In the decades before the 1870s, wealthy men had legal access to enslaved women, as the rape of a slave wasn’t a crime. The protection of wealthy men was no different then as it is now, where an Epstein client list has yet to see the light of day. Social workers and juvenile courts document cases involving wealthy benefactors exploiting minors, but records are sealed or anonymized. Investigative journalists begin uncovering cases involving political donors and entertainment figures, but editors kill stories to avoid libel suits. Law enforcement agencies face criticism for lenient plea deals and deferred prosecutions involving elite defendants.