Wealthy financier Jeffrey Epstein, whose apparent suicide in jail has stunned the US, courted many rich, powerful and famous people over his lifetime as a mover and shaker on the party circuits of New York and Florida
Many of them distanced themselves from him in the wake of his recent arrest on charges of sex trafficking, but they included politicians, socialites, royals and top business figures.
Donald Trump
Donald Trump has called Epstein a “terrific guy” and “a lot of fun to be with”. Epstein paid two visits to the president’s Mar-a-Lago Club in Palm Beach, Florida, in 1997 and 2000, posing for photos with Trump on both occasions. Epstein’s personal address book, leaked in 2009, contained 14 phone numbers for Trump and members of his staff, according to reports.
Bill Clinton
Bill Clinton has praised Epstein for his intellect and charitable work in magazine interviews. Flight logs have revealed the former US president took trips on Epstein’s private plane, reportedly nicknamed the “Lolita Express”. Clinton has denied any close relationship with Epstein, instead linking their contact to aid work in the developing world.
Prince Andrew
A longtime friend of Epstein, their relationship dated back to the early 1990s. The pair were reportedly seen partying together in St Tropez and Thailand. Buckingham Palace has issued outright denials of all allegations against the Duke of York for any improper behavior.
Alan Dershowitz
The Harvard Law professor emeritus, famous for defending celebrity clients such as OJ Simpson, has also been linked to Epstein.
Alan Dershowitz was reportedly identified as participating in Epstein’s sex ring by at least two of the women engaged in a 2007 case against Epstein, allegations he has dismissed as “unequivocally and completely false”.
Ghislaine Maxwell
Ghislaine Maxwell, the daughter of the late press baron Robert Maxwell, has never denied her friendship with Epstein. In documents filed by Virginia Giuffre’s lawyers, one accuser claimed in a deposition that Maxwell “recruited her under the guise of a legitimate assistant position, but asked her to perform sexual massages for Epstein”.
Leslie Wexner
The billionaire behind the Victoria’s Secret lingerie chain hired Epstein in 1991 to manage his money, giving him vast power over his investment and tax affairs. Epstein reportedly made more than $200m from the deal. But last week Leslie Wexner said the financier had “misappropriated” more than $46m of his personal fortune. “I am embarrassed that, like so many others, I was deceived by Mr Epstein,” he said in a letter to the Wexner Foundation trustees. “I know now that my trust in him was grossly misplaced and I deeply regret having ever crossed his path.”