September 11, 2025 • 21 mins
Bloomberg News has obtained 18,000 emails from Jeffrey Epstein’s personal email account. The emails cover two decades and a wide range of topics, from the chilling to the mundane: Details of his Amazon purchases, his reaction to photos of young women, how he considered different potential plea deals.
Today on the show, Bloomberg’s Jason Leopold and Ava Benny-Morrison with host David Gura on the massive trove of emails — and what they tell us about Epstein, his powerful network, and his former girlfriend and associate Ghislaine Maxwell.
Read more: Epstein’s Inbox: A Trove of Emails Reveals Ghislaine Maxwell’s Secrets
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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Speaker 1 (00:02):
Bloomberg Audio Studios, podcasts, radio news.
Speaker 2 (00:08):
Bloomberg News has seen what's in Jeffrey Epstein's email Eighteen
thousand messages to and from the disgraced financier and convicted
sex offender from one of his personal email accounts.
Speaker 3 (00:20):
There are messages that cover a wide range of topics
and subjects. You have messages about his Amazon shopping habits,
messages about his finances. There's even a message about moving
a forty pound tortoise to and from Epstein's private island.
Speaker 2 (00:38):
That's Bloomberg Senior investigative reporter Jason Leopold.
Speaker 3 (00:42):
We really get a sense of what was going on
in Epstein's life during these critical years.
Speaker 2 (00:49):
These are messages dating back to two thousand and two,
but most of them are from two thousand and five
to two thousand and eight. Bloomberg reporters and data analysts
spent the last month pouring over these emails to better
understand how Epstein built and sustained his vast influence machine
and sex trafficking operation.
Speaker 3 (01:07):
We're reading Jeffrey Epstein in his own words, and you're
sort of like a fly on the wall. You get
to look into his wealth, you get to look into
how he emotionally, psychologically manipulated and abused his victim. You
get to see how he worked behind the scenes trying
(01:29):
to beat back these criminal allegations, his indignation as he's
being investigated. Really, though, to me, what stands out is
his callousness toward these young women, these young girls, as
they were brought into his world.
Speaker 2 (01:48):
One picture that emerges from these messages is that Julayne Maxwell,
Epstein's one time girlfriend, had a more involved and enduring
role than she said previously. In twenty twenty one, a
jury effect Maxwell guilty of recruiting and grooming women for
Epstein to sexually abuse. Recently, she sought to downplay how
close she was to him. Some of these emails appear
(02:10):
to contradict that.
Speaker 4 (02:11):
It certainly adds to questions about her credibility and truthfulness.
Speaker 2 (02:17):
Bloomberg Legal reporter Eva Benny Morrison.
Speaker 4 (02:20):
I think it certainly poses more questions than it answers
about what the true nature of their relationship was, and
also comes for a critical time from Maxwell. Her lawyers
have indicated that they would welcome any relief from the
Trump administration, whether that looks like a pardon or a
commutation of her twenty year sentence for sex trafficking.
Speaker 2 (02:44):
I'm David Gera, and this is the big take from
Bloomberg News Today. On the show, Jeffrey Epstein's emails. What
eighteen thousand never before seen messages reveal about Epstein himself
and his relationships with Glenn Maxwell and powerful people all
over the world. This is an incredible trove of email messages,
(03:07):
and I'm curious sort of what you can tell us
about how you got them.
Speaker 3 (03:11):
Sure, I'm going to give you a really short answer.
I cannot discuss anything related to sources or methods. I
sound like the CIA now, but yeah, I really can't
go into anything related to how we were able to
obtain this.
Speaker 2 (03:29):
When they did get their hands on this collection of emails,
Jason Leopold and Ava Benny Morrison wanted to see what
they reveal about the relationship between Jeffrey Epstein and Julane Maxwell.
Speaker 4 (03:39):
Over the years, We've only really heard Maxwell describe that
relationship in her own words on a few occasions, in
a twenty sixteen deposition and then most recently in a
two day interview with a top DOJ official.
Speaker 1 (03:53):
And I'm I'm gilln Maxwell.
Speaker 5 (03:57):
Good morning, as Maxwell, how are you?
Speaker 2 (04:00):
July Maxwell sat for an interview with Deputy Attorney General
Todd Blanche. The Justice Department later released the recordings, and
it happened as the Trump administration sought to quiet and
uproar over its refusal to release the so called Epstein files.
The conversation started with Blanche explaining the terms of the interview.
Speaker 5 (04:20):
Whatever you talk about today, you have what's called immunity,
So that means that the words that you say today
we cannot use against you in a case in chief
if we were able to bring one.
