Who was Jeffrey Epstein, who is involved in the sex scandal and how did he die?
JEFFREY Epstein was found dead in his prison cell in an apparent suicide on August 9.
The wealthy financier was a convicted child sex trafficker, who socialised with high profile celebrities during his lifetime.
Who was Jeffrey Epstein?
Jeffrey Epstein was an American financier and convicted child sex trafficker.
The 66-year-old was born in Brooklyn, New York City, and grew up on Coney Island.
The wealthy financier knew a lot of rich and powerful people including Prince Andrew, Donald Trump and Bill and Hillary Clinton.
Epstein was believed to have kept a secret diary detailing his friendships with the rich and famous as an “insurance policy”.
His friendship with Prince Andrew dates back to the early 1990s and the pair were reportedly seen partying together in St Tropez and Thailand.
Buckingham Palace has issued a complete denial against any suggestions the Duke of York was involved in any improper behaviour.
Trump has referred to Epstein as a “terrific guy” and “a lot of fun to be with” in the past.
Epstein visited Trump’s Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach, Florida, on two occasions, in 1997 and 2000.
Bill Clinton had praised Epstein for his charitable work in interviews.
Flight logs have revealed the former US president also took a number of flights on a plane owned by Epstein.
What was Jeffrey Epstein’s cause of death?
Jeffrey Epstein’s death comes two weeks after he was placed on suicide watch after he was found nearly unconscious in his cell with injuries to his neck.
Law enforcement officials confirmed on August 10 he had taken his own life at Metropolitan Correctional Center in Manhattan, which is where he had been held without bail pending trial on child sex-trafficking charges.
It has been reported that he hanged himself.
A stretcher carrying a man who looked like Epstein was wheeled out of the Manhattan Correctional Center around 7.30am.
Epstein’s autopsy revealed that the disgraced financier, 66, had multiple broken neck bones, often consistent with strangulation.
During his autopsy, Epstein was found to have broken his hyoid bone, which is near the Adam’s apple in men, according to the Washington Post.
Although hyoid breaks can occur during a hanging, experts told the paper the fracture is more common in strangulation victims.
What happens to the Jeffrey Epstein case now he is dead?
Jeffrey Epstein obviously cannot go on trial, and nor can he testify against his associates.
But other people involved in the sex scandal could still find themselves in court, depending on what investigators find in Epstein’s mansions and who testifies against them.
What was Jeffrey Epstein charged with in 2008?
In March 2005 a woman contacted the Palm Beach Police Department in Florida and alleged her 14-year-old stepdaughter had been taken to Epstein’s mansion by an older girl.
There she was said to have been paid $300 to strip and massage Epstein.
Cops began an undercover investigation and also searched his home. The FBI also became involved in the case.
During the investigation they interviewed five of the alleged victims and found that some of the girls had been under 18.
Papers filed in 2006 were also said to contain allegations Epstein had installed concealed cameras on his property to record sexual activity with underage girls by prominent people as a possible means of blackmail.
A plea deal was eventually agreed and Epstein pleaded guilty to state prostitution charges, registered as a sex offender and paid restitution to three dozen victims identified by the FBI.
He pleaded guilty in June 2008 to a single charge of soliciting prostitution from girls as young as 14.
What’s Jeffrey Epstein’s ‘paedo island’?
Epstein’s private Caribbean island has become the centre of a sex trafficking probe against him, amid claims underage girls were used as sex slaves and repeatedly abused inside a temple.
The billionaire bought the island of Little St James more than two decades ago – transforming it into a high-security private oasis, complete with a mansion and a bizarre blue and white gold-domed structure.
To date, the island has remained Epstein’s main residence, but has been shrouded in mystery.
It’s high security, secluded location and locally-known moniker as “Paedophile Island” has given rise to more sinister theories about its use.
Neighbouring islander Kevin Goodrich, who operates boat charters from nearby St Thomas, said: “Everybody called it ‘Paedophile Island’ … It’s our dark corner.”
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Epstein set about building an enormous stone mansion with cream-coloured walls and a bright turquoise roof surrounded by a maids’ quarters.
Years later, and on the other southwest edge of the island, he built a square-shaped blue and white building resembling a religious temple, topped with a gold dome.
Many have speculated that the child sex abuse Epstein has been accused of may have occurred in this secluded space.
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