On 30th January, the United States Department of Justice released a new series of Epstein Files. Over 3 million pages of documents, 2 000 videos and 180 000 images related to Epstein’s crimes and connections with global elites were released under the Epstein Files Transparency Act, a law passed in November 2025. This is what you need to know:
Who Was Jeffrey Epstein?
Jeffrey Epstein was born in 1953 in New York to an average working-class family. Some of his (ex)associates claim(ed) that he was a mathematical genius, but we should take it with a grain of salt… In reality Epstein was a college dropout, who had to scam his way even into his first job : a math and physics teacher at Dalton School (a prestigious private high school) by falsifying his university diploma. Although he wasn’t outright stupid, Epstein was no rocket scientist either… Dalton School soon dismissed him for not meeting its high standards. However, with his strong charisma, persuasive skills, scheming and desire to get rich, he impressed the wealthy parents of his students. One of them helped him get a job at Bear Stearns investment bank.
That’s how began Epstein’s financial advisor career. After some time he started his own financial consulting firm : helping billionaires to manage their money. Which eventually made him a millionaire. Fun fact: nearly all his wealth came from working with just two clients: Leon Black and Les Wexner – and of course from scamming and shady business practices: he avoided taxes by hiding his money in offshore tax heavens (like the US Virgin Islands), he took money from his clients for projects he never delivered… Sometimes he would straight up steal from them assuming (correctly) that they wouldn’t notice or be too embarrassed to call him out.
And then there was his dirtiest business: sex-trafficking.
The Epstein Case: What Was It About?
According to some of his students, Epstein was already giving off creepy vibes during his teacher era. He was always a womanizer, pursuing rich and famous women as a way to infiltrate elite social circles and gain access to rich clients. However, the first documented accounts of his sex-trafficking date back to the 90s. In that time he coupled up with Ghislaine Maxwell, who helped him “scout” underage girls.
Maxwell would target young naive girls who came from unstable backgrounds, so they needed money, and at the same time they had no one to turn to for help. She approached them with a seemingly harmless offer: extra cash for giving massages to her friend. This “friend” turned out to be Epstein, and the “massages” prostitution. But the girls, many of them teenagers (some as young as 14), were too inexperienced to recognize the danger. When Epstein demanded sex from them in the middle of a massage, they were shocked, confused and scared. Maxwell and Epstein were also gaslighting them: framing their perverse demands as something perfectly normal – even beneficial financially. This made the girls doubt their own instincts and comply.
Epstein and Maxwell “recruited” girls from all over the world. On their luxury estates – the most notorious is the Little Saint James island a.k.a. “Epstein Island” in the US Virgin Islands – they sexually abused them and sold them to their powerful friends.
How Epstein got uncovered?
In 2005, a woman reported to the police that Epstein molested her 14 years old daughter. The following investigations managed to gather evidence about 36 underage victims. But then-US Attorney Alexander Acosta ruined everything. Instead of punishing Epstein he made a secret so-called “non-prosecution agreement” with him. Thanks to this agreement, Epstein avoided federal (= national level) prosecution, the level his crimes demanded. He was charged only under Florida state law, which carried far lighter consequences. Instead of facing decades in federal prison, he got just 13 months in a county jail with work-release privileges that allowed him to leave for up to 12 hours a day, six days a week. The agreement also sealed the investigation, keeping the names of Epstein’s accomplices hidden and making it impossible for some of his victims to justify. Since the investigation was secret, they simply didn’t learn about it.
But they continued speaking up and fighting for justice. As the years passed, new evidence emerged, the people who protected Epstein changed positions, the infamous non-prosecution agreement was found invalid, public opinion developed… Finally, in 2019, Epstein was arrested again, this time facing federal charges of sex-trafficking that could send him to prison for 45 years. However, the same year, before his trial could even began, Epstein committed suicide. He hanged himself in his jail cell. This provoked and still provokes a number of conspiracy theories. Ghislaine Maxwell, was sentenced to 20 years in prison in 2022. To this day she’s the only person convicted for participation in Epstein’s sex trafficking.
What Are the Epstein Files?
The Epstein files is a collection of all documents, mails, photos, and videos gathered during the investigations of Epstein’s crimes. Totally it makes over 6 million pages. They include court records, flight logs, financial transactions, and communications between Epstein and his associates. For years, his victims (and the public) demanded the release of these files to expose the full truth about Epstein’s network. And they partially succeeded – some heavily censored fractions of the files were made public. But it always had to be done through standard legal ways (by civil lawsuits, freedom of Information requests, or court orders…) There was no law requiring the entirety of Epstein’s files to be made public…
Naturally, for many politicians, the release of the Files became an opportunity to score political points. No one seized it more aggressively than Donald Trump, who promised during his 2024 presidential campaign that he would release the Files if elected. But once in office, despite having the authority to release them, Trump’s administration blocked the process. In the end, the Congress stepped in. Congressmen (both Republicans and Democrats) teamed up and passed the Epstein Files Transparency Act. Which required all documents to be made public. Eventually, Trump signed the law in November 2025.
