The new files contain a fake video that appears to show Epstein’s suicide in a Manhattan jail cell. The 12-second video was part of the tranche of new information because it was sent to the FBI in 2021 by a person asking officers if it was real.
In his email, the individual said he was documenting “a substantial cover-up of a suicide scandal” at another prison. They finished the email with: “Busting government pedophiles since 1987. Epstein was a friend of a friend (although never heard of him until after).”
The Justice Department has previously released footage of the hallway outside his cell — showing nobody entered before he was found dead. The tranche includes a chain of custody log that describes a “homemade noose”, according to the Washington Post.
‘Invisible Man’ told Maxwell: I’ll leave the girls to you
“The Invisible Man” who wrote to Maxwell about “inappropriate friends” also said to her on February 28, 2002, in response to an offer of a guided tour of Peru: “I am overwhelmed at the kindness and generosity of the offers that are being made for me. I would love to do them all but fear that there would not be enough time!”
He said that although he did not like the idea of riding on his visit to Latin America, he would like to visit archaeological sites. “As far as food is concerned I am very easy and will fit in with whatever he plans and I don’t mind what time it is at all. As for girls well I leave that entirely to you.” He concludes: “Masses of love A xxx”
Files contain ‘untrue and sensationalist’ claims about Trump
Epstein with Trump at Mar-a-Lago in 1997
DAVIDOFF STUDIOS/GETTY IMAGES
The Department of Justice wrote on X of the latest release: “Some of these documents contain untrue and sensationalist claims made against President Trump that were submitted to the FBI right before the 2020 election.
“To be clear: the claims are unfounded and false, and if they had a shred of credibility, they certainly would have been weaponised against President Trump already. Nevertheless, out of our commitment to the law and transparency, the [department] is releasing these documents with the legally required protections for Epstein’s victims.”
Epstein’s last will and testament
Among the documents released is Epstein’s will, signed in the US Virgin Islands in 2003, which stipulates that the estate’s executors should receive $100,000 each for their services.
Epstein ‘lived his life through address books’
The testimony of one former worker at Epstein’s Palm Beach mansion reveals how both he and Maxwell lived their lives through address books.
“It was a bit bigger than a big iPhone,” a former staff member writes, “very thick, and contained a lot of names”. The books, which were to be placed on the right hand side of telephones according to house rules, contained the names of “friends and employees”, the former worker said in a witness statement.
“Prince Andrew’s name was there,” the statement said. “Donald Trump‘s name was there. Each page had a name, address, company, phone numbers for different homes.”
Another document at the mansion outlined the tasks expected of domestic workers. A witness remembered “seeing this manual for the first time when a duchess from England came. She was a woman who was supposed to be royalty and supposed to teach the staff how to properly maintain a house.”
• Katy Balls: What the release of the Epstein files means for Trump — and what happens next
Emails question Maxwell’s marital status
One heavily redacted email chain from US officials who appear to have access to flight records outlines the travel plans of Maxwell’s siblings.
It says that her brother Kevin Maxwell travelled from to Boston from London in February 2020 while her other brother Ian travelled to London from Boston in December of 2017. The recipient in then asks in July 2020 for more information about Maxwell’s marital status. “Thanks very much! Somewhat related, are you able to determine whether Maxwell is married? And in particular whether she is married to Scott Borgerson?”
Ghislaine Maxwell and Scott Borgerson
Borgerson has been widely described as Maxwell’s ex-husband and is a former US Coast Guard officer and self-described “entrepreneur and climate realist” from Boston, Massachusetts. The email, however, suggests they were never married. “No problem!” one person writes. “The only Marriage license for Scott Borgerson was on 5/19/2001 to Rebecca Piorunneck. Checks for Ghislaine Maxwell (in very state) were negative.”
‘Psychopath’ Maxwell demonstrated ‘a complete lack of remorse’
Ghislaine Maxwell and Jeffrey Epstein in an image released by the justice department
US JUSTICE DEPARTMENT/REUTERS
In one email from December 2020, a statement from one of Ghislaine Maxwell’s victims was prepared for the court in her bail hearing.
The woman’s statement read: “She has lived a life of privilege, abusing her position of power to live beyond the rules. Fleeing the country in order to escape once more would fit with her long history of anti-social behavior.
