Financier Jeffrey Epstein. Biography

On January 30, the US Department of Justice published 3 million new materials on the case of financier Jeffrey Epstein, accused of human trafficking. The files mention famous politicians, businessmen and Russian girls. About Epstein's youth, career, and personal life — in the material of Izvestia.

Early years and education

The future financier was born on January 20, 1953 in Brooklyn, New York, into a middle-class family. His mother was a housewife, his father worked as a gardener.

Since childhood, Epstein Jr. has shown aptitude for the exact sciences and music. After graduating from high school, he studied at Cooper Union College, then transferred to the Courant University of Mathematical Sciences. However, Epstein never received a higher education diploma. Despite this, he was accepted to teach mathematics and physics at the prestigious private school Dalton School in New York, where the children of the rich and influential personalities of the United States studied.

According to The New York Times (NYT), students considered Epstein to be a charismatic teacher, but who did not adhere to the standard rules of the student-teacher relationship. He was the only teacher who attended a party for high school students, where they drank alcoholic beverages.

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Career

In the mid‑1970s, Epstein joined Bear Stearns, one of the largest investment banks of the time. Initially, he worked there as a trader, and in 1980 he became one of the partners. A year later, the financier left the bank and created his own consulting firm, Intercontinental Assets Group (IAG), which dealt with stolen assets and complex financial disputes. In 1984, Epstein became a millionaire.

Later, the financier worked in his own company J. Epstein & The company, which provided wealth management services to clients with a fortune of over $1 billion, was a financial adviser to Leslie Wexner, a billionaire and owner of a holding company that includes, for example, Victoria's Secret.

Over time, Epstein became a multimillionaire. He owned real estate in New York, Manhattan, a private island in the U.S. Virgin Islands, a ranch in New Mexico and a house in France. His entourage included politicians, major businessmen, scientists and representatives of royal houses, and meetings were held both at private receptions and aboard his private jet.

Personal life

Epstein was not married and had no officially recognized children.

His most famous companion and business partner was Ghislaine Maxwell, the daughter of British media mogul Robert Maxwell. An investigation in the United States later found that she helped Epstein in the selection and recruitment of girls, including minors, for sexual exploitation.

Criminal cases

The investigation into Epstein's sex crimes began in 2005 after the parents of a 14‑year-old girl reported sexual abuse. During the investigation, law enforcement officers learned about dozens of girls raped by the financier, some of whom were minors. The victims stated that they had received an invitation to the financier's mansion for a "massage" followed by sexual intercourse for money. Epstein or his accomplices also recruited Russian women.

In 2008, Epstein pleaded guilty to inciting a minor to prostitution. He received 18 months in prison, of which he spent about 13 months behind bars with the right to leave for 12 hours to work in his office.

In 2019, Epstein was arrested for human trafficking and prostitution. The financier committed suicide without waiting for a court decision. Epstein was found dead in his cell in the isolation ward. The official conclusion of the New York medical examiner is suicide by hanging.

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"The Epstein Files"

In recent years, the term "Epstein files" has become a collective term for a huge array of documents, from investigative materials to correspondence and contact lists of the financier. In 2025-2026, the US Department of Justice and the FBI continued the phased disclosure of millions of pages of the case.

In the Epstein case, in particular, US President Donald Trump is mentioned (according to the NYT, the American leader appears more than 5,300 times in the latest batch of documents), businessman and founder of SpaceX Elon Musk, brother of King Charles III of Great Britain Prince Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, billionaire and founder of Microsoft Bill Gates, former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson (more than 100 mentions), former NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg (27 times). The files also mention girls from Russia, including from Moscow, St. Petersburg, Novosibirsk, Sochi, Samara, Saratov.

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