A newly uncovered cache of more than 18,000 private emails from Jeffrey Epstein’s personal Yahoo account has cast fresh light on the disgraced financier’s network of influence, his partnership with Ghislaine Maxwell, and his dealings with high-profile political and business figures.
The emails, obtained and authenticated by Bloomberg News in September 2025, range from 2002 to 2020, with the most revealing period spanning 2005 to 2008, when Epstein was negotiating a controversial plea deal in Florida. Their contents complicate Maxwell’s recent attempts to minimise her role in Epstein’s orbit, while also reigniting questions about Donald Trump’s proximity to the pair.
What those email say about Maxwell’s relation with Epstein?
Maxwell, who is currently serving a 20-year prison sentence for trafficking and grooming young women, has long claimed that her role diminished significantly after the early 2000s. Yet the emails tell a different story.
Correspondence shows Maxwell opening bank accounts linked to Epstein, co-managing investments, and even discussing undergoing a joint fertility procedure with him. They exchanged at least 650 messages, including more than 200 in the first half of 2008 alone contradicting her assertion that their association had “lessened considerably.”
The emails also reveal Maxwell’s participation in discrediting victims. In one exchange, she told Epstein of her plan to circulate compromising information about a survivor of abuse, exposing the depth of their coordinated strategy to protect Epstein from accountability.
What do we know about gifts and money?
One of the most striking documents is a spreadsheet itemising nearly 2,000 gifts and payments worth $1.8 million. The list includes luxury cars, watches, jewellery, lingerie, and even chocolates, distributed to a range of people from political associates to teenage girls who later accused Epstein and Maxwell of abuse.
Among the entries:
- A $35,000 Audemars Piguet watch marked for a former aide to President Bill Clinton.
- A $71,000 Lexus purchase linked to one of Epstein’s lawyers, later described as legal fees.
- Dozens of smaller payments and luxury items annotated with “GM”, a shorthand for Maxwell, who appears to have overseen much of the distribution.
Lawyers for victims have long argued that Epstein used gifts as a tool of manipulation, maintaining control over young women and their families. The spreadsheet appears to confirm this pattern, with over 80 payments totalling $75,000 directed to the family of one survivor alone.
Trump’s name in Epstein’s inbox?
While Donald Trump has repeatedly insisted that his association with Epstein ended before the financier’s criminal charges, the emails place his name firmly within Epstein’s world well into 2006 and 2007.
One email exchange dated September 2006 shows Epstein instructing Maxwell to “Remove Trump” from a list of more than 50 powerful contacts. The purpose of the list is unclear – it may have been for an event, a mailing, or another form of outreach – but the reference highlights Epstein’s continued awareness of Trump’s presence in his social and political network.
In another exchange, from August 2007, Maxwell suggested that reporters investigating Epstein might approach Trump for information, alongside other Palm Beach figures. Trump has dismissed the reference as “fake news,” while his aides have reiterated that the two men “fell out” years earlier.
Maxwell herself told US officials during a recent interview that she never witnessed Trump acting inappropriately, describing him as “cordial and kind.” Nonetheless, the email references will add fuel to debates over Trump’s proximity to Epstein during a politically charged period.
Beyond politics, the emails also offer a disturbing glimpse into Epstein’s psychology. In one message, he asked Maxwell which criminal charge he should prefer in plea negotiations -“lewd and lascivious conduct” or “procuring minors for prostitution.” Her reply was strikingly matter-of-fact, “I would prefer lewd and lascivious conduct w/a prostitute if possible.”
The correspondence also captures his obsession with youth and appearance. In one email, after receiving a photograph of a 21-year-old woman, Epstein responded bluntly: “fat and Asian sorry.” He mused about the “genetics of beauty” with scientists, berated his assistants for not being sufficiently available for “fun sex things,” and casually planned social introductions with politicians, actors, and billionaires.
Even mundane details, purchases of Crocs, FBI costumes, and school uniforms, take on a darker meaning within the context of his abuse.
Questions and unfinished answers in mails
The release of these emails has raised more questions than it answers. While they confirm Maxwell’s deep involvement in Epstein’s financial and social dealings, they also highlight the gaps in public knowledge. Many messages appear to have been deleted, and the Yahoo account represents only one of several used by Epstein.
For Trump, the emails will reignite scrutiny of his relationship with Epstein and whether distancing statements can withstand closer examination. For Maxwell, they challenge the credibility of her recent testimony to US officials. And for the wider public, they underscore the scale of Epstein’s manipulation, networking, and abuse.
What remains clear is that Epstein’s life cannot be neatly separated into compartments of financier, socialite, and sex offender. His emails reveal how he leveraged wealth, relationships, and power to shield himself from justice and how Maxwell remained deeply complicit throughout.