"You Are Safe": Inside the Christmas Day Emails Between Jeffrey Epstein and Music Mogul Tommy Mottola

On Christmas Eve 2017, Jeffrey Epstein sent Tommy Mottola a message that read like a line from a mob film.

"My guy said, had I not given him a heads up," Epstein wrote, "'the life of your friend as he knew it up to today, would have come to an end.'"

Mottola, the former chairman of Sony Music Entertainment and one of the most powerful figures in the history of the recording industry, responded within minutes. "Taking off as we speak... Crazy! Thank you I love you man!!" (EFTA02555369, EFTA02556089). His blood pressure had spiked so severely, he told Epstein, that he "felt like I was gonna have to go back into the hospital" (EFTA02556412).

By the next morning, Christmas Day, the two men were deep in a rapid-fire email exchange about a victims' rights attorney, a cover story for Mottola's wife, and what exactly Mottola needed to do to stay out of trouble. The conversation, preserved across at least seven EFTA documents released through federal disclosure, is among the most startling communications in the entire Epstein archive. It reveals a relationship built on fear, loyalty, and secrets.

Mottola has never publicly addressed any of it.

The Christmas Day Email Chain

The sequence begins early on December 25, 2017. Epstein directed Mottola to research a specific person: "Look up Bradley Edwards." Edwards was the Florida attorney who had spent more than a decade representing victims of Epstein's sex trafficking operation. He had filed civil suits, pushed federal prosecutors, and built cases that would eventually help bring Epstein's crimes back into the national spotlight.

Mottola responded quickly: "Is this the lawyer she hired" (EFTA02556637). The identity of "she" is never clarified in the released records. Epstein's one-word reply: "Cousin."

"Oh boy..now what," Mottola wrote back (EFTA02556637).

Epstein answered at 5:57 AM: "Zero. You are safe" (EFTA02556637, EFTA02555541).

Two minutes later, Mottola sent the response that would become the most quoted line in the entire document set: "You're sure?.. I don't have to do anything just shut up and Lay low" (EFTA02555590).

Epstein confirmed: "Sure" (EFTA02555764).

Mottola replied: "Ok" (EFTA02555870).

At 8:13 AM, Epstein circled back one more time, unprompted: "I'm still awake. You are safe" (EFTA02556555). The repetition is telling. Whatever Mottola feared, Epstein felt the need to reassure him twice.

By 11:15