What is Epstein’s “black book”?

Jeffrey Epstein maintained an elaborate address book — commonly called his “black book” — containing contact information for more than 1,000 individuals. It was stolen by a former employee, Alfredo Rodriguez, who attempted to sell it for $50,000, was caught by the FBI, and ultimately served 18 months in prison. The book was later published by Gawker in 2015.

What It Is: The book is a physical address/contact directory that Epstein used before the smartphone era. It lists names across politics, entertainment, business, academia, and royalty, along with phone numbers and addresses.

Notable Names: The book contains entries for Bill Clinton, Donald Trump, Prince Andrew, Mick Jagger, Ralph Lauren, David Koch, Ted Kennedy, Tony Blair, Kevin Spacey, Naomi Campbell, and hundreds of others.

Important Caveat: The presence of a name in the address book does not indicate any knowledge of or participation in Epstein’s crimes. Many of the individuals listed had only tangential connections to Epstein — for example, mutual acquaintances, brief professional interactions, or social encounters at large events.

“Starred” Entries: Some names in the book have check marks or asterisks next to them, which has led to speculation that these indicated a different nature of relationship. The meaning of these marks has not been officially explained.

The Rodriguez Case: Alfredo Rodriguez was Epstein’s personal assistant who stole the book after Epstein’s 2008 conviction, apparently believing it had value as blackmail material or for sale to investigators. His attempt to sell it to an undercover FBI agent resulted in his arrest and conviction.

Relationship to Flight Logs: The black book and the flight logs are often analyzed together to understand overlapping circles of association. However, flight logs provide a higher threshold of documented personal contact.