A federal judge in New York has ordered the release of a handwritten document believed to be a farewell note by the late financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, nearly seven years after his death in federal custody. The note was unsealed on Wednesday by U.S. District Judge Kenneth Karas following a request from media outlets that had recently brought its existence to light.
The document, described in court filings as a possible suicide note, includes the line: “It is a treat to be able to choose one’s time to say goodbye.” Epstein, who was awaiting trial on federal sex trafficking charges involving underage girls, was found dead in his Manhattan jail cell in August 2019. His death was ruled a suicide, though it has continued to fuel public speculation and conspiracy theories.
The note was reportedly discovered by Epstein’s former cellmate, Nicholas Tartaglione, a former police officer serving multiple life sentences for drug-related murders. Judge Karas ruled that the note qualifies as a judicial record because it was submitted during legal proceedings related to Tartaglione’s criminal case. The judge also stated that no party had provided adequate legal grounds to keep the document sealed from public view.
In his order, Judge Karas clarified that the court was not verifying the note’s authenticity, nor was the origin or handling of the document relevant to the decision on public access. The note, written on yellow legal pad paper, contains emotional and defensive statements attributed to Epstein, including complaints about investigations into his conduct and references to charges that had accumulated over several years.
Court records indicate that Epstein and Tartaglione shared a jail cell for about two weeks in July 2019 at a federal detention center in Manhattan. The note reportedly surfaced after an earlier incident in which Epstein was found injured with marks on his neck, which authorities described as an apparent suicide attempt. Epstein died weeks later on August 10, 2019, in a separate event that investigators concluded was suicide by hanging.
Epstein’s criminal history had generated widespread outrage years earlier. In 2008, he secured a controversial plea deal in Florida after pleading guilty to soliciting prostitution from a minor. The agreement, which resulted in a reduced sentence, was widely criticized for its leniency. More than a decade later, federal prosecutors charged him again with running a sex trafficking operation involving underage girls in New York and Florida. His death prior to trial prevented the case from proceeding in court.
The note remained largely unknown to the public until Tartaglione mentioned it during a podcast appearance last year. Interest surged after it was reported that the document had not been included in the millions of pages released by the U.S. Justice Department related to Epstein investigations. Judge Karas dismissed privacy concerns, noting Epstein’s death and the fact that the alleged note had already entered public discourse.
