While in prison awaiting trial for sex trafficking, Jeffrey Epstein dished to fellow inmates about the escort business and gave them investing tips, according to recently released prison logs.
The logs, part of a trove of federal prison records obtained by The Daily Beast via a public records request, are written by the various inmates assigned to look after Epstein while he was placed on psychiatric observation. Documents reveal Epstein was placed under two psychiatric watches, one from July 8 to July 10, 2019, and another from July 23 to July 24. He died by suicide on August 10.
The handwritten notes describe Epstein’s activities every 15 minutes and mainly show him sleeping, pacing, or sitting in bed. In between, however, Epstein occasionally talked to his fellow inmates, which is where things get interesting.
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During one isolation period on July 7, 2019, Epstein asked his companion about life in prison, quizzing him on the “crazy things” he’d seen as part of the general population and asking him to explain “prison life and etiquette to him.” At one point, the companion—whose name was redacted in prison records—asked Epstein if he had eaten dinner, and Epstein responded that he “refused because it was nasty.” (“He is right,” the inmate noted.)
Around the same time, another companion noted: “Epstein and I are talking about the escort business,” and later, “Epstein is talking about celebs he knows.” (Celebrities like Kevin Spacey, Bill Clinton, and Prince Andrew are all known to have taken rides on Epstein’s private plane. And as The Daily Beast revealed this week, Epstein’s schedule in the years before his arrest was packed with alleged meetings with boldface names including David Blaine, Richard Branson, and Bill Gates.)
The detailed notes resumed when Epstein was admitted to suicide watch, this time after a “self-mutilation” attempt on July 23. A companion’s notes from that day said he was “sitting on bed trying to remember what happen[sic].” But his mood appeared to improve later in the day, when another inmate observed Epstein talking about science, prison, his mother, finance, and finally, “eating peanut butter.”
Finance seemed to be a fascination of Epstein’s while in lockup, and multiple companions reported him telling them about investment options. One inmate noted on July 24 that he and Epstein were “discussing investment strategies”; another inmate reported shortly thereafter that Epstein was “talking about business and investing” and then about “business and life lessons.”
The next day, yet another inmate reported Epstein talking about investment options, after asking who the best cook was in a certain area of the prison. Another companion from that day notes: “Epstein and I are talking about driving a taxi in NY. We both drove.”
Epstein was downgraded from suicide watch to psychiatric watch on July 24. After the second watch stint, Epstein stressed to a psychologist that he had a “wonderful life” and it would be “crazy” to end it. The sentiment mirrored his previous statements, where Epstein told a prison psychologist he “adamantly denied any suicidal ideation, intention or plan” and that “being alive is fun.”
He was found dead in his cell just over two weeks later.
If you or a loved one are struggling with suicidal thoughts, please reach out to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255), or contact the Crisis Text Line by texting TALK to 741741. You can also text or dial 988.
