I think Epstein was funded by one or more state actors.
If so, that involvement would also explain why so many countries, their LE, financial regulators, and tax agencies turned a blind eye for so long.
Intel agencies, too...
It is very possible that his client list might have extended to such. But he had to start with individuals or non-state actors I think. Best I can tell, he didn't have the contacts or the organization to start at the state level (that would take someone at the George H. W. Bush level).