Trump stumbles, a counterfeit clip and 10 potential accomplices – Insights from the latest Epstein documents

On Tuesday, the US Department of Justice unveiled its most recent – and most extensive – collection of Jeffrey Epstein documents.

The over 11,000 documents continue a flow of disclosure that commenced on Friday, the cutoff date stipulated by a new statute that necessitates the department to publicly disclose all of its investigative material regarding the late paedophile and financier.

Numerous documents made public on Tuesday are redacted, with names and information obscured, including the names of individuals whom the FBI seems to identify as potential co-conspirators in the Epstein case.

The justice department is encountering backlash from legislators across the political spectrum concerning the volume of redactions, which the law explicitly mentions can only be applied to safeguard the identities of victims or ongoing criminal probes.

President Donald Trump’s name surfaced more prominently in these newly released documents compared to prior disclosures. Many were derived from media articles referencing him, but one significant email from a federal prosecutor suggested Trump flew on Epstein’s aircraft.

The justice department stated that some documents “include false and sensational claims” regarding Trump.

Being referenced in the Epstein documents does not imply guilt. BBC has solicited comments from individuals cited in our report.

Among the thousands of pages in this latest release, a 2001 email dispatched by a person designated as “A” is particularly noteworthy.

The communication, addressed to Epstein’s associate and confidant Ghislaine Maxwell, indicates that “A” is at “Balmoral Summer Camp for the Royal Family”.

“A” subsequently inquires of Maxwell, who received a 20-year sentence in 2022 for sex trafficking minors and other charges: “Have you recruited some new unsavory companions?”

In another message sent later the same day, Maxwell responds: “I regret to disappoint [sic] you, but the truth must be conveyed. I have only been able to locate suitable acquaintances.”

The “A” email was dispatched from the address [email protected], with the sender’s name appearing as “The Invisible Man”.

An image from an earlier Epstein file release displayed a different, yet similarly structured email – [email protected] – recorded in Epstein’s phone book under a contact named “Duke of York”.

Another communication in the new files between Maxwell and “The Invisible Man” discusses a journey to Peru.

In October, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor lost his Duke of York title following scrutiny of his associations with Epstein.

He has consistently denied any misconduct, asserting he did not “observe, witness, or suspect any behavior that later resulted in his [Epstein’s] arrest and conviction”.

The BBC has reached out to Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor’s team for a reaction.

Included in the documents released are emails seemingly exchanged among FBI personnel in 2019 that reference 10 alleged “co-conspirators” of Epstein.

The emails indicated six of the 10 co-conspirators had received subpoenas. This encompassed three in Florida, one in Boston, one in New York City, and one in Connecticut.

Four subpoenas were pending when the emails were sent, including one directed at a “wealthy businessman in Ohio”.

Another email addressed to FBI New York provides an update regarding the co-conspirators. This instance seems to reference multiple names. Most remain redacted in the file.

Two names were left unredacted – (Ghislaine) Maxwell and Wexner.

One email states, “I am unaware of Ohio contacting Wexner”.

The email presumably pertains to former Victoria’s Secret CEO Les Wexner, who had a prominent friendship with Epstein. In 2019, Wexner expressed his “embarrassment” regarding his associations with the financier.

Wexner’s legal representatives informed BBC News that “the assistant U.S. attorney leading the Epstein investigation stated at the time that Mr. Wexner was neither a co-conspirator nor a target”.

“Mr. Wexner fully cooperated by supplying background information on Epstein and was never contacted again,” they indicated.

Identifying potential co-conspirators in Epstein’s offenses is a crucial focus for his victims, as well as for multiple lawmakers who have demanded increased transparency from the DOJ.

“There are potentially 10 co-conspirators that we were entirely unaware of that the DOJ had been investigating,” Democrat Congressman Suhas Subramanyam remarked to BBC News on Tuesday.

Subramanyam, a member of the House Oversight Committee, expressed concern over the extent of the redactions that shield the identities of attorneys and individuals not classified as victims. Legislators from both parties stated they are exploring legal avenues to compel greater transparency.

The law enacted by Congress and endorsed by President Trump specifies that names and information that could be embarrassing or detrimental to reputation are prohibited from redaction, and specifically requests the justice department for internal communications and memos that detail who was investigated and the determinations made regarding “to charge, not charge, investigate, or decline to investigate Epstein or his associates”.

A letter featured in the released collection garnered significant online attention. However, the justice department has labeled it as fake.

The handwritten correspondence and envelope initially seemed to depict Epstein writing to Larry Nassar, the former USA Gymnastics doctor currently serving decades in prison for sexually abusing young female athletes.

“As you are probably aware, I have chosen the ‘short route’ home. Best wishes!” the fraudulent letter claims. “We shared one connection…our affection & concern for young women and the aspiration they achieve their utmost potential.”

The writer concludes with, “Life is unjust, Yours, J. Epstein.”

The letter was marked undeliverable and returned to a Manhattan facility where Epstein was held prior to his demise.

The FBI was notified regarding the returned correspondence and requested an evaluation of it. That request was also part of the released document collection.

On Tuesday, the justice department dismissed the letter as a fake, citing multiple irregularities in the note and its envelope.

“The handwriting does not seem to correspond with Jeffrey Epstein’s,” remarked the justice department on X.

“The return address did not specify the facility where Epstein was held and lacked his inmate number, which is mandatory for outgoing correspondence,” they added.

Officials noted the envelope had a postmark from northern Virginia – highlighting that Epstein was in custody in New York. Additionally, it was postmarked on 13 August 2019, three days following Epstein’s death.

Even before the justice department proclaimed it as fake, the documents prompted immediate inquiries.

The sender was identified as “J. Epstein” at “Manhattan Correctional” – but the correct designation for the now-closed jail was “Metropolitan Correctional Center”.

The documents made public on Tuesday also reveal the FBI’s analysis request.

A request from the FBI laboratory indicated that in August 2019, a sender identified as “J. Epstein” at “Manhattan Correctional” attempted to send a letter to “Larry Nassar at 9300 S. Wilmot Road, Tucson, Arizona, 85756”, the address of a federal correctional institution.

Nassar is presently incarcerated in Pennsylvania, according to the Bureau of Prisons.

Trump’s name features more prominently in these documents compared to other sets released by the justice department.

Significantly, in a January 2020 email, a federal prosecutor in New York noted that newly obtained flight logs “indicate that Donald Trump traveled on Epstein’s private jet much more frequently than had previously been disclosed (or that we were aware of)”.

The recipient of the email was redacted.

Trump was recorded as a passenger on “at least eight flights between 1993 and 1996”, with Ghislaine Maxwell aboard at least four of those flights, according to the prosecutor. Trump was also “noted as traveling with, among others and on different occasions, Marla Maples, his daughter Tiffany, and his son Eric”.

Trump was previously wed to Marla Maples, mother of Tiffany, from 1993 to 1999.

The prosecutor also mentioned that “on a flight in 1993, he and Epstein are the sole two passengers listed; on another, the only three passengers are Epstein, Trump, and then-20-year-old”, with the third passenger’s name concealed.

“For two other flights, two of the passengers, respectively, were women who might serve as witnesses in a Maxwell prosecution.”

The timing of these flights corresponds with years in which federal authorities were scrutinizing Maxwell’s conduct and journeys as part of their criminal case against her. Ultimately, she was convicted of colluding with Epstein to recruit and sexually prey upon minors.

However, throughout the documents released on Tuesday, numerous mentions of Trump’s name appear merely in news articles citing him, his campaigns, and other related events.

Trump has continually denied any illegal activity related to Epstein.

In a statement accompanying Tuesday’s release, the Department of Justice stated that the new files “hold false and exaggerated allegations directed at President Trump that were presented to the FBI just prior to the 2020 election”.

“To clarify: the accusations are baseless and untrue, and had they possessed even a sliver of credibility, they would have undoubtedly been utilized against President Trump by now,” the justice department asserted.

Among the more bizarre elements in Tuesday’s document release was a fake video depicting an Epstein-like figure in a prison cell, raising concerns over how it ended up in the department’s official files.

Additional documents indicated that an individual from Florida had emailed federal investigators in March 2021 a link to the video, inquiring if it was authentic; it is not.

BBC Verify employed a reverse image search to discover that a version of the video was uploaded to YouTube in October 2020. The user who shared it claimed the clip was made using 3D graphics.

According to a 2023 report from the Bureau of Prisons, no video recording from within Epstein’s cell on the day of his death exists.

The inclusion of the fake video in this release highlights the inquiries that federal agencies have been receiving from the public, many of whom, influenced by conspiracy theories or longstanding suspicions, seek clarity regarding Epstein’s life and passing.

Shayan Sardarizadeh contributed to this report.