Overview
Jeffrey Epstein’s primary United States residence was a nine-story townhouse at 9 East 71st Street in the Upper East Side neighborhood of Manhattan. With approximately 21,000 square feet of interior space, the property was considered one of the largest private homes in New York City at the time of Epstein’s 2019 arrest. The mansion served as the backdrop for many of the alleged trafficking encounters that formed the basis of federal indictments against both Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell.
Acquisition and Ownership
The townhouse was originally purchased in 1989 by Leslie Wexner, the billionaire founder of L Brands, who transferred ownership to Epstein around 1996 as part of their broader financial arrangement. Wexner later claimed he was defrauded by Epstein and expressed regret over the transfer. Public records show the property eventually sat within a series of holding entities, making the precise financial chain difficult to trace. The home was estimated to be worth between $56 million and $77 million at the time of Epstein’s death in 2019.
Interior and Alleged Activities
Court filings, victim depositions, and investigative journalism described the interior in striking detail. Witnesses testified to a massage room on an upper floor where many alleged assaults took place, as well as a collection of explicit photographs that Epstein allegedly used for leverage. The home reportedly contained surveillance cameras throughout, which some accounts suggest were used to record encounters with powerful visitors. A large entrance hall, art-filled rooms, and a private dining area were described by multiple witnesses who attended what were characterized as social gatherings mixing legitimate intellectual discourse with exploitative activity.
2019 Arrest and Search
On July 6, 2019, FBI agents executed a search warrant at the mansion hours before Epstein was arrested at Teterboro Airport upon returning from France. Agents seized compact discs and other storage media, as well as a large cache of photographs depicting nude or partially nude young women or girls. Prosecutors described the evidence as “vast troves” corroborating the trafficking operation. The search warrant materials became part of the ongoing federal case and were referenced extensively in the government’s detention filing.
Post-Death and Sale
Following Epstein’s death in August 2019, the property became part of the estate administered by executors Darren Indyke and Richard Kahn on behalf of the Virgin Islands–based Jeffrey Epstein VI Foundation trust. The New York Attorney General’s office sought to claim proceeds from the sale for victim compensation. The property was sold in 2020 for approximately $51 million to Michael Daffey, a Goldman Sachs executive. The sale generated controversy as victim advocates argued the estate should be subject to forfeiture proceedings rather than private sale.
Significance to the Case
The townhouse’s physical layout—its proximity to elite social circles, its relative privacy despite being a city residence, and its extensive internal infrastructure—made it central to prosecutors’ theory that Epstein operated an organized criminal enterprise. The address appeared repeatedly in the testimony of survivors and in the trial of Ghislaine Maxwell, where multiple witnesses described being brought there as minors.