Decoding the Epstein files: What the 3 million pages reveal | World News

Washington: Offering a look at the scope of his network, its wealth and the elite people who moved in his orbit, the US Department of Justice has released more than 3 million pages of documents related to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. The files gradually reveal how he used his wealth and connections to operate a sprawling sex trafficking network that targeted dozens of underage girls for a decade.

Epstein was a financier who rose to wealth and influence despite never completing a college degree. He began his career teaching mathematics and physics at the Dalton School in Manhattan before moving to Wall Street. He left Bear Stearns after a regulatory violation and started his own financial management firm serving ultra-wealthy clients. During this period, he developed ties with the world’s leading politicians, businessmen and academics. He met Ghislaine Maxwell in 1991, and she became his close associate and primary collaborator in his criminal enterprises.

The latest release, mandated under the Epstein Files Transparency Act signed into law on November 19, 2025, aimed to make all non-confidential records related to Epstein and Maxwell available to the public within 30 days. Of the 6 million pages determined by the Ministry of Justice, 3.5 million were published, including 180,000 images and 2,000 videos. These files include emails, text messages, internal investigation reports, financial records, flight logs, and FBI interview summaries. These are all organized into 12 separate datasets.

Datasets 1 through 8 primarily contain FBI interviews and police reports from Palm Beach, Florida, documenting the period from 2005 to 2008.

Dataset 9 contains private emails between Epstein and high-profile individuals and internal Justice Department correspondence related to the 2008 non-prosecution agreement that granted immunity to Epstein and several collaborators.

Dataset 10 contains heavily edited photos and videos seized from Epstein’s properties.

Dataset 11 includes financial ledgers, flight notices to Epstein’s private island, and records of property seizures.

Dataset 12 contains additional material that requires detailed legal review.

Compared to other large-scale investigations and leaks, the Epstein files are among the most comprehensive in history.

His criminal history dates back to 2005, when the Palm Beach Police Department began investigating allegations that he had molested a 14-year-old girl. The FBI later identified 36 minor victims.

In 2007, federal prosecutors filed a 60-count indictment, but Epstein received a secret non-prosecution agreement granting him and his associates immunity. He later pleaded guilty to only two charges against him, served less than 13 months in a minimum security facility, and was allowed to work 12 hours a day.

He was a registered sex offender, and subsequent allegations continued to surface. His arrest in New York in July 2019 on federal sex trafficking charges brought the decades-old case back into focus, but Epstein was found dead in his cell on August 10, 2019. The death was officially ruled a suicide by hanging.

His longtime collaborator Maxwell was later charged, convicted, and sentenced to 20 years in prison for his role in recruiting underage girls for exploitation.

Little Saint James, Epstein’s private island that he bought for $8 million in 1998, served as the epicenter of his smuggling operations. Accessible only by boat or helicopter, the island provided extreme isolation and became the focus of the investigation.

He later acquired the neighboring larger island of Great Saint James. In 2023, both islands were sold to billionaire Stephen Deckoff for $60 million.

Epstein also owned numerous other properties, including a Manhattan townhouse that sold for $51 million, a ranch in New Mexico, a Palm Beach estate that was demolished in 2021, and a luxury apartment in Paris.

The Justice Department documents also map out Epstein’s inner circle, revealing the roles of prominent individuals who helped manage his finances, coordinate logistics and facilitate access to victims. Ghislaine Maxwell, Jean-Luc Brunel, Darren Indyke, Richard Kahn, Harry Beller and Lesley Groff are among these names. Some are now dead or convicted.

Other high-profile figures such as Les Wexner also played a financial role; Epstein had power of attorney over his fortune.

The files include the names of several prominent individuals, but their inclusion does not automatically imply criminal involvement. Those referenced include US President Donald Trump, former President Bill Clinton, Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates, Elon Musk, Richard Branson, former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak and royalty, including Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor.

The documents include emails, photos and correspondence detailing decades-long interactions with Epstein.

Others speaking from business, politics and media, including Peter Mandelson, Steve Bannon, Noam Chomsky, Deepak Chopra, Ariane de Rothschild, Sergey Brin and Norwegian officials such as Thorbjorn Jagland and Mona Juul.

While many of these individuals claim their interactions were limited to professional or social contexts, the files highlight Epstein’s extraordinary reach and influence with global elites.

As investigators, journalists, and the public examine this vast trove, the Epstein files continue to illuminate the vast networks of wealth, power, and exploitation that allowed his crimes to continue for decades. The documents provide both a detailed record of Epstein’s operations and a reminder of how privilege and access protected him for so long.