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Here's Everything We Know About The Disturbing Jeffrey Epstein Sex Trafficking And Child Porn Case So Far

Trigger warning: sexual abuse.

By Bernadette Giacomazzo — Written on Jul 09, 2019

Photo: Southern District of New York
Who Is Jeffrey Epstein? New Details On The Billionaire Financier, Philanthropist — And Registered Sex Offender

This is not the first time a man has been made to answer for his heinous crimes, and it certainly won't be the last. However, in this current #MeToo climate, his arrest is unquestionably a turning point in how we, as a society, look at sexual abuse. Who is Jeffrey Epstein?

Here are the fast facts you need to know. 

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1. A law enforcement raid revealed tens of thousands of "inappropriate" photos of young girls. 

According to The New York Times, when law enforcement raided Jeffrey Epstein's Manhattan penthouse on Saturday, July 6th, they uncovered a disturbing collection of photos of young girls — some of whom were as young as 14 years old. 

"Hundreds, and possibly thousands, of “sexually suggestive” pictures of nude or partially nude young women and girls were found during a search of Mr. Epstein’s Manhattan townhouse on Saturday, conducted at roughly the same time the financier was arrested at Teterboro Airport in New Jersey, prosecutors said," according to the outlet. Prosecutors also told the outlet that they were "shocked" that Epstein would keep this collection of inappropriate photos, especially since he'd already been convicted of having sex with an underaged girl. 

Epstein's alleged co-conspirator, Ghislaine Maxwell, was also his lover for some time. Although he had several high-profile relationships — including one with theater producer Paula Heil Fischer — he has no known children (which, perhaps, is the sole bright spot in all of this). 

Jeffrey Epstein had been previously convicted of having sex with an underaged girl. 

2. Jeffrey Epstein relied on his employees to procure his victims.

According to Vice Magazine, one of the ways that Jeffrey Epstein was able to procure so many victims was thanks to the cooperation — and silence — of his employees. 

"In luring his victims years ago, Epstein worked closely with socialites and fashion moguls to provide him with young girls. They would allegedly groom young women into sex trafficking by promising them careers in fashion. Many of the girls didn’t speak English or were poor and desperately needed the money. One female staff assistant to Epstein would greet girls at the side door of his Palm Beach estate when they showed up for their “appointments.” His assistant scheduled the appointments; his butlers watched them come and go from his Palm Beach estate. After abusing the girls, Epstein would allegedly turn around and ask them to bring him more young victims in exchange for cash," reports the outlet, who added that Epstein first faced charges when one of his victims reported her abuse to her parents. 

Jeffrey Epstein is a close friend of Donald Trump's. 

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3. Like many predators, Jeffrey Epstein held on to evidence of his abuse as "trophies."

According to NY Magazine, Jeffrey Epstein followed the pattern followed by many other predators before him: he kept proof of his abuse as "trophies."

"Some of the photographs law enforcement found in Epstein’s home were on CDs that were kept in a locked safe. The handwritten labels made it clear what was contained on the discs. According to the bail memo, the labels said, “‘Young [Name] + [Name],’ ‘Misc nudes 1,’ and ‘Girl pics nude,'" they reported.

Jeffrey Epstein kept trophies of his abuse. 

4. His is just the first in a series of arrests. 

According to Fox News, prosecutors in the Jeffrey Epstein case — one of whom is James Comey's daughter, Maurene — promise that the arrest of the disgraced philanthropist is just the first of many arrests we can expect to see happening. They say that Epstein is a "placeholder," and that many more accused predators will be arrested in the coming weeks. 

"Epstein’s plea deal, in which he was sentenced to 13 months in jail, was overseen by former Miami U.S. Attorney Alexander Acosta, who is now Trump’s labor secretary. The Southern District of New York's public corruption unit is handling the Epstein case, probably because he is alleged to have provided underage women to "pretty high-profile individuals," reports the outlet, who adds that the Southern District of New York is looking into the possibility of invalidating Epstein's plea agreement that he made all those years ago.

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Donald Trump once bragged about his friendship with Jeffrey Epstein. 

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Bernadette Giacomazzo is an editor, writer, and photographer whose work has appeared in People, Teen Vogue, Us Weekly, The Source, XXL, HipHopDX, The Los Angeles Times, The New York Post, and more. She is also the author of The Uprising series. For more information about Bernadette Giacomazzo, click here.