DOJ documents show Jeffrey Epstein emailed David Ross on Oct. 1, 2009 proposing to fund an exhibit called "statutory" that would present "girls and boys ages 14 - 25" made to appear much older through makeup or digital alteration. The outreach came about two months after Epstein's July 22, 2009 release from a 13-month Palm Beach jail term tied to a controversial solicitation plea deal. Ross, a former Whitney director, called the idea "powerful" and "freaky" and later resigned from an academic post after the emails surfaced. The DOJ packet also references a 2019 civil suit alleging sexual assault by Epstein at age 18.
DOJ Emails Reveal Epstein Proposed 'Statutory' Art Exhibit Featuring 'Girls And Boys Ages 14–25' Made To Appear Older
Jeffrey EpsteinAP/Shutterstock
Documents released by the U.S. Department of Justice show that Jeffrey Epstein emailed former museum director David Ross on Oct. 1, 2009, offering to fund an art exhibition he described as "statutory," featuring "girls and boys ages 14 - 25. where they look nothing like their true ages." The proposal arrived roughly two months after Epstein completed a 13-month jail term in Palm Beach tied to a controversial plea deal for solicitation charges involving a minor.
In the email, Epstein suggested the appearance of age could be altered through makeup or digital techniques such as Photoshop, acknowledged the likely controversy and called the concept "fun." He also wrote, "Some people go to prison because they can't tell true age," echoing a defense his legal team had previously advanced.
Epstein (Oct. 1, 2009): "I might want to fund an exhibition entitled statutory. girls and boys ages 14 - 25. where they look nothing like their true ages."
Epstein addressed the message to David Ross, the onetime director of the Whitney Museum of American Art and former head of the Institute of Contemporary Art in Boston and SFMOMA. The DOJ packet included more than 50 exchanges between Epstein and Ross; in one reply, Ross described the concept as "[p]owerful" and "freaky." Ross subsequently resigned as chair of the School of Visual Arts' department after the emails became public and issued a statement saying he had been "taken in" by Epstein and remained appalled by Epstein's crimes.
Jeffrey Epstein wrote that he was meeting the lawyers for accused pedophile Roman Polanski (above) Adam Nurkiewicz/Getty
Context And Related Allegations
Epstein had been released from Palm Beach custody on July 22, 2009, after serving a 13-month sentence as part of a nonfederal plea agreement that has been widely criticized as too lenient. During that sentence, local authorities approved work-release arrangements: in October 2008 he was allowed 12-hour work-release days at an office tied to the Florida Science Foundation, and in the final seven weeks of his term he reportedly spent up to 16 hours a day at his office or home after paying $120,000 to cover police overtime.
The DOJ release also references civil litigation, including a 2019 suit filed under the name Katelyn Doe alleging she was sexually assaulted by Epstein at age 18 at his Palm Beach office while he was on work release. The complaint says Doe believed she had legitimate employment with the Florida Science entity but was coerced into commercial sex acts. Her attorney, Brad Edwards, said the allegations showed that Epstein continued predatory behavior even while serving his sentence.
Epstein never moved forward with the proposed exhibit. He was arrested in 2019 on federal charges including sex trafficking and conspiracy to traffic minors; while in federal custody that year he died by suicide. The DOJ's newly released emails underscore the extent of Epstein's contacts with influential cultural figures and have renewed scrutiny of his behavior and the institutional responses to it.
Note: This article summarizes material contained in a Department of Justice document release and contemporaneous reporting.
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