What is Known About the Alleged Epstein Suicide Note Held Under Judicial Seal, According to the New York Times

An alleged suicide note attributed to financier Jeffrey Epstein has remained under judicial seal for nearly seven years in a New York federal court, according to a revelation by the New York Times this Thursday.

The newspaper, which has petitioned the judge for its declassification, notes that the letter was found in July 2019 by Epstein’s then-cellmate, Nicholas Tartaglione, following an incident in which the tycoon was found unconscious with a cloth around his neck.

Epstein, accused of sex trafficking and the abuse of minors, survived that episode, but weeks later he was found dead in his cell at a Manhattan prison.

According to the Times, the note includes the phrase “it’s time to say goodbye” and was delivered by Tartaglione to his lawyers. It ended up being sealed by a federal judge within the framework of Tartaglione's criminal case, which may have prevented investigators from examining it during the inquiries into Epstein's death.

The Department of Justice assured the newspaper that it has “no record” of this document, despite having collected millions of pages related to the case in recent months.

According to Tartaglione's account, gathered by the Times in several interviews, the note was written on a yellow sheet torn from a notepad and was found inside a book in the cell.

He further maintains that he decided to turn it over to his defense because it could have been relevant to the accusations made by Epstein, who initially claimed that his cellmate had attacked him.

Tartaglione, who was sentenced in 2023 to life imprisonment for a quadruple murder and is currently appealing his sentence, has denied for years having assaulted Epstein.

Jeffrey Epstein's death in August 2019, at the age of 66, was ruled a suicide by New York authorities.

The Times emphasizes that it has been unable to independently verify the content of the note and suggests that its authenticity has been analyzed by experts. According to the daily, the existence of the note does not appear in official reports regarding the financier’s death.