John Harwood asked Julie K. Brown to describe the network of lawyers, financiers, and high profile individuals who were involved in Jeffrey Epstein’s sex trafficking scheme. —Dena Porter 
Podcaster and former CNN White House Correspondent John Harwood and Miami Herald investigative reporter Julie K. Brown. —Dena Porter 
The discussion of the Jeffrey Epstein story held the audience’s attention. —Dena Porter 
The Martha’s Vineyard Hebrew Center’s Summer Institute co chairs Jim Dale and Marc Levine welcomed the audience to the conversation. —Dena Porter 
Miami Herald investigative reporter Julie K. Brown. —Dena Porter 
The audience gasped upon hearing some of the details of the Jeffrey Epstein sex trafficking case. —Dena Porter 
John Harwood asked Julie K. Brown to share how Jeffrey Epstein was able to develop his network of sex trafficking underage girls. —Dena Porter 
Podcaster and former CNN White House Correspondent John Harwood listented intently to questions from the audience. —Dena Porter 
Members of the audience queued up to ask Julie K. Brown and John Harwood questions. —Dena Porter
The Summer Institute, held at the Hebrew Center, hosts speakers from the frontlines of politics, economics, science, and the arts. Featured speakers have included Nobel laureates, Pulitzer Prizewinning authors and journalists, and political leaders who have played important roles on the world stage. And that tradition continues for 2026.
“It’s been 27 years of success,” said Summer Speaker Series co-chair, Marc Levine. “The success of it is partly due to the reputation of the people we’ve had. People see the caliber of the previous speakers and say ‘wow.’”
The Speaker Series began in 1999, when founder Stanley Snider created the forum for the community. The presentations are live, but are also available through Zoom, for any sponsors or Hebrew Center member ticket holders unable to attend.
On the night I attended, former CNN White House Correspondent John Harwood was in conversation with Miami Herald investigative reporter Julie K. Brown, who exposed the Jeffrey Epstein sex trafficking story and was awarded a Pulitzer Prize Special Citation for her work.
The Hebrew Center was nearly at capacity — only one vacant seat left. “When I asked John who he’d suggest, he immediately said, ‘Julie Brown.’ Julie tracked down 80 accusers and found eight victims willing to open up,” said second co-chair Jim Dale in his introduction.
Brown wrote a book, “Perversion of Justice: The Jeffrey Epstein Story,” in 2021, and in 2026 she won the Pulitzer Prize for her tenacious work as a journalist. Her 2017 and 2018 reporting was cited at the awards ceremony.
Harwood started the evening off by asking Brown how her investigation began. “The story was always a big question mark to me. He (Epstein) had gotten a sweetheart deal back in 2008. It became a bit of a celebrity story. He had gotten away with a crime. No one knew how or why he got away with it, or what went wrong in the criminal justice system. I looked at it like a cold case detective and started from scratch.”
Epstein was arrested in 2006 and then released after serving only part of his sentence in 2009. In 2008, former U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida Alex Acosta approved a secret nonprosecution agreement for Epstein, which allowed him to plead guilty to state prostitution charges and avoid federal prosecution for sex trafficking. This deal allowed Epstein work-release privileges. He was allowed to leave his cell for up to 12 hours, six days a week, to go to his office and work, and was reportedly separated from the general jail population.
“He was given a fake office in his lawyer’s suite,” Brown said. “He had his own valet who picked him up to go to his office. Women were allowed to come in and out. It was incredible what he got away with. Acosta said there wasn’t enough evidence, but someone told him to stand down,” Brown said.
Brown shared that the methods Epstein used to build his sex trafficking network became clear as she read through the files. “He targeted girls from broken homes, girls who were homeless … he made them believe he would help them ‘make it,’ or help them. He told one girl whose mother had cancer that he’d pay for her mother’s treatments. As these girls got older, he lost interest in them, and began trafficking them to other men.”
Brown said that many of the survivors are fearful to come forward. “Epstein had very powerful people helping him. A lot of the victims looked at Virginia Giuffre’s suffering, and didn’t want to go through it. Some have families and just want to move on.”
Harwood asked Brown if she was still discovering more information on Epstein. “I think the story will outlive me. I have a whole list of stories around this. Including Epstein’s death. Like the prison guard. He had been indicted for extortion.” Brown wondered why a guard indicted for extortion would be responsible for monitoring Epstein.
The prison guards on duty when Epstein died were Tova Noel and Michael Thomas. According to PBS, prosecutors accused Noel and Thomas of faking jail logs to make it look like they checked on Epstein every 30 minutes, but video surveillance showed they left his wing unmonitored for about eight hours. The guards received 100 hours of community service and supervised release. The criminal charges were officially dismissed.
When asked if she thought Epstein’s death was a suicide, Brown said, “He had butlers tying his shoes every day. I don’t think he was capable of killing himself.”
Though there are thousands of sex trafficking victims, it is a worldwide network, making the exact number of victims unknown. “I still get tons of emails from both Epstein survivors and other sex-trafficking victims every day,” Brown said. “Even if I can’t help them, I answer every email. They want someone to hear them.”
The Summer Speaker series continues through August 13. To see the list of speakers, visit mvsummerinstitute.org/2026-speakers.