Tonya Mosley

You know, when you look at the fact that the Justice Department says there likely won't be charges filed from this.

In 2007, U.S.

Attorney Alex Acosta offered Epstein a deal.

Plea to state prostitution charges, serve 18 months in a county jail.

He served 13 months in a county jail.

with work release six days a week, and he had to register as a sex offender.

I just wanted to lay that out for people on what you're talking about.

Our guest today is journalist Vicki Ward, one of the first reporters to investigate Jeffrey Epstein.

We'll continue our conversation after a short break.

I'm Tanya Mosley, and this is Fresh Air.

This is Fresh Air.

I'm Tanya Mosley, and my guest today is journalist Vicki Ward.

She's an author and investigative reporter, a former CNN senior reporter, and for more than a decade, she was a contributing editor at Vanity Fair.

Ward was one of the first journalists to seriously dig into Jeffrey Epstein's world in 2003, and she later said that some of the most troubling allegations she uncovered never made it to print.

Ward is also the host and co-producer of the investigative series Chasing Ghislaine, about Epstein's associate Ghislaine Maxwell.

And she writes the Substack newsletter, Vicki Ward Investigates.

Our interview was recorded yesterday.

I want to go back to where your part of this story begins.

We're in 2002 now.

You're a contributing editor at Vanity Fair assigned to profile Jeffrey Epstein.