A who’s who of powerful men are named in Epstein files

NEW YORK — From tech titans to Wall Street power brokers to British royalty, a who’s who of powerful men emerges in the vast trove of documents released Friday by the Justice Department as part of its investigations into Jeffrey Epstein.

Many have denied having close ties to the late financier, or at least having anything to do with his allegations of sexual abuse of girls and young women that led to his arrest on sex trafficking charges.

None have been charged with a crime related to the investigation. Epstein committed suicide in a Manhattan jail cell in 2019. Yet some maintained friendships with Epstein, or developed them again, even after he became known as a predator of young girls and a registered sex offender.

Here’s a look at some of the notable names in the Epstein files:

Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor

The man formerly known as Britain’s Prince Andrew has long been dogged by questions about his relationship with Epstein, including allegations by the late Virginia Roberts Giuffre that she was trafficked by Epstein and instructed to have sex with Mountbatten-Windsor when she was 17.

The former prince repeatedly denied this, but his brother, King Charles III, still stripped him of his royal titles late last year, including the right to be called Prince and Duke of York.

Mountbatten-Windsor’s name appears at least several hundred times in the document released Friday, including in Epstein’s private emails.

Among the correspondence are an invitation for Epstein to dinner at Buckingham Palace, Epstein’s offer to introduce Mountbatten-Windsor to a 26-year-old Russian woman, and photos that appear to show Mountbatten-Windsor kneeling over an unidentified woman lying on the floor.

Elon Musk

The billionaire Tesla founder appears at least several times in the document released Friday, including in email exchanges in 2012 and 2013 in which he discussed visiting Epstein’s infamous Caribbean island.

But it was not immediately clear whether the visits to the island took place. Spokespeople for Musk’s companies, Tesla and X, did not respond to emails seeking comment Friday or Saturday.

Musk claimed to have repeatedly turned down offers from the disgraced financier. “Epstein tried to convince me to go to his island and I REFUSED,” he posted on X in 2025.

Steven Tisch

The New York Giants co-owner is mentioned more than 400 times in the filings released Friday. Correspondence between the two shows Epstein offered to connect Tisch to many women over the years.

In a 2013 email exchange with the subject line “Ukrainian girl,” Epstein encouraged Tisch to contact a particular woman, whose physical beauty he praised in crude terms.

“Pro or civilian? » Tisch asked in response.

Tisch, scion of a powerful New York family that founded the Loews Corporation, acknowledged knowing Epstein but denied ever traveling to his infamous Caribbean island.

“We had a brief association during which we exchanged emails about adult women and, furthermore, we discussed films, philanthropy and investments,” said Tisch, who also won an Oscar in 1994 for producing “Forrest Gump.” “As we all know now, he was a terrible person and someone I deeply regret having been associated with.”

Howard Lutnick

President Donald Trump’s Commerce Secretary visited Epstein’s private Caribbean island with his family on at least one occasion, according to documents released Friday.

This appears to contradict his previous statements that he cut ties with the disgraced financier, whom he called “disgusting”, decades ago.

But emails show that Lutnick and his wife accepted an invitation to Little St. James, in the U.S. Virgin Islands, in December 2012 and planned to arrive by yacht with their children.

The former chairman of Newmark, a major commercial real estate company, also had drinks on another occasion in 2011 with Epstein and corresponded with him about building a building across the street from their two homes.

The Commerce Department, in a statement, said Lutnick had “limited interactions with Mr. Epstein in the presence of his wife and was never accused of wrongdoing.”

Sergei Brin

The billionaire Google co-founder had planned to meet with Epstein and his longtime confidante Ghislaine Maxwell at his New York home years before he was publicly accused of sexually abusing underage girls, emails show.

During a 2003 exchange, Maxwell invited him to join her at a screening of Renée Zellweger’s film “Down with Love” in New York.

A few weeks later, she invited him to a “happily casual and relaxed” dinner at Epstein’s house. Brin offered to bring Eric Schmidt, then CEO of Google.

Google spokespeople did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment Saturday.

Steve Bannon

The former Trump adviser exchanged hundreds of friendly texts with Epstein, some sent months before his 2019 arrest and prison suicide.

The two men discussed politics, travel and a documentary Bannon was preparing that would help save Epstein’s reputation.

A 2018 exchange, for example, focused on Trump’s threats at the time to oust Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell. In a 2019 message, Bannon asked Epstein if he could provide his plane to pick him up in Rome.

Bannon did not respond to emails seeking comment.

Miroslav Lajčak

National security adviser to the Slovak prime minister, Lajcak resigned on Saturday after his past communications with Epstein emerged in the document released Friday.

Opposition parties and a nationalist partner in Fico’s government coalition had called for his resignation.

Lajcak, a former Slovak foreign minister and former president of the United Nations General Assembly, has not been accused of any wrongdoing but was photographed meeting with Epstein in the years between his initial release from prison and his subsequent indictment in 2019 on sex trafficking charges.

He said his correspondence with Epstein was part of his diplomatic duties.

Richard Branson

Richard Branson, the billionaire founder of Virgin Group Limited, invited Epstein to his private island in 2013, telling him in an email: “Anytime you’re in the area, I’d love to see you. As long as you bring your harem!”

In addition to discussing Epstein’s visit to Branson’s Necker Island in the British Virgin Islands, the two exchanged messages about philanthropy, Epstein’s ideas for a “disruptive” financial system and “social good currency.”

In an email in 2011, Epstein said he suggested Branson’s staff use his helicopter to transport an accident victim to the Virgin Islands.

In September 11, 2013 correspondence, Branson suggested that Epstein could improve his public image if he could get Bill Gates to say: “you have been a brilliant advisor to him, that you made a mistake many years ago by sleeping with a 17 1/2 year old woman and that you were punished for it, that you have more than learned your lesson and that you have done nothing but the law since.” »

A spokesperson for Branson told British media outlet The Independent that Branson’s “harem” comment referred to adult members of Epstein’s staff.

Branson then decided to cut ties with Epstein, the spokesperson said, after learning more about the “serious allegations” that had been made against him.

“If they had a complete picture and complete information, there would have been no contact,” the spokesperson said.

Associated Press journalists around the world contributed to this story.