Years before Jeffrey Epstein was formally investigated in 2005 and later arrested, local police in Palm Beach, Florida, had already examined multiple complaints involving his behavior, according to newly released Department of Justice records.
The investigation that ultimately led to Epstein’s arrest began on March 14, 2005, when a Florida couple reported to the Palm Beach Police Department that their 14-year-old daughter may have been involved in a sexual relationship with an older man living in Palm Beach. The parents said they had learned about the alleged relationship from the mother of one of their daughter’s friends, but their daughter refused to discuss the matter or provide details. They were unable to identify the man by name or address.
That report launched a probe that resulted in Epstein’s 2008 conviction. He pleaded guilty to one count of soliciting prostitution and one count of soliciting prostitution from a minor, receiving a controversial plea deal that allowed him to serve just 13 months in a private jail with work release privileges.
However, newly disclosed records show that Epstein had already been investigated at least twice by police years earlier.
The first inquiry began in December 2001 after the West Palm Beach Police Department contacted the Palm Beach Police Department’s Organized Crime, Vice and Narcotics Unit. Police were told that Epstein’s close associate Ghislaine Maxwell was allegedly recruiting young women from Palm Beach State College to work at Epstein’s residence.
According to the report, three female college students said Maxwell approached them on campus and offered $200 a day for phone and office work at her Palm Beach home. One student who accepted the offer several times told police that many of the phone calls involved men calling ahead to say when they would be dropping off specific girls. Two other students told investigators that Epstein had touched them inappropriately while they were at the home.
Palm Beach police attempted to interview the students but struggled to locate them because they lived off campus. Those who eventually spoke with investigators said they observed nude photographs throughout the house, topless women around the pool area, and frequent massages that made them uncomfortable. Still, they said they did not personally witness criminal activity.
During this time, police conducted trash searches at Epstein’s residence. Over several months, investigators found nude photographs, massage directories, and a document titled “People That I Want You To Meet,” which listed female names along with ages, descriptions and occupations.
Despite the findings, the investigation was closed in April 2002 after police concluded that no illegal activity could be confirmed.
One student mentioned in the report was later expelled from campus housing after school security discovered alcohol in her dorm room. Police had requested the search after the student stopped returning their calls.
A second investigation surfaced in March 2004 when a female massage therapist contacted Palm Beach police to file a complaint. She alleged that Epstein repeatedly asked her to remove her top or pants during massage sessions. She told police that she refused each time.
An officer responded the next night but told the woman she would be contacted later. Five days afterward, police left her a voicemail. No further follow-up attempts were documented.
Additional reports followed that same year. In August 2004, a taxi driver flagged down a police officer and reported that he had just dropped off two girls, who appeared to be approximately 15 and 17 years old, at Epstein’s residence. The driver said he overheard the girls discussing how much money they expected to make “dating” in Palm Beach.
In November 2004, Epstein’s property manager called police about a suspicious vehicle parked in his driveway. The responding officer spoke with a young woman in the car, who said she was there to collect an envelope Epstein had left for her. The officer confirmed the envelope existed.
During their interaction, the officer noted that the woman received a call from her mother and told her, “I can’t talk, I can’t talk. I’m at school, I gotta go.” The woman later told the officer that the envelope contained money for massage work. Off the record, she added that Epstein regularly had young girls at his home and that there was always a different young woman with him by the pool or inside the house.
Despite these reports, no action was taken at the time.
In March 2005, police resumed surveillance of Epstein’s home, pulling trash and parking unmarked vehicles equipped with recording devices near his mansion. On March 30, a detective formally identified Epstein as a suspect in the sexual battery of a 14-year-old girl.
The investigation, led by Detective Joseph Recarey, initially involved a single alleged victim. By August 2006, Recarey had interviewed more than 30 potential victims, most of whom were minors.
In May 2006, Recarey submitted his findings to prosecutors, recommending that Epstein be charged with four counts of unlawful sexual activity with a minor and one count of lewd and lascivious molestation. A conviction on all charges could have resulted in a sentence of up to 135 years in prison.
Instead, prosecutors sought a grand jury indictment on a single charge of soliciting prostitution. Epstein ultimately secured a plea deal that allowed him to serve limited jail time followed by house arrest, during which he was permitted to travel between multiple properties in the United States and abroad.