An alleged handwritten note by Jeffrey Epstein, reportedly penned weeks before his death, has been hidden inside a sealed court file for years, never reaching federal investigators tasked with examining the financier's demise. This revelation emerged from a Thursday report by The New York Times, detailing how the document surfaced not through official channels but via the account of a convicted murderer who shared a cell with Epstein.
"The entire Epstein affair, as it relates to Nick, is under seal, not just the supposed note, if there is one." — Bruce Barket, Attorney for Nicholas Tartaglione
Jeffrey Epstein, a financier convicted of sex trafficking minors, was found dead on August 10, 2019, in his cell at the Metropolitan Correctional Center (MCC) in lower Manhattan. His death was officially ruled a suicide by hanging by the New York Medical Examiner, a conclusion supported by the Department of Justice (DOJ). However, weeks prior to his death, on July 23, 2019, Epstein had been found with a homemade noose around his neck, an incident he survived. Following this event, he was placed on suicide watch but was removed the next day, July 24, 2019, though he remained under psychological observation.
During the period leading up to the July 23 incident, Epstein shared a cell with Nicholas Tartaglione, a former police officer from Briarcliff Manor, New York, who has since been convicted of multiple murders and other charges. Tartaglione claims he discovered the note tucked inside a book in Epstein’s cell. "I opened the book to read and there it was," Tartaglione recounted to The New York Times. According to Tartaglione, the note contained phrases such as: "FBI, you know, looked into me for months and found nothing." It then allegedly continued, "What do you want me to do? Cry about it?" followed by a smiley face and the phrase "time to say goodbye."
Tartaglione stated his reason for retaining the note was self-preservation. He feared Epstein might accuse him of harm, a concern that proved well-founded. Following the July 23 incident, when jail officials questioned Epstein about marks on his neck, Epstein initially claimed Tartaglione had attacked him and insisted he was not suicidal. However, Bureau of Prisons records indicate Epstein's story subsequently shifted. A week after making the accusation, Epstein reportedly told officials he had "never had any issues" with Tartaglione and felt safe sharing the cell. A suicide risk assessment conducted after the July incident also recorded Epstein denying any history of suicidal behavior, stating he lived "to have fun, to enjoy life, and to learn" and that his future plans included "fighting his case and going back to his normal life."
Rather than becoming part of the official investigation into Epstein’s death, the alleged note became entangled within Tartaglione’s own criminal proceedings. A two-page chronology found within the broader Epstein files describes how the note became part of Tartaglione's case, noting that his attorneys authenticated the document in January 2020, though the method of authentication was not specified, and prior concerns about its authenticity were mentioned. Tartaglione's attorney, Bruce Barket, declined to comment when reached by ABC News, citing the sealed nature of the proceedings. Barket stated, "The entire Epstein affair, as it relates to Nick, is under seal, not just the supposed note, if there is one."
Despite a bipartisan law passed late last year requiring the disclosure of government records related to the Epstein case, the note was conspicuously absent from the millions of files released by the DOJ. A DOJ spokesperson commented, "It is difficult to comment on something neither the New York Times, nor we, have seen. The Department underwent an exhaustive effort to collect all records in its possession responsive to the Act. This included collecting records from the Bureau of Prisons and Office of Inspector General." Federal prosecutors from the Southern District of New York were reportedly unaware of any suicide note written by Epstein, according to sources familiar with the matter.
Tartaglione had publicly referenced the note's existence on a podcast in 2025, but the physical document itself has never been seen outside of sealed legal proceedings. In response to these developments, The New York Times has petitioned U.S. District Judge Kenneth Karas to unseal the note, arguing that Tartaglione’s public discussion of its contents and the appearance of a related chronology in recent DOJ disclosures warrant its release. Judge Karas has ordered all parties involved to respond to the unsealing request by May 4, opening a potential new chapter in the ongoing scrutiny surrounding Jeffrey Epstein's death.
