Jeffrey Epstein’s Investment Strategy Revealed: Tech Stocks Were His Primary Focus

Tech stocks dominated the portfolio of the infamous financier—a revelation that adds another layer to his complex legacy.

The Silicon Valley Connection

Documents show Epstein consistently funneled capital into technology equities while maintaining his controversial network. No crypto holdings appear in available records—a curious omission given his appetite for high-risk, high-reward assets.

Pattern Recognition

His strategy mirrored early tech VC playbooks: identify disruptive sectors, leverage connections, and accumulate positions before mainstream adoption. The approach generated substantial paper wealth while attracting precisely the kind of attention that eventually unraveled everything.

Legacy of Contradiction

Epstein's tech focus underscores a persistent Wall Street truth: brilliant strategy and moral bankruptcy often share portfolio space. His missing crypto bets? Perhaps even he recognized some frontiers remain too wild for traditional finance's darker corners—or maybe he just died before getting the memo about digital gold.

Jeffrey Epstein focused mostly on tech stocks

In 2017, Barrett proposed creating a New York-based family office to manage Epstein’s money directly. He founded Alpha Group Capital, a multi-family office that traded stocks, bonds, derivatives, foreign exchange, and IPOs on Epstein’s behalf. 

Under the advisory agreement, Barrett was granted trading authority across asset classes with defined position limits and was set to earn roughly $500,000 per year. He later claimed a two-year deal worth about $1.1 million.

In an email chain the following year, a senior banker noted that “Paul Barrett manages money for Jeffrey Epstein” and trades “across asset classes”. Epstein was focused on technology stocks and had owned a large stake in Apple for several years, the banker added. 

His portfolio also had shares in Apollo Global Management, a firm closely linked to Epstein through its co-founder Leon Black. In October 2017, Barrett told Epstein that Alpha Group held $8.4 million in stock, with gains of about $3.4 million.  

Barrett also traded currency options, credit derivatives, interest-rate swaps, and bonds, executing trades primarily through Deutsche Bank, where he had limited power of attorney over several Epstein-linked accounts. Barrett pitched trade ideas to Epstein, such as a 2018 proposal to buy $3mn of bonds in the heavily indebted French grocer Casino.

In some instances, Epstein suggested trades to Barrett that he then executed. For instance, in June 2018, he requested to buy 25,000 shares apiece of online car dealership Carvana and Canadian plane manufacturer Bombardier. 

Besides stock markets, Epstein invested in crypto. As reported by Cryptopolitan, Epstein put $3 million into Coinbase in December 2014. The deal came through connections with Brock Pierce, who helped create Tether, and his investment company, Blockchain Capital.

Barrett winds down Epstein-linked firm to join Citigroup

Paul Barrett later acknowledged that profits fell short of expectations. He reported gains of roughly $126,000 early on, about $150,000 in 2018, and around $315,000  between October 2017 and September 2018. “I walked away from all my JPM stock and now my annual compensation is reduced by 66% until I can sign more clients,” Barrett wrote.

These underwhelming results appeared to strain the relationship, with Epstein becoming increasingly unresponsive. Barrett continued to operate on Epstein’s behalf in early 2019. The trader sent a $29,000 invoice for a “monthly management fee” to the financier’s longtime accountant, Richard Kahn, in May 2019.

The partnership effectively unraveled by late 2018, though records suggest Barrett continued operating on Epstein’s behalf into early 2019. Shortly afterward, Barrett accepted a senior role at Citigroup. 

Barrett terminated the SEC registration for Alpha Group the following month, weeks after Epstein died in federal prison while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges. In its final statement to the SEC in January 2019, Alpha Group disclosed that it managed $252 million on behalf of 25 high-net-worth individuals. 

Citi later claimed it only became aware of Barrett’s deep involvement with Epstein shortly before terminating him in 2023 due to reputational risk.

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