A handwritten note reportedly left by Jeffrey Epstein has remained under seal in a New York courthouse for years, hidden from public view even as millions of other documents related to the financier’s death were released. According to a report from The New York Times on Friday, the note was discovered by Epstein’s former cellmate, Nicholas Tartaglione, weeks before Epstein’s death in August 2019.
The message, which was entered into evidence as part of Tartaglione’s own criminal proceedings, allegedly reads: “What do you want me to do, bust out crying? Time to say goodbye.”
The discovery stems from a July 2019 incident where Epstein was found unresponsive in his cell with neck injuries. At the time, Epstein claimed Tartaglione had assaulted him.
However, Tartaglione told his legal team he found the note tucked inside a graphic novel. He reportedly turned the paper over to his lawyers as a form of protection in case Epstein continued to accuse him of violence.
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While the note was allegedly authenticated by Tartaglione’s defense team in late 2019 or early 2020, it was notably absent from the official investigations into Epstein’s death. This omission persists despite a federal mandate, signed by Donald Trump, requiring the Department of Justice to release all un-redacted files concerning the Epstein case.
Records from the Bureau of Prisons show a conflicting narrative from Epstein himself. A week after accusing Tartaglione of an assault, Epstein told officials he “never had any issues” with his cellmate and felt safe in the shared space. Following the July incident, Epstein was placed under psychological evaluation.
On the morning of August 10, 2019, Epstein was found dead in his cell. The two correctional officers on duty, Tova Noel and Michael Thomas, failed to perform required checks at midnight, 3 a.m., and 5 a.m., later admitting they falsified logs to show they had completed them. They discovered Epstein at 6:33 a.m. while serving breakfast.
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The official ruling of suicide has been a point of contention. Dr. Michael Baden, a forensic pathologist hired by Epstein’s family, noted that the autopsy revealed three fractures in the neck area, including the hyoid bone. Baden stated these injuries are often more consistent with homicidal strangulation than suicidal hanging.
Charges against the two guards for conspiring to defraud the U.S. and falsifying records were eventually dropped after they completed community service and cooperated with a DOJ Inspector General review. Further complicating the record, prison camera malfunctions resulted in a lack of video evidence from the night of the death. For now, the “goodbye” note remains one of the few pieces of physical evidence yet to be shared with the public.
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