Washington, D.C. – Recently unsealed U.S. Justice Department documents show that convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein directly lobbied billionaire media executive Mortimer Zuckerman in 2009 to alter unflattering reporting about him in the New York Daily News, shortly after Epstein’s 2008 Florida conviction for soliciting prostitution from a minor.
The correspondence, part of the latest batch of Epstein-related files released late last month under the Epstein Files Transparency Act, includes an October 9, 2009, email from Epstein to Zuckerman. In it, Epstein provided a draft statement denying allegations of sexual abuse involving himself and his associate Ghislaine Maxwell, including claims related to an underage victim and a purported “database of minors.”
In the proposed response Epstein wanted published, he asserted that “no sex occurred” with a victim identified as Jane Doe 102. The draft described the accusations as “malicious fabrications designed to” secure more money for clients of attorney Bradley Edwards, who represented numerous Epstein accusers. Epstein also asked that Maxwell’s name be removed from any coverage and claimed the initial plaintiff “admitted in a sworn videotaped statement that she lied and was a [sic] escort, call girl since age 15.”
Zuckerman, who owned the New York Daily News at the time, replied that the newspaper was “doing major editing over huge objections,” indicating internal resistance to fully accommodating Epstein’s demands.
Zuckerman, a Canadian-American billionaire born in 1937, was the owner and publisher of the New York Daily News (which he sold in 2017), The Atlantic, and Fast Company. He remains owner, publisher, and editor-in-chief of U.S. News & World Report. As of August 2024, his net worth was estimated at $2.6 billion.
The documents were made public on January 30, 2026, as part of a larger tranche of Epstein-related materials released under the Epstein Files Transparency Act, signed into law by President Donald Trump in November 2025. The release included millions of pages of court records, investigative notes, and correspondence, though many survivors, victims’ relatives, and U.S. lawmakers have criticised the disclosure as incomplete, alleging that significant portions of the files remain redacted or withheld.
Epstein, who died in federal custody in August 2019 while awaiting trial on federal sex-trafficking charges, had cultivated extensive relationships with powerful figures in business, politics, media, and academia. His 2008 Florida plea deal—widely criticised as lenient—allowed him to serve just 13 months in a work-release program despite evidence of abusing dozens of underage girls.
Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein’s longtime associate and recruiter, was convicted in 2021 on five federal counts related to sex trafficking and conspiracy. She is currently serving a 20-year prison sentence.
The newly revealed email provides further evidence of Epstein’s efforts to manage his public image and suppress damaging reporting after his conviction. It also highlights the influence media owners could wield over editorial decisions in high-profile cases involving powerful individuals.
The Justice Department has not commented on the specific content of the correspondence, but the release has reignited public and congressional scrutiny of Epstein’s network and the handling of his case by federal authorities.
Survivors and advocacy groups continue to press for the full, unredacted disclosure of all Epstein-related records, arguing that transparency remains essential for justice and accountability.
