The Investigator
Joseph Recarey was a detective with the Palm Beach Police Department who was assigned to investigate the initial complaint about Epstein in 2005. What began as a single complaint grew into one of the most extensive criminal investigations in Palm Beach history.
The Investigation
Recarey’s meticulous approach included:
- Victim identification: Starting with the original complainant, Recarey methodically traced connections through Epstein’s networkone victim naming another, leading to a documented pool of over 36 identified victims
- Pattern documentation: Recarey documented that Epstein’s operation followed a repeating pattern of recruitment, grooming, payment, and escalation
- Physical evidence: Worked search warrants at Epstein’s Palm Beach mansion
- Corroboration: Cross-referenced victim accounts against each other and against independent evidence to establish reliability
The Handover
When State Attorney Barry Krischer’s office declined to pursue felony charges commensurate with the evidence, Recarey and Chief Reiter referred the case to the FBI. Their comprehensive investigative file became the foundation of the federal case.
Subsequent Career and Death
Recarey left law enforcement and transitioned to private investigations work. He died in 2018 of cancershortly before Julie Brown’s Miami Herald series broke the story wide open. He did not live to see the case’s eventual resolution.
Recognition
Victims’ advocates have consistently named Recarey alongside Reiter as examples of the few law enforcement officers who did their jobs properly in the Epstein case.