The US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has found no evidence that convicted pedophile Jeffrey Epstein ran a sex trafficking ring for global powerbrokers, despite a years-long investigation and a wealth of evidence of sexual abuse of minors, new US Justice Department documents show.
The FBI has thoroughly reviewed Jeffrey Epstein's bank statements and emails, searched his homes, spent years interviewing his victims, and examined his connections to some of the most influential people in the world.
But while investigators have gathered a wealth of evidence that Epstein sexually abused underage girls, they have found little evidence that the well-connected financier ran a sex trafficking ring that served powerful men, according to internal US Justice Department documents that were released and analyzed by the AP.
Videos and photos seized from Epstein's homes in New York, Florida and the Virgin Islands did not show the abuse of victims or indicate the involvement of other people in his crimes, a prosecutor wrote in a 2025 document.
An analysis of Epstein's financial records, including payments he made to entities linked to influential figures in academic, financial and diplomatic circles, showed no connection to criminal activity, according to another internal document from 2019.
Although one of Epstein's victims made public claims that he "loaned" her to his wealthy friends, agents were unable to confirm this and found no other victims who would tell a similar story, the documents say.
In an email summary of the investigation from July of last year, agents said four or five of the girls who accused him claimed they had been sexually assaulted by other men or women. However, agents said, "there was insufficient evidence to bring federal charges against these individuals, so the cases were referred to local law enforcement."
The AP and other news organizations are still reviewing millions of pages of documents, many of them previously classified, that the Justice Department released under the Epstein Records Transparency Act. The records may contain evidence that investigators had not previously seen.
However, documents that include police reports, FBI interview notes and prosecutors' emails provide the clearest picture yet of the investigation and the reasons why US authorities ultimately decided to close it without further charges.
The investigation against Epstein began in 2005, when the parents of a fourteen-year-old girl reported that she had been abused at the millionaire's home in Palm Beach, Florida.
Police have identified at least 35 girls with similar testimonies: Epstein paid high school girls $200 or $300 each to give him sexualized massages.
After the FBI joined the investigation, federal prosecutors prepared indictments against Epstein and some of his personal assistants who arranged the girls' arrivals and payments. However, the then-U.S. Attorney in Miami, Alexander Acosta, brokered a plea deal that allowed Epstein to plead guilty to state charges of soliciting a minor for prostitution. Sentenced to 18 months in prison, Epstein was released in mid-2009.
In 2018, a series of articles by the Miami Herald about the agreement prompted federal prosecutors in New York to reconsider the charges.
Epstein was arrested in July 2019. A month later, he committed suicide in his prison cell.
Prosecutorial memos, case summaries and other documents released in the latest batch of Epstein-related records show that FBI agents and federal prosecutors thoroughly investigated possible accomplices. Even seemingly outlandish and hard-to-understand claims, made through tip lines, were considered.
Some allegations could not be verified, investigators wrote.
In 2011 and again in 2019, investigators spoke with Virginia Roberts Giuffre, who in lawsuits and media interviews accused Epstein of arranging for her to have sexual relations with numerous men, including former British Prince Andrew.
Investigators said they had confirmed that Epstein had sexually abused her.
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