When federal agents searched Jeffrey Epstein’s Manhattan townhouse following his July 6, 2019 arrest, they discovered a safe that contained several significant items.
The Foreign Passport: The most widely reported item was an expired Austrian passport (not a U.S. passport) bearing Epstein’s photograph but listing a false name and a Saudi Arabian address. Prosecutors stated at his bail hearing that the passport had been used to travel internationally. This evidence was central to the government’s argument that Epstein posed a flight risk and used foreign documents.
Photographs: Agents also found numerous photographs described as photographs of young women and girls. The government described the images as supporting the sex trafficking charges.
Cash: A substantial amount of cash was also reportedly found.
These items were disclosed at Epstein’s bail hearing on July 15, 2019, as evidence supporting the government’s request for pretrial detention. They were among the factors Judge Richard Berman cited when denying bail on July 18, 2019.
The foreign passport was particularly significant because it undermined any argument that Epstein had no ability to leave the country under a different identity.