The Files were supposed to be made public within 30 days of signature (on the 19th December 2025). But the process dragged on until January 2026. And even now, not all files are out. However the US Department of Justice (=DOJ) claims that they published everything the law required of them. In the released files, sensitive details about victims are censored, which makes sense, but so are names and actions of some perpetrators – which no longer makes sense (at least for decent people).
Who is in the Epstein Files?
First thing first, being in the Epstein files doesn’t automatically mean being a pedophile: The files include names from newspaper articles, victims’ accounts, and even gossip Epstein and his friends exchanged about others. With the Epstein files, cross-referencing with other sources is more important than ever. Since the documents contain no explanations, it is easy to take it out of context. In the hunt for virality, people exaggerate or make up information, and manipulate photos with AI – as if the reality wasn’t already horrifying enough on its own.
However, people on the following list left behind so much evidence and compromising information that they simply can’t beat sexual abusers allegations.
Prince Andrew (brother of UK King Charles III)
He was accused of repeatedly raping Virginia Giuffre, who said Epstein trafficked her to him. Even though Andrew denied everything, he paid Giuffre millions to settle with her out of court. The Epstein files include photos of him in suspicious situations and emails where he shared confidential state information with Epstein.
Donald Trump (US president)
He used to be Epstein’s longtime acquaintance, but later distanced himself after Epstein’s crimes became public. Up to 25 women have accused Trump of sexual harassment, including his ex-wife Ivana. Some later withdrew their accusations (like Ivana) or settled privately (with no public details). In a case of E. Jean Carroll a court found him guilty of sexual abuse and ordered him to pay compensation to her. Trump himself made no secret of the fact that he doesn’t bother with the consent. The Epstein files include emails exchanged between him and Epstein, photos taken together, as well as flight logs showing he flew several times on Epstein’s private jet.
Bill Clinton (former US president)
He faced five accusations of sexual harassment. None were proven in court, except for Paula Jones’ case, which ended in an out-of-court settlement. He is also infamous for his affair with Monica Lewinsky. Which she described as consensual, though the power imbalance between a 49y.o. president and a 22y.o. intern was undeniable. Clinton initially denied the affair under oath, which led to his impeachment. Clinton and Epstein maintained friendly relations – the Files show their correspondence, photos and Clinton’s flights on Epstein’s private jet. Epstein even visited the White House and stayed close with Clinton’s associates.
Ehud Barak (former prime minister of Israel)
Epstein’s business partner. Together they invested in Israeli security and technology companies. Epstein provided money, Barak provided his political and business contacts to gain influence and contracts for the companies. He did not cut ties with Epstein even after his crimes surfaced and to this day he keeps claiming he had no idea.
Miroslav Lajčák (former UN General Assembly president and Slovakia’s former foreign minister)
The Files show that Lajčák and Epstein regularly texted, exchanging vulgar remarks about women, political opinions, and most importantly contacts. With Lajčák’s help, Epstein tried to connect Donald Trump’s former strategist Steve Bannon with European politicians that would “play Steve’s game”. Lajčák and Epstein arranged numerous meetings and dinners, including one with Epstein, Lajčák, Bannon, and Ehud Barak. They also talked about meeting Sergei Lavrov, Russian foreign minister and propagandist.
Norwegian connections
Epstein had ties to several influential Norwegian figures:
- Mona Juul, Norway’s former ambassador, and her husband Terje Rød-Larsen, also a diplomat. The couple played a key role in Israeli-Palestinian peace efforts in the 1990s. Epstein helped them purchase an Oslo apartment for far below market value. And in his will, he left $10 million to their children. The couple is currently under investigation for suspected corruption.
- Thorbjørn Jagland, Norway’s former prime minister and chairman of the Norwegian Nobel Committee, exchanged emails with Epstein for years and even planned a visit to his island. He is now under investigation for suspected corruption.
- Børge Brende, CEO of the World Economic Forum (WEF) and Norway’s former foreign minister, met Epstein several times through Rød-Larsen but denies knowing about his crimes.
- Crown Princess Mette-Marit maintained a friendly relationship with Epstein and exchanged regular, bizarrely inappropriate messages – like: “Is it inappropriate for a mother to suggest two naked women carrying a surfboard for my 15 yr old sons wallpaper?”.
Why Should We Care About the Epstein Files?
Because the Files clearly show that some of the people who were (or still might be) making important decisions affecting millions – whether on trade, war, or climate – are criminals who belong in prison. And those definitely shouldn’t decide anything, let alone our world’s future.
Because the Files not only prove that politics is indeed influenced by powerful people whose existence most of us have no idea about (which was often previously considered a conspiracy). But they also shed the light on how concretely this is happening.
Because it’s not over yet. The fact that millions of pages remain sealed and some names of (very likely) perpetrators censored suggests that some truths are still too dangerous to reveal.