What criminal charges was Jeffrey Epstein facing when he died?

At the time of his death in August 2019, Epstein faced a two-count federal indictment in the Southern District of New York: one count of sex trafficking of minors and one count of conspiracy to engage in sex trafficking of minors, according to the DOJ press release. Each count carried a maximum sentence of 45 years in prison.

What was the outcome of the Ghislaine Maxwell trial?

Ghislaine Maxwell was convicted on December 29, 2021, on five of six federal counts, including sex trafficking of a minor, according to the DOJ. She was sentenced to 20 years in federal prison in June 2022. Her conviction was upheld on appeal.

How much did JPMorgan pay to settle Epstein-related lawsuits?

JPMorgan Chase agreed to pay approximately $365 million to settle a class-action lawsuit brought by Epstein victims (announced June 2023) and an additional $75 million to settle claims by the U.S. Virgin Islands government (announced September 2023), for a total of approximately $440 million, according to Reuters.

What was the CVRA ruling about?

In February 2019, Judge Kenneth Marra of the Southern District of Florida ruled that the 2007 Non-Prosecution Agreement violated the Crime Victims' Rights Act (CVRA) because prosecutors failed to inform victims of the plea negotiations as required by law. This was a landmark ruling, though the judge noted that the appropriate remedy was unclear.

How many civil lawsuits were filed against Epstein or his associates?

Dozens of civil lawsuits have been filed in connection with the Epstein case, including individual victim suits, the Giuffre v. Maxwell defamation case, banking institution suits (JPMorgan, Deutsche Bank, Bank of America), the USVI AG enforcement action, the Giuffre v. Prince Andrew suit, and the Epstein Victims' Compensation Fund proceedings.

What is the Epstein Victims' Compensation Fund?

The Epstein Victims' Compensation Fund was established by the Epstein estate in June 2020 to resolve claims by victims outside of litigation. According to the fund administrator's reports, over 225 claims were filed and approximately $121 million was distributed to eligible claimants before the program concluded.

Epstein Legal Proceedings: Every Major Case, Ruling & Settlement

Overview

The Epstein case has generated one of the most complex webs of legal proceedings in modern American history. From the controversial 2007 plea deal in Florida to the 2019 federal indictment in New York, from civil defamation suits to billion-dollar banking settlements, the legal threads span nearly two decades, multiple jurisdictions, and hundreds of parties.

This page serves as a master index to every major legal proceeding. For detailed analysis of individual cases, follow the links to our dedicated articles. For the full chronological history, see our investigation timeline.

Criminal Proceedings

Florida State Case (2008)

The first criminal case against Epstein resulted from the 2005 Palm Beach police investigation. Rather than proceeding with federal charges, the case was resolved through a controversial Non-Prosecution Agreement (NPA) negotiated in 2007 between Epstein's defense team and the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Florida, then headed by Alexander Acosta, according to court records.

Under the NPA, Epstein pleaded guilty to two state prostitution charges in June 2008 and was sentenced to 18 months in the Palm Beach County Stockade, according to Florida court records. He served approximately 13 months, with extensive work-release privileges that allowed him to leave the facility for up to 12 hours per day, six days per week, according to the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office.

For a comprehensive breakdown of this plea deal, see our 2007 plea deal explainer and the NPA hub page.

Federal Indictment, SDNY (2019)

On July 6, 2019, Epstein was arrested at Teterboro Airport in New Jersey upon returning from Paris, according to the DOJ press release. On July 8, 2019, the Southern District of New York unsealed a two-count indictment charging Epstein with sex trafficking of minors and conspiracy to engage in sex trafficking of minors, according to the indictment.

The indictment alleged that between at least 2002 and 2005, Epstein sexually exploited and abused dozens of minor girls at his residences in Manhattan and Palm Beach, according to the court filing. Each count carried a maximum sentence of 45 years in prison. Epstein was denied bail and held at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in Manhattan, where he died on August 10, 2019.

For analysis of the prosecution, see The Prosecutors: Who Let Epstein Go.

United States v. Ghislaine Maxwell (2020-2022)

Ghislaine Maxwell was arrested by the FBI on July 2, 2020, at a property in Bradford, New Hampshire, according to the DOJ. She was charged with six federal counts including enticement of a minor, sex trafficking of a minor, and perjury, according to the indictment.

Maxwell's trial took place in November-December 2021 in the Southern District of New York. On December 29, 2021, the jury convicted her on five of six counts, including the most serious charge of sex trafficking of a minor, according to the DOJ press release. She was sentenced to 20 years in federal prison on June 28, 2022. Her appeal was denied.

For full trial coverage, see our Maxwell trial and verdict analysis.

Civil Litigation

Giuffre v. Maxwell (2015-2017)

Virginia Giuffre filed a defamation lawsuit against Ghislaine Maxwell in the Southern District of New York in 2015 (Case No. 15-cv-07433), according to court records. This case proved to be enormously significant because the discovery materials produced during litigation — depositions, flight logs, and other documents — became the core of what is publicly known as "the Epstein files."

The case was settled in 2017, but in January 2024, a federal judge ordered the unsealing of thousands of pages of documents from the case, according to the New York Times. These documents contained depositions, testimony, and references to numerous individuals. For more on the unsealing, see the Epstein files hub and our unsealing explainer.

