Judge Unseals Purported Jeffrey Epstein Suicide Note From Cellmate’s Case

Overview

• The federal judge in White Plains, Kenneth M. Karas, who unsealed the filing Wednesday after a New York Times request, released a document presented as a suicide note linked to Jeffrey Epstein.
• The Times published the letter without authenticating it, and the Justice Department said it had never seen the document, with reporters noting that investigators on Epstein’s death also lacked access to it.
• The text, as published, rails at months of probing and includes the line, “It is a privilege to choose the time to say goodbye.”
• Nicholas Tartaglione, Epstein’s former cellmate who was convicted in 2023 and is serving four life sentences, says he found the paper hidden in a comic book in July 2019 and gave it to his lawyers.
• Prosecutors in Manhattan did not oppose unsealing and cited strong public interest, reflecting continued scrutiny of a death the city medical examiner ruled a suicide after widely reported prison security lapses.