Note attributed to the financier includes criticism of the investigations and mention of his own death
The United States Court released on Wednesday (May 6, 2026) a letter attributed to him written before his death in 2019, while he was awaiting trial on federal sex trafficking charges. The note, kept under judicial secrecy for years, criticizes the investigations and makes references to the possibility of suicide.
According to journalists and , the decision to make the document public came from federal judge Kenneth M. Karas, responsible for the criminal case of Nicholas Tartaglione, Epstein’s former cellmate. The magistrate responded to a request made by the newspaper.
In the text, attributed to Epstein, the financier said that investigators spent months analyzing his life and “they didn’t find anything”. He wrote about his own death. In one of the excerpts, he stated: “It’s a pleasure to be able to choose when to say goodbye”.
The American newspaper stated that the note was discovered in July 2019 by Tartaglione, weeks before Epstein’s death, which was a suicide.
According to journalists, and New York TimesTartaglione stated that he found the letter hidden inside a “graphic novel” (a kind of comic book) after Epstein was transferred to another wing of the prison. The former police officer said he handed the document over to his lawyers, who decided to submit it for analysis to confirm the authenticity of the handwriting.
Tartaglione’s lawyers claimed to have authenticated the letter, but did not detail how this was done. No court or investigative body has officially confirmed the authenticity of the document.
The note remained under seal even after the US Department of Justice related investigations into Epstein. Federal investigators who analyzed the financier’s death did not have access to the letter during official investigations.
Epstein was convicted in 2008 after admitting guilt to prostitution-related charges, including a case involving a minor. In 2019, he was arrested again on federal sex trafficking charges.
Nicholas Tartaglione, a former police officer accused of a quadruple homicide, was sentenced in 2023 to 4 life sentences. He denies assaulting Epstein and is appealing the sentence.
Read the full letter attributed to Epstein, translated:
“They investigated me for months — THEY FOUND NOTHING!!!
“Then came accusations from 15 years ago
“It is a privilege to be able to choose the moment to say goodbye,
“What do you want me to do — Start crying!!
“NOT FUN – NOT WORTH IT!!”
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