Here are the most bizarre things about wealthy financier Jeffrey Epstein and his alleged sex trafficking operation

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Here are the most bizarre things about wealthy financier Jeffrey Epstein and his alleged sex trafficking operation

jeffrey epstein

Rick Friedman/Rick Friedman Photography/Corbis via Getty Images

Billionaire Jeffrey Epstein in Cambridge, MA on 9/8/04.

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Wealthy financier Jeffrey Epstein has tended to stay in the shadows over the course of his mysterious career. Besides a few profiles of the man now facing charges of sex trafficking of minors and conspiracy, along with the trove of court documents that have accompanied him, little is known about Epstein.

What is known is very confusing. Epstein sits at the center of a tangled web of expensive assets and famous friends who are now desperate to distance themselves, given the accusations against him.

Here are the most bizarre aspects of Epstein's life, and the case being brought against him.

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Epstein is purportedly very wealthy, although the origins of his money, vehicles, and property are largely unknown.

Epstein is purportedly very wealthy, although the origins of his money, vehicles, and property are largely unknown.

There is no definitive estimation of what Epstein is worth. One of his associates, Harvard professor and prominent lawyer Alan Dershowitz, said in 2003 that Epstein "has so much money that you can't give him anything."

But Forbes denies that Epstein is a billionaire, noting that his money management firm, based in the US-owned Virgin Islands, has generated no public records and very few public clients.

Leslie Wexner, CEO and founder of Victoria's Secret owner L Brands, was reportedly one of Epstein's first clients, and eventually transferred his NYC mansion to him for an unknown, if any, sum.

Epstein once served on the board of L Brands, but a spokesperson for Wexner said the two severed ties a decade ago.

Business Insider revealed Tuesday that Epstein also directed private-equity guru Leon Black's family foundation for years.

Epstein's assets include residences around the world, including a private island.

Epstein's assets include residences around the world, including a private island.

Despite not knowing how much or where his money comes from, it is true that Epstein owns numerous properties. He has five homes scattered around the globe: his Manhattan and Palm Beach residences, both named in the indictment he currently faces, along with his private island, Little Saint James, in the Virgin Islands.

The 3-D view of that island on Google Maps shows off a sprawling mansion, auxiliary buildings, and a strange temple-like building at the opposite end of Epstein's perceived residence, complete with Grecco-Roman architecture, anthropomorphic statues, and a golden dome.

Epstein also owns a ranch in New Mexico and an apartment in Paris, according to real estate blog TheRealDeal.

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A video of a police walkthrough of Epstein's Palm Beach residence shows off unsettling furnishings.

A video of a police walkthrough of Epstein's Palm Beach residence shows off unsettling furnishings.

Epstein's $12 million Palm Beach estate was raided by authorities in 2005, and they took video of what they saw.

Strange and upsetting furnishings included framed naked photos of apparently pre-pubescent girls and a portrait of Ghislaine Maxwell, the British socialite and reported ex-girlfriend of Epstein, who allegedly coerced underaged girls into Epstein's sex trafficking operation.

There's a massage chair in the bathroom, where women allege Epstein coerced them into sex acts, along with what appears to be dentistry equipment. There was also a lot of art depicting nude women.

Besides his homes, Epstein also owned luxury vehicles, including a Boeing 727 jet nicknamed "Lolita Express."

Besides his homes, Epstein also owned luxury vehicles, including a Boeing 727 jet nicknamed "Lolita Express."

Prosecutors allege that Epstein owns three US passports, along with at least two private jets and 15 motor vehicles, several of which are Chevrolet Suburbans.

One of the jets has been nicknamed the "Lolita Express," and flight logs obtained by Gawker list some of its passengers, including former President Bill Clinton.

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A recent statement from former President Bill Clinton doesn't appear to align with information from the "Lolita Express" flight logs.

A recent statement from former President Bill Clinton doesn't appear to align with information from the "Lolita Express" flight logs.

