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Jeffrey Epstein
457 Madison Avenue
New York, NY 10022
Vicky Ward
Vanity Fair
4 Times Square
New York, NY 10036
Dear Ms. Ward,
Thank you for your letter of December 19th further documenting your
reporting style. First with respect to my house. If you recall you asked me
on numerous occasions, whether sH
i purchased #9 outright. You followed
up with a similar question to Mr.
on at least 2 occasions, I have told
you repeatedly that, yes, in fact I did purchase it outright and you tirelessly
repeated "then why were there no transfer taxes paid?" I explained in
writing that transfer taxes are in most instances not made public. After
sending you documentation on #9's transfer taxes, you then continued on
#11. Also in writing, I told Graydon that I never owned #11. Add that to
the fact that Graydon has told me that #11 is not part of the story and once
again, like a Gospel choir, you chant: "but what about the transfer taxes?"
Enclosed please find a copy of the transfer taxes paid, given to you off the
record, confirming that I was only a trustee and once again requiring me to
spend more time on questions whose relevance you have yet to describe.
In regard your question in your latest letter regarding refuting the
claims of
. Why don't you detail those claims to me so that I
and the State Trooper can respond to any factual claims? I hope the copy of
this letter, also given to you off the record, will be given to Vanity Fair's
lawyers, who should at last understand there is cause for concern. I think
you will agree that the only quote "claim" that you describe to me was that
had felt "uncomfortable" and asked her father to immediately
come and get her. Are you now asking me to refute how "a
felt"? A typical tabloid-like question. Or are you asking me whether she
left? You certainly did not ask me who paid for her move or when or how
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did she leave. (I paid.) The facts and circumstances surrounding
behavior, attitude and actions which include hundreds of dollars of
unauthorized country club charges for massages, misrepresentations and
erratic outbursts are easily verified by the former State Trooper, a highly
reputable source, who lived on the property the entire time
was in
residence. The trooper is a witness to what occurred during his stay in Ohio.
He could testify to what he saw, but certainly cannot testify to what she felt.
You have, at least until today, made no attempt whatsoever to contact this
person that I made known to Graydon in writing, who will attest to these
incidents and more. I can only believe the reason you have not is that
knowing his version would contradict your article. In addition, you have
already seen the letter
sent after she left Ohio suggesting the idea of
repaying her theft with paintings. Please fit
aintouts of my message sheet
from July 1996. Specifically it refers to
message confirming
massage at the country club and the fact that she did not
immediately leave Ohio. You will also find country club bills detailing her
financial misdeeds. With respect to
M,
you will recall that you
specifically told me that there had been no allegations with respect
I
was shocked then, to say the least, when the fact checker then faxed
Ghislaine with the allegations regarding
, in a fax dated only last
Friday. You must admit that you had made no mention of this at any
previous time. I have already sent documentation from
comprising a postcard written from Thailand after her ranch visit confirming
her hardly disturbed attitude. Enclosed lease find additional
correspondence from
and
who helped her research student
programs after her ranch visit. These are also given to you off the record.
I would like to point out to you that your statement the quotes were
read to me in context, could be best exemplified by your question, "have you
ever upgraded your friends to first class and why?" The context as you put it
was only made clear when Erin Gladney faxed me the question: "we are also
wondering if at any time you put upgrade stickers on airline tickets for any
employees or friends of yours, if so can you explain how they work". Not
exactly a quote read to me in context is it? If you truly believe that my
quotes were read to me in context, I see no reason why you would not now
send them to me in writing.
Please pay me the minimum courtesy and deny to me in writing the
fact, or as you wrote it, the allegation contained in my letter to Graydon, the
fact that on numerous occasions you have tirelessly repeated the sentence: "I
am only a journalist hired by my editor to do a story and then required to
publish what I hear". I am sure you now understand that this sentence
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denigrates both you, your magazine and your profession. So if you did not
on numerous occasions repeat this sentence to me I will accept your denial
in writing.
Last, is the sentence in your letter that illustrates the lack of care and
inattention to detail that you have so consistently portrayed. I know you can
do better. You state that you "have simply been investigating these matters
with people with knowledgeable sources". I am unqualified to comment on
the sentence's grammar, but can only assume this will in future allow you to
fall back on the idea that the inaccuracies and negligence weren't yours, they
weren't even your sources, they could only be attributable to the lack of care
of the so called people whose own sources must have misled them. For the
record, I would also suggest to you that you repeatedly gave me inaccurate
accounts of your deadline to, I believe, give me the false impression that
time did not allow me to adequately research and respond.
Sincerely,
Jeffrey Epstein
P.S. In one of your last calls you referred to Michael Stroll as one of my
clients. This was never true.
Reminder, this letter with its enclosures are all given to you off the record as
it's sole purpose is to correct inaccuracies in your story.
Dictated but not read
Enclosure: 7 pages
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On the basis of what I provided you off the record, you now understand that
alleged feelings of uncomfortablness grew out of her own
financial misdeeds. It is impossible to accurately tell this story without
including these financial facts that would be deeply embarrassing to
However if you choose to include this highly subjective and undocumented
material relating to her feelings you would have an obligation to tell the
whole story including her financial misdeeds based on her own admissions,
so long as you can do so without attributing the documents to me
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