ByEm Steck,Sarah-Grace Mankarious, Marco Chacón and Agne Jurkenaite, CNN
Updated June 6, 2026
Nov. 28, 2018
The Department of Justice has released about 3.5 million pages from the Epstein Files, spanning a period of more than 30 years.
This story is about the final nine months of Jeffrey Epsteinâs life, from November 28, 2018 through his death.
And how the cat-and-mouse chase unfolded between Epstein and federal law enforcement â ultimately leaving victims feeling justice was denied once again.
In November 2018, a bombshell: The Miami Herald published a three-part series examining how Epstein evaded justice in 2008 despite sexual abuse allegations from dozens, if not hundreds, of young girls and women.
The series sparked public outrage and calls to re-open an investigation.
As the months unfolded, Epstein relied on a small group of advisers as he attempted to control the damage. Unbeknownst to him, a federal investigation was in the works â running parallel to his reputation management.
Epstein had been here once before.
A decade earlier, he was facing the possibility of spending the rest of his life in prison for grooming and coercing dozens of underage victims into performing sexual acts at his homes in New York and Palm Beach, Florida.
The teenage girls, many of whom came from disadvantaged families, told investigators that Epstein and his assistants would pay them a few hundred dollars in cash and encourage them to recruit more girls â some as young as 14 â for him to abuse. Prosecutors prepared a32-count indictmentthat laid out extensive charges against Epstein and two other defendants for sex trafficking and enticement of minors.
But Epstein, wielding his wealth, charm and influence, was able to escape the fate of a lifetime in prison.
