The case could shed new light not only on the allegations, which span years and countries, but also on the extent to which officials who have been linked to Epstein — including, most notably, President Donald Trump and his labor secretary, Alexander Acosta — knew about or downplayed them.
Here is a history of the allegations against Epstein.
Who is Jeffrey Epstein?
Epstein, 66, worked at the investment bank Bear Stearns for six years before opening his own firm, in 1982, to manage money for very wealthy clients.
His circle of friends and acquaintances included many high-profile figures, including Trump, former President Bill Clinton, Prince Andrew of Britain and Leslie Wexner, a business mogul who owns Victoria's Secret and other retail brands.
Clinton flew on Epstein's private plane dozens of times, according to flight records, and Andrew has attended parties with Epstein.
Trump told New York Magazine in 2002 that Epstein was a "terrific guy" whom he had known for 15 years.
"He's a lot of fun to be with," the president said at the time. "It is even said that he likes beautiful women as much as I do, and many of them are on the younger side."
What is he accused of?
The charges against Epstein predate Saturday's arrest by more than a decade, and involve a sordid history that has infuriated victims and raised questions of preferential treatment by law enforcement.
In 2005, the parents of a 14-year-old girl told the police in Palm Beach, Florida, that Epstein had molested their daughter at his home there. Before police referred the case to the FBI in 2006, they identified three dozen potential victims, who said Epstein had paid them, while they were underage, for massages, oral sex and intercourse, according to a police report obtained by the Miami Herald.
The abuse dated to 2001, according to the Miami Herald. Most of the victims were between 13 and 16. Many came from low-income backgrounds and were told they could earn $200 or $300 for giving Epstein a massage, the Herald reported.
"We just wanted money for school clothes, for shoes," one woman told the Miami Herald.
Federal prosecutors in Miami initially drafted a 53-page indictment against Epstein. But in 2008, those prosecutors — led by Acosta, then the region's US attorney, and now Trump's labor secretary — struck a deal with Epstein's lawyers that allowed him to avoid federal charges. Instead, Epstein pleaded guilty to state charges of soliciting a minor for prostitution.
Under the federal charges, Epstein could have faced life in prison. After the deal, he served 13 months in jail. He had work-release privileges for six days a week, 12 hours each day, during which a private driver picked him up and took him to a nearby office.
In subsequent years, during civil court proceedings, witnesses have testified that hundreds of girls from around the world were brought to Epstein at different times.
Prosecutors did not tell the victims about the deal they made with Epstein until after a judge approved it — even though federal law requires victims to be informed of major developments involving their complaints.
The new charges involve sex trafficking and were brought by federal prosecutors in Manhattan, with help from the New York Police Department and the FBI. Epstein's arrest Saturday was first reported by The Daily Beast.
What is the connection to the Trump administration?
Acosta, whom Trump nominated as labor secretary in 2017, has faced intense scrutiny for his role in Epstein's deal to avoid prosecution, which has been widely criticised as shockingly lenient.
A series of investigative stories by the Miami Herald last year revealed that Acosta was personally involved in the negotiations. He met privately with one of Epstein's lawyers, who was also one of Acosta's former colleagues.
In subsequent weeks, prosecutors from Acosta's office gave Epstein's lawyers an unusual amount of control over the terms of the plea deal, the Herald reported.
"Thank you for the commitment you made to me," Epstein's lawyer wrote in a letter to Acosta after their meeting, noting that Acosta had assured him that he would not contact "any of the identified individuals, potential witnesses or potential civil claimants," the Herald reported.
Acosta's office also agreed to help shield the deal from public scrutiny, according to the Herald. The case's lead prosecutor, A. Marie Villafaña, wrote to Epstein's lawyer at one point: "I can file the charge in district court in Miami which will hopefully cut the press coverage significantly. Do you want to check that out?"
During Acosta's Senate confirmation hearing, he defended the deal by noting that Epstein had been required to register as a sex offender. He also said in 2011 that the plea deal's results were "better" than risking a trial, which he said had "a reduced likelihood of success."
The former White House press secretary, Sarah H. Sanders, said months ago that the administration was looking into the information about Acosta detailed by the Herald, although he has remained in his job.
The president's relationship with Epstein is less clear.
A lawyer for Trump has denied that the president and Epstein had a social relationship, despite Trump's comments in 2002 to New York magazine.
One of Epstein's accusers, Virginia Giuffre, said in court documents that she was recruited to give Epstein massages while she was working at Mar-a-Lago, Trump's Florida resort. Epstein has been photographed with Trump at Mar-a-Lago.
What happens next?
Epstein is expected to appear before a federal magistrate judge in New York on Monday (Tuesday NZ time). There is no federal statute of limitations on child sex trafficking.
Separately, a federal judge ruled in February that the government had violated the rights of Epstein's alleged victims, after two of them had sued the government for not telling them about the nonprosecution deal until it had been finalised.
That ruling opened the possibility of nullifying the agreement and allowing Epstein to be prosecuted on the original federal charges. But federal prosecutors have argued that the violation should not void the agreement, even as they acknowledged they had treated Epstein's victims unfairly. The judge, Kenneth A. Marra, will decide what happens next.
Also in February, the Justice Department opened its own investigation into the plea deal and whether its attorneys had committed "professional misconduct" in resolving the case in 2008.
Written by: Vivian Wang
© 2019 THE NEW YORK TIMES
