In the disclosure announced on Friday, the Justice Department uploaded roughly three million pages of documents, alongside about 180,000 images and 2,000 videos, marking the largest single release of Epstein-related records since a transparency law took effect last year.
The United States Department of Justice (DOJ) has made public an unprecedented trove of records linked to disgraced financier and convicted sex offender, Jeffrey Epstein, releasing millions of pages of material that shed new light on his prison stay, personal relationships and correspondence with powerful figures around the world.
In the disclosure announced on Friday, the Justice Department uploaded roughly three million pages of documents, alongside about 180,000 images and 2,000 videos, marking the largest single release of Epstein-related records since a transparency law took effect last year.
The publication follows weeks of criticism after the department failed to meet a deadline set out in legislation signed by President Donald Trump, which required all Epstein-related documents held by the government to be released.
“Today's release marks the end of a very comprehensive document identification and review process to ensure transparency to the American people and compliance,” the BBC quoted Deputy Attorney General, Todd Blanche, as saying.
According to the Justice Department, the newly released files include material detailing Epstein’s time in custody, including a psychological assessment and records surrounding his death in jail in August 2019, as well as investigative files on his longtime associate Ghislaine Maxwell, who was later convicted of helping him traffic underage girls.
Also contained in the cache are extensive email exchanges between Epstein and a number of prominent individuals.
Many of the communications date back more than a decade and highlight the scope of Epstein’s social and political connections even after his 2008 conviction in Florida for soliciting sex from a 14-year-old girl, a case that ended in a controversial plea deal.
Some of the documents reference Epstein’s links to Britain’s elite.
Among them are emails between Epstein and an individual identified as “The Duke,” believed to be Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, discussing plans for a private dinner at Buckingham Palace, described as offering “lots of privacy.”
In another message, Epstein appears to offer to introduce “The Duke” to a 26-year-old Russian woman.
The emails, exchanged in August 2010, are signed “A,” with a signature that appears to read “HRH Duke of York KG,” two years after Epstein pleaded guilty to soliciting a minor.
The correspondence does not indicate any criminal wrongdoing.
The BBC has contacted Andrew, formerly known as the Duke of York, for comment.
He has faced years of scrutiny over his past friendship with Epstein, but has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing.
Other emails appear to involve Sarah Ferguson, Andrew’s former wife, according to the BBC.
In one message dated 4 April 2009 and signed “Love, Sarah, The red Head.!!”, Ferguson says she planned to be in Palm Beach and hoped to meet Epstein for tea.
The email discusses ideas for her company, Mother’s Army, and refers to Epstein as “My dear spectacular and special friend Jeffrey.”
She calls him a “legend” and adds: “I am so proud of you.”
At the time, Epstein was under house arrest following his 2008 conviction.
The files also include financial correspondence involving Lord Peter Mandelson.
Emails show Epstein sent £10,000 ($13,692) in 2009 to Mandelson’s husband, Reinaldo Avila da Silva, after da Silva outlined the cost of an osteopathy course and provided his bank details, thanking Epstein for “anything you can help me with.”
Epstein replied that he would wire the money, and da Silva sent a thank-you message the following day.
Separate emails from June 2009 show Mandelson asking to stay at one of Epstein’s properties while Epstein was serving a jail sentence that allowed him to work from his office during the day and return to custody at night.
Mandelson, who was appointed the UK’s ambassador to the US in December 2024 but dismissed less than a year later after it emerged he had sent supportive messages to Epstein post-conviction, has long acknowledged and expressed regret over the friendship.
He has said he never witnessed any wrongdoing and that he “fell for his lies.”
President Trump is mentioned hundreds of times in the released documents.
He has acknowledged a past friendship with Epstein but says it ended years before Epstein’s arrest and has denied any knowledge of his crimes.
Among the files is an FBI list compiled last year of allegations made by callers to its national Threat Operation Center tip line, including numerous claims of sexual abuse involving Trump, Epstein and other prominent figures.
Many of the allegations appear to be unverified and unsupported by evidence.
In a statement cited by both the White House and the Justice Department, officials said, “Some of the documents contain untrue and sensationalist claims against President Trump that were submitted to the FBI right before the 2020 election.”
“To be clear, the claims are unfounded and false, and if they have a shred of credibility, they certainly would have been weaponised against President Trump already.”
The release also reveals email exchanges between Epstein and tech billionaire Elon Musk.
Musk, who has not been accused of wrongdoing, has previously said Epstein invited him to the financier’s private island but that he declined.
However, the newly disclosed emails show Musk discussing possible visits on more than one occasion, including a proposed 2012 trip in which he asked Epstein, “What day/night will be the wildest party on your island?”
In November 2012, Epstein asked how many people would need helicopter transport to the island, and Musk replied that it would only be himself and his then-wife, Talulah Riley.
In another email sent on Christmas Day 2012, Musk asked whether Epstein had any parties planned, saying he wanted to “let loose” after a demanding year.
“I've been working to the edge of sanity this year, and so, once my kids head home after Christmas, I really want to hit the party scene in St Barts or elsewhere and let loose,” he wrote, adding that a “peaceful island experience” was “the opposite of what I'm wanting.”
Emails from late 2013 show the pair discussing logistics and dates for a possible island visit.
There is no evidence that Musk ever travelled there, according to the BBC.
The documents also contain drafts of emails apparently written by Epstein in July 2013 referencing Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates.
The messages, which appear to have been sent from and to Epstein’s own account and are unsigned, include lurid claims, including an allegation that Gates contracted a sexually transmitted disease.
A spokesperson for Gates told the BBC, “These claims, from a proven, disgruntled liar, are absolutely absurd and completely false.”
They added, “The only thing these documents demonstrate is Epstein's frustration that he did not have an ongoing relationship with Gates and the lengths he would go to entrap and defame.”
Victims’ advocates have raised an alarm over the manner in which the files were released.
Gloria Allred, a women’s rights lawyer who has represented many of Epstein’s victims, said the disclosure included the names and images of survivors, some of whom had never been publicly identified.
Many documents remain heavily redacted, with the law allowing redactions only to protect victims or ongoing investigations and requiring explanations for each removal.
Blanche said hundreds of Justice Department staff spent more than two months reviewing the material and that redactions were intended to safeguard victims.
But Allred rejected the suggestion that the release could provide closure.
“They have devastated so many of these survivors by publicly releasing their names,” she said. “In some cases... they have a line through the names, but you can still read the names.”
“In other cases, they've shown photos of victims, survivors who have never done a public interview, never given their name publicly.”
Describing the release as “an absolute mess,” Allred said the department had “reached a new low” and “should be ashamed of themselves,” warning that although lawyers were seeking further redactions, “many people have already downloaded the files.”
The justice department has been contacted for further comment.
While Blanche said Friday’s disclosure “marks the end of a very comprehensive document identification and review process,” Democrats remain sceptical.
Congressman Ro Khanna, who co-sponsored the Epstein Files Transparency Act, said, “The DOJ said it identified over 6 million potentially responsive pages but is releasing only about 3.5 million after review and redactions.
“This raises questions as to why the rest are being withheld. I will be reviewing closely to see if they release what I've been pushing for.”
The department had faced sustained pressure after missing the 19 December deadline mandated by the Act, passed by Congress in November.
Despite the scale of the release, many critics, including some of Trump’s supporters, continue to believe that powerful individuals connected to Epstein have been shielded.
Blanche acknowledged that the documents would not satisfy all demands for answers, saying they do not identify specific men who abused women.
“I don't think that the public or you all are going to uncover men within the Epstein files that abused women, unfortunately,” he said.