The government is debunking claims about Jeffrey Epstein’s history.
A memo released by the U.S. Department of Justice in conjunction with the Federal Bureau of Investigation on July 7 set the record straight on theories surrounding the disgraced financier’s alleged network as well as the circumstances around his death—confirming Epstein died by suicide and was not murdered.
The two agencies stated that, in the spirit of transparency, they reviewed “databases, hard drives, and network drives as well as physical searches of squad areas, locked cabinets, desks, closets, and other areas where responsive material may have been stored” in order to review all information relating to Epstein. The resultant material included more than 300 gigabytes of data and physical evidence.
“This systematic review revealed no incriminating ‘client list,’” the memo read. “There was also no credible evidence found that Epstein blackmailed prominent individuals as part of his actions. We did not uncover evidence that could predicate an investigation against uncharged third parties.”
The memo also said FBI investigators affirmed Epstein died by suicide in his New York City jail cell in August 2019, noting the findings were consistent with previous conclusions and aided by reviewing video footage from the Metropolitan Correctional Center’s Special Housing Unite (SHU) where Epstein was being housed at the time of his death.
“As DOJ’s Inspector General explained in 2023, anyone entering or attempting to enter the tier where Epstein’s cell was located from the SHU common area would have been captured by this footage,” the memo wrote. “The FBI’s independent review of this footage confirmed that from the time Epstein was locked in his cell at around 10:40 pm on August 9, 2019, until around 6:30 am the next morning, nobody entered any of the tiers in the SHU.”
The memo appears to debunk longstanding claims brought forth by conspiracy theorists that the government was concealing information around Epstein’s death and around an alleged client list Epstein had that he used as blackmail against alleged powerful figures who helped him commit related crimes.
And, despite Attorney General Pam Bondi’s recent claim that more information regarding Epstein was going to be released, the two governmental agencies confirmed they would not be sharing any more material.
“One of our highest priorities is combatting child exploitation and bringing justice to victims,” the memo read. “Perpetuating unfounded theories about Epstein serves neither of those ends.”
The DOJ and FBI also noted the materials contained “sensitive information” regarding Epstein’s victims—numbering over 1,000, per the memo—including information such as “victim names and likenesses, physical descriptions, places of birth, associates, and employment history.”
“To that end,” the letter added, “while we have labored to provide the public with maximum information regarding Epstein and ensured examination of any evidence in the government’s possession, it is the determination of the Department of Justice and the Federal Bureau of Investigation that no further disclosure would be appropriate or warranted.”