A federal judge in New York ordered this Wednesday to publish a suicide note allegedly written by pedophile Jeffrey Epstein and found by his cellmate in the cell where he died under federal custody in 2019, while awaiting trial for sex trafficking offenses. The evidence has remained under seal since then, alongside the emergence of multiple theories about the truthfulness of his suicide.
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“I was investigated for months, THEY FOUND NOTHING!!” the note begins, adding that he was pursued for crimes committed “16 years ago.” It continues: “It is a privilege to be able to choose the moment to say goodbye. What do you want me to do, cry? IT’S NOT FUNNY, IT’S NOT WORTH IT!!”
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The existence of this document was revealed last week by The New York Times, whose investigation was based on veiled references appearing in the millions of pages of Epstein’s files, published this year by the Department of Justice. The American newspaper requested the federal judge, Kenneth Karas of New York, to declassify the document and the context in which it was found.
The document was found by Nicholas Tartaglione, Epstein’s former cellmate at the Manhattan correctional center, who gave the note to his lawyers after an incident in July 2019, when Epstein was found unconscious with a strip of cloth around his neck. The financier survived that alleged suicide attempt, but weeks later was found dead in the same cell.
Tartaglione, a former police officer, shared a cell with Epstein while awaiting trial for a quadruple murder case. He claimed to have found the note in a graphic novel after the financier’s apparent suicide attempt. After the incident, Epstein initially told prison officials that Tartaglione had attacked him, denying suicidal tendencies, although he later said he never had “any problem” with his cellmate.
‘The New York Times’ revealed last week the existence of this note, cited in the files published by the Department of Justice
Allegedly, Tartaglione gave the note to his lawyers to defend himself if in the future Epstein accused him again of trying to harm him. He was finally convicted in 2023 and is currently serving a life sentence in prison. But the evidence remained under seal, aiming to protect attorney-client privilege, according to the records.
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The alleged suicide note has been in the shadows for seven years, until last week when The New York Times requested its publication. The Manhattan prosecutor’s office, which prosecuted Tartaglione, did not oppose its publication when the judge asked for their opinion: “There appears to be a strong public interest in the circumstances surrounding Epstein’s death,” it stated in its response.
Epstein pleaded guilty in 2008 to two offenses related to soliciting prostitution from a minor. He was arrested in 2019 on federal sex trafficking charges and died that same year under federal custody.
The circumstances of his death have been subject to speculation due to his extensive network of contacts and the privileged information he held about them—as demonstrated by his emails published this year—including President Donald Trump, with whom he was friends for over a decade, as well as other members of the current U.S. government.
In July last year, the Department of Justice and the FBI concluded that there was no evidence that the financier maintained a “client list” with the names of powerful men he blackmailed after inviting them to his private parties with minors. As part of their review, the Administration also released hours of recordings that, according to officials, confirm that Epstein died by suicide.
Specifically, a video shows that no one entered his cell during the night he took his own life, confirming the medical examiner’s version. However, then-Attorney General Pam Bondi could not explain why the recording stops for a few minutes, precisely at the moment of the financier’s alleged suicide.
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