Newly released Justice Department records have revealed that Mark Epstein, the brother of Jeffrey Epstein, submitted a tip to the FBI alleging his brother was murdered in jail and claiming Donald Trump authorized the killing, an assertion strongly rejected by federal officials and the White House.
The disclosure surfaced within millions of pages of material made public under the Epstein Files Transparency Act. The files include tips and submissions sent to the FBI by members of the public, many of which are unverified.
According to the documents, Mark Epstein filed an online report with the FBI’s National Threat Operations Center (NTOC) on February 22, 2023. In the submission, he disputed the official finding that Jeffrey Epstein died by suicide in his Manhattan jail cell in 2019 while awaiting trial on federal child sex trafficking charges.
“Jeffrey Epstein was murdered in his jail cell,” the tip states. “I have reason to believe he was killed because he was about to name names. I believe Presient (sic) Trump authorized is (sic) murder.”
The document shows the tip, which contained spelling errors was forwarded by an unidentified FBI Threat Intake Examiner to a special agent. In a follow-up phone call referenced in the file, Mark Epstein confirmed he had submitted the report.
In the additional information section, he wrote, “feel free to contact me,” adding that his connection to Jeffrey Epstein was “obvious.”
Mark Epstein told The Independent that neither the FBI nor other law enforcement agencies contacted him about the claim. He declined to elaborate further.
A White House spokesperson directed the outlet to a January 3 Justice Department press statement accompanying the document release. The statement emphasized that the production included all public submissions received by the FBI, regardless of credibility.
“This production may include fake or falsely submitted images, documents or videos, as everything that was sent to the FBI by the public was included in the production that is responsive to the Act,” the DOJ statement said.
It added: “Some of the documents contain untrue and sensationalist claims against President Trump that were submitted to the FBI right before the 2020 election. To be clear, the claims are unfounded and false, and if they have a shred of credibility, they certainly would have been weaponized against President Trump already.”
Mark Epstein has repeatedly challenged the official conclusion that his brother died by suicide. Speaking to NewsNation last month, he reiterated that belief.
“Jeffrey was murdered, and more autopsy facts will be coming out in February that prove it,” he said. “There are only three ways to die in prison — suicide, natural causes or murder. And Jeff was murdered. I want to know who killed him and on whose behalf?”
In earlier interviews, including appearances on BBC Newsnight and NewsNation, he claimed his brother possessed damaging information about powerful figures and said he believed that included Trump, though he acknowledged Jeffrey Epstein never shared specific details with him directly.
Public records show Trump and Jeffrey Epstein were socially acquainted in the early 2000s. In a 2002 interview with New York Magazine, Trump described Epstein as a “terrific guy.” After Epstein’s 2019 arrest, Trump told reporters, “I had a falling-out with him a long time ago. I haven’t spoken to him in 15 years. I was not a fan of his; that I can tell you.”
Mark Epstein has also disputed Trump’s account of their relationship, telling NewsNation in November, “You could see in the emails; Trump could deny it all he wants, but it’s pretty clear everything Trump says is a lie.”
There is no indication in the DOJ release that investigators substantiated the allegations contained in the tip. Federal authorities have long maintained that Jeffrey Epstein died by suicide, though the case continues to generate public scrutiny, legal debate, and renewed interest as previously undisclosed records emerge.
Read More: Congress to Access Unredacted Jeffrey Epstein Files at DOJ
