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dismissed in June 1976 for inadequate development as a teacher. Following that, he held a number of positions in the financial industry to include a position as a limited partner at Bear Stearns until he was dismissed for unknown policy violations in 1981. He also worked as a financial consultant and founded at least two separate companies.
Mr. Epstein had two significant periods of employment. The first of these was his position as a consultant with [redacted] in the late 1980s. [redacted] was described as his first mentor. [redacted] was later convicted and incarcerated for running a large Ponzi scheme. He implicated Mr. Epstein in fraudulently diverting company funds for his own personal use. Years later [redacted] Mr. Epstein's sole client at J. Epstein and Company, granted him power of attorney over his affairs. Despite also being identified as [redacted] mentee, Mr. Epstein was again accused of misappropriating funds—more than 46 million dollars. These large sums are believed to be the seed money Mr. Epstein used to establish his considerable fortune. These events are indicative of Mr. Epstein's highly-regarded intelligence and charismatic personality.
Legal History: Mr. Epstein had a history of adult criminal charges and convictions. In June 2008, he entered into a non-prosecution agreement and pleaded guilty to one count Solicitation of Prostitution and one count Procuring a Person Under the Age of 18 for Prostitution in the state of Florida. He was sentenced to 30 months: 18 months of incarceration and 12 months of probation. He was also mandated to register as a sex offender under the National Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act. Mr. Epstein served 13 of his 18-month incarceration and then successfully completed 12 months of probation. It is unclear whether he followed the sex offender registration guidelines in each place he owned a residence.
In regard to pending charges, Mr. Epstein was formally charged with Sex Trafficking Conspiracy in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 371 and Sex Trafficking in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1591(a), (b) (2), 2 on July 2, 2019. Specifically, he was accused of sexually exploiting and abusing minor females over the course of several years. Charging documents allege Mr. Epstein enticed and recruited minor females to engage in sexual activity. The minor females were reportedly compensated with cash following the sexual encounters and some were encouraged to find other minor females to accompany them to Mr. Epstein's residences in New York or Florida. He pleaded not guilty to these charges and was in pretrial status at the time of his death.
In a 37-page Decision & Order Remanding the Defendant, signed by Judge Richard M. Berman on July 18, 2019, 18 pages were dedicated to detailing the danger Mr. Epstein posed to others and the community. The document also alleged he was a flight risk. As a result, Mr. Epstein's proposed bail package was determined to be inadequate. He was denied pretrial release and held on remand.