they were removed from his mansion and hidden before they could be collected for evidence. Epstein’s lawyer at the time, Jay Lefkowitz, previously served as President George W. Bush’s Special Envoy for Human Rights in North Korea. He met with Rene Alexander Acosta, who was the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of Florida at the time, to negotiate the deal that would not notify Epstein’s victims of any deals or developments in the court case and call off any existing subpoenas. Epstein plead guilty to two counts of prostitution, would register as a sex offender twice a year in Florida, and was sentenced to a shockingly light 18 months, of which he only served 13 in a county jail. He also enjoyed the freedom of being able to leave for work 12 hours a day, 6 days a week. After his 13 months, he faced a year of probation, a probation which he broke to vacation in his homes in Manhattan and the Virgin Islands.
Jim Acosta, who later would go on to serve as the Labor Secretary under Trump, behaved unethically during the trial. Barry E. Krischer, the Palm Beach State Attorney at the time of the trial, stated, “He said a grand jury heard all of the evidence available at the time and returned a single count of felony solicitation of prostitution, but Mr. Acosta’s office later abandoned its own 53-page indictment after secret negotiations with Mr. Epstein’s lawyers.” In 2019, a federal judge ruled that Acosta and Lefkowitz’s agreement, by not informing Epstein’s victims of any of his pleas or deals, violated the Crime Victims’ Rights Act. Acosta resigned from Trump’s administration in July 2019.
2010:
Epstein remained in the public eye as a prominent philanthropist—a persona used to divert attention from his pedophilic and trafficking tendencies. He donated more than $139,000 to the Democratic Party federal candidates and committees and over $18,000 to Republican Party candidates and groups. His social sphere included many public figures, including the former U.S. President, now civilian, Donald Trump. Trump once stated, “I’ve known Jeff for fifteen years. Terrific guy. He’s a lot of fun to be with. It is even said that he likes beautiful women as much as I do, and many of them are on the younger side. No doubt about it—Jeffery enjoys his social life.”
In 2010, a civil lawsuit succeeded in obtaining Epstein’s flight logs from his private plane. This revealed a number of public figures in his company including, but not limited to, former President Bill Clinton, Prince Andrew, Clinton’s former National Security Advisor Sandy Berger, former Colombian president Andrés Pastrana, lawyer Alan Dershowitz, Kevin Spacey, and Naomi Campbell.
Flight logs reveal Bill Clinton traveled on Epstein’s private planes at least 26 times. Although Clinton denies involvement, photos show him receiving a massage from one of Epstein’s victims. According to Epstein, Clinton was “the world’s greatest politician.”
2011:
In November 2011, Epstein is ordered to register as a Level 3 sex offender in New York, the highest level of sex offender. This classification designated Epstein as “high risk of repeat offense and a threat to public safety.”
2019:
In July of 2019, Epstein was arrested in New York by federal agents and charged with one count of conspiracy to commit sex trafficking and one count of sex trafficking. He offered to post a $100 million bond and submit to house arrest in his New York City mansion, but these requests were denied.
Epstein had unsuccessfully attempted suicide in his cell a few days before his death. Two days before his death, he signed a new will, that did not leave anything to his family. Instead, the will transferred over $577 million to a recently created trust called “The 1953 Trust.” A few of Epstein’s victims filed lawsuits against the trust, since it is the only inheritor of his fortune. The will was filed in the Virgin Islands, and thus has to comply with the Virgin Island laws. This means that representatives of the trust do not have to notify any of Epstein’s victims of any developments.
2020:
Epstein is survived by his ex and close associate, Ghislaine Maxwell. Maxwell is a British socialite who has been accused by a number of Epstein’s victims of aiding in his international sex trafficking enterprise by recruiting and training underage girls. Maxwell was arrested in July, 2020 after the FBI used data from her phone to track her down from her $100 million hiding place in Bradford, New Hampshire. She is currently awaiting her trial in a New York City jail and has been denied bail twice. She pleaded not guilty to the charges against her.
Between Epstein’s death and the leniencies his high-profile collaborators benefit from, it is extremely difficult for his victims to get justice. That being said, the national culture seems to be changing for the better. The #MeToo movement helps call out sexual predators and support the victims. The Virgin Islands’ attorney general, Denise George, assisted in creating a fund to pay Epstein’s victims, funded by one of Epstein’s Virgin Island companies: the Southern Trust. So far, the restitution fund has paid tens of millions of dollars to over 100 claims, and the terms of each settlement is confidential. Epstein’s estate has decreased to about $400 million.
Meet the Artist: Adrian Glasmyre is a double major in Digital Communications and Art at Lebanon Valley College. Since her freshman year, Adrian has been passionate about using her art to raise awareness on fast fashion and human rights. She is proud to create graphics that educate others on these important issues.
Works Cited
https://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/article221404845.html
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/07/10/us/politics/acosta-epstein.html
https://time.com/5621911/jeffrey-epstein-sex-trafficking-what-to-know/
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/07/06/nyregion/jeffrey-epstein-arrested-sex-trafficking.html
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/08/business/jeffrey-epstein-victims-fund.html
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/29/business/jeffrey-epstein-victim-fund.html
