In a development that has reignited discussions around one of the most high-profile cases of recent years, a federal judge has unsealed a note purportedly penned by Jeffrey Epstein, the disgraced financier and convicted sex offender. The note, which had been kept from public view for years, was made public on Wednesday.
The contents of the note reveal Epstein’s apparent defiance and denial of guilt, though he stops short of outright claiming innocence. Instead, it reads as a cryptic farewell, with Epstein asserting his intention to “say goodbye” on his own terms.
The note opens with a statement of frustration: “They investigated me for months — FOUND NOTHING!!!” Epstein writes, alluding to charges that dated back 15 years, suggesting a sense of persecution rather than culpability.
Expressing a dark sense of empowerment, Epstein wrote, “It is a treat to be able to choose one’s time to say goodbye.” He dismisses the notion of displaying vulnerability with, “Watcha want me to do — Bust out cryin!! NO FUN.”
The note ends emphatically with the words “NOT WORTH IT!!!” highlighted by underlining, suggesting a final decision of resignation or defiance.
The discovery of this note adds another layer to the already complex narrative surrounding Epstein. It was reportedly found by his cellmate, Nicholas Tartaglione, after Epstein was discovered unresponsive with a strip of cloth around his neck—a failed suicide attempt that occurred weeks before his eventual death at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in Lower Manhattan, according to the New York Times.
Epstein’s cellmate, Nicholas Tartaglione, allegedly discovered the note when the billionaire was “found unresponsive with a strip of cloth wrapped around his neck” — an attempt he survived weeks before he was found dead at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in Lower Manhattan, per the New York Times:
The note was made public on Wednesday by Judge Kenneth M. Karas of Federal District Court in White Plains, N.Y., who oversaw the cellmate’s case. The judge acted after The New York Times petitioned the court last Thursday to unseal the document and published an article in which Mr. Tartaglione described the note and how it came into his possession.
The Times has not authenticated the note, which was placed on the court docket Wednesday evening. The note repeats a saying — “bust out cryin” — that Mr. Epstein wrote in emails. It included another phrase — “No fun” — that Mr. Epstein also used in emails, as well as in a separate note found in his jail cell at the time of his death.
The note comes after the Justice Department released millions of pages related to Epstein. Tartaglione, the former cellmate, said that he found the note in a graphic novel after Epstein had been removed from his cell following the botched suicide attempt.
“I opened the book to read and there it was,” Tartaglione said.
At the time, however, Epstein claimed that Tartaglione had attacked him and that he was not suicidal — a charge Tartaglione has repeatedly denied.
“The note apparently became part of a drawn-out legal dispute among Mr. Tartaglione’s lawyers,” added the Times. “Documents related to the conflict were placed under a court seal to protect attorney-client privilege, the filings say.”
