Questions Grow Over Ashley Moody’s Handling of the Epstein Investigation (10/16/26)
As Florida attorney general, Ashley Moody opened an investigation in August 2019 into the Palm Beach County work-release arrangement that allowed Jeffrey Epstein to leave jail for up to 16 hours a day while serving his sentence. Within days, Moody said her office could find no judicial order authorizing that work release, yet the investigation dragged on for nearly two years and ultimately concluded in May 2021 without finding misconduct by the sheriff’s office or prosecutors. That conclusion has aged badly. Later records showed that at least five women told investigators they had sexual encounters with Epstein while he was supposedly on work release, including at his West Palm Beach office and even in a car outside the jail. Former FBI agent Stuart Kaplan criticized the Florida probe for failing to use search warrants, subpoenas or a grand jury, arguing that investigators appeared to rely largely on the voluntary cooperation and memories of people involved Now, as Moody campaigns for a full Senate term in Florida, Drop Site reports that donors with documented ties to Epstein have poured at least $50,000 into her political operation. Douglas Band gave $14,000, Stephen Schwarzman $12,000, John Catsimatidis $10,000, and Marc Rowan and Ronald Lauder $7,000 each. The article also points to Moody’s later record on Epstein-related transparency: in 2025 she cast the deciding vote to table an amendment that would have required the Justice Department to release Epstein-related documents, and in 2026 she defended Todd Blanche during his confirmation hearing despite criticism of DOJ’s handling of the files. The broader picture is politically damaging because Moody once oversaw a state investigation that found no wrongdoing in one of the most notorious aspects of Epstein’s lenient treatment, and she is now receiving substantial support from wealthy figures who themselves appear in the broader Epstein record. to contact me: [email protected] source: After Ashley Moody Epstein Probe, Donors Linked to Him Poured Money Into her Senate Campaign