“I believe that she is a psychopath … she has demonstrated a complete failure to accept to responsibility in any way for her actions and demonstrated a complete lack of remorse for her central role in procuring victims for Epstein. She was both charming and manipulative with me during the grooming process.”
Maxwell was denied a £21 million bail package, and was ultimately sentenced to 20 years in prison for conspiring with Jeffrey Epstein to sexually abuse children.
Victim ‘had nightmares about Epstein coming after her’
The latest files also revealed the impact of Epstein’s actions on victims. One email sent by an assistant US attorney in Florida on February 1, 2008, to recipients including an Alex Acosta, likely to be the attorney for southern Florida at the time, reads: “We just finished interviewing three of the girls. I wish you could have been there to see how much this has affected them.
“One girl broke down sobbing so that we had to stop the interview twice within a 20 minute span. She regained her composure enough to continue a short time, but she said that she was having nightmares about Epstein coming after her and she started to break down again, so we stopped the interview,” the email reads.
Epstein pleaded guilty to charges of soliciting a prostitute in 2008 and served 13 months in prison, in a controversial plea deal in that he avoided the more serious punishment for sex trafficking. Alexander Acosta, later President Trump’s labour secretary, has been criticised for his role in brokering the deal.
Officials tried to track down names on passports
Justice department officials sought to track down names on passports found at Epstein’s mansion.
In July of 2019, an assistant US attorney at the Southern District of New York wrote that one passport found at Epstein’s property had the name “Marius Fortelni”, who was originally from Austria but living in Southampton, New York.
“If it’s possible, could we determine Marius Fortelni’s birthday, and see if it matches up with the date on the passport? And then try to contact him and ask if he has any reason to know why a passport from his native country with his name on it would have Jeffrey Epstein’s photograph on it and be in a safe in Epstein’s mansion??”
Videos among files released by justice department
Watch: prison guards hand an object to an inmate in video released in new tranche of Epstein files
‘Factual inaccuracies’ in Andrew’s account of the past
A US attorney said public statements about Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor should not “rehash all of the various factual inaccuracies in his account of the past”, newly released emails show.
As officials sought Andrew’s co-operation in their investigation into Jeffrey Epstein, an unnamed attorney from New York told the former southern district of New York attorney Geoff Berman on June 8, 2020: “Geoff — as discussed, I’ve put together a short proposed statement responding to the press release issued by Prince Andrew’s counsel this morning.
An image of Andrew and Ghislaine Maxwell at Sandringham, with the rest of the faces redacted, was released by the Department of Justice on Friday
UU. DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE/AP
“If we do issue something in response, as you’ll see, I would recommend we keep it short and forward looking, rather than trying to rehash all of the various factual inaccuracies in his account of the past.
Andrew’s legal team had released a statement before the email in which they said he had on “at least three occasions this year offered his assistance as a witness” to the Department of Justice.
• Photo of Andrew on women’s laps was taken at Sandringham
Missed chances to stop Epstein
The authorities may have missed the chance to stop Epstein as early as 1996.
A document release on Saturday corroborated the claim of Maria Farmer that she reported Epstein to the FBI in Miami in 1996 for stealing pictures of her sisters, then aged 14 and 16, after he asked her to take photographs of young girls at swimming pools. Farmer was recorded as telling the FBI that she believed Epstein sold the photographs and threatened to “burn her house” down if she told anyone.
Farmer claimed in 2019 that she was sexually abused by Epstein and Maxwell at the home of Les Wexner, an executive at the Victoria’s Secret lingerie company. A spokesman for Wexner previously said he had “severed all ties with Epstein in 2007 and never spoke with him again” and had no knowledge of the incident Farmer alleged.
Tranche includes official communications before Epstein’s death
Before Epstein died in his prison cell in 2019 a senior US marshal in the southern district of New York wrote: “Associate Warden (AW) at MCC New York advised that Jeffrey EPSTEIN was found in his cell this morning at 0127 hours in a fetal position with a noose around his neck. EPSTEIN was escorted to medical and was assessed.”
The message continued: “EPSTEIN was initially placed on suicide watch and subsequently downgraded to suicide observation, where he currently remains. Additionally, AW advised that EPSTEIN’s cell mate reportedly threated to kill him. No further information was provided. The above incident is currently under investigation with the BOP [Bureau of Prisons].”
