Jeffrey Epstein, a billionaire financier and former friend of the Duke of York, Donald Trump and Bill Clinton, has been charged with sex trafficking, according to reports in the US.

Epstein, 66, was arrested by FBI officers on Saturday, the New York Police Department confirmed. He was apprehended when his private jet landed at Teterboro Airport in New Jersey following a trip to Paris.

According to the Federal Bureau of Prisons website, Epstein is currently being held at the Metropolitan Correctional Centre in Manhattan.

He is due to appear before a federal magistrate on Monday to face charges dating back to the 2000s.

The latest allegations come more than a decade after Epstein avoided federal criminal charges under a plea deal which faced considerable criticism.

Under the 2007 plea agreement, Epstein was allowed to plead guilty to lesser state charges of soliciting and procuring a person under 18 for prostitution.

Epstein, who potentially faced a life sentence, was jailed for 13 months and registered as a sex offender. He was also required to compensate his victims.

It is unclear whether the latest allegations involve the same victims cited in the original prosecution.

While imprisoned at the Palm Beach County Stockade, Epstein was allowed to work six days a week at his office, the New York Times reported.