Big Take Podcast

The Prosecutor Who Pursued Epstein, in Her Own Words

On today’s Big Take podcast: The first sweeping federal probe into Jeffrey Epstein — and the mounting frustrations of the prosecutor running it.

Released documents from the US Justice Department files on Jeffrey Epstein.Photographer: Vladislav Nekrasov/SOPA Images/AP

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By Julia Press and Sarah Holder

March 25, 2026 at 9:49 PM UTC

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Two decades ago, a federal prosecutor in Florida spent two years investigating Jeffrey Epstein and urged her superiors to charge him. Her frustrations mounted as her boss, US Attorney Alex Acosta, pursued a now-infamous plea deal that allowed Epstein to serve just 13 months, much of it on work release.