‘Introduce him to friends who will be discreet and fun’
In March 2002, Maxwell, writing from the address “gmaxl@mindspring.com” sends a message to “The Invisible Man”, forwarding a message she had sent an acquaintance.
“I just gave Andrew your telephone no,” she wrote to the other person. “He is interested in seeing the Nazca Lines,” she wrote, apparently referring to the archaeological site in Peru. “He can ride but it is not his favorite sport ie pass on the horses”.
Then she adds: “Some sight seeing some 2 legged sight seeing (read intelligent pretty fun and from good families) and he will be very happy. I know I can rely on you to show him a wonderful time and that you will only introduce him to friends that you can trust and rely on to be friendly and discreet and fun”. She warns the potential tour guide: “He does not want to read about any trip in the papers whom or what he saw”.
Photo of Epstein’s passport released
Pictures of Epstein’s old US passport have been released among the 11,000 documents. It was issued in February 1985 and expired in 1995.
‘Sorry, I have only been able to find appropriate friends’
A few days later Maxwell replies: “So sorry to dissapoint you, however the truth must be told. I have only been able to find appropriate friends.” She signs off her message: “Kisses Gx.”
The man responds, on August 18: “Distraught!” He then writes that he lost his valet that week. “He had been with me since I was 2,” the message says. “I am a little off balance as not only has my office been restructured, I have left the RN and now my whole life is in turmoil as I have no one to look after me. He was a real rock and almost a part of the family”. He adds: “If you have any good ideas as to how to get my mind back on track I’d be grateful for advice. See you real soon… I hope if you are coming over. A xxx”
Files include email to Maxwell ‘from Balmoral’
The latest disclosures include a series of emails written between Ghislaine Maxwell and “The Invisible Man” with the email address abx17@dial.pipex.com.
In August 2001, the man who signs his messages “A” writes to Maxwell: “I am up here at Balmoral Summer Camp for the Royal Family.” He says he is “totally exhausted”, asking Maxwell how she is. Then he writes: “How’s LA? Have you found me some new inappropriate friends? Let me know when you are coming over as I am free from 25th August until 2nd Sept and want to go somewhere hot and sunny with some fun people before having to put my nose firmly to the grindstone for the Fall”. He concludes: “Any ideas gratefully received! See ya A xxx”
Files show Epstein’s depravity
The files contain unsettling details of Epstein’s crimes and his sexual interest in young girls. A witness allegedly tasked with finding masseuses for Epstein said: “There were a few girls he wasn’t crazy about. He didn’t really like.” The witness said Epstein rejected a woman who was 23 as “too old”.
According to a handwritten note of an interview in May 2019, Epstein was “asking for ID to girl, wanted make sure under 18 b/c he wasn’t believing them b/c [redacted] messed up by bringing more older girls”.
The witness, who has identified herself as Marina Lacerda, noted that: “JE [Epstein] didn’t want Spanish or dark girl[s]”. Lacerda, now 37, told the Daily Telegraph that Epstein stopped abusing her when she was 16 or 17 because she was too old and not bringing him girls who were young enough.
Release follows trove detailing allegations against Epstein
A photograph of Ghislaine Maxwell and Jeffrey Epstein released by the US Department of Justice
US DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE/AP
Lurid allegations against Jeffrey Epstein were set out in a previous trove of thousands of documents released by the US Department of Justice.
The release will intensify scrutiny of the network of powerful men cultivated by the paedophile financier. The set released today contains an even larger number of files.
Among the revelations detailed in the documents released are files showing the tycoon insisted that identity checks to ensure those sent to perform massages and sex acts were of school age and met other specific demands including being “thin and blonde”.
A grand jury interview with an FBI agent in May 2007 included the claim that a 15-year-old girl was recruited to give “topless” massages to Epstein.
The agent said the witness recruited other masseurs and “Epstein liked girls like her, which is thin and blonde and attractive”.
Thousands of Epstein files released
The US Department of Justice has released the largest tranche of files relating to the convicted sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein so far.
The release follows a law passed by Congress that mandates the release of all the files by Friday.
This latest batch contains thousands of documents as well as images and other investigative material.