More details are emerging daily from the January 30 release of more than three million pages of documents by the US Department of Justice (DOJ), exposing the extraordinary breadth of Jeffrey Epstein’s social and financial circle, which included some of the world’s most powerful people.
Epstein was an American financier and convicted sex offender who used his vast wealth and high-profile social connections to orchestrate a decade-long sex trafficking ring involving dozens of underage girls.
As news organisations and citizen journalists work their way through the vast amount of material, Al Jazeera gives you the background you need to know about Epstein, his criminal cases, infamous island, inner circle, and the latest DOJ release to help you better understand the story.
How can you access the Epstein files?
Under the Epstein Files Transparency Act, which was signed into law in the United States on November 19, 2025, the DOJ was meant to release all unclassified records related to Epstein and his accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell within 30 days.
In total, the DOJ identified six million pages of evidence. But so far, it has only released 3.5 million pages, including some 180,000 images and 2,000 videos.
The pages consist of email chains, text messages, internal investigative reports, news articles and other material tied to Epstein, including bank statements, wire transfer records, flight logs, and FBI interview summaries.
The files are organised into 12 separate data sets, each containing different categories of evidence as follows:
- Data Sets 1-8: Contain the bulk of FBI interview summaries and police reports from Palm Beach, Florida, between 2005 and 2008.
- Data Set 9: Contains email evidence, including private correspondence between Epstein and high-profile individuals, as well as internal DOJ correspondence regarding the 2008 non-prosecution agreement that granted broad federal immunity to Epstein and his potential coconspirators.
- Data Set 10: Contains 180,000 images and 2,000 videos seized from Epstein’s properties. These materials are heavily redacted, featuring numerous blacked-out boxes that the DOJ says are in place to protect potential victims. However, this has been criticised for allowing some victims to remain identifiable while shielding potential perpetrators.
- Data Set 11: Contains financial ledgers, flight manifests to Epstein’s island in the US Virgin Islands, and property seizure records.
- Data Set 12: Contains late productions and supplemental items of approximately 150 documents that require more detailed legal review.
Compared to large data leaks and investigations, the Epstein files rank among some of the largest in terms of the number of documents.
Who was Jeffrey Epstein?
Epstein was born in Brooklyn, New York on January 20, 1953.
Despite not graduating from university, he was hired to teach physics and mathematics at the age of 21 at the Dalton School, an elite private institution in Manhattan.
After being connected by the father of one of his students, he began working at Wall Street investment bank Bear Stearns, but left the firm following a regulatory violation related to his misconduct.
Epstein then founded his own financial management and consulting firm, which serviced ultra-wealthy clients and built his fortune. He leveraged his wealth to cultivate relationships with powerful figures across politics, business, royalty and academia.
In 1991, Epstein met Ghislaine Maxwell, the daughter of the late British media tycoon Robert Maxwell. The two became romantically involved, and she became his primary coconspirator.
Timeline of Epstein’s criminal cases
In 2005, the Palm Beach Police Department began an investigation into Epstein after the parents of a 14-year-old girl reported that he had molested their daughter.
In July 2006, the FBI launched a federal investigation into Epstein, identifying 36 girls who were minors at the time of their abuse.
In May 2007, federal prosecutors had prepared a draft indictment of 60 counts against Epstein. However, in September that year, US Attorney for the Southern District of Florida Alexander Acosta signed a non-prosecution agreement that granted immunity to Epstein, four named coconspirators and “any potential coconspirators”.
In 2008, under a secret arrangement, Epstein pleaded guilty to just two state charges of solicitation of prostitution and solicitation of prostitution from someone under the age of 18. He was sentenced to 18 months in a minimum-security facility, but was allowed work release for 12 hours per day.
He was released five months early in 2009 after serving less than 13 months at the Palm Beach County Stockade, and had to register as a sex offender.
In the decade that followed, Epstein faced allegations from multiple women who claimed they were victims of his sexual abuse.
In November 2018, the Miami Herald published a series of investigative pieces revisiting Epstein’s case. The coverage received renewed public interest and, in July 2019, Epstein was arrested on federal sex trafficking charges after prosecutors in New York concluded they were not bound by the terms of the earlier non-prosecution agreement.
While awaiting trial, on August 10, 2019, Epstein was found dead in his cell. Investigators ruled it a suicide by hanging.
The case continued with charges against Epstein’s longtime associate and former girlfriend, Ghislaine Maxwell. In July 2020, federal prosecutors in New York charged Maxwell with helping to recruit underage girls, who she and Epstein then sexually abused.
Maxwell was convicted in December 2021 of sex trafficking, conspiracy and transportation of a minor for illegal sexual activity, and sentenced to 20 years in prison in 2022.
Where was Epstein’s island?
In 1998, Epstein purchased a private island, Little Saint James, located in the US Virgin Islands, for $8m.
The island provided extreme isolation, requiring access by boat or helicopter, and became Epstein’s primary residence. It served as the central location for his trafficking operation, with released documents including island blueprints, photographs, Little Saint James logbooks, and multiple logs of boat trips.
In 2016, Epstein expanded his Caribbean holdings by purchasing Great Saint James, a larger island neighbouring Little Saint James.
In May 2023, billionaire Stephen Deckoff, the founder of the private equity firm Black Diamond Capital Management, announced the acquisition of the Great Saint James and Little Saint James islands for $60m.
Epstein owned at least six properties around the world, including:
- Townhouse in Manhattan, New York: A large Upper East Side mansion at 9 East 71st Street, which sold for about $51m in 2021 to Michael Daffey, a former Goldman Sachs executive.
- Zorro Ranch, New Mexico: A large ranch near Stanley, New Mexico that was sold in 2023.
- Mansion in Palm Beach, Florida: A waterfront estate at 358 El Brillo Way was a key site where prosecutors say many sex crimes were committed. The property was demolished by a developer in 2021 to “erase the legacy” of the site.
- Little Saint James: Epstein’s primary private island residence in the Caribbean.
- Great Saint James: A larger island, neighbouring Little Saint James.