Billionaire financier Jeffrey Epstein has been arrested over sex-trafficking allegations, US officials have said.

The hedge fund manager was arrested on Saturday in New York on charges relating to claims dating back to the 2000s.

An official told the Associated Press that Epstein was accused of paying underage girls for massages and molesting them at his homes in Florida and New York.

The American suspect, who once counted Bill Clinton, Donald Trump and Prince Andrew among his friends, is now being held in custody.

Image: Epstein used to attend social events with US President Donald Trump. File Pic

Epstein is expected to appear in court in Manhattan on Monday.


His lawyer did not immediately comment on the arrest.

US media reports say he had been flying between Paris and the US, and was arrested when he arrived in New York.

The arrest comes amid renewed scrutiny of a once-secret plea deal with Florida authorities that ended a federal investigation against him.

In 2007, Epstein avoided life in prison by admitting charges of soliciting and procuring a person under 18 for prostitution.

He was sentenced to 13 months in jail and required to pay his once-teenage victims, as well as register as a sex offender.