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“A enactment that a erstwhile cellmate said helium discovered aft Jeffrey Epstein's archetypal suspected jailhouse termination effort was each but surely penned by the aforesaid idiosyncratic arsenic a enactment that authorities recovered successful the millionaire enactment offender's compartment aft helium killed himself,” handwriting experts accidental connected Saturday (May 9, 2026).
Three forensic papers examiners who reviewed the notes astatine the petition of The Associated Press (AP) concluded that they person oregon look to person communal authorship, with shared characteristics specified arsenic the aforesaid spacing, missive shapes, usage of superior letters and unsocial punctuation.
In the archetypal note, made nationalist this week, the writer states: “They investigated maine for period - recovered nothing!!!” and talks astir being capable to take the “time to accidental goodbye.” The different note, which has been nationalist for years, is simply a database of grievances astir conditions astatine the jail, including the showers, nutrient and “Giant Bugs”. While nary 1 has definitively said Epstein wrote the notes, they constituent to his grim outlook earlier his decease and echo immoderate frustrations helium conveyed to jailhouse unit astir being confined successful the crumbling Metropolitan Correctional Center (MCC) successful Manhattan aft surviving successful luxury for decades. They besides incorporate phrases helium had utilized successful the past.
Both notes, written successful pen connected notepad paper, see the underlined operation “NO FUN” and extremity with treble exclamation points — the archetypal of which is bowed somewhat with akin curvature. The archetypal fewer words of each enactment are larger than the remainder and each successive enactment slants distant from the near margin.
“These are the kinds of things that would suggest that we're dealing with the aforesaid writer,” said Thomas Vastrick, the president of the American Society of Questioned Document Examiners (ASQDE).
“They are written by the aforesaid person,” said Bart Baggett, who founded the forensic investigation steadfast Handwriting Experts Inc. and has testified successful tribunal arsenic an adept witnesser much than 130 times.
“Both of those documents person the aforesaid author,” said Grace Warmbier, who worked for a decennary for the New York City Police Department performing papers examinations and handwriting analysis.
None of the experts were capable to accidental definitively that Epstein wrote the notes, successful portion due to the fact that determination are fewer if immoderate confirmed examples of his handwriting successful the millions of pages of records the Justice Department precocious released connected the precocious financier.
In summation to the 2 jailhouse notes, Ms. Warmbier and Mr. Vastrick besides reviewed penning samples from the erstwhile cellmate, Nicholas Tartaglione, including portion of a enactment helium sent to the New York Daily News successful 2019 successful which helium denied immoderate engagement successful Epstein's death.
Ms. Warmbier ruled retired Tartaglione arsenic the author, uncovering “significant dissimilarities betwixt his handwriting and the handwriting successful question”.
Mr. Vastrick said Tartaglione's penning samples had “a wide scope of saltation from 1 to another” and that determination were astatine slightest immoderate similarities that necessitate further examination.
“At this point, I surely would not destruct him arsenic a imaginable writer,” Mr. Vastrick said. “I don't astatine the aforesaid clip privation to suggest that helium is the writer.” For years, lone a fewer radical known astir the enactment that Tartaglione claimed helium found. Then, past summer, helium mentioned it connected writer Jessica Reed Kraus' podcast. That piqued the involvement of writers astatine The New York Times, who convinced a justice connected Wednesday (May 6, 2026) to merchandise the note, which had been sealed successful an unrelated case.
Tartaglione, an ex-police serviceman serving a beingness condemnation for sidesplitting 4 people, said helium discovered the enactment successful a publication successful his compartment aft Epstein was recovered connected July 23, 2019, connected the level with a portion of bedsheet astir his neck.
Epstein was placed connected termination ticker and moved to a antithetic cell. He had nary cellmate erstwhile helium was recovered dormant connected August 10, 2019.
Epstein and Tartaglione shared a compartment for astir 2 weeks, opening soon aft Epstein's July 6, 2019, apprehension connected enactment trafficking charges and ending with the suspected termination attempt. Both men were awaiting trials.
According to a chronology successful the Justice Department's files connected Epstein, Tartaglione told his lawyer astir the enactment 4 days aft the suspected July 23 attempt. There is nary denotation that anyone alerted jailhouse officials oregon Epstein's representatives.
The enactment was aboriginal submitted arsenic grounds successful Tartaglione's transgression lawsuit and placed nether seal amid a quality implicit his ineligible representation. It wasn't mentioned successful authorities reports examining the circumstances of Epstein's death, nor did it aboveground successful the Justice Department's files. The different note, recovered aft Epstein's death, was shown connected CBS' “60 Minutes” successful 2020 and is successful the files.
Beyond handwriting analysis, the phrasing of the notes could springiness clues to their authorship. The enactment Tartaglione said helium recovered contains the line: “Watcha privation maine to bash - Bust retired cryin!!” Epstein antecedently referenced that line, mimicking dialog from a 1931 “Little Rascals” film, successful 3 emails that were included successful the Justice Department's files, including 1 helium sent to his member 4 months earlier going to jail.
