Federal Judge Releases Purported Jeffrey Epstein Suicide Note Found by Cellmate

A federal judge unsealed a purported suicide note written by Jeffrey Epstein that had remained under seal for nearly seven years. The handwritten document was released Wednesday as part of proceedings in the criminal case of Nicholas Tartaglione, Epstein's former cellmate at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in Manhattan.

The note, which does not bear a signature, reads in part: "They investigated me for month — FOUND NOTHING!!! So 15 year old charges resulted. It is a treat to be able to choose one's time to say goodbye. Watcha want me to do — Bust out cryin!! " Handwriting in the note appears to match other samples from Epstein, though neither the court nor major news organizations have independently authenticated it.

Tartaglione told investigators he found the note in the cell in the days after Epstein's first apparent suicide attempt on July 23, 2019. That morning, jail officials discovered Epstein with a strip of orange fabric tied around his neck and hanging from a bunk bed ladder.

Tartaglione said he woke up when Epstein landed on him and immediately called for help. Epstein and Tartaglione gave conflicting accounts of the incident. Epstein told lawyers and officials he was not suicidal and accused Tartaglione of trying to extort him for protection money.

Tartaglione maintained that Epstein had attempted suicide. The note was later given to Tartaglione's lawyers, who had handwriting experts examine it. The document surfaced in a legal dispute over a conflict of interest among Tartaglione's attorneys during his own criminal proceedings.

U.S. District Judge Kenneth Karas, who presided over Tartaglione's trial, ordered the note unsealed at the request of The New York Times. The Times had petitioned the court after Tartaglione publicly discussed the note in a 2025 interview.

“They investigated me for month — FOUND NOTHING!!! So 15 year old charges resulted. It is a treat to be able to choose one's time to say goodbye. Watcha want me to do — Bust out cryin!! NO FUN — NOT WORTH IT!!" — Purported note by Jeffrey Epstein (US District Court for the Southern District of New York) The reference to "15 year old charges" points to a Florida investigation from the mid-2000s into Epstein's alleged sexual abuse of teenagers in Palm Beach. That probe ended in a 2007 plea deal allowing Epstein to serve about a year in county jail despite law enforcement findings that he had abused dozens of girls. Epstein was arrested again in July 2019 on federal sex-trafficking charges in Manhattan accusing him of recruiting and abusing underage girls. He was awaiting trial when he died on August 10, 2019. Authorities ruled the death a suicide by hanging. The note was not mentioned in the Justice Department's 128-page inspector general report on Epstein's death, which cited repeated negligence and misconduct by jail staff but found no evidence of foul play.”

He first disclosed the note's existence publicly in a 2025 interview while in prison. He said he kept the document as potential evidence in case Epstein continued to accuse him of assault. After the July 23 incident, Epstein was placed on suicide watch for six days before being removed and housed with another inmate.

That cellmate was transferred on August 9, leaving Epstein alone in violation of standing orders. Hours later, two guards assigned to check on him every 30 minutes fell asleep and failed to perform required rounds for approximately three hours. Surveillance cameras outside the cell malfunctioned that night.

The note ended up in Tartaglione's case file rather than Epstein's because of its connection to the conflict-of-interest dispute among his lawyers. A prosecutor in Tartaglione's case was Maurene Comey, who had helped bring charges against Epstein. Other records related to the note, including transcripts of hearings on the lawyer conflict and a report by the court-appointed reviewer, remain under seal.

The Metropolitan Correctional Center faced intense scrutiny after Epstein's death. A Justice Department investigation detailed multiple failures, including falsified log entries by guards, the premature removal from suicide watch, and the lack of a cellmate on the night he died.

The inspector general's report stopped short of suggesting anything other than suicide. Tartaglione's conviction is unrelated to Epstein. The former police officer was found guilty of murdering four men in a scheme involving the promised sale of cocaine.

He discovered the note sometime after the July incident, according to a timeline in the Justice Department files. One of his lawyers at the time authenticated it, though the method was not detailed in public records. The release of the note comes amid continued public interest in Epstein's case and associates.

It does not resolve questions about the precise circumstances of his death or the authenticity of the document beyond what handwriting comparison has shown so far. Additional documents that could provide more context on how the note factored into Tartaglione's legal proceedings are expected to remain sealed for now pending further court action.