NYT fights to have alleged Epstein farewell message unsealed

A purported suicide note written by disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein has remained sealed in a New York courthouse for nearly seven years.

American outlet The New York Times revealed that the note was locked away by a federal judge as part of the criminal case involving Epstein’s former cellmate, Nicholas Tartaglione, who found the piece of paper. The newspaper has now formally petitioned the court to have the document unsealed.

According to their report, the decision to seal the note meant investigators examining Epstein’s high-profile death may have been deprived of a potentially important piece of evidence.

Citing Tartaglione, who previously discussed the note on a podcast, the article says the message included the line “time to say goodbye.” He also recalled that the note claimed investigators had spent months examining Epstein and “found nothing,” adding: “What do you want me to do, bust out crying? Time to say goodbye.”

Epstein’s death in 2019 at the Metropolitan Correctional Centre was officially ruled a suicide by New York City’s medical examiner. However, documented security failures at the facility have fuelled widespread speculation about the circumstances of his death, including theories that he may have been killed due to his connections with powerful figures.

Just weeks before his death, Epstein was found unresponsive in his cell with a strip of cloth around his neck. At the time, he reportedly told jail officials that Tartaglione had attacked him and insisted he was not suicidal.

According to The New York Times, Tartaglione later handed the note to his lawyers, believing it could be relevant if Epstein continued to accuse him of assault. The note appears to have become enmeshed in a protracted dispute among his lawyers, who have attempted to have the writing authenticated to confirm it was, in fact, written by the disgraced financier.

The note was not referenced in official investigations into Epstein’s death, including a 2023 report by the Justice Department’s Office of the Inspector General. While the OIG declined to comment, the newspaper notes that a timeline included in recently released Epstein-related documents tracks the note’s movement through the legal system.

Since December, the US Justice Department has released millions of pages of documents related to Epstein, continuing to shed light on one of the most controversial cases in recent years.

By Nazrin Sadigova