The Department of Justice confirmed that a purported letter from the late Jeffrey Epstein to former USA Gymnastics physician Larry Nassar is not authentic, citing findings from the Federal Bureau of Investigation that raise clear questions about its origin and timing. Epstein, a convicted sex offender who died in federal custody in 2019, and Nassar, a convicted child molester serving a lengthy prison sentence, have both been the focus of extensive public scrutiny tied to criminal investigations and institutional oversight failures.
In a post on X, the DOJ said the FBI determined the document was fabricated after reviewing both the writing and the mailing details. “The FBI has confirmed this alleged letter from Jeffrey Epstein to Larry Nassar is FAKE,” the DOJ wrote. “The fake letter was received by the jail, and flagged for the FBI at the time.” The department explained that multiple inconsistencies led investigators to that conclusion, stating that “The writing does not appear to match Jeffrey Epstein’s,” and that “The letter was postmarked three days after Epstein’s death out of Northern Virginia, when he was jailed in New York.” According to the DOJ, the return address also failed to meet basic requirements for inmate correspondence: “The return address did not list the jail where Epstein was held and did not include his inmate number, which is required for outgoing mail.”
The DOJ added broader context about the release of records and how they should be interpreted by the public. “This fake letter serves as a reminder that just because a document is released by the Department of Justice does not make the allegations or claims within the document factual,” the department stated. “Nevertheless, the DOJ will continue to release all material required by law.” That clarification comes amid ongoing public interest in how federal agencies handle evidence, authenticate materials, and balance transparency requirements with accuracy.
Additional reporting described the document as a postcard that attributed inflammatory statements to Epstein. The Hill reported that the fake letter was a postcard, in which Epstein is portrayed as writing that President Donald Trump “loved ‘young’ girls.” The quoted text on the postcard read, “Our president also shares our love of young, nubile girls. When a young beauty walked by, he loved to ‘grab snatch,’ whereas we ended up snatching grub in the mess halls of the system. Life is unfair.”
Federal officials have not indicated that the fabricated letter altered any investigative conclusions, but the episode highlights the practical challenges agencies face when processing large volumes of records tied to high-profile criminal cases. It also underscores the role of authentication standards, chain-of-custody rules, and routine verification procedures within the justice system, particularly when materials surface years after the events in question. The DOJ has not announced further action related to the fake letter beyond confirming the FBI’s findings.
