The Arrest
Jeffrey Epstein was arrested at Teterboro Airport in New Jersey on July 6, 2019 upon landing his private jet from Paris. Southern District of New York (SDNY) prosecutors had built their case independently, finding it unaffected by the 2008 SDFL NPA (which only bound federal prosecutors in the Southern District of Florida).
He was charged with:
- Sex trafficking of minors (18 U.S.C. § 1591)
- Conspiracy to commit sex trafficking of minors
The charges covered the period 2002–2005.
The Bail Application
Epstein’s defense team — led by Martin Weinberg and Reid Weingarten with later additions including Harvard law professor Roy Black — made an aggressive bail proposal:
- Home confinement at Epstein’s Manhattan mansion (valued at approximately $77 million at the time, one of NYC’s largest private residences)
- Electronic ankle monitoring
- GPS tracking
- Proposed a cash bail bond of $100 million secured by the mansion
- Surrender of all passports, including the Austrian passport with a false name that had been discovered in a safe at Epstein’s mansion
The Prosecution’s Arguments
The prosecution argued for detention on two primary grounds:
Flight Risk
- Epstein had access to extraordinary resources enabling flight
- The Austrian/Saudi passport with false name suggested prior planning for potentially evading law enforcement
- He had private aircraft that could reach non-extradition countries
- His wealth ($577 million) meant economic penalties would be ineffective deterrents
Obstruction/Witness Risk
- Prosecutors presented evidence that Epstein had previously paid $350,000 to two witnesses in a related proceeding — amounting to witness tampering
- With the current case against him, the risk of similar obstruction was present
The Victim Testimony
At the bail hearing, multiple women testified about being abused by Epstein, presenting the court — and the public through media coverage — with direct accounts of what he was accused of. This testimony was emotionally powerful and politically significant.
Judge Berman’s Ruling
Judge Richard Berman denied bail on July 18, 2019, finding:
- Epstein was a serious flight risk given his resources and the false passport
- Proposed conditions, including home detention in the mansion, were insufficient
- The wealth and freedom available to Epstein at his home would provide too little real constraint
What Happened Next
With bail denied, Epstein was remanded to the Metropolitan Correctional Center (MCC) in Manhattan, where he died on August 10, 2019.