Jeffrey Epstein was a disgraced American financier and registered sex offender who had developed an elite social circle and was responsible for procuring women and children for his friends to abuse. 

One of his friends, Steven Hoffenberg was recently found dead in their apartment in Connecticut. Hoffenberg was a businessman who had spent 18 years in prison after pleading guilty to defrauding investors of nearly $500 million in a scam which turned out to be the one of the largest Ponzi schemes in US history. 

Also Read: Steven Hoffenberg-Jeffrey Epstein relationship explained

Who was Jeffrey Epstein?

Jeffrey Epstein was born on January 20, 1953 in New York City, New York and spent much of his childhood there. He graduated from the Lafayette High School at the age of 16 in 1969, having skipped two grades. He attended the Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art but left to join another college after two years in 1971. In September of that year, he attended the Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences at New York University but left without a degree in 1974. 

For a brief period between 1974 and 1976, Epstein worked at a school as a physics and mathematics teacher before moving on to work for the now-defunct investment firm Bear Sterns. While he worked there, he swiftly climbed the ranks but was eventually asked to leave after violating SEC regulations. 

Epstein ended up starting his own financial consultancy group which helped wealthy people recover their money from fraudulent brokers and lawyers. 

Sometime in between, the financier made a lot of money and would invite wealthy people to his home which had been outfitted with cameras in a bid to create blackmail tapes of them. 

The deceased financier has dealt with multiple legal proceedings against him, often walking away with either a slap on the wrist or very light sentences. Epstein’s sexual assault began to come to light around 2017 after a masseuse filed a civil case against him. In 2019 itself, nine cases alleging sexual misconduct were filed against Epstein. 

While in prison awaiting trial, Epstein was found unresponsive in his cell in August 2019 with multiple breaches of protocol being noticed by the authorities. However, the New York City medical examiner ruled his death a suicide. In the aftermath of his death, the Department of Justice has been investigating the allegedly suspicious circumstances surrounding his death. 

Even after his death in 2019, women continued to come forward about his sexually abusive behaviour, with four new cases being registered against his estate in 2020 and two new cases in 2021.