Question
What were the charges in the 2019 federal indictment against Epstein?
Answer
Jeffrey Epstein was arrested on July 6, 2019, after federal agents from the FBI arrested him at Teterboro Airport in New Jersey upon his return from Paris. The arrest was made pursuant to a federal criminal complaint filed by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York (SDNY).
The formal indictment, unsealed on July 8, 2019, contained two counts:
Count 1: Sex Trafficking of Minors — Under 18 U.S.C. § 1591, charging that Epstein recruited, enticed, and maintained minor victims to engage in commercial sex acts, with a statutory penalty of 10 years to life in prison.
Count 2: Conspiracy to Commit Sex Trafficking of Minors — Charging that Epstein conspired with others known and unknown to commit the conduct described in Count 1.
The indictment described a pattern of conduct between 2002 and 2005 involving the grooming and sexual abuse of dozens of minor victims at Epstein’s residences in Manhattan and Palm Beach. The SDNY’s charges were notably distinct from the 2008 Florida state charges and were not barred by the Florida NPA, which the SDNY prosecutors successfully argued covered only Florida-based conduct.
Epstein’s death by apparent suicide on August 10, 2019, rendered the charges legally moot. The case was dismissed upon his death.
Sources
- United States v. Jeffrey Epstein, SDNY Indictment, 2019
- DOJ press release, July 8, 2019
- SDNY prosecutors’ bail argument filings