The long-running scandal surrounding disgraced financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein deepened on Tuesday following the release of a cache of previously unseen documents by The New York Times. The publication includes a trove of private letters from high-profile individuals and unreleased photographs taken inside Epstein’s Manhattan mansion.
The letters, reportedly compiled as a birthday gift for Epstein’s 63rd birthday in 2016, were written by several powerful and influential figures. Their release has reignited intense scrutiny and speculation over Donald Trump’s connections to Epstein, whose 2019 death in a New York jail remains the subject of widespread controversy.
One such letter, written by former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak and his wife, included the line: “There is no limit to your curiosity.”
“To many, you remain an enigma, yet you seem to know everything about everyone,” one letter read, referring to Epstein as “a collector of people.”
It continued: “Wishing you a long, healthy life and hoping that all of us, your friends, can continue to gather around your table for many years ahead.”
In another note, filmmaker Woody Allen reflected on the dinners hosted at Epstein’s Upper East Side residence, describing them as “consistently engaging.” He mentioned that the guest list often featured “politicians, scientists, educators, magicians, comedians, intellectuals, journalists,” and “even members of royalty.”
Allen further remarked that the evenings were “well organized”: “I say well organized — sometimes the service was handled by a professional houseman, and at other times by several young women,” comparing the scene to “Castle Dracula, where Lugosi is served by three female vampires.”
Other individuals who reportedly contributed letters include media tycoon Mortimer Zuckerman; Noam Chomsky and his wife; Joichi Ito, former director of the MIT Media Lab; physicist Lawrence M. Krauss; and Harvard scholar Martin Nowak, a biologist and mathematician.
Allen, Ito, Zuckerman, and Nowak did not respond to the New York Times’ requests for comment. Ehud Barak reportedly declined to comment, while Noam Chomsky’s wife replied on his behalf, also choosing not to provide a statement.
Lawrence M. Krauss told the Times that he did not recall writing the letter but acknowledged attending “several lunches with very interesting discussions” at Epstein’s residence, alongside scientists, authors, and other guests.
In addition to the letters, the New York Times also released a series of photographs taken inside Jeffrey Epstein’s seven-story Manhattan mansion.
Images from his office revealed a taxidermied tiger and what appeared to be a green first-edition copy of Lolita. The controversial 1955 novel tells the story of a middle-aged man’s sexual obsession with, and abuse of, a 12-year-old girl. The Times reported that the book was “prominently displayed.”
Footage also showed surveillance cameras positioned in Epstein’s bedroom and in an adjoining space. Within the so-called “massage room,” where numerous underage victims alleged they were sexually abused, the Times described disturbing items including paintings of nude women, shelves stocked with lubricant, and a large silver ball and chain.
Elsewhere in the house, dozens of framed photographs show Epstein pictured alongside longtime associate Ghislaine Maxwell, who is currently serving a 20-year prison sentence for sex trafficking. They also pictured Epstein with notable figures such as Pope John Paul II, Mick Jagger, Elon Musk, Fidel Castro, Bill Clinton, Larry Summers, Richard Branson, Saudi Arabia crown prince Mohammed bin Salman and former Trump White House adviser, Steve Bannon.
One frame also displayed a dollar bill signed by Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates with the message “I was wrong!” which the Times said was “possibly as payment of a bet”.
The Times also reported that the home’s entryway featured framed prosthetic eyeballs, and that a suspended sculpture of a woman wearing a bridal gown and clutching a rope hung in the central atrium.
According to the Times, a map of Israel drawn on a chalkboard that had the signature of former Israeli prime minister Barak was also in the home.
Epstein died in federal custody in 2019 while awaiting trial on federal sex-trafficking charges. His death was ruled a suicide.
The renewed scrutiny into Epstein’s case comes as Trump and members of his administration had repeatedly vowed to release information related to the Epstein investigations.
But in July, the administration reversed course, and the justice department announced it would not release any further documents or details regarding the case, prompting bipartisan outrage, including from Trump supporters and conservative media figures.
Epstein’s case has long been the subject of countless conspiracy theories, in part due to his ties to powerful people. His 2019 suicide has also fueled conspiracy theories for years.
The justice department’s recent announcement also reignited scrutiny of Trump’s years-long friendship with Epstein.
In July, the Wall Street Journal reported that Donald Trump allegedly contributed a birthday card to Jeffrey Epstein as part of a 50th birthday album organized by Ghislaine Maxwell in 2003.
According to the report, Trump’s card included a sketch of a naked woman along with his signature. Trump denied the allegation and subsequently filed a libel lawsuit against the Journal.
Approximately a week later, the Journal published a follow-up report stating that Justice Department officials had informed Trump earlier this year that his name appeared in the Epstein case files. The article clarified that being named in the documents does not imply any wrongdoing. A Trump spokesperson dismissed the claim, referring to it as “fake news.”
Amid rising public pressure, the Justice Department dispatched Todd Blanche, the Deputy Attorney General and one of Trump’s former attorneys, to meet with Maxwell in late July. The purpose of the meeting was to determine whether she possessed any information regarding individuals who may have committed crimes against victims.
The meeting took place behind closed doors and lasted two days. By Friday, Maxwell was transferred from a Florida prison to a lower-security facility in Texas.
