Jeffrey Epstein: the rise from teacher to ruler of a global network of power and sex scandals
Epstein, the tale of how an outsider involved top potentates and his ultimate mystery
How did a boy from Brooklyn, from a non-wealthy family, who dropped out of university after a couple of years, become the centre of a group of the most influential figures in politics, finance, entertainment?
Those who knew him say that Jeffrey Epstein - a paedophile financier who died in prison - had charisma and extraordinary skills as a barker, but above all, they say that he could understand exactly what the rich and powerful people he dealt with wanted: sex, power, fame, borderline business, the thrill of being part of a circle that counts.
Born in 1953 in Brooklyn, Epstein entered high society already in the late 1970s. He teaches mathematics at an exclusive school on Manhattan's Upper East Side, exploits his contacts with the students' wealthy families. He is good with numbers (and plays the piano). He finds the hooks to enter Wall Street, first at Bear Stearns, then sets up his own business with companies that look after the interests of those who matter.
His rise is perhaps also aided by intelligence: between sex and blackmail, he turns relationships into money, information and further relationships, in a sort of social Ponzi scheme.
In 2008 he plea-bargained a sentence for facilitating the prostitution of a young girl. But his circus does not stop and the powerful - from Wall Street to politics, from Silicon Valley to British royalty, from showbusiness to Israel - continue to attend parties on his island. It is impossible to list all the people involved directly or touched by the Epstein scandal: with Donald Trump and Bill Clinton there are ministers and entrepreneurs like Bill Gates. Leaked documents and photos indicate that, even after his conviction, the Microsoft founder met with Epstein and his girls several times. In an e-mail, the paedophile financier writes that Gates contracted an STD with the girls, asks for an antibiotic and tries to hide everything from his wife. Gates denies it, says he has 'only had dinners to discuss donations and philanthropy', says he 'regrets hanging out with Epstein'. But his now ex-wife Melinda March attacks him and demands justice for the abuse.
