Published on 6/28/2026
Documents and testimonies published by the American New York Times and the British Telegraph reopened one of the most controversial chapters of the Jeffrey Epstein case, after revealing new details about the way in which the American businessman convicted of sexual crimes took advantage of the “work release” program during his imprisonment in Florida between 2008 and 2009, turning an unreal company into a headquarters from which he conducted his business and social relationships. Some victims even say that he continued the sexual assaults there despite his official presence behind bars.
The information – according to the two newspapers – is based on more than a thousand documents released by the US Department of Justice, in addition to testimonies given by witnesses before Congress, electronic correspondence and official records, which re-shed light on the exceptional privileges that Epstein obtained while serving a sentence that his critics described from the beginning as being largely lenient.
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The two newspapers indicated that Epstein had been sentenced in June 2008 to 18 months in prison after being convicted on charges related to luring a minor into prostitution, as part of a judicial agreement that sparked widespread criticism, as it spared him from facing more serious federal charges, despite the cooperation of dozens of victims with the investigation authorities, a large number of whom were minors.
Release to work and a fake company
According to the documents, Epstein applied to join the “work release” program on the same day he entered prison, claiming that he had been working for 15 years at a non-profit organization called the “Florida Science Foundation” and that his presence there was necessary to fund scientific research.
But the documents reveal that this institution was only a company established by his lawyer a few months before the sentence began, and it had no real scientific activity. Rather, he rented a luxurious office for it on the 14th floor of a commercial building in Palm Beach, which included salons, a lounge, a kitchen, and advanced office equipment, and it became Epstein’s daily destination during his imprisonment.
Records indicate, as reported in the New York Times, that Epstein would leave prison daily for up to 12 hours, and sometimes more, to spend his time in that office, where he would receive visitors, follow up on his personal affairs, and receive packages and gifts, including a computer transported from his home in New York, an iPod, and samples of luxury leather to renovate his home on his private island, in addition to books, CDs, and personal correspondence.
Continue to connect with his network
Epstein continued to communicate with a wide network of his acquaintances and associates, including businessmen, lawyers, and academics, and communications records show that the office was a destination for calls from prominent figures, while it was also used to hold meetings and discussions completely removed from any scientific activity.
However, the most dangerous thing that the documents reveal relates to the allegations of a number of women that the office turned into a place where sexual violations continued during Epstein’s imprisonment.
A woman named Rosa, from Uzbekistan, testified before Congress in which she said that she was lured to the United States with the promise of working in the fashion industry, and then worked in the office while Epstein was in prison, where she was subjected to sexual assaults by him.
The FBI files also included statements from other women who confirmed that they were taken to the office during that period, and gave details of massage sessions and forced sexual acts while Epstein was wearing an electronic monitoring bracelet, while the guard remained outside the room.
telegraph:
Among the most interesting things in the new documents are visits made by Sarah Ferguson, the former Duchess of York, to Epstein’s office during his imprisonment.
A cover to continue the attacks
In civil lawsuits later filed, one victim described the office as a “cover” for continued assaults, while another said she drove herself back to prison after his day at the office.
The shipping documents for the subsequent evacuation of the office indicate that there was a full bed and furniture that allowed the place to be used for residence, which reinforced the suspicions of the victims’ lawyers that the office was not a place of work, but rather a place that provided Epstein with wide freedom during the execution of the sentence.
Official correspondence reveals that prosecutors had raised serious doubts about the reality of the institution from the beginning.
The day after filing for work release, Assistant Prosecutor Anne Marie Villafana alerted Palm Beach County authorities that the foundation was not established 15 years ago, as Epstein claimed, but only months ago. She also pointed out that his main lawyer rents an office in the same building.
Despite these warnings, the authorities later agreed to grant him work release, and he began his daily commute between the prison and the office.
Emails from within the Federal Prosecutor’s Office show the extent of the astonishment at these arrangements, as one of the officials wrote and asked: “What is this work release? What does he do all day?”, while his colleague replied that Epstein spends his day in an office specially created for his employment, eats his meals, and then returns to prison in the evening.
Protection for thousands of dollars
Other messages also raised concerns that Epstein was using off-duty police officers to provide protection for him in exchange for thousands of dollars a week, even though the program’s rules prohibit any financial transactions between prisoners and members of the Sheriff’s Office.
Despite these objections, the program continued until the end of his prison term, and Epstein then continued to benefit from the same privileges after he was transferred to house arrest, as he later obtained multiple travel permits, and on one occasion left for New York even though he was supposed to be in the office.
Former Duchess of York
One of the most interesting things about the new documents is what the Telegraph revealed about visits made by Sarah Ferguson, the former Duchess of York, to Epstein’s office during his imprisonment.
The emails exchanged between them included arrangements for two visits that had already taken place in April and May 2009, in addition to a third attempt that was canceled due to a conflict in travel dates.
The letters show a very friendly tone between the two parties, as Ferguson asked to meet Epstein to obtain his opinions on her project, “Mothers’ Army,” and thanked him for his ideas, describing him in one of the letters as a “legend,” while he was proposing to her ideas for developing the project.
The documents also reveal that Lord Peter Mandelson made a phone call with Epstein in the office, and then made a video call with him while he was at Epstein’s home in New York, when he was serving as Business Minister in the British government.
Mandelson had confirmed on previous occasions that he did not witness any criminal behavior during his knowledge of Epstein, while a spokeswoman for Ferguson said that she severed her relationship with him as soon as she learned of the extent of the accusations against him, and that her first concern was the victims.
Theater for a predator
On the other hand, lawyer Gloria Allred, who represented more than 20 survivors of Epstein’s attacks, called for a new investigation into how these arrangements were allowed, considering that the office was not a scientific institution, but rather was “the scene of a predator” who exploited his power and influence to continue assaulting women while he was serving his sentence.
As for the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office, it confirmed that an investigation conducted by law enforcement authorities in Florida in 2021 did not find any criminal violation committed by the office’s members participating in the work release program, indicating that the program was later canceled after an independent review that concluded that it was of no benefit to the county.
Although years have passed since Epstein’s death in prison in 2019 while awaiting trial on new federal charges of sex trafficking, recent documents reinforce old questions about the amount of influence he enjoyed, and how he was able to turn his prison sentence into an almost normal life, while his victims say that the attacks did not stop even during the period that he was supposed to spend behind bars.
