International Assets Group Inc. was a financial consulting firm founded by Jeffrey Epstein in 1982, operating from his East 66th Street apartment in Manhattan. The firm represented Epstein's first independent venture after leaving Bear Stearns in 1981 amid insider-trading scrutiny. Epstein positioned himself as a "financial bounty hunter" offering offshore banking, tax optimization, and asset recovery services to ultra-wealthy clients.

Epstein founded International Assets Group after leaving Bear Stearns in 1981 under insider trading suspicion involving Seagrams-St. Joe Mineral merger talks. The firm operated in a regulatory gray zone; Epstein did not formally register as a money manager until 1988.

In 1982, Michael R. Stroll sued Epstein over a $450,000 investment for purported oil deals. Epstein claimed the money was for a horse purchase. Stroll lost the lawsuit, demonstrating Epstein's early pattern of taking large sums for vague investments with conflicting explanations.

During 1983-1984, Epstein met Steven Hoffenberg in London. By 1987, Epstein partnered with Hoffenberg at Towers Financial Corporation and directed failed takeover bids for Pan Am Airways (1987) and Emery Air Freight (1988). Hoffenberg later operated one of the largest Ponzi schemes in U.S. history; while Epstein was never charged, Hoffenberg claimed Epstein was deeply involved.

International Assets Group was subject to SEC enforcement action, though details remain unclear. By the late 1980s, Epstein cultivated his relationship with Leslie Wexner, eventually gaining power of attorney over Wexner's finances. As the Wexner relationship deepened, International Assets Group became obsolete.

Sources

Court filings in Michael R. Stroll v. Jeffrey Epstein (1982); Court filings related to Steven Hoffenberg and Towers Financial Corporation; SEC enforcement records; Vanity Fair investigative reporting on Epstein's early career; New York Times coverage of Epstein-Wexner relationship