Newly disclosed government files on Jeffrey Epstein show authorities thought they were close to indicting the wealthy financier on sex crimes nearly two decades ago, before that investigation was suddenly scrapped. Other documents in Friday’s release include Epstein’s communications with former White House advisers, an NFL team co-owner and billionaires including Bill Gates and Elon Musk. The Justice Department said it would be releasing more than 3 million pages of documents along with more than 2,000 videos and 180,000 images. Disclosures are resuming under a law intended to reveal what the government knew about his sexual abuse of young girls and his interactions with rich and powerful people.

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An email that was included in the U.S. Department of Justice release of the Jeffrey Epstein files is photographed Friday, Jan. 30, 2026, and shows the cell where Epstein was found unresponsive. (AP Photo/Jon Elswick)

  • Updated

An email that was included in the U.S. Department of Justice release of the Jeffrey Epstein files is photographed Friday, Jan. 30, 2026, and shows a 2009 order of no contact in Palm Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Jon Elswick)