AutHor’s Note | conducted by Connolly’s Vanity Fair colleague Vicky Ward, we began to put the pieces to gether. In a few instances, we have re-created brief scenes and snatches of dialogue. These are based on interviews, police t investigation documents, and court filings. We changed the | names and identities of the girls, hoping to protect them from : _ more embarrassment and harm. ‘ There never was any doubt that Jeffrey Epstein was guilty. He admitted as much in the non-prosecution agreement he agreed to sign in 2007. The question is, what exactly was he guilty of? This book attempts to answer that question and many others | about this strange and mysterious man. These days people all around the world are angry about and suspicious of the super rich and powerful. The story of Jeffrey Epstein is an object lesson } about why we ought to be. To put it simply, some people think they can operate outside the law. And that’s what they do. —James Patterson, Palm Beach, February 20, 2016 : | | - | : in x J q HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_019117