theories on how Epstein become a billionaire:
1.Blackmail
They agree to invest, and maybe donāt demand a return on their investment. Problem: There canāt be that many billionaires interested in underage sex. And if there were, it would be very hard to blackmail that many of them and get away with it without someone blowing the whistle or retaliating in, um, other ways. Itās a pretty confrontational lifestyle ⦠Plus: Why would Epstein want to have parties filled with boring businessmen when he could have parties filled with movie stars, directors, Nobel physicists and other celebrities (who arenāt typically rich enough to be lucrative blackmail targets). Caveat: Iām not saying Epstein didnāt collect kompromat in his CD collection. Always comes in handy. Iām saying if he did itās probably not how he got his money.
2.
Maitre Dā of a sex club: In this, seemingly more plausible theory, rich people arenāt blackmailed into giving Epstein money. Theyāve voluntarily set him up to
look rich while he procures young women (and men?) for them.
Problem: Seems like a lot for a rich person to pay just to get laid, unless Epstein could somehow spread the cost over a (secret) subscriber list the size of Joe Roganās. If heās catering to niche tastesāeg.
ātweens and teensā ā how many ultra-rich people are there who are also into that?
3.
Ponzi Scheme: Theory given credence by Epsteinās
association with Steven Hoffenberg, an actual convicted Ponzi schemer whom Epstein worked for, and who has since accused Epstein of being ātotally in the mixā of his fraud.
Problem: Ponzi schemes need to attract a constant stream of new investors (their money is then used to pay the āreturnsā to earlier investors). When they donāt get new recruits, they die. Is there any evidence that Epstein was desperately drumming up new (sucker) investors? Maybe he got his initial nest egg from Hoffenberg (as some, such as
Entylawyer, have claimed). But after that, this seems an unlikely fortune-builder.
4,
Money Laundering: You can make a lot of money laundering money ā 10% of the amount laundered or more, they say. Until recently, Epstein
had a working relationship with Deutsche Bank, which has some
experience in this lucrative specialty. The main problem with this (unproven) money laundering scenario, as far as the sensational Epstein scandal goes, is that itās wildly boring.