Inside Epstein's web: The 137 men and women who reveal how his international network of power and influence operated

https://english.elpais.com/usa/2026-04-18/inside-epsteins-web-the-137-men-and-women-who-reveal-how-his-international-network-of-power-and-influence-operated.html

Inside Epstein’s web: The 137 men and women who reveal how his international network of power and influence operated

EL PAÍS analyzes the most relevant profiles from the sex offender’s ultra-wealthy circle, at least 16 of whom have faced legal consequences, while 56 have felt an impact on their personal and professional lives

CONSTANZA PÉREZ Z.HANNAH SLACKSEBASTIÁN CASSEELÍAS CAMHAJIDANIELE GRASSO
Madrid - APR 18, 2026 - 00:30 EDT

May 1, 2011 was a day like any other on the agenda of Jeffrey Epstein, less than two years after leaving the Florida jail where he served time for procuring a minor for prostitution. This is how that day played out, according to declassified documents from the U.S. government: at 9:30 a.m., breakfast with the diplomat Terje Rod-Larsen. At 11 a.m., a meeting with Nick Ribis, a former executive for Donald Trump’s hotels. At 1 p.m., an appointment with the journalist Michael Wolff. At 5 p.m., another appointment with Howard Lutnick, current U.S. Secretary of Commerce. At 6:30 p.m., dinner with the filmmaker Woody Allen and his wife Soon-Yi Previn, along with other guests like the neuroscientist Steve Kosslyn and hedge fund manager Glenn Dubin. At 8:30 p.m., another dinner in the home of designer Vera Wang.

Showing up in the Epstein files doesn’t mean a person is guilty of having committed a crime, but the Department of Justice’s January release of a tranche of more than three million documents has exposed the billionaire’s connections in the most elite of circles. Politicians, businesspeople, academics, artists and members of royalty often exchanged messages or met with Epstein at one of his many properties, even after his 18-month jail sentence (imposed in 2008 as part of a controversial plea deal in Florida, and of which he only served 13 months).

EL PAÍS has analyzed Epstein’s relationship with 137 people — 109 men and 28 women — whose links to the sex offender have been proven in legal proceedings or who have appeared in the many journalistic investigations of the case, including those carried out by this publication. We have sought to understand how Epstein wielded influence in this circle, who he trusted, and how long these relationships lasted. The selection of individuals is reflected in the following graphic, and is based on their notoriety and closeness to Epstein. The volume of information and its formats (censored documents and photos, duplicated and unrelated files) prevented the creation of an exhaustive list of everyone who was in contact with him.

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Karyna Shuliak, Epstein’s final girlfriend (36 years younger than him), was the last person he spoke with before committing suicide in August 2019, and is the primary heir to his fortune. Epstein used his contacts to get Shuliak (the second-most mentioned name in the files, at 36,000 appearances) into Columbia University’s dental medicine program after her application was rejected in 2012. He called upon help from the program’s dean, a director and its vice dean for academic affairs, according to the declassified documents (click on links to review the files).

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