The Palm Beach Police Department’s Epstein Investigation
The initial law enforcement investigation into Jeffrey Epstein began in Palm Beach, Florida, in 2005, when the Palm Beach Police Department (PBPD) responded to a complaint from the mother of a 14-year-old girl who alleged she had been sexually abused at Epstein’s El Brillo Way mansion.
The Initial Complaint
In early 2005, a mother reported to Palm Beach police that her daughter had been paid to visit Epstein’s mansion and was allegedly sexually abused. Detective Joseph Recarey was assigned the case.
Recarey’s investigation quickly expanded as it became clear the initial complaint was not isolated. He conducted interviews, gathered contact information from victims and witnesses, and began mapping the network of recruiters and victims.
Detective Recarey’s Investigation
Detective Recarey became one of the key figures in the original investigation. His work uncovered:
- Multiple victims: Recarey ultimately documented approximately 36 potential victims, all teenage girls, many from economically disadvantaged Palm Beach County families
- Recruitment network: The investigation identified a layered recruitment model in which earlier victims were paid finder’s fees to recruit others
- Property access: Evidence of what occurred in Epstein’s massage room and other areas of the El Brillo Way mansion
- Documentation: Recarey compiled detailed evidence files that became the foundation for later state and federal proceedings
Referral to State Attorney
PBPD Chief Michael Reiter submitted the investigation to Palm Beach County State Attorney Barry Krischer’s office, recommending charges including multiple counts of lewd and lascivious assault on a minor and unlawful sexual activity with a minor.
What happened in Krischer’s office:
- The charges were reduced dramatically from what PBPD had recommended
- The state charges that eventually moved forward were limited to solicitation of prostitution from a minor — a significantly lesser charge
- Krischer declined to prosecute the more serious charges
Chief Reiter was reportedly dissatisfied with Krischer’s handling and ultimately referred the matter to the FBI in 2006 to trigger federal investigation.
Federal Referral
The FBI referral led to what became the SDFL federal investigation and ultimately the NPA. In the transition from local PBPD investigation to federal handling, some of the granular victim evidence gathered by Recarey was incorporated into the federal file.
Detective Recarey After the Case
Joseph Recarey retired from PBPD and later died in 2018, the same year Julie K. Brown’s Miami Herald investigation launched the renewed public attention on the case. He was not alive to see the 2019 indictment or give any extended official account of the investigation’s internal history. Brown has cited his cooperation with her reporting as important to the story.
Significance of the Palm Beach Investigation
The PBPD investigation was significant for several reasons:
- First systematic victim documentation: It created the evidentiary foundation for all subsequent proceedings
- 36 documented victims: The number it identified far exceeded what eventually appeared in charging documents
- Model for how local investigations can be undermined: The transition from PBPD’s thorough work to the minimized state charges exemplifies how prosecutorial discretion can eliminate accountability
Related: Detective Recarey profile; Barry Krischer prosecution analysis; PBPD referral to FBI