The criminal Epstein case is generally considered to have started in March 2005 , when Palm Beach police in Florida opened a formal investigation after the parents of a 14‑year‑old girl reported that Jeffrey Epstein had assaulted her at his Palm Beach mansion.

That 2005 police inquiry led to:

  • Grand jury proceedings and a state charge in 2006 (soliciting prostitution, including with a minor), which many critics viewed as far too lenient.
  • A parallel federal investigation that culminated in the controversial 2007–2008 non‑prosecution agreement in Florida.
  • A new federal sex‑trafficking case in New York in July 2019 , when Epstein was arrested again and charged with sex trafficking of minors and conspiracy.

So if you’re asking “when did the Epstein case start,” the key starting point most timelines use is March 2005 , when law enforcement first formally opened a case on him, even though his abuse of girls is believed to have begun several years earlier (as early as the early 2000s).