Jeffrey Epstein liked to stack the meetings at his 71st Street townhouse — one of Manhattan’s largest private homes — so that a visitor might encounter writer Deepak Chopra on the way in and Israeli politician Ehud Barak or the former Miss Sweden on the way out.
In between, they could expect Mr Epstein to take phone calls with Larry Summers, Woody Allen and other notables from his eclectic universe. The conversation might range from currencies to Saudi gossip and private jet decor.
Behind his desk sat framed photos of powerful friends that Mr Epstein, a Coney Island native and college dropout, had collected: Donald Trump, Bill Clinton, Steve Bannon and an arm-in-arm portrait with his latest prize, Mohammed bin Salman, the Saudi crown prince.