Washington (AFP) – Jeffrey Epstein was not murdered, did not blackmail prominent figures and did not keep a "client list," the FBI and Justice Department said Monday, debunking notable conspiracy theories about the disgraced US financier.
The conclusions came after an "exhaustive review" of the evidence amassed against Epstein, who died by suicide in a New York prison in 2019 after being charged with sex trafficking, the agencies said in a joint memorandum.
Six years later, questions continue to swirl around Epstein's life and death and the multi-millionaire hedge fund manager's connections to wealthy and powerful individuals.
The memo, first reported by Axios, squarely rejected one of the leading conspiracy theories surrounding Epstein -- that he did not commit suicide but was murdered while being held in jail.
"After a thorough investigation, FBI investigators concluded that Jeffrey Epstein committed suicide in his cell," it said.
Video footage from the area where he was being held did not show anyone entering or attempting to enter his cell from the time at night when he was locked in till when his body was found the next morning, it said.
Extensive digital and physical searches turned up a large volume of images and videos of Epstein's victims, many of them underage girls, the memo said.
"This review confirmed that Epstein harmed over one thousand victims," it said, but did not reveal any illegal wrongdoing by "third-parties."
"This systematic review revealed no incriminating 'client list,'" the memo said. "There was also no credible evidence found that Epstein blackmailed prominent individuals as part of his actions."
Epstein's former assistant, Ghislaine Maxwell, is the only former associate of his who has been criminally charged in connection with his activities.
Maxwell, the daughter of British media baron Robert Maxwell, is serving a 20-year prison sentence after being convicted in New York in 2021 of child sex trafficking and other crimes.
Among those with connections to Epstein was Britain's Prince Andrew, who settled a US civil case in February 2022 brought by Virginia Giuffre, who claimed he sexually assaulted her when she was 17.
Giuffre, who accused Epstein of using her as a sex slave, committed suicide at her home in Australia in April.
Billionaire Elon Musk accused President Donald Trump on X last month of being in the "Epstein files" after the pair had a falling out, but he later deleted his posts.
Trump was named in a trove of depositions and statements linked to Epstein that were unsealed by a New York judge in early 2024, but the president has not been accused of any wrongdoing.
Supporters on the conspiratorial end of Trump's "Make America Great Again" base allege that Epstein's associates had their roles in his crimes covered up by government officials and others.
They point the finger at Democrats and Hollywood celebrities, although not at Trump himself.
Prior to the release of the memo, Trump's FBI director, Kash Patel, and the FBI's deputy director, Dan Bongino, had been among the most prominent peddlers of conspiracy theories surrounding Epstein.