The news has given very little coverage to the Jeffrey Epstein story. In fact, the only thing I had ever heard of him was from YouTube. Hyperbolic tales of Pizzagate and the Lolita Express seemed too shocking to actually be real. The book Filthy Rich: A Powerful Billionaire, the Sex Scandal that Undid Him, and All the Justice that Money Can Buy: The Shocking True Story of Jeffrey Epstein by James Patterson and John Connally gives a bit more detailthe fact that there was no happiness to be found. It seems that each success was simply an introduction to another struggle.

Because the book cover doesn’t show his mugshot clearly.

This book is a cautionary tale on a few fronts. 1 – that there are indeed predators out there who not only feel above the law, but in actuality may be. 2 – that truth and justice do not really factor into our legal system when the wealthy are involved. 3 – (the most obvious) that the news media, doesn’t touch the stories of those who own the media.

Once you peel away all the YouTube allusions to the Illuminati and the “wealthy elite,” this is really just a story of a sexual predator. His money allowed him to get away with it longer. His status above his victims muffled opportunities for them to speak out or even be given credibility when they did. He was ultimately only given a slap on the wrist with no real consequences. It is a tale of absolute power corrupting absolutely.

If you want to feel bad about your strata of society, read it. If you want to get real data on the case, read it. If you want to see the trouble with prosecuting predators like Epstein, read it. At the end of the day though, a 30 minute video on YouTube will likely give you most the info and righteous indigence. This book may just leave you depressed.

by Chris Doelle