FBI says there is no evidence of involvement of powerful figures in the Epstein case

Internal documents from the FBI and US federal prosecutors indicate that US federal police concluded there was no evidence that Jeffrey Epstein ran a sex trafficking network involving powerful people. The information appears in memos and police files included in the set of documents released by the Department of Justice about the case.

The Associated Press analyzed this material to reconstruct the course of investigations conducted over more than a decade. According to the agency, investigators did not find sufficient evidence to bring additional charges against Epstein, his associates or influential figures who maintained relationships with the financier.

The case began in 2005, when the parents of a 14-year-old girl reported abuse that occurred at Epstein’s residence in Palm Beach, Florida. Since then, at least 35 similar reports have emerged. Federal prosecutors prosecuted the financier and some of his assistants, but Epstein struck a plea deal that allowed him to plead guilty in exchange for a reduced sentence. He served 18 months in prison and left prison in 2009.

In July 2019, following new reports in the American press, the case was once again investigated by federal prosecutors in New York, and Epstein was arrested again. A month later, he died in prison. His ex-partner, Ghislaine Maxwell, was accused in 2020 of recruiting victims for Epstein and ended up arrested the following year.

According to documents reviewed by the AP, the FBI examined a wide range of reports, including phone calls that were considered inconsistent or difficult to understand, and conducted interviews with several victims. Despite this, the investigations did not advance beyond Epstein, Maxwell and close collaborators.

One of the cases cited is that of Virginia Giuffre, who claimed to have been sexually abused by Epstein and other influential figures, including the then Prince Andrew, of the British royal family. Investigators confirmed Epstein’s abuse but were unable to corroborate other parts of the allegations, according to the memos. Two women named by Giuffre as victims in similar circumstances told investigators that they had not had such experiences.

An internal FBI memo dated 2019 states that “no other victims described being expressly directed by Maxwell or Epstein to engage in sexual activity with other men.” The document also records that Giuffre presented different versions over time and made public accusations that included descriptions considered sensationalist or incorrect by investigators. Giuffre maintained the veracity of her accounts in a memoir published before committing suicide in 2025.

Another file cited by the AP is an email from former Assistant U.S. Attorney Maurene Comey to the FBI, in which she claims that photos and videos seized during the investigation did not indicate the participation of any adult other than Epstein and Maxwell in sexual acts with naked women.

Prosecutors also noted that although Epstein’s financial records showed payments to more than 25 women who appeared to be models, there was no evidence that he was exploiting these women through prostitution. People close to the financier, such as a personal assistant — considered by investigators to also be a victim of abuse and manipulation — were not charged due to lack of sufficient evidence.

Pilots of Epstein’s planes, as well as friends and former clients, such as billionaire Les Wexner, were investigated after the 2019 arrest. In a report from August of that year, an FBI agent wrote that there was “limited evidence” about Wexner’s involvement.

The documents also indicate that the FBI never located an alleged list of Epstein’s clients, which was frequently mentioned on social media and in the press. In February 2025, the then Trump administration Secretary of Justice, Pam Bondi, told Fox News that the list would be “on her desk”, but, two days earlier, an FBI agent had officially recorded that no such material had been found during the investigations.