Speaker 1 (04:30):
Okay, thank you.
Speaker 5 (04:32):
There's exceptions to that, the most meaningful one of which
is that if you say something today that's not true,
that's a lie, we can bring a prosecution against you
for what's called false statements.
Speaker 2 (04:43):
One of the first things Blanche asked Maxwell about was
how she and Jeffrey Epstein met in nineteen one.
Speaker 1 (04:49):
Right, I met him at his officis in on that sale,
And I think the most memorable thing I can think
about that is he was wearing a tie, which she
didn't often give. It had a giant so mykel ketch
up ste sounds like, well, okay.
Speaker 4 (05:10):
She really described herself as a one time girlfriend of Epstein,
someone who was then hired to become his property manager
and look after his luxury homes all over the world,
but was drifting away from him as she entered into
a long term relationship with someone else. She has said
that her role in his life was very, very diminished
(05:31):
by about two thousand and eight when he reported to
jail in Florida.
Speaker 5 (05:36):
So when he's going to go to jail, he says,
can you stay around and manage everything?
Speaker 2 (05:40):
Yeah?
Speaker 5 (05:40):
And do you do that? I do, okay, and then
we'll come back to that.
Speaker 1 (05:45):
We'll not manage everything now. I mean there are other
people at this point most specific role than was very
very diminished.
Speaker 4 (05:50):
But these emails seem to call into question the truthfulness
of some of those statements. You know, in two thousand
and eight alone, as he was preparing to to prison,
they were exchanging emails at a rate of almost one
per day. As she was helping wind down his affairs,
his properties all are around the world. He was going
(06:12):
to her for advice on the minutia of the state
charges that he might play guilty to. So it shows
a real consistency of communication that contrasts I think, and
conflicts with some of her statements publicly about when they
ceased contact.
Speaker 2 (06:31):
There's also correspondence that shows the two of them remained
incredibly close personally.
Speaker 4 (06:36):
On two occasions in two thousand and five. In two
thousand and seven, they are discussing a shared fertility procedure.
Speaker 2 (06:43):
The first time was in October two thousand and five,
just days after police showed up at Epstein's home with
a search warrant, Maxwell sent Epstein detailed instructions for a
sperm donation. She said he could collect a sample at home,
but it had to be within ninety minutes of a
procedure she had scheduled. About two years later, Maxwell emailed
Epstein another set of instructions at another critical moment.
Speaker 4 (07:06):
In two thousand and seven. One of these email exchanges
occurred just as he was preparing to sign a non
prosecution agreement with federal prosecutors, So that really undercuts what
Maxwell has said about the presence that she had in
his life, saying that she was pretty much all but
absent from his orbit by that point.
Speaker 2 (07:25):
Maxwell has maintained Epstein kept her in the dark about
the details of his first sexual abuse case from the
mid two thousands. But these emails show she not only
knew about the legal issues he faced, but she also
helped him strategize during his negotiations with federal prosecutors.
Speaker 3 (07:42):
These emails really do demonstrate her knowledge of the legal
jeopardy that Epstein faced in two thousand and six leading
up to this non prosecution agreement that he had signed
that you saw him essentially escaped federal charges.
Speaker 2 (08:02):
In exchange for immunity from those federal charges. Epstein agreed
to plead guilty to two state felonies in Florida, including
procuring miners to engage in prostitution. Again, he consulted with
Maxwell over email while he and prosecutors negotiated that deal,
so she was very.
Speaker 3 (08:19):
Much in the know. You know, he's asking her, what
do you prefer loudon lascivious conduct or procuring miners for prostitution,
and you know, she's responding essentially by saying that she
would prefer the former for the most part.
Speaker 2 (08:36):
Take us to two thousand and nine, So Jeffrey Epstein
gets out of jail. Then he served thirteen months of
an eighteen month sentence. Julian Maxwell has told the Department
of Justice that back then, her relationship with him was
quote almost non existent. What can we learn from the
emails about that period of.
Speaker 3 (08:51):
Time, Well, there's a gap in the emails, and the
communications pick up again around twenty fourteen, when Maxwell herself
was under scrutiny for conspiring with Epstein in the trafficking
of young girls.
Speaker 2 (09:09):
One of those accusers was Virginia Giuffrey. In twenty fourteen,
Gufrey accused Maxwell of helping Epstein find and traffic teenagers.
That same year, Maxwell sent Epstein a request quote can
you send me the file on Virginia that your lawyers
have or whatever info you have on her? And by
early twenty fifteen, Maxwell wrote to Epstein she planned to
(09:30):
distribute that dossier to others.
