when was epstein put in jail

Jeffrey Epstein faced two major periods of incarceration tied to his criminal cases. He was first jailed following a controversial 2008 plea deal in Florida and later arrested on federal charges in 2019, where he remained in custody until his death.

2008 Florida Case

Epstein pleaded guilty in 2008 to state charges of soliciting prostitution from a minor, resulting in an 18-month sentence.

He served about 13 months at the Palm Beach County jail, mostly under a lenient work-release program that allowed him out up to 12 hours a day, six days a week—sparking widespread outrage over the "sweetheart deal."

He was released in July 2009 after roughly 13 months behind bars.

2019 Federal Arrest

Epstein was arrested on federal sex-trafficking charges on July 6, 2019 , at Teterboro Airport in New Jersey after arriving from Paris.

He made his initial court appearance on July 8, 2019, pleaded not guilty to charges involving dozens of minors trafficked between 2002-2005, and was denied bail, held at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in Manhattan.

This stint lasted from early July until his death by suicide on August 10, 2019 , while awaiting trial—amid reports of jail lapses like sleeping guards and broken cameras.

Event| Date| Key Details| Duration
---|---|---|---
2008 Sentencing| June 2008| State plea; work release| ~13 months 18
2019 Arrest| July 6, 2019| Federal charges at Teterboro 35| July 6 - Aug 10 (~5 weeks) 1
2019 Death| August 10, 2019| Suicide in MCC jail 19| N/A

Ongoing Context

The case remains a trending topic into 2026, with recent buzz around declassified files, Trump administration comments, and no new arrests for Epstein himself since his death. Public forums like Reddit highlight the 2008 leniency as a flashpoint. No "client list" has been officially released despite speculation.

TL;DR: Jailed 2008-09 (state, lenient); federal jail July 6-Aug 10, 2019.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.