As the Epstein files trickle out, we’re learning of more and more powerful people who were friends with him, who asked for invites to his abuse parties, who supported him in private, who sought his advice–who, in other words, are complicit in his villainy.
But was he the only one?
It seems likely to me that he filled a terrible niche: powerful people often want to use their power to cut through social norms, and it’s obvious that some subset of powerful straight men want to use their power to have sex with/assault/rape younger women and girls. Are there other people filling this niche currently? Are there people who are as powerful as Epstein filling the niche? Do we know who they are, but it’s not well-publicized, in the same way that Epstein wasn’t well-publicized two decades ago?
Or was this a unique situation with a unique villain?
I suspect that there is a person or group of people in other spheres of influence around the world. Southeast Asian, Middle Eastern and Eastern European spheres almost undoubtedly have sex trafficking rings and likley have high end, full service suppliers.
While prostitution may be the oldest profession, pimping is a close second.
“And if we must sin to become holy, why not sin with me?”
The Czarist police tracked Rasputin. “Subject went to Alensky bar and stayed until two AM. Exited bar drunk. Went to Miss Volstov’s house. Stayed until noon. Returned to Alensky bar…”
I mean, probably. Maybe lower profile and less industriously. Sexual debauchery is as old as the species - stories of parties thronged with young prostitutes (willing or not) to dote on the wealthy are insanely common and we have quite a few that ended up in court besides Epstein. I mean Sean Combs is right there. Or less known people like Peter Nygård who was accused of supplying girls to local politicians and cronies as well as fueling his own proclivities.
To answer the question “Is Epstein unique?”, we first need to examine what Epstein actually was. The focus is on his abuse of young girls and his procurement of prostitutes for rich and famous men. But that’s not all: Epstein had power; he was a psychopath who manipulated everyone around him. Prostitution was just one component of several in his structure. He had countless contacts that he could use for corruption and influence through blackmail, e.g., with incriminating photos. His contacts extended into government circles and royal houses; even the Crown Princess of Norway had quite close ties to him. From this perspective, I believe Epstein was unique. Prostitution rings and sex parties certainly exist on other continents, but the power structure Epstein built was probably unique. It is not known whether all his contacts knew each other. If so, then this would be a group that protects each other, and political influence would be likely. We will probably never know how far the tentacles of this structure reached and still reach. Trump does not appear very often, but that is not particularly credible.
To be clear, I am not so sheltered that I have never heard of pimps. Nor am I unaware that there have been men in history who have seduced or forced themselves on many younger women.
My question is specifically about Epstein, and his combination of wealth, power, influence, and facilitation of child rape by powerful men. I am especially interested in who is currently filling this role in 2026.
threads on pimps in general, or of powerful men committing sexual abuse, or of names that sound like Epstein, or other men who own tropical islands, or a dream you had last night, sound interesting! But they are not what I am particularly interested in in this case.
Yeah, I want to say rumors of that go back to grandpa. Many years ago, I’d heard Kim Il Sung also…used young people’s blood for transfusions because he believed blood kept you young.
I don’t think people like Kim or Rasputin are what the OP is talking about. Kim might be having wild pedophile sex parties, but if he is, he’s 100% doing it for his own benefit. He’s not acting as a procurer for other powerful figures in North Korean society. He’s not going up to a NK industrialist and offering to get them underage girls in exchange for money or access, the way Epstein is alleged to have done.
Warren Jeffs is probably the closest of the people named to being “an Epstein,” although with the caveat that he’s catering to people who are mostly only important in the context of his weird Mormon-offshoot subculture, and not the US at large, but I suspect, “Support me as leader of this cult and you can fuck all the children you want,” was a significant part of his power base.
This. Seducing the Tsarina =/= running a sex trafficking ring providing young/underage women for powerful clients. You may as well claim Jerry Lee Lewis was “an Epstein” because he married a 13 year old.
I guess the reason I’m wondering this question is because I am wondering if, 20 years from now, we are going to be grappling with the fallout from a similar scandal. Warren Jeffs, Kim, and Rasputin aren’t going to lead to a similar scandal, a scandal that can bring down princes, billionaires, and, from my lips to God’s ears, maybe even a president.
Epstein and his cohorts are in no way unique. Trafficking of minors is an extremely common crime.
This is an article about a California Senate bill that, according to the more conservative sort would, “Decriminalize Child Prostitution.” What it really was intended to do was make is extremely clear to the police that a crime had been committed, but the child was not the criminal, and should not be treated that way. Which happens all too often when a child tries to complain.