Giuffre v. Prince Andrew (2021-2022)

Virginia Giuffre filed a civil lawsuit against Prince Andrew in August 2021 in the Southern District of New York, alleging sexual abuse when she was a minor, according to court records. Prince Andrew denied all allegations. The case was settled out of court in February 2022 for an undisclosed sum, with Prince Andrew making a substantial donation to Giuffre's charity, according to the joint statement filed with the court.

For the full story, see our Prince Andrew settlement analysis and the Prince Andrew topic hub.

Banking Institution Lawsuits

Major financial institutions faced lawsuits for their banking relationships with Epstein. For detailed analysis, see our banking lawsuits explainer.

JPMorgan Chase ($365 million + $75 million): A class-action lawsuit filed by Epstein victims alleged that JPMorgan maintained Epstein as a client despite knowledge of his criminal conduct. The bank settled for approximately $290 million with victims and $75 million with the USVI government in 2023, according to Reuters.

Deutsche Bank ($75 million + $150 million fine): Deutsche Bank, which took over Epstein's accounts after JPMorgan dropped him in 2013, settled claims by the USVI for $75 million and paid a $150 million fine to New York's Department of Financial Services for compliance failures, according to Reuters and the DFS consent order.

Bank of America: A lawsuit was filed against Bank of America in 2025 alleging the bank maintained financial relationships connected to Epstein. According to court filings, this case remains pending.

USVI Attorney General v. Epstein Estate (2020-present)

The U.S. Virgin Islands Attorney General filed a comprehensive enforcement action against Epstein's estate in January 2020, according to the USVI AG's office. The complaint alleged that Epstein used USVI-based entities as part of a criminal enterprise. This action resulted in significant settlements from banking institutions and contributed to the broader estate resolution. See also our Little St. James island hub.

Key Rulings and Legal Milestones

CVRA Ruling (February 2019)

In one of the most consequential rulings in the case, Judge Kenneth Marra of the Southern District of Florida found in February 2019 that the 2007 Non-Prosecution Agreement violated the Crime Victims' Rights Act (CVRA), according to the court's opinion. The ruling held that federal prosecutors had a legal obligation to inform victims of the plea negotiations and failed to do so.

This ruling was a catalyst for renewed scrutiny of the original plea deal and contributed to the political pressure that led to the SDNY investigation. For the full story, see the NPA hub page.

DOJ OPR Review (November 2020)

The Department of Justice Office of Professional Responsibility (OPR) completed a review of the NPA in November 2020, according to the DOJ. The review concluded that while prosecutors exercised "poor judgment" in handling the plea negotiations, their conduct did not constitute professional misconduct. This finding was widely criticized by victims' advocates, according to the Miami Herald.

Epstein Victims' Compensation Fund

The Epstein estate established the Epstein Victims' Compensation Fund in June 2020 to resolve claims outside of litigation, according to the fund's administrator. Over 225 claims were filed with the fund, and approximately $121 million was distributed to eligible claimants, according to the administrator's public reports. Participation in the fund required claimants to release legal claims against the estate.

Timeline of Major Legal Milestones

Date	Event	Source
June 2008	Epstein pleads guilty to FL state charges	FL court records
September 2015	Giuffre v. Maxwell filed	SDNY court records
February 2019	CVRA ruling by Judge Marra	S.D. FL court opinion
July 2019	Federal indictment, SDNY	DOJ press release
August 2019	Epstein dies in custody	DOJ, medical examiner
January 2020	USVI AG files enforcement action	USVI AG
July 2020	Maxwell arrested	DOJ press release
November 2020	DOJ OPR review completed	DOJ
June 2020	Victims' Compensation Fund established	Fund administrator
December 2021	Maxwell convicted	DOJ press release
June 2022	Maxwell sentenced to 20 years	DOJ press release
February 2022	Giuffre v. Prince Andrew settled	Court filing
May 2023	Deutsche Bank settlement	Reuters
June 2023	JPMorgan victim settlement ($290M)	Reuters
September 2023	JPMorgan USVI settlement ($75M)	Reuters
January 2024	Giuffre v. Maxwell documents unsealed	NYT

Ongoing and Future Proceedings

As of February 2026, several legal threads remain active:

The Bank of America lawsuit is pending, according to court records
Potential additional criminal referrals from the DOJ Epstein Library release remain possible
International proceedings continue in multiple countries — see our international investigations hub
Estate proceedings are ongoing

For the latest developments, see our news and analysis section and the what happens next explainer.

Primary Sources

Federal indictment, U.S. v. Epstein, SDNY — justice.gov
U.S. v. Maxwell, SDNY — justice.gov
Giuffre v. Maxwell, SDNY — CourtListener
JPMorgan settlement — reuters.com
Deutsche Bank settlement — reuters.com
USVI AG enforcement action — vi.gov
CVRA ruling, S.D. Florida — courtlistener.com
DOJ OPR review — justice.gov

For the full investigation chronology, see our investigation timeline. For details on the plea deal, see the Non-Prosecution Agreement hub. Browse all case documents in our document library or explore the full timeline.