Newly released documents from the U.S. Department of Justice reveal that the late American financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein was described in FBI files as a “wealth manager” for Russian President Vladimir Putin.
According to the documents, Epstein made several attempts to arrange meetings with Putin, although there is no confirmation that any such meetings ever took place.
The released materials include more than 3 million pages of documents, around 180,000 photographs, 2,000 videos, as well as hundreds of personal letters and emails belonging to Epstein. The U.S. Department of Justice stated that the disclosure is part of a long-term investigation into Epstein’s criminal activities.
Independent Russian media outlet Agentstvo, which reviewed the documents, reports that Vladimir Putin’s name appears more than 1,000 times, while Russia is mentioned approximately 5,900 times.
Repeated Attempts to Meet Putin
Email correspondence shows that Epstein repeatedly explored the possibility of meeting the Russian president. In an email from October 2010, he asked:
“Has Putin been on your yacht?”
While applying for a Russian visa, Epstein reportedly wrote:
“Do I need a visa? I have a friend of Putin—should I ask him?”
In subsequent years, Epstein mentioned potential meetings with Putin several times, including one allegedly planned for 2014, which appears to have been canceled after the Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 was shot down over Ukraine, killing 298 people.
Links to Russian Officials and Intelligence Services
The documents also reveal that Epstein communicated with Sergei Belyakov, a former Russian deputy minister of economic development and former member of Russia’s FSB security service.
In a 2015 email, Epstein referred to his “friends in the FSB” and discussed cases of blackmail involving powerful businessmen in the United States.
U.S. authorities suspect that Epstein had long-standing ties to Russian organized crime, which they believe could explain how he was able to easily bring women from Russia.
Offer to the Kremlin and Interest in Trump
Other documents indicate that Epstein claimed he could offer the Kremlin valuable information about Donald Trump, ahead of the Trump–Putin summit in Helsinki in 2018.
He reportedly communicated with former Secretary General of the Council of Europe, Thorbjørn Jagland, suggesting he could help interpret the U.S. president’s positions.
Suspicions of Links to Mossad
An FBI report also mentions suspicions that Epstein may have had ties to Israel’s intelligence service, Mossad.
An FBI source reportedly stated that Epstein had close relations with former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak and had been trained for espionage-related activities.
In a 2013 email to Barak, Epstein referred to internal reorganizations within Putin’s inner circle, suggesting access to sensitive information.
FBI Report: “Putin’s Wealth Manager”
An FBI report dated November 27, 2017, based on a confidential source, states that Epstein was “the wealth manager of President Vladimir Putin” and that he allegedly provided similar services to former Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe.
Epstein was found dead in a New York jail in 2019, while awaiting trial on federal charges of sex trafficking. The case continues to generate significant public interest, particularly due to suspicions of a vast abuse network involving powerful political and economic figures worldwide.
