After his dismissal from the school in , he entered the banking and finance sector, working at Bear Stearns in various roles before starting his own firm. Epstein cultivated an elite social circle and procured many women and children whom he and his associates sexually abused. In , police in Palm Beach, Florida , began investigating Epstein after a parent reported that he had sexually abused her year-old daughter.
Federal officials identified 36 girls, some as young as 14 years old, whom Epstein had allegedly sexually abused. Epstein was arrested again on July 6, , on federal charges for the sex trafficking of minors in Florida and New York. His parents Pauline "Paula" Stolofsky — and Seymour George Epstein — were Jewish and had married in shortly before his birth. Epstein was referred to as "Bear" by his parents while Mark was known as "Puggie".
Neighbors described the Epstein family as being, "so gentle, the most gentle people". Epstein attended local public schools, first attending Public School , and then Mark Twain Junior High School nearby and usually earned money by tutoring classmates.
Acquaintances considered Epstein "sweet and generous", although "quiet and nerdy", and nicknamed him "Eppy". Epstein started working in September as a physics and mathematics teacher for teens at the Dalton School on the Upper East Side of Manhattan. Epstein allegedly showed inappropriate behavior toward underage female students at the time, paying them constant attention, and even showing up at a party where young people were drinking, according to a former student.
Eventually, Epstein became acquainted with Alan Greenberg , the chief executive officer of Bear Stearns , whose son and daughter were attending the school. Greenberg's daughter, Lynne Koeppel, pointed to a parent-teacher conference where Epstein influenced another Dalton parent into advocating for him to Greenberg.
