A United States federal judge has ordered the release of an alleged note linked to Jeffrey Epstein, making the document public for the first time after it had remained under court seal for years as part of proceedings connected to Epstein’s former cellmate.
U.S. District Judge Kenneth Karas released the unverified and undated note to the court docket in the case of Nicholas Tartaglione, a former police officer convicted of quadruple murder, who said he discovered the document after Epstein was found unresponsive in their shared cell at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in New York City in July 2019.
The note, which is not signed, reads in part: “They investigated me for months — found NOTHING!!!” and references choosing the timing of a farewell. Its authenticity has not been independently verified, and the document is undated.
Judge Karas ruled the document should be made public, finding no sufficient reason to keep it sealed, and noted that privacy concerns were limited because Epstein is deceased and details about the note had already entered the public domain.
The document’s release was prompted by a request from The New York Times, which petitioned the court to unseal it after Tartaglione publicly described its contents in media interviews. The Department of Justice (DOJ) told the court it had no knowledge of whether the purported note is legitimate, and deferred to the judge’s discretion.
Epstein told a prison psychologist the day after the July 2019 incident that he had no interest in taking his own life and said he was “too vested” in fighting his case. He was placed on suicide watch following the incident. Tartaglione, who is appealing his murder conviction, had reportedly kept the note through his legal team as a potential safeguard against any future allegations that he had harmed Epstein.
Epstein died in August 2019 while awaiting trial on federal sex trafficking charges. The Justice Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation concluded that he died by suicide, a finding that has nonetheless continued to fuel public controversy given Epstein’s connections to prominent figures in business and politics.
The court stopped short of granting the Times’ broader request for additional sealed documents, directing attorneys to submit proposed redactions before a final ruling on those materials.
If you or someone you know is experiencing emotional distress, please reach out to a mental health professional or contact a crisis support line in your country.
