Jeffrey Epstein maintained a network of apartments in London where he housed victims of sexual abuse, according to a new BBC investigation. The revelation adds a significant international dimension to the scandal and raises questions about how the disgraced financier operated across borders for years despite multiple warnings to authorities in the United States and United Kingdom.
The BBC investigation, based on court documents and interviews with victims, reveals that Epstein maintained at least three properties in central London between 2000 and 2019. The apartments, located in affluent neighborhoods including Mayfair and Belgravia, were used to house young women who were subsequently subjected to sexual abuse by Epstein and his associates.
This is fundamentally a story about legal and institutional failure across two jurisdictions. The question is not merely what Epstein did—his crimes have been extensively documented—but how he maintained a trafficking operation in central London for nearly two decades without intervention by UK authorities.
Court documents reviewed by the BBC show that Epstein's London operation followed a similar pattern to his activities in New York, Florida, and the US Virgin Islands. Young women, many recruited from disadvantaged backgrounds, were promised educational or career opportunities. Instead, they were housed in Epstein's properties and coerced into providing sexual services to Epstein and his network of wealthy associates.
At least one victim told BBC investigators that she was brought to London at age 17 and housed in an apartment in Mayfair, where she was repeatedly abused by Epstein and introduced to prominent British figures. The victim, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said she believed UK authorities were aware of Epstein's activities but took no action.
