Maybe Epstein was the bait. They could have protected him if they were serious about it. You can learn a lot about your enemy if you can watch them pull off an operation like that, while recording the evidence and tracking the comms.

The only reason Epstein would be of value to the DS is because he was smart about hiding evidence in places that would only be exposed after his death. I doubt that would save him for long.

If the white hats grabbed him, it would be because there's more evidence they want, or to testify in court (plea deal).