The seven-story limestone townhouse at 9 East 71st Street, just steps from Fifth Avenue on Manhattan's Upper East Side, stands as one of the most significant addresses in the Jeffrey Epstein case. Originally constructed in the 1930s for Herbert N. Straus, an heir to the Macy's department store fortune, the approximately 28,000-square-foot residence is one of the largest private homes in all of Manhattan, comprising roughly 40 rooms across its seven floors.

The property changed hands several times before retail billionaire Les Wexner, founder of The Limited and parent company of Victoria's Secret, purchased it in 1989 for approximately $13.2 million. Wexner undertook an extensive renovation to restore the former Birch Wathen School building into a single-family residence, reportedly spending tens of millions on the conversion. It was during this period that Jeffrey Epstein cultivated his role as Wexner's personal financial advisor.

In 1998, the townhouse was transferred from Wexner to Epstein under circumstances that remain heavily scrutinized. Property records suggest the mansion may have been transferred for as little as $0. Wexner later stated through a spokesperson that Epstein had 'misappropriated vast sums of money' from him, though he did not publicly detail the terms of the real estate transfer. By 2019, the property was valued at approximately $56 million.

Witnesses and former employees described the interior as both opulent and deeply unsettling. Among the widely reported details: a mural depicting Epstein in a prison setting painted before any legal troubles, a stuffed tiger, rows of framed eyeballs sourced from a British hospital, and walls lined with photographs of Epstein alongside prominent figures from politics, entertainment, science, and finance. Testimony from victims and employees described a 'massage room' on the upper floors where documented abuse took place.

On July 6, 2019 — one day after Epstein's arrest at Teterboro Airport — FBI agents executed a search warrant at the townhouse. The raid, conducted by the Public Corruption Unit of the Southern District of New York, uncovered a locked safe in a closet off the master bedroom. Inside, agents found compact discs individually labeled with handwritten names, loose diamonds, cash in multiple currencies, and an expired Saudi Arabian passport bearing Epstein's photograph under a different name.

Agents also discovered what prosecutors described as 'hundreds — and perhaps thousands — of sexually suggestive photographs of fully or partially nude females,' some depicting apparent minors. These materials, found on CDs and in hard copy throughout the residence, formed the backbone of the federal indictment. The safe's contents — particularly the fake passport, diamonds, and cash — were cited by prosecutors as evidence of flight risk during Epstein's bail hearing, which Judge Richard Berman denied on July 18, 2019.

Following Epstein's death on August 10, 2019, the townhouse was sold in March 2021 for approximately $51 million to a buyer connected to former Goldman Sachs executive Michael Daffey. Proceeds were directed to the Epstein Victims' Compensation Fund, which ultimately paid out over $121 million to more than 135 survivors before closing in August 2021. Evidence seized from the residence was central to both United States v. Epstein (19-cr-490) and the subsequent prosecution of Ghislaine Maxwell (20-cr-330).