Epstein sought money, power and women across Africa, Miami Herald reports
Before his 2019 death, Jeffrey Epstein built connections across Africa’s elite, trying to amass money, power, and women, according to a Miami Herald investigation. He supported a former Senegalese president’s son, pursued ties with Libya’s Gaddafi, and sought young women—preferably under 25 and white—saying he would pay travel expenses but “not the dark one.”
Jeffrey Epstein, the convicted sex offender who died in a Manhattan jail cell in 2019, cultivated connections across Africa’s political and business elite in an effort to accumulate money, power, and women, the Miami Herald reported on Wednesday. When Senegal investigated former President Abdoulaye Wade’s son Karim for corruption, Epstein provided support from his Palm Beach mansion and funded extensive legal efforts, including hiring a top US law firm to lobby for his release. After Karim Wade was released from prison, Epstein wrote: “Very glad to have you back… we can share incarceration stories.”
Ties to Gaddafi and mining deals
Epstein also pursued ties with Libya’s Muammar Gaddafi in 2010, later shifting to anti-regime figures as Gaddafi’s power faded. In 2018, he advised a Nigerian-born businessman seeking a mining deal affected by US sanctions, suggesting that a meeting with the Treasury Department could help “structure around” restrictions. On at least two occasions, Epstein sought women to be sent to him, stating “I prefer under 25.” In an email to a European modeling scout with South African contacts, he explicitly offered to cover travel expenses but said “not the dark one.”
Support for Karim Wade
Epstein’s ties to Karim Wade began in 2010 and included introductions to global financiers and hospitality at Epstein’s properties. After Wade was accused of amassing $1.4 billion and imprisoned, Epstein offered his Palm Beach home to the family and funded legal lobbying. In 2016, he wrote “I want my friend back.” Wade was pardoned later that year after serving three years. For Türkiye, which has no known direct connections to Epstein, the report serves as a reminder of how global sex trafficking networks can operate through elite connections. Turkish authorities have increased cooperation with Interpol and the FBI on human trafficking cases.
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