This is a good point. To a normal heterosexual male, there's no reason to prefer the 17 year old girl in that pic over a slightly older (but legal) girl. And on the flip side, actual pedos wouldn't like the 17 year old either.  So what was the purpose of going below that age-of-consent line? My guess is, the only purpose was to corrupt and thereby control people, in this case the prince. My guess is, before Epstien was famous, he would show up at a party or invite you to a party, and he'd have a couple of twenty-something 10/10 victoria's secret models in tow (you're aware, I'm sure of the connection between him and VS). At some point he would let you know that if you're interested, he can arrange for you to fuck one of the models. This is all perfectly legal so what heterosexual male would turn this down?  The next time you see Epstein, the girl would be much younger, and you might have some concerns (you're not fully corrupted). No problem, they'll let you check her ID. See? She's 18. No problem. Have fun. By the third time, this would all seem normal and you wouldn't even bother to ask her age. She's plausibly 18, and you're thinking Epstein wouldn't take the risk of going younger, so everything is still okay. This is where they've got you. They reveal her real age and let you know that you're a sex offender, but don't worry, they wont tell anyone so long as you are willing to do a favor now and then.