The House Oversight Committee released a report in Washington saying prosecutorial failures, preferential treatment and institutional negligence allowed Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell to continue sexually exploiting young women and girls for years.
According to the report released by the committee led by Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., investigators identified potential conflicts of interest involving federal prosecutors, financial institutions and individuals accused of facilitating Epstein’s abuse and urged further investigations and reforms.
The report named two former federal prosecutors. It says Matthew Menchel recommended resolving Epstein’s case through a non-prosecution agreement despite a prior romantic relationship with Lilly Ann Sanchez, who later represented Epstein, and that Menchel did not recuse himself. The committee cited documents showing Menchel continued communicating and meeting with Epstein after the agreement; Menchel denied skiing with Epstein and his attorneys said Menchel was not responsible for the final plea agreement. The report noted a 2020 Justice Department Office of Professional Responsibility finding that Menchel failed to disclose his relationship with Sanchez to supervisors but found no evidence of prosecutorial misconduct.
The report also described former federal prosecutor Bruce Reinhart as having established a private law practice while employed by the U.S. Attorney’s Office and later representing Epstein associates. The committee said former U.S. Attorney Alexander Acosta testified he did not know whether Reinhart had access to information about the investigation.
Investigators told the committee they learned of testimony that Epstein instructed an assistant to remove computers, hard drives and other equipment from his Palm Beach residence before authorities searched the property in 2005. Epstein attorney Darren Indyke testified he later learned the hard drives were in the possession of private investigators, and the committee said federal investigators identified a potential lead concerning the equipment but abandoned the effort before finalizing Epstein’s non-prosecution agreement.
The committee urged the Justice Department to investigate further former Miami Beach Mayor Philip Levine and hairstylist Frédéric Fekkai following testimony from Sarah Kellen, a former Epstein assistant who alleged abuse by Epstein and the two associates; the report said both Levine and Fekkai have denied the allegations. The committee also recommended further investigation of Lesley Groff, Epstein’s executive assistant for nearly two decades, whose testimony the report cited saying she scheduled daily massage appointments and coordinated travel and lodging for women visiting Epstein’s properties and that she continued working for him after his 2008 conviction.
Regarding Epstein’s 2008 conviction and jail sentence, the report criticized his work-release privileges. It said Epstein served approximately 13 months of an 18-month sentence and was permitted to leave jail for up to 12 hours daily, six days a week; his privileges, the committee wrote, included working at the Florida Science Foundation, traveling in private vehicles with paid off-duty sheriff’s deputies, meeting visitors without continuous monitoring and visiting his Palm Beach residence. The committee said survivors alleged Epstein continued sexually abusing them during his work release.
The report examined Epstein’s relationships with public figures and institutions. It said Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick told the committee in 2026 he had “done absolutely nothing wrong” and acknowledged visiting Epstein’s private island for lunch with his family in 2012 after previously saying he had cut ties in 2005. The report quoted Bill Gates as saying Epstein requested reimbursement for expenses involving a woman with whom Gates had an affair, that Gates refused to pay and ended his relationship with Epstein in late 2014.
The committee identified financier Leon Black as a major source of Epstein’s income after 2008, saying Black paid Epstein approximately $158 million to $170 million for purported tax and estate planning services and citing an agreement the committee described as requiring $100,000 per month for 15 years in exchange for confidentiality. The report said Black declined to fully answer certain committee questions and failed to comply with subpoenas, prompting a unanimous House vote in September 2026 to hold him in criminal contempt of Congress.
The report also cited emails and other records the committee said show continuing professional or personal ties between Epstein and several current or former public officials and advisers, including former White House counsel Kathryn Ruemmler and Rep. Stacey Plaskett, D-V.I., and referenced an email the committee said indicated an Epstein solicitation to the campaign of House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries; Jeffries told the committee he had no recollection of the email and federal election records show no donations from Epstein.
On Epstein’s death in 2019, the committee identified serious prison security failures but said it did not overturn the official suicide finding. The report also criticized the Justice Department for missed disclosure deadlines and for exposing survivors’ personal information during the release of millions of Epstein-related documents.
The committee recommended further investigations, stronger protections for trafficking survivors and reforms to prevent similar federal law enforcement failures, according to the report.
Jon Ross Myers is the executive editor and publisher of the Mississippi News Network, Mississippi's largest digital only media company. He can be reached at editor@tippahnews.com