Clinton put out a statement after Epstein's Monday court appearance, alleging that he took the financier's private jet four times in 2002 and 2003.

The "Lolita Express" flight logs obtained by Gawker actually place Clinton on several more flights – more than a dozen.

Besides his flight log, Epstein's "black book" betrays a number of his acquaintances.

Besides his flight log, Epstein's "black book" betrays a number of his acquaintances.

The flight logs aren't the only documents Gawker was able to obtain that cast suspicion on Epstein's acquaintances.

Epstein's "black book" contained contact information for his friends, along with some of the minors he allegedly trafficked. President Donald Trump has walked back his purported friendship with Epstein, but the black book contains 14 phone numbers seemingly associated with Trump, including his executive assistant and then-houseman.

What's more, the black book is allegedly the "Golden Nugget" to unraveling the alleged sex trafficking operation, according to Epstein's former house manager Alfredo Rodriguez. Rodriguez served 18 months for obstruction of justice after he tried to sell the black book to a lawyer for Epstein's accusers, and died in 2014.

But Rodriguez circled over 50 names in the so-called "Holy Grail," including Trump's.

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Besides Clinton, Epstein made plenty of powerful friends through his suspiciously mysterious business dealings.

Besides Clinton, Epstein made plenty of powerful friends through his suspiciously mysterious business dealings.

Epstein's supposed money management firm was conducted in a bizarre manner.

According to the 2002 profile of Epstein in New York Magazine, the financier possesses no college degree and employs no analysts or portfolio managers for the clients that allegedly must entrust him with over $1 billion just to get in the door.

Epstein purportedly did any and all management himself, with 150 administrative workers, most if not all of whom appear to be young women.

Despite the secrecy of his operations, those who know Epstein are full of praise for his alleged brainpower.

Despite the secrecy of his operations, those who know Epstein are full of praise for his alleged brainpower.

In the same 2002 profile, people close to Epstein rave about his "motor brain" and him keeping up with Nobel prize winners on cutting-edge theoretical science of the 21st century.

Epstein had his own science blog, accessible through internet archives, that show pictures of scientists as notable as Stephen Hawking himself spending time with Epstein on his private island.

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Epstein called his team of female assistants "an extension" of his brain.

Epstein called his team of female assistants "an extension" of his brain.

Epstein hired only female assistants, according to a 2005 New York Times article.

His three executive assistants reportedly made more than $200,000 a year, with each required to maintain a 24/7 presence that Epstein called "an extension" of his own brain. He treated them to lavish hairstylists, take-out lunches from expensive restaurants, and even a full-time nanny, when one of his assistants became pregnant and considered maternity leave.

Epstein's Manhattan mansion, rumored to be one of the largest private residences in the city, was full of weirdness.

Epstein's Manhattan mansion, rumored to be one of the largest private residences in the city, was full of weirdness.

Epstein's Manhattan mansion has between 7 and 9 floors and at least 40 rooms, though the exact details of its floorplan are unknown. When visitors enter, they are greeted with a row of lifelike eyeballs manufactured for injured soldiers, according to a 2003 Vanity Fair piece.

It has a heated sidewalk and bizarre furnishings like the Palm Beach residence, which include a chessboard at the bottom of a staircases with pieces custom-carved to resemble Epstein's staff in promiscuous poses, according to The Times.

Epstein was neighbors with Bill Cosby at one point, who lived across the street. Also, Epstein commissioned a mural of himself in prison, a constant reminder, he told one visitor, that he could go back.

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Even after his conviction in 2008, Epstein maintained an alarming sense of humor about the crimes he committed.

Even after his conviction in 2008, Epstein maintained an alarming sense of humor about the crimes he committed.

Epstein had an off-putting sense of humor about his crimes. In 2011, he referred to the difference between a sexual predator and a sexual offender as the difference between "a murderer and a person who steals a bagel."

The financier may not have quite the same outlook now, since he faces 45 years in prison – a probable life sentence for a 66-year-old, federal prosecutors reasoned.