Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell at Balmoral Estate in Scotland (Image: U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York)
The U.K. was rocked by a major political and legal bombshell when, on Thursday, February 19, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, the former Prince Andrew, was arrested on suspicion of misconduct. The arrest was connected to the Epstein files and the disclosure of e-mails exchanged between Mountbatten-Windsor and the late billionaire financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, inspiring many American reporters to ask why the Epstein files had not led to high-profile arrests in the United States.
Only one Epstein associate, Ghislaine Maxwell, was prosecuted in the United States for her role in his crimes. And she is presently serving a 20-year sentence in federal prison.
The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) has released thousands of Epstein-related files in 2026, albeit with redactions. And former federal prosecutor Ankush Khardori, in an article published by Politico on March 11, offers some reasons why those files, so far, have not led to any indictments or prosecutions.
"The release of the Epstein files was supposed to quell the controversy over whether the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein committed (crimes) with a host of wealthy, prominent men," Khardori explains. "But more than a month after the release, something like the opposite has happened. A variety of public figures in the U.S. have incurred professional and reputational consequences as a result of socializing with Epstein after his 2008 conviction[.]"
Khardori goes on to argue that Americans "should brace themselves for the very real prospect that there will be no more credible criminal prosecutions in the U.S. in the wake of the Epstein files release."
"This would disappoint many people, but the reality is that thus far, there has been no compelling evidence that the Justice Department failed to charge someone involved in Epstein's (crimes) who should have been charged," Khardori writes. "... This could change as more files are released, more redactions are removed or perhaps if compelling new evidence somehow emerges, but this appears to be the state of play at the moment."
The former DOJ prosecutor adds, "The public has obvious reason to be skeptical of the Trump Justice Department, but even if the DOJ did end up launching new Epstein-related prosecutions, it would represent a remarkable reversal."
According to Khardori, a DOJ internal memo prepared in late 2019 gave little or no reason to expect a lot of Epstein-related prosecutions.
"The prosecutors' findings are consistent with what other media outlets have reported based on their review of the files to date," Khardori observes. "... The one undeniable conclusion from this very sad saga is that we should significantly increase funding of federal law enforcement efforts to combat sex crimes involving both minor and adult victims. But as the Epstein frenzy continues to unfold, few in Washington seem interested in having that conversation."