US Federal Judge Unseals Alleged Epstein Suicide Note Amid Renewed Scrutiny of Administration Officials
Judge Kenneth Karas ruled the note qualifies as a judicial record subject to public access in connection with former cellmate Nicholas Tartaglione's criminal case, a decision that coincides with congressional questioning of Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick regarding his ties to the financier.
US District Judge Kenneth Karas in White Plains, New York, has ordered the unsealing of a handwritten document described as an alleged suicide note by Jeffrey Epstein. The ruling, issued on Wednesday, grants public access to the text after The New York Times reported on the document and sought its release in connection with the criminal case of Nicholas Tartaglione, Epstein's former cellmate. Judge Karas determined there was no legal basis to maintain the document under seal, noting it qualified as a judicial record subject to the public's right of access.
The note was reportedly discovered by Tartaglione inside a graphic novel following Epstein's first suicide attempt in July 2019. Tartaglione, a convicted murderer and former police officer, had previously mentioned the existence of the document on a podcast last year, stating he provided it to his lawyers to help deny accusations that he had attacked Epstein. The document, which remains undated and unsigned, does not bear Epstein's name. It contains the phrases "NO FUN" and "NOT WORTH IT!!", both underlined, alongside the text "They investigated me for months — FOUND NOTHING!!! It is a treat to be able to choose one's time to say goodbye."
In a significant procedural detail, Judge Karas explicitly stated he did not attest to the document's authenticity nor did he assess its chain of custody. The judge deemed these issues irrelevant to the unsealing decision, observing that no party had identified any competing consideration that would justify keeping the note sealed. Federal prosecutors did not oppose the request from The New York Times to release the note, allowing the text to become part of the public record without judicial verification of its provenance.
This development in the Epstein saga coincides with renewed scrutiny of US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, who faced sharp questioning from the House Oversight Committee regarding a 2012 visit to Epstein's private Caribbean island. Documents released earlier this year indicated Lutnick maintained contact with Epstein longer than he had previously acknowledged, contradicting his earlier statements that he had decided never to be in a room with the financier again after 2005.
During a voluntary interview with members of the committee, Lutnick could not recall why he and his family had lunch on the island, a response that drew criticism from Representative Suhas Subramanyam and Representative James Comer. Comer, who chairs the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, noted that Lutnick had not been 100% truthful regarding the brief visit and warned that lying to Congress is a felony. Lutnick remains the highest-ranked administration official, aside from President Donald Trump, to be named in the Epstein case files.
President Trump has consistently denied any knowledge of Epstein's crimes and has stated he severed ties with the financier years ago. The unsealing of the alleged suicide note adds another layer of complexity to the ongoing investigation into the network surrounding Epstein, whose death in August 2019 was ruled a suicide while he awaited trial on sex trafficking charges. The release of the document underscores the tension between judicial transparency and the lack of verification regarding the authenticity of materials submitted in related criminal proceedings.
