Jeffrey Epstein

Jeffrey Epstein Jeffrey Epstein Jeffrey Edward Epstein (January 20, 1953 – August 10, 2019) was an American financier and convicted sex offender whose estimated $600 million fortune was derived largely from providing tax and estate planning services and asset management for a small number of billionaire clients, including Leon Black and Leslie Wexner, according to public reporting and court filings, though the full basis of his fortune has not been publicly documented.

Beginning without a college degree, Epstein entered finance at Bear Stearns in the 1970s, later founding his own firm catering to ultra-wealthy clients while cultivating ties to politicians, scientists, and celebrities.

In 2008, following investigations into his sexual exploitation of dozens of underage girls procured via a recruitment scheme involving payments and coercion, Epstein secured a non-prosecution agreement from federal prosecutors under which he and potential co-conspirators faced no charges even though investigations included extensive evidence, resulting instead in a state plea to procuring a minor for prostitution and solicitation, for which he received an 18-month sentence but served 13 months in a county jail with extensive work release. This deal, overseen by then-U.S. Attorney Alexander Acosta, has been criticized for its leniency and secrecy toward victims.