The newspaper that reopened it

Julie K. Brown spent more than a year reconstructing the Florida case. The Herald identified about 80 women who said Epstein abused them between 2001 and 2006, located about 60, and interviewed eight; four agreed to speak on video. Most were in their early or mid teens at the time. They described the same pyramid: girls recruited from schools and malls, paid, then paid to recruit others. [1][2]

The series focused on the deal. It traced how Acosta’s office, under pressure from a celebrity defense team, kept negotiating with Epstein’s lawyers, kept the victims uninformed, and drafted an agreement that shielded possible accomplices. At the time Acosta was Trump’s Labor Secretary. [1]

When SDNY announced Epstein’s indictment in July 2019, U.S. Attorney Geoffrey Berman thanked the press for “excellent investigative journalism.” The series also fed the victims’ rights ruling, the congressional pressure on Acosta and his resignation. [1][2][3][4]

People on the right and the left claim the series for their side. It was a story about a Republican Cabinet member’s deal with a man whose friends included Bill Clinton and Donald Trump. It found no evidence that either took part in the abuse. It did show that a rich, well-connected man got a deal no ordinary defendant would. [1][2]