when did epstein start trafficking

Jeffrey Epstein’s criminal behavior toward underage girls appears to date back to the 1990s , but the period specifically described by U.S. federal prosecutors as his sex‑trafficking operation is generally placed between about 2002 and 2005 , with investigations beginning publicly in 2005 and later indictments describing trafficking of minors “from at least 2002.”

Quick Scoop: Core Timeline

• Mid‑1990s: Testimony and later court findings around the Ghislaine Maxwell case indicate that Epstein was already recruiting and abusing underage girls by the 1990s , using associates to bring girls to his properties.

• 2002–2005: Federal indictments and media timelines describe Epstein running a pattern of recruiting underage girls (some as young as 14) to his homes in Florida and New York for paid “massages” that turned sexual; this period is often cited as the core of his sex‑trafficking scheme in official charging documents.

• March 2005: Parents of a 14‑year‑old girl report him to police in Palm Beach, triggering the first major criminal investigation and bringing years of abuse into the open.

• 2006–2008: Local and federal cases develop; a draft federal indictment reportedly laid out dozens of potential charges, but a controversial non‑prosecution deal is struck in 2007–2008 that shields him from broader federal sex‑trafficking charges at the time.

• 2019: Epstein is arrested again on federal charges of sex trafficking of minors and conspiracy to traffic minors, with prosecutors again focusing on conduct beginning around 2002.

Why the Start Date Is Fuzzy

• Victim accounts vs. legal charges: Survivors and witness testimony suggest a pattern of exploitation starting years before the window set out in formal indictments, but prosecutors typically lock onto periods they can prove with evidence and cooperating witnesses.

• Changing legal labels: Earlier cases and investigations in the 2000s did not always use the specific term “sex trafficking,” even when the underlying behavior fits how people now commonly understand trafficking (recruitment, grooming, payments, travel, and coercive dynamics involving minors).

A practical way to phrase it:

Epstein’s trafficking‑style abuse of minors appears to have roots in the 1990s, but the period most consistently cited in official U.S. cases as his sex‑trafficking operation is roughly 2002–2005 , first publicly exposed by a police complaint in 2005.

Context, Caution, and “Latest news”

• Recent document releases: Ongoing interest in the “Epstein files” and related court unsealings, including timelines updated in 2025–2026 , continues to refine public understanding of when his pattern of abuse and trafficking began, but the key dates above have stayed broadly consistent.

• Many details stay sealed: Some victim identities, specific trip details, and investigative material remain withheld to protect survivors or because they relate to ongoing legal and national‑security concerns.

If you want, I can narrow this down further to a specific type of “start” (first known victim report, first alleged recruitment, or first time prosecutors actually used trafficking charges in an indictment).