DOJ-Released FBI notes (EFTA00004179) contain 13 pages of handwritten interview material alleging Jeffrey Epstein’s specific demands for procuring underage girls, including preferences about age and race and sexual encounters disguised as 'massages.' The heavily redacted file includes quotes, photographs of girls said to be 14–17, and references to New York locations. The notes align with previous allegations and testimony, including that of Marina Lacerda, and touch on associates such as Jean‑Luc Brunel and Ghislaine Maxwell.
FBI Notes Released: Documents Detail Epstein’s Alleged Demands For Procuring Underage Girls
Jeffrey Epstein in a photo released by the Department of Justice.Photograph: Department of Justice
The Department of Justice on Friday released a tranche of previously sealed material that includes handwritten FBI interview notes alleging how Jeffrey Epstein instructed associates to find underage girls. Though the release is heavily redacted and has been criticized as partial, one file—EFTA00004179—contains 13 pages of detailed notes that shed new light on recruitment methods, specific preferences, and locations tied to the abuses.
Key Details From The File
File EFTA00004179 comprises an FBI evidence cover sheet and 13 pages of handwritten interview notes from a May 2, 2019 interview. The interview subject and portions of the text are redacted, but recurring themes are clear: the sourcing of young women through social networks, sexual encounters framed as 'massages,' and alleged remarks by Epstein about victims’ age and race.
“Friends of [redacted] friends. Big Brazilian group. Desperate time… Running out of girls.”
The notes reportedly record a procurer presenting a 'dark-skinned Dominican' and attribute to Epstein a comment that he 'didn’t want Spanish or dark girl.' Other entries describe an episode in an apartment bathroom, an instance when Epstein asked a girl for identification to verify she was under 18, and accounts of forceful touching and other abusive behavior.
Images, Ages, And Locations
According to the notes, photographs accompanying the file show girls estimated to be 14–17 years old, depicted around town and in bikinis on the beach. Specific locations cited include a Manhattan '41st St Apartment,' sites in Rochester and Brighton Beach, New York, and a reference to a high school prom.
Context And Related Figures
The material aligns with prior allegations and witness testimony. Marina Lacerda—identified in charging documents as 'Minor-Victim 1'—publicly described being abused by Epstein from age 14; her statements contributed to the federal case that followed. Epstein died by suicide in a New York jail cell in 2019.
Jean‑Luc Brunel, a former modeling-agent associate, was arrested in France in 2022 on suspicion of trafficking and abusing minors; French authorities alleged he helped supply girls to Epstein. Brunel died in custody in 2022. Reporting has also linked Ghislaine Maxwell to recruitment activity, including in Brazil; Maxwell has since been convicted on related charges.
Release And Transparency Concerns
Lawmakers, victims' advocates and legal observers criticized the Trump-era Justice Department’s release as incomplete and heavily redacted, saying withheld material hinders full public scrutiny. Even with redactions, these notes add granular, contemporaneous descriptions to the public record about how minors were allegedly recruited and selected for abuse.
As advocates press for fuller disclosure, these documents are likely to remain part of ongoing scrutiny into Epstein’s network and the institutions connected to it.
