Jeffrey Epstein may have spent decades as a key player in assisting Russian intelligence gather compromising material—or ‘kompromat’—on prominent figures from the West. This startling claim comes from Christopher Steele, a former MI6 agent, who today shed light on Epstein’s shadowy past.

According to Steele, the FBI possesses yet-to-be-released evidence connecting Epstein to Russian organized crime, notorious for being a covert arm of the Soviet regime, with ties tracing back to the 1970s. This revelation adds another layer of intrigue to the saga of Epstein, whose connections to numerous high-profile individuals continue to shock the world.

Steele suggested the financier was “very likely” involved in the creation of incriminating content meant for blackmail purposes. He further speculated that Epstein’s wealth might be linked to Russian sources, possibly through his association with Robert Maxwell, the millionaire father of Ghislaine Maxwell, one of Epstein’s close confidantes.

The Mail on Sunday recently disclosed that intelligence insiders believe Epstein, who died by suicide in prison in 2019, operated what they described as “the world’s largest honeytrap operation” on behalf of the KGB, orchestrating situations to entrap his network of associates.

In an interview with Times Radio, Steele, who gained notoriety for compiling the controversial ‘Trump dossier’ alleging that the then-U.S. President was compromised by Russian interests, elaborated on Epstein’s early connections. He stated, “My understanding from my American sources is that as early as the 1970s, Epstein was effectively involved with Russian organized crime in Brighton Beach, New York. Through them, he was linked to the Russian mission in New York and was almost certainly recruited by them during that time.”

Speaking to Times Radio Mr Steele, who gained fame for creating the ‘Trump dossier’ on unverified claims that the US president was ‘compromised’ by the Kremlin, said:  ‘My understanding from my American sources is that as early as the 1970s, Epstein was effectively involved with Russian organised crime in Brighton Beach in New York and through them with the Russian mission in New York and was almost certainly recruited by them at that time. 

‘Moving on to a later period involving probably Robert Maxwell in the 1980s, it seems to me again that Epstein had significant ties to Maxwell. 

‘And when Maxwell was involved in getting Jewish people out of the Soviet Union in return effectively for laundering Soviet Communist Party hard currency and investing it in the West, I suspect that that’s where quite a lot of Epstein’s investment money came from.’

Christopher Steele said the FBI had evidence linking Epstein to Russian organised crime – often a front for the then Soviet communist regime – as far back as the 1970s

As the world continues to reel from the staggering number of famous names found in the Epstein files, the former intelligence operative said it was ‘very likely’ the financier was engaged in creating incriminating material that could be used for blackmail.

He also suggested the Russians could be the source of much of the billionaire’s wealth, through association with Robert Maxwell, the millionaire father of his confidante Ghislaine (both pictured in 1990).

The release of more than three million new documents relating to the late sex offender gives credence to incendiary claims made by senior security officials: that Epstein was working on behalf of Moscow, and possibly Israel, when he facilitated assignations for some of the world’s most powerful men.

The files include 1,056 documents naming Russian President Vladimir Putin and 9,629 referring to Moscow. Epstein even seems to have secured audiences with Putin after his 2008 conviction for procuring a child for prostitution.

Sources told the MoS it could explain why Epstein appeared to enjoy an ultra-wealthy lifestyle out of kilter with his career as a financier, although there is no documentary evidence linking Putin and his spies directly to Epstein’s illicit activities. 

It came after former new Labour minister Peter Mandelson last night insisted he has ‘no idea’ why he was photographed in his pants in Jeffrey Epstein’s £8million Paris ‘House of Sin’ apartment as he described the paedophile as a ‘master manipulator’.

Keir Starmer’s ex-ambassador to the US is facing a police probe into whether he leaked ‘market sensitive’ information to the child abusing financier by forwarding him No 10 emails containing advice to then-prime minister Gordon Brown.

One saw Lord Mandelson give Epstein advance notice of a €500billion bailout of the Eurozone.

In his first interview since three million Epstein files were released, he also complained that the American paedophile financier, once his friend, is like ‘muck that you can’t get off your shoe… Like dog muck, the smell never goes away.’

On the now-notorious picture of him in his pants was taken inside Epstein’s palatial ‘House of Sin’ in Paris, he said he has ‘no idea what I am doing in this photograph or who the woman was. It looks as though she came in and showed me something on an iPad’.

The architect of New Labour insists the period of his friendship with Jeffrey Epstein after his conviction for soliciting sex from girls as young as 14 was a blur.

The disgraced peer also claims he has ‘absolutely no recollection’ or records of Jeffrey Epstein paying $75,000 into accounts linked to him. He said: ‘I think I would remember such a large sum’.

‘[Epstein] told me he had been framed in his indictment in 2008 and I feel really bad about continuing my association with him afterwards’, he said.

‘That’s why I wanted to apologise unequivocally for doing so, to the women and girls who suffered’, he told The Times.

He has blamed being ‘too trusting’ of Jeffrey Epstein, describing the paedophile financier as a ‘classic sociopath’ amid newly released files linking the pair.

‘He was a master manipulator. I can see that now. But the point is that his victims certainly did know what he was doing’, Mandelson said.

The walls continued to cave in around the former Labour grandee on Tuesday as a leaked photo showed him getting a foot massage from an unidentified woman.

Mr Steele said the Mandelson revelations should ‘certainly’ have been flagged before now.

‘When Mandelson was being vetted for the ambassador in Washington, this information should have been shared by the American government with our security services. I don’t know whether it was, but it certainly should have been,’ he said.