In 1976, on the brink of losing his teaching job at Manhattan’s elite Dalton School, a college dropout named Jeffrey Epstein charmed a student’s parent at an art gallery event—parlaying that chance encounter into a Wall Street role at Bear Stearns despite zero qualifications or experience. From there, the Brooklyn native masterminded a stunning ascent to untouchable financier, hobnobbing with billionaires, presidents, and royalty. But long-concealed details from a groundbreaking 2025 New York Times investigation are now exposing the ugly truth: his rise was fueled by relentless charm laced with outright fraud—scams on executives, exaggerated (and fabricated) connections to power brokers like the Rockefellers, false regulatory filings, and quietly siphoned wealth from clients, including massive misappropriations from Les Wexner. The “genius” was a calculated con artist all along.
In 1976, on the brink of losing his teaching job at Manhattan’s elite Dalton School—where he had been hired despite lacking a college degree—a 23-year-old Jeffrey Epstein charmed a student’s parent at a Midtown art gallery event. Reluctantly attending after an invitation from one parent, Epstein seized the opportunity when another parent, impressed by rumors of his math prowess, suggested Wall Street might suit him better. That parent connected him to Alan “Ace” Greenberg, CEO of Bear Stearns, who hired the unqualified Brooklyn native as a junior trader. Epstein arrived in a turtleneck, admitting he knew little about finance, yet Greenberg—favoring “poor, smart, and desperate” hires—saw potential.
From there, the Coney Island-born college dropout masterminded a stunning ascent to untouchable financier, hobnobbing with billionaires like Les Wexner, presidents like Bill Clinton, and royalty like Prince Andrew. He owned private islands, jets, and mansions, claiming to manage billions exclusively for the ultra-wealthy. For decades, this narrative painted Epstein as a self-made genius.
But long-concealed details from a groundbreaking December 2025 New York Times investigation, “Scams, Schemes, Ruthless Cons: The Untold Story of How Jeffrey Epstein Got Rich,” are now exposing the ugly truth: his rise was fueled by relentless charm laced with outright fraud—scams on executives, exaggerated and fabricated connections to power brokers like the Rockefellers, and quietly siphoned wealth from clients, including massive misappropriations from Les Wexner.
The Times probe, based on unreleased recordings, archives, interviews, and documents, reveals Epstein’s deceptions began early. At Bear Stearns, he lied about having college degrees but escaped punishment due to patronage, including dating Greenberg’s daughter. He left in 1981 amid misconduct probes but retained prestige, answering phones as “Bear Stearns” for years.
Post-departure, Epstein posed as a “bounty hunter” recovering assets, but schemes dominated. He scammed video-game executive Michael Stroll out of most of a $450,000 investment in a phony oil deal. British contractor Douglas Leese accused him of abusing expenses on luxury travel. Epstein exaggerated ties, falsely claiming to manage money for the Rockefeller family—a lie confirmed by a family wealth manager who said Epstein never even pitched investments. He donated to Rockefeller University and joined boards to borrow legitimacy.
His biggest enabler was Les Wexner, the L Brands billionaire. Despite advisors warning Epstein “smelled like a rat,” Wexner granted him power of attorney in the late 1980s, allowing unchecked control. Epstein handled billions, transferring properties like a Manhattan mansion (bought by Wexner for $13 million, later shifted to Epstein entities for effectively $0) and siphoning vast sums—Wexner later accused him of misappropriating over $46 million, possibly far more.
No false regulatory filings are directly detailed in the probe, but patterns of misrepresentation abound, from resumes to client pitches. Epstein’s wealth—hundreds of millions—funded his lifestyle and insulated abuses until his 2019 arrest.
The “genius” was a calculated con artist all along, turning lucky breaks into lifelong grift. The 2025 investigation shatters the myth, showing how deception in elite circles propelled a predator’s empire—a cautionary tale of unchecked ambition and blind trust.
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