Full Case Timeline

Palm Beach police opened a criminal investigation into Epstein after a parent reported that her 14-year-old stepdaughter had been paid to strip and massage him at his Palm Beach estate. Over the following months, investigators identified approximately 36 girls aged 14 to 17 with similar accounts.

Federal prosecutors in the Southern District of Florida formally named Sarah Kellen, Lesley Groff, Adriana Ross, and Nadia Marcinkova as unindicted co-conspirators in connection with the Epstein investigation. Leslie Wexner and Jean-Luc Brunel were also named in related documents.

Jeffrey Epstein pleaded guilty in Florida state court to one count of procuring a minor for prostitution and one count of soliciting prostitution from a minor. He was sentenced to 18 months in county jail with work release privileges, rather than state prison. The non-prosecution agreement negotiated by his lawyers — including Alan Dershowitz — with US Attorney Alex Acosta simultaneously granted federal immunity to Epstein and to unspecified potential co-conspirators.

Virginia Giuffre (then Roberts) filed a civil lawsuit in which she alleged Epstein had trafficked her to a lengthy list of prominent associates, naming several individuals by name including Prince Andrew, Glenn Dubin, and others. The lawsuit was a precursor to years of subsequent legal action.

Virginia Giuffre filed a defamation lawsuit against Ghislaine Maxwell after Maxwell publicly called her a liar. Depositions taken in this case — involving Maxwell, Giuffre, and other witnesses — became the source of the documents unsealed in January 2024.

Federal agents arrested Jeffrey Epstein at Teterboro Airport, New Jersey, upon his arrival from Paris. He was charged in the Southern District of New York with one count of sex trafficking of minors and one count of conspiracy to commit sex trafficking. Prosecutors alleged a scheme targeting girls as young as 14 from approximately 2002 to 2005.

Alexander Acosta resigned as US Secretary of Labor following intense scrutiny of his role in negotiating the 2008 non-prosecution agreement for Epstein. He had been the US Attorney for the Southern District of Florida at the time.

Jeffrey Epstein was found dead in his cell at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in Manhattan. The New York City medical examiner ruled his death a suicide by hanging. Two correctional officers assigned to watch him that night were later found to have falsified records, having failed to check on him for approximately three hours.

The Department of Justice's Office of Professional Responsibility released a report concluding that Alex Acosta had shown "poor judgment" in granting Epstein the sweeping non-prosecution agreement but did not find evidence his decisions were based on corruption or improper influence.

A federal jury in the Southern District of New York found Ghislaine Maxwell guilty on five of six counts after a month-long trial. The counts included sex trafficking of a minor, enticing minors to travel for illegal sexual activity, and conspiracy charges. Multiple victims testified at trial.

Prince Andrew settled the civil lawsuit brought against him by Virginia Giuffre, who had accused him of sexually abusing her when she was 17. The settlement terms were not disclosed. A court filing included a statement that Andrew "regrets his association with Epstein." Andrew had previously been stripped of his military titles and public royal duties.

Judge Alison Nathan sentenced Ghislaine Maxwell to 20 years in federal prison following her December 2021 conviction. Maxwell gave a brief statement expressing sympathy for victims. Her lawyers argued she had been made a scapegoat for Epstein.

Deutsche Bank agreed to pay $75 million to settle claims from Epstein victims that the bank had supported his trafficking operation by continuing to provide financial services after red flags emerged. The bank did not admit liability.

JPMorgan Chase agreed to pay $290 million to settle claims brought by the US Virgin Islands government and by Epstein victims, resolving allegations that the bank had knowingly serviced Epstein's finances and thus enabled his trafficking operation. The bank did not admit liability.

US District Judge Loretta Preska in Manhattan ordered the unsealing of approximately 950 pages of court documents from the Giuffre v. Maxwell defamation case. The documents named approximately 150 individuals in various capacities — as associates, witnesses, potential witnesses, or subjects of testimony — including former presidents and Prince Andrew. The court explicitly noted that being named does not constitute an accusation of wrongdoing.

Congress passed the Epstein Files Transparency Act with near-unanimous votes in both chambers. President Trump signed the bill into law. The Act required the Department of Justice to release Epstein-related files by December 19, 2025.

Members of Congress were permitted to view unredacted Epstein case files at secure DOJ facilities. They were not permitted to copy or remove materials. Several lawmakers criticised the extent of redactions, with Representative Jamie Raskin alleging the DOJ was obscuring information.