DOJ Records Reveal Palm Beach Police Investigated Jeffrey Epstein Years Before His Controversial 2008 Plea

Newly released Department of Justice records show the Palm Beach Police Department (PBPD) had multiple contacts and investigations involving Jeffrey Epstein years before the probe that led to his 2008 guilty plea. The files detail tips, witness statements and evidence-gathering dating back to 2001, including allegations tied to Epstein associate Ghislaine Maxwell, a masseuse's complaint and tips about underage girls visiting his Palm Beach home.

Early Complaints and 2001 Inquiry

The earliest documented contact began in December 2001, when the West Palm Beach Police Department (WPBPD) alerted PBPD's Organized Crime/Vice and Narcotics Unit that Ghislaine Maxwell was allegedly "hiring young women" from Palm Beach State College to work at Epstein's Palm Beach residence. According to the WPBPD report, three students were approached on campus and one accepted work reportedly paying $200 a day. Two others later told investigators that Epstein had touched them inappropriately while they were at the home.

PBPD officers conducted interviews with several students who described seeing "nude photographs of women all over the house," women topless by the pool and frequent massages that felt "weird," though none of the students described witnessing criminal acts. Officers also performed trash pulls at Epstein's property and recovered items including nude photographs, massage directories and a document titled "People That I Want You To Meet," listing female names, ages and descriptions. That investigation was closed in April 2002 with the note that "no illegal activity has been reported or detected."

Joe Schildhorn/Patrick McMullan via GettyJeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell

2004 Complaints: Masseuse, Taxi Driver And Property Manager Tips

In March 2004, a woman who had been giving Epstein massages contacted PBPD to file a complaint, saying Epstein had "several times" asked her to remove her top or pants while massaging him; she refused. Officers made an initial late-night contact and left a follow-up voicemail, but the file indicates limited further outreach to the masseuse at that time.

Later in 2004, a taxi driver reported dropping off two females appearing to be about 15 and 17 years old at Epstein's residence; he said the pair discussed how much they could make "dating" in Palm Beach. In November 2004, a property manager flagged a suspicious vehicle; the woman in the car told an officer she had come to pick up an envelope Epstein had left for her. She said it contained "money for being a massage therapist" and, off the record, told the officer Epstein "has many young girls come over" and that "there's always a different young girl at the pool or inside with him when he's here."

2005–2006: Focused Investigation And Expansion

Police intensified surveillance in March 2005, renewing trash pulls and deploying vehicles with recording devices near Epstein's driveway. On March 30, 2005, a PBPD detective noted he was "investigating Epstein as a suspect involved in a sexual battery of a 14-year-old female" after a Palm Beach couple reported their 14-year-old might have had a sexual relationship with an older man who lived in the area. That tip launched the probe that developed into the case leading to Epstein's arrest.

U.S. Department of JusticeJeffrey Epstein

Detective Joseph Recarey led the investigation. What began with a single potential victim grew: by August 2006 Recarey had interviewed more than 30 potential victims, a majority of whom were minors. In May 2006 he recommended that prosecutors charge Epstein with four counts of unlawful sexual activity with a minor and one count of lewd and lascivious molestation.

Prosecution And Outcome

Although investigators recommended multiple felony counts that could have carried a cumulative sentence of decades — the reports cite as much as a theoretical 135 years if convicted on all recommended counts — federal and state prosecutors ultimately pursued a narrower path. A grand jury returned an indictment on a single solicitation charge, and Epstein negotiated a highly controversial 2008 plea deal. Under that agreement he served 13 months in a county facility with work-release privileges and was subsequently allowed limited travel while on a modified form of supervision.

What The Records Show

The newly released DOJ records compiled by PBPD and WPBPD investigators provide a more detailed timeline of contacts, witness statements and investigative steps that preceded the widely reported 2005 file. The documents underscore that law enforcement received multiple warnings and complaints about Epstein over several years before the case that led to his 2008 plea was pursued to arrest.

Source: Department of Justice records and PBPD/WPBPD case reports obtained and reported by PEOPLE.