In a significant development regarding Jeffrey Epstein's mysterious jail incidents, a note purportedly discovered by his former cellmate, Nicholas Tartaglione, was publicly released. This occurred following a U.S. District Judge's ruling, which came after a request by The New York Times to unseal the document that had been previously locked in a courthouse vault due to unrelated legal issues.
U.S. District Judge Kenneth Karas, located in White Plains, New York, ordered the release of this note along with other documents. Federal prosecutors did not contest the request to unseal the information. Tartaglione, a former police officer serving a life sentence for quadruple murder, had only recently mentioned the existence of the note during a podcast appearance in 2022.
Tartaglione claims he found the note in a book after Epstein was discovered on the floor of their shared cell at a Manhattan federal jail on July 23, 2019. Epstein was found with a strip of bedsheet around his neck, a situation that raised suspicions about an attempted suicide. This incident transpired approximately three weeks before Epstein was officially declared dead in his cell, in what authorities concluded to be a suicide.
The note contains fragmented phrases, including lines that read, “They investigated me for month — found nothing!!!” and “It is a treat to be able to choose the time to say goodbye.” The note concludes with an emphatic, underlined statement: “NO FUN, NOT WORTH IT!!” The identity of the actual author of the note remains uncertain, as it was not referenced in various governmental reports surrounding Epstein's death, nor did it appear in recent Justice Department file releases.
Judge Karas considered the privacy interests of deceased individuals such as Epstein before permitting the note's release. He concluded that the privacy claims of a deceased person were significantly diminished and that making the information public was unlikely to cause any real detriment.
Jail records indicate that Epstein exhibited signs of distress, including friction marks and skin irritation on his neck, following the suspected suicide attempt on July 23. Reports from jail officers detailed how he was breathing heavily yet responsive at the time, with one officer recollecting that Epstein believed Tartaglione had tried to harm him. Following this incident, Epstein was placed on suicide watch for 31 hours before being downgraded to psychiatric observation, which was the status he maintained until his death. Notably, Epstein denied any intent to harm himself, asserting in conversations with jail psychologists that his Jewish faith prohibited suicide and expressing that he feared pain.
A detailed chronology highlights that Tartaglione informed his lawyer about the note a mere four days after the July 23 incident. The note later surfaced as evidence in Tartaglione's criminal trial and was subsequently sealed amidst legal representation disputes. During interviews conducted by jail personnel shortly after the incident, Epstein indicated he felt no threats from Tartaglione, while Tartaglione described their interactions as limited but not problematic. On the day of the suspected suicide attempt, Tartaglione mistakenly believed Epstein was having a heart attack, as he appeared to be snoring and had his eyes open.
Both men had been cellmates for around two weeks, following Epstein’s arrest on July 6, 2019, while awaiting their respective trials—Epstein on sex trafficking charges and Tartaglione on charges related to his 2016 murders. Tartaglione, who was a police officer before his conviction in 2023, is currently incarcerated in a federal penitentiary in California and has sought a pardon from former President Donald Trump.
Epstein’s tragic story culminated with his death on August 10, 2019, when he was found in his cell at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in Manhattan. Authorities have criticized jail management for failing to ensure Epstein’s safety, pointing to a range of lapses by personnel, including inattentiveness and neglecting their monitoring duties. After Epstein’s death, officials reported finding a handwritten note in his cell that did not appear to be a suicide note; instead, it contained grievances about the jail conditions, such as complaints regarding food, showers, and pests.