Speaker 3 (09:33):
So the communications between Maxwell and Epstein around twenty fourteen
really shows how Maxwell went on the offensive on the
offensive in terms of her plans to attack and discredit
one of the victims who had accused her of being
a co conspirator. And she's exchanging emails with Epstein over
(09:55):
the course of a year more or less and disclosing
what she planned to do and how she intended to
be incredibly aggressive in defending her reputation.
Speaker 2 (10:11):
Jeffrey went on to sue Maxwell for defamation for calling
her a liar in a public statement, and that case
was eventually settled out of court. Jeffrey died earlier this year.
Her family says the cause of death was suicide. Avid.
There's more than correspondence here in these emails, as a spreadsheet,
(10:32):
the kind of details what Jeffrey Epstein is spending money on,
and that includes gifts of watches, cash transfers, gifts of lingerie.
Speaker 4 (10:42):
This is one of the most fascinating parts of this
inbox was this spreadsheet. We had heard over the years
how Epstein lavished gifts upon the victims and associates, but
this spreadsheet really gives a meticulous insight into how he
tracked a number of these cashtress and gifts one point
eight million dollars worth over a three year period. In
(11:05):
many of the entries, there's a description of the item
that's been purchased or the amount of money that is
being wired, and why it's being wired, and who the
recipient is and the date. Many of the recipients are
young women, assistants that worked for him, women who would
go on years later to accuse Epstein of abuse and
(11:25):
even Maxwell in facilitating that abuse. For example, there is
purchases from the lingerie chain Vitoria Secrets. There are chocolates there,
tuition fees for massage schools, cash payments to cover rent.
For one particular victim, the initials GM appear next to
(11:46):
about two hundred and fifty entries, suggesting that Maxwell had
a role in at least helping Epstein distribute some of
these gifts. We actually spoke to one victim who received
just over seventy five thousand dollars in gives and payments
while she was being abused by Epstein, and she really
described how Epstein weaponized his wealth like this and used
(12:09):
these gifts to exert control over the young women and
isolated them so they were completely dependent upon him.
Speaker 2 (12:16):
Jason, there are emails here with the names and ages
of young women, sometimes even accompanied by photos. Can you
describe those exchanges, those messages.
Speaker 3 (12:25):
As Eva noted, there were a number of women, young
women who were working as recruiters for Epstein, and it
would seem that these recruiters would set out to find
other young girls for Epstein. And you know, there's one
(12:46):
email here that is pretty disturbing, and it describes a
nineteen year old woman who's based in Brooklyn. She may
be someone that she could bring in to Epstein's orbit,
and so there's a description.
Speaker 1 (12:59):
She's fire.
Speaker 3 (13:00):
She's a little curvy, pretty face, long brown hair, hazel eyes.
And this recruiter states that, you know, I already told
her she could be rewarded for help with her girlfriends.
Speaker 2 (13:11):
Basically, this recruiter thinks she may have found another potential recruiter.
But first the email notes this new girl said she
quote needs to try herself to see what it is.
Speaker 3 (13:21):
And Epstein responds to this email, you know, describing her,
she is too big, but if you think it important,
you know, I could do it one time in the afternoon.
So the emails just show how the recruiting essentially kind
of how it worked, and Epstein's responds to the girls
that were presented to.
Speaker 2 (13:42):
Him after the break. The powerful people who appear in
this cache of emails, including former President Clinton and the
current president Donald Trump. Six years after Jeffrey Epstein's death,
(14:02):
there is still intense interest in identifying who was in
his network, the men and women he met with, and
the friendships he had with prominent politicians and executives and celebrities.
I asked Bloomberg's ava Benny Morrison, what we can learn
about Epstein's relationships with those people from the eighteen thousand
emails Bloomberg News has obtained.
Speaker 4 (14:22):
What we can see is that Maxwell actually plays a
part in facilitating some of these connections. So in a
couple of instances, she's passing on greetings from designer Tommy
hillfigure from Martha Stewart. She's also urging Epstein to host
Google co founder Sergey Brynn at his private island in
(14:43):
the US Virgin Islands.
Speaker 2 (14:44):
Representatives for Hillfigure, Stuart, and Brynn did not respond to
requests for comment.
Speaker 4 (14:49):
In another example, in an email from Maxwell in September
two thousand and six, just a couple of months after
news broke about Epstein's arrest on prostitution charges in Florida,
she sends through a list of fifty one names politicians,
Wall Street power brokers, and business executives, including the likes
of former CEO of Best Earns Jimmy Kain and the
(15:10):
former Barclays CEO Jess Staley.
Speaker 2 (15:13):
Cain died in twenty twenty one. Staley did not respond
to a request for comment.
Speaker 4 (15:18):
She asked him to review the list and remove or
add any names that he sees fit Epstein replies and
tells her to remove Donald Trump's name.
Speaker 2 (15:27):
The email has no subject line or additional commentary, so
it's impossible to know whether they were planning an event,
preparing a list of holiday card recipients, or something else.
Jason picking up on that, how often does Donald Trump
appear in these emails?
Speaker 3 (15:42):
Great question? He only appears a few times in the emails.
Trump's name services again around the time where you know
Epstein and his legal team were trying to get federal
prosecutors to drop the case against him, And this time
it's in any email that Maxwell sends Epstein in August
(16:03):
of two thousand and seven, and just a month before
he signed this controversial non prosecution agreement. And she says
in the email, you have to assume they went to
Donald Trump, and she references other individuals and also notes
documents in West Palm Beach. It's possible that Maxwell may
(16:27):
have been referring to reporters who are covering Epstein, you
know at the time, but it's not entirely clear. And
you know, we did reach out to the White House
and ask them to comment on this, and they provided
us with a statement that they called this fake news.
Speaker 2 (16:47):
Ava says that spreadsheet we talked about earlier, which included
information about gifts Jeffrey Epstein sent to girls he abused,
also included details about payment's Epstein made and presence he
sent to his employees and apparently intended to send to
some high profile people.
Speaker 4 (17:03):
For example, there is a line item for a thirty
five thousand dollars watch purchase for dB and when we've
dug into the emails, we've found some correspondence between Maxwell
and Epstein talking about purchasing a very nice watch for
Doug Band, who was a former aide to President Bill
(17:24):
Clinton and the architecture of his post presidency. In those emails,
they're discussing the payment of it and making sure he
gets it for Christmas, and whether the note should be
just from Epstein or from Maxwell or from both of them.
And I think the Doug Band reference is particularly interesting
because it is a window into Maxwell's relationship with the
(17:46):
Clinton world. I will point out that when we went
to Doug Band for comment about the watch, a spokesperson
for him said that he never received a watch from Maxwell.
There's also a entry for a seven one thousand dollars
purchase at Alexis Dealership for Alan Dershowitz. Alan Dershowitz is
a very well known lawyer. He's a Harvard law professor,
(18:08):
and he was representing Jeffrey Epstein during his negotiations with
prosecutors in Florida. And when we spoke to Alan about it,
he said, yes, my wife drove the car. Mostly I
didn't really like it.
Speaker 2 (18:22):
Dershowitz told Bloomberg that when they'd pick up Epstein on
visits to Martha's vineyard, he didn't like the fact that
their old car didn't have air conditioning, so he bought
them a new one. Dershwitz says it was part of
his legal fees. Bill Clinton's name came up during that
interview in July between Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche and
Julane Maxwell. She said the former president was actually her friend,
(18:46):
not Epstein's.
Speaker 4 (18:47):
It's interesting because she seems to kind of like claim
over that connection, and in the emails there's several references
to her updating Epstein on having lunch with Clinton. Today.
I'm in Mumbai waiting for Clinton I'm somewhere else waiting
for Clinton. She doesn't specify in the emails Witch Clinton
she is referring to, but it's very clear from the
(19:10):
emails that she did have her own relationship with the
Clinton world, and this adds to the public reporting out
there already that she also had a close relationship with
Chelsea Clinton.
Speaker 2 (19:21):
A spokesperson for Bill Clinton said the Clintons knew nothing
about Epstein's horrific crimes and quote learned about them when
the rest of the world did. Jason, let me close
with a big picture question. So, as you've noted, we
get a sense of Jeffrey Epstein's voice through these emails,
kind of lays bare this contradiction between what Jilane Maxwell
has said about her relationship with him and what it
(19:42):
seems like it actually was. How do you think about
the significance of this corpus of emails, especially on that
note of that contradiction that her relationship with him might
have been closer and more enduring than than she said publicly.
Speaker 3 (19:55):
I think these emails are hugely significant and incredibly important
as it relates to a narrative around Jeffrey Epstein, Julane
Maxwell and what their world looked like. It adds so
much to this narrative because even with all the books
(20:19):
and news stories and court documents and the fights that
are taking place within the administration right now about releasing
Epstein files, it underscores that there is still so much
to learn about their relationship. There is still so much
to learn about the way in which Epstein operated this
(20:41):
network that resulted in the abuse of according to the
Justice Department, more than one thousand girls young women, and
the emails add so much now to that narrative. There's
quite a bit more that we now understand about his
(21:01):
operation their partnership as a result.
Speaker 2 (21:08):
This is The Big Take from Bloomberg News. I'm David Burra.
To get more from The Big Take and unlimited access
to all of Bloomberg dot com, subscribe today at Bloomberg
dot com slash podcast offer. If you like this episode,
make sure to follow and review The Big Take wherever
you listen to podcasts. It helps people find the show.
Thanks for listening. We'll be back tomorrow.
Bloomberg Audio Studios, podcasts, radio news.
Speaker 2 (00:08):
Bloomberg News has seen what's in Jeffrey Epstein's email Eighteen
thousand messages to and from the disgraced financier and convicted
sex offender from one of his personal email accounts.
Speaker 3 (00:20):
There are messages that cover a wide range of topics
and subjects. You have messages about his Amazon shopping habits,
messages about his finances. There's even a message about moving
a forty pound tortoise to and from Epstein's private island.
Speaker 2 (00:38):
That's Bloomberg Senior investigative reporter Jason Leopold.
Speaker 3 (00:42):
We really get a sense of what was going on
in Epstein's life during these critical years.
Speaker 2 (00:49):
These are messages dating back to two thousand and two,
but most of them are from two thousand and five
to two thousand and eight. Bloomberg reporters and data analysts
spent the last month pouring over these emails to better
understand how Epstein built and sustained his vast influence machine
and sex trafficking operation.
Speaker 3 (01:07):
We're reading Jeffrey Epstein in his own words, and you're
sort of like a fly on the wall. You get
to look into his wealth, you get to look into
how he emotionally, psychologically manipulated and abused his victim. You
get to see how he worked behind the scenes trying
(01:29):
to beat back these criminal allegations, his indignation as he's
being investigated. Really, though, to me, what stands out is
his callousness toward these young women, these young girls, as
they were brought into his world.
Speaker 2 (01:48):
One picture that emerges from these messages is that Julayne Maxwell,
Epstein's one time girlfriend, had a more involved and enduring
role than she said previously. In twenty twenty one, a
jury effect Maxwell guilty of recruiting and grooming women for
Epstein to sexually abuse. Recently, she sought to downplay how
close she was to him. Some of these emails appear
(02:10):
to contradict that.
Speaker 4 (02:11):
It certainly adds to questions about her credibility and truthfulness.
Speaker 2 (02:17):
Bloomberg Legal reporter Eva Benny Morrison.
Speaker 4 (02:20):
I think it certainly poses more questions than it answers
about what the true nature of their relationship was, and
also comes for a critical time from Maxwell. Her lawyers
have indicated that they would welcome any relief from the
Trump administration, whether that looks like a pardon or a
commutation of her twenty year sentence for sex trafficking.
Speaker 2 (02:44):
I'm David Gera, and this is the big take from
Bloomberg News Today. On the show, Jeffrey Epstein's emails. What
eighteen thousand never before seen messages reveal about Epstein himself
and his relationships with Glenn Maxwell and powerful people all
over the world. This is an incredible trove of email messages,
(03:07):
and I'm curious sort of what you can tell us
about how you got them.
Speaker 3 (03:11):
Sure, I'm going to give you a really short answer.
I cannot discuss anything related to sources or methods. I
sound like the CIA now, but yeah, I really can't
go into anything related to how we were able to
obtain this.
Speaker 2 (03:29):
When they did get their hands on this collection of emails,
Jason Leopold and Ava Benny Morrison wanted to see what
they reveal about the relationship between Jeffrey Epstein and Julane Maxwell.
Speaker 4 (03:39):
Over the years, We've only really heard Maxwell describe that
relationship in her own words on a few occasions, in
a twenty sixteen deposition and then most recently in a
two day interview with a top DOJ official.
Speaker 1 (03:53):
And I'm I'm gilln Maxwell.
Speaker 5 (03:57):
Good morning, as Maxwell, how are you?
Speaker 2 (04:00):
July Maxwell sat for an interview with Deputy Attorney General
Todd Blanche. The Justice Department later released the recordings, and
it happened as the Trump administration sought to quiet and
uproar over its refusal to release the so called Epstein files.
The conversation started with Blanche explaining the terms of the interview.
Speaker 5 (04:20):
Whatever you talk about today, you have what's called immunity,
So that means that the words that you say today
we cannot use against you in a case in chief
if we were able to bring one.
Speaker 1 (04:30):
Okay, thank you.
Speaker 5 (04:32):
There's exceptions to that, the most meaningful one of which
is that if you say something today that's not true,
that's a lie, we can bring a prosecution against you
for what's called false statements.
Speaker 2 (04:43):
One of the first things Blanche asked Maxwell about was
how she and Jeffrey Epstein met in nineteen one.
Speaker 1 (04:49):
Right, I met him at his officis in on that sale,
And I think the most memorable thing I can think
about that is he was wearing a tie, which she
didn't often give. It had a giant so mykel ketch
up ste sounds like, well, okay.
Speaker 4 (05:10):
She really described herself as a one time girlfriend of Epstein,
someone who was then hired to become his property manager
and look after his luxury homes all over the world,
but was drifting away from him as she entered into
a long term relationship with someone else. She has said
that her role in his life was very, very diminished
(05:31):
by about two thousand and eight when he reported to
jail in Florida.
Speaker 5 (05:36):
So when he's going to go to jail, he says,
can you stay around and manage everything?
Speaker 2 (05:40):
Yeah?
Speaker 5 (05:40):
And do you do that? I do, okay, and then
we'll come back to that.
Speaker 1 (05:45):
We'll not manage everything now. I mean there are other
people at this point most specific role than was very
very diminished.
Speaker 4 (05:50):
But these emails seem to call into question the truthfulness
of some of those statements. You know, in two thousand
and eight alone, as he was preparing to to prison,
they were exchanging emails at a rate of almost one
per day. As she was helping wind down his affairs,
his properties all are around the world. He was going
(06:12):
to her for advice on the minutia of the state
charges that he might play guilty to. So it shows
a real consistency of communication that contrasts I think, and
conflicts with some of her statements publicly about when they
ceased contact.
Speaker 2 (06:31):
There's also correspondence that shows the two of them remained
incredibly close personally.
Speaker 4 (06:36):
On two occasions in two thousand and five. In two
thousand and seven, they are discussing a shared fertility procedure.
Speaker 2 (06:43):
The first time was in October two thousand and five,
just days after police showed up at Epstein's home with
a search warrant, Maxwell sent Epstein detailed instructions for a
sperm donation. She said he could collect a sample at home,
but it had to be within ninety minutes of a
procedure she had scheduled. About two years later, Maxwell emailed
Epstein another set of instructions at another critical moment.
Speaker 4 (07:06):
In two thousand and seven. One of these email exchanges
occurred just as he was preparing to sign a non
prosecution agreement with federal prosecutors, So that really undercuts what
Maxwell has said about the presence that she had in
his life, saying that she was pretty much all but
absent from his orbit by that point.
Speaker 2 (07:25):
Maxwell has maintained Epstein kept her in the dark about
the details of his first sexual abuse case from the
mid two thousands. But these emails show she not only
knew about the legal issues he faced, but she also
helped him strategize during his negotiations with federal prosecutors.
Speaker 3 (07:42):
These emails really do demonstrate her knowledge of the legal
jeopardy that Epstein faced in two thousand and six leading
up to this non prosecution agreement that he had signed
that you saw him essentially escaped federal charges.
Speaker 2 (08:02):
In exchange for immunity from those federal charges. Epstein agreed
to plead guilty to two state felonies in Florida, including
procuring miners to engage in prostitution. Again, he consulted with
Maxwell over email while he and prosecutors negotiated that deal,
so she was very.
Speaker 3 (08:19):
Much in the know. You know, he's asking her, what
do you prefer loudon lascivious conduct or procuring miners for prostitution,
and you know, she's responding essentially by saying that she
would prefer the former for the most part.
Speaker 2 (08:36):
Take us to two thousand and nine, So Jeffrey Epstein
gets out of jail. Then he served thirteen months of
an eighteen month sentence. Julian Maxwell has told the Department
of Justice that back then, her relationship with him was
quote almost non existent. What can we learn from the
emails about that period of.
Speaker 3 (08:51):
Time, Well, there's a gap in the emails, and the
communications pick up again around twenty fourteen, when Maxwell herself
was under scrutiny for conspiring with Epstein in the trafficking
of young girls.
Speaker 2 (09:09):
One of those accusers was Virginia Giuffrey. In twenty fourteen,
Gufrey accused Maxwell of helping Epstein find and traffic teenagers.
That same year, Maxwell sent Epstein a request quote can
you send me the file on Virginia that your lawyers
have or whatever info you have on her? And by
early twenty fifteen, Maxwell wrote to Epstein she planned to
(09:30):
distribute that dossier to others.
Speaker 3 (09:33):
So the communications between Maxwell and Epstein around twenty fourteen
really shows how Maxwell went on the offensive on the
offensive in terms of her plans to attack and discredit
one of the victims who had accused her of being
a co conspirator. And she's exchanging emails with Epstein over
(09:55):
the course of a year more or less and disclosing
what she planned to do and how she intended to
be incredibly aggressive in defending her reputation.
Speaker 2 (10:11):
Jeffrey went on to sue Maxwell for defamation for calling
her a liar in a public statement, and that case
was eventually settled out of court. Jeffrey died earlier this year.
Her family says the cause of death was suicide. Avid.
There's more than correspondence here in these emails, as a spreadsheet,
(10:32):
the kind of details what Jeffrey Epstein is spending money on,
and that includes gifts of watches, cash transfers, gifts of lingerie.
Speaker 4 (10:42):
This is one of the most fascinating parts of this
inbox was this spreadsheet. We had heard over the years
how Epstein lavished gifts upon the victims and associates, but
this spreadsheet really gives a meticulous insight into how he
tracked a number of these cashtress and gifts one point
eight million dollars worth over a three year period. In
(11:05):
many of the entries, there's a description of the item
that's been purchased or the amount of money that is
being wired, and why it's being wired, and who the
recipient is and the date. Many of the recipients are
young women, assistants that worked for him, women who would
go on years later to accuse Epstein of abuse and
(11:25):
even Maxwell in facilitating that abuse. For example, there is
purchases from the lingerie chain Vitoria Secrets. There are chocolates there,
tuition fees for massage schools, cash payments to cover rent.
For one particular victim, the initials GM appear next to
(11:46):
about two hundred and fifty entries, suggesting that Maxwell had
a role in at least helping Epstein distribute some of
these gifts. We actually spoke to one victim who received
just over seventy five thousand dollars in gives and payments
while she was being abused by Epstein, and she really
described how Epstein weaponized his wealth like this and used
(12:09):
these gifts to exert control over the young women and
isolated them so they were completely dependent upon him.
Speaker 2 (12:16):
Jason, there are emails here with the names and ages
of young women, sometimes even accompanied by photos. Can you
describe those exchanges, those messages.
Speaker 3 (12:25):
As Eva noted, there were a number of women, young
women who were working as recruiters for Epstein, and it
would seem that these recruiters would set out to find
other young girls for Epstein. And you know, there's one
(12:46):
email here that is pretty disturbing, and it describes a
nineteen year old woman who's based in Brooklyn. She may
be someone that she could bring in to Epstein's orbit,
and so there's a description.
Speaker 1 (12:59):
She's fire.
Speaker 3 (13:00):
She's a little curvy, pretty face, long brown hair, hazel eyes.
And this recruiter states that, you know, I already told
her she could be rewarded for help with her girlfriends.
Speaker 2 (13:11):
Basically, this recruiter thinks she may have found another potential recruiter.
But first the email notes this new girl said she
quote needs to try herself to see what it is.
Speaker 3 (13:21):
And Epstein responds to this email, you know, describing her,
she is too big, but if you think it important,
you know, I could do it one time in the afternoon.
So the emails just show how the recruiting essentially kind
of how it worked, and Epstein's responds to the girls
that were presented to.
Speaker 2 (13:42):
Him after the break. The powerful people who appear in
this cache of emails, including former President Clinton and the
current president Donald Trump. Six years after Jeffrey Epstein's death,
(14:02):
there is still intense interest in identifying who was in
his network, the men and women he met with, and
the friendships he had with prominent politicians and executives and celebrities.
I asked Bloomberg's ava Benny Morrison, what we can learn
about Epstein's relationships with those people from the eighteen thousand
emails Bloomberg News has obtained.
Speaker 4 (14:22):
What we can see is that Maxwell actually plays a
part in facilitating some of these connections. So in a
couple of instances, she's passing on greetings from designer Tommy
hillfigure from Martha Stewart. She's also urging Epstein to host
Google co founder Sergey Brynn at his private island in
(14:43):
the US Virgin Islands.
Speaker 2 (14:44):
Representatives for Hillfigure, Stuart, and Brynn did not respond to
requests for comment.
Speaker 4 (14:49):
In another example, in an email from Maxwell in September
two thousand and six, just a couple of months after
news broke about Epstein's arrest on prostitution charges in Florida,
she sends through a list of fifty one names politicians,
Wall Street power brokers, and business executives, including the likes
of former CEO of Best Earns Jimmy Kain and the
(15:10):
former Barclays CEO Jess Staley.
Speaker 2 (15:13):
Cain died in twenty twenty one. Staley did not respond
to a request for comment.
Speaker 4 (15:18):
She asked him to review the list and remove or
add any names that he sees fit Epstein replies and
tells her to remove Donald Trump's name.
Speaker 2 (15:27):
The email has no subject line or additional commentary, so
it's impossible to know whether they were planning an event,
preparing a list of holiday card recipients, or something else.
Jason picking up on that, how often does Donald Trump
appear in these emails?
Speaker 3 (15:42):
Great question? He only appears a few times in the emails.
Trump's name services again around the time where you know
Epstein and his legal team were trying to get federal
prosecutors to drop the case against him, And this time
it's in any email that Maxwell sends Epstein in August
(16:03):
of two thousand and seven, and just a month before
he signed this controversial non prosecution agreement. And she says
in the email, you have to assume they went to
Donald Trump, and she references other individuals and also notes
documents in West Palm Beach. It's possible that Maxwell may
(16:27):
have been referring to reporters who are covering Epstein, you
know at the time, but it's not entirely clear. And
you know, we did reach out to the White House
and ask them to comment on this, and they provided
us with a statement that they called this fake news.
Speaker 2 (16:47):
Ava says that spreadsheet we talked about earlier, which included
information about gifts Jeffrey Epstein sent to girls he abused,
also included details about payment's Epstein made and presence he
sent to his employees and apparently intended to send to
some high profile people.
Speaker 4 (17:03):
For example, there is a line item for a thirty
five thousand dollars watch purchase for dB and when we've
dug into the emails, we've found some correspondence between Maxwell
and Epstein talking about purchasing a very nice watch for
Doug Band, who was a former aide to President Bill
(17:24):
Clinton and the architecture of his post presidency. In those emails,
they're discussing the payment of it and making sure he
gets it for Christmas, and whether the note should be
just from Epstein or from Maxwell or from both of them.
And I think the Doug Band reference is particularly interesting
because it is a window into Maxwell's relationship with the
(17:46):
Clinton world. I will point out that when we went
to Doug Band for comment about the watch, a spokesperson
for him said that he never received a watch from Maxwell.
There's also a entry for a seven one thousand dollars
purchase at Alexis Dealership for Alan Dershowitz. Alan Dershowitz is
a very well known lawyer. He's a Harvard law professor,
(18:08):
and he was representing Jeffrey Epstein during his negotiations with
prosecutors in Florida. And when we spoke to Alan about it,
he said, yes, my wife drove the car. Mostly I
didn't really like it.
Speaker 2 (18:22):
Dershowitz told Bloomberg that when they'd pick up Epstein on
visits to Martha's vineyard, he didn't like the fact that
their old car didn't have air conditioning, so he bought
them a new one. Dershwitz says it was part of
his legal fees. Bill Clinton's name came up during that
interview in July between Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche and
Julane Maxwell. She said the former president was actually her friend,
(18:46):
not Epstein's.
Speaker 4 (18:47):
It's interesting because she seems to kind of like claim
over that connection, and in the emails there's several references
to her updating Epstein on having lunch with Clinton. Today.
I'm in Mumbai waiting for Clinton I'm somewhere else waiting
for Clinton. She doesn't specify in the emails Witch Clinton
she is referring to, but it's very clear from the
(19:10):
emails that she did have her own relationship with the
Clinton world, and this adds to the public reporting out
there already that she also had a close relationship with
Chelsea Clinton.
Speaker 2 (19:21):
A spokesperson for Bill Clinton said the Clintons knew nothing
about Epstein's horrific crimes and quote learned about them when
the rest of the world did. Jason, let me close
with a big picture question. So, as you've noted, we
get a sense of Jeffrey Epstein's voice through these emails,
kind of lays bare this contradiction between what Jilane Maxwell
has said about her relationship with him and what it
(19:42):
seems like it actually was. How do you think about
the significance of this corpus of emails, especially on that
note of that contradiction that her relationship with him might
have been closer and more enduring than than she said publicly.
Speaker 3 (19:55):
I think these emails are hugely significant and incredibly important
as it relates to a narrative around Jeffrey Epstein, Julane
Maxwell and what their world looked like. It adds so
much to this narrative because even with all the books
(20:19):
and news stories and court documents and the fights that
are taking place within the administration right now about releasing
Epstein files, it underscores that there is still so much
to learn about their relationship. There is still so much
to learn about the way in which Epstein operated this
(20:41):
network that resulted in the abuse of according to the
Justice Department, more than one thousand girls young women, and
the emails add so much now to that narrative. There's
quite a bit more that we now understand about his
(21:01):
operation their partnership as a result.
Speaker 2 (21:08):
This is The Big Take from Bloomberg News. I'm David Burra.
To get more from The Big Take and unlimited access
to all of Bloomberg dot com, subscribe today at Bloomberg
dot com slash podcast offer. If you like this episode,
make sure to follow and review The Big Take wherever
you listen to podcasts. It helps people find the show.
Thanks for listening. We'll be back tomorrow.
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Sarah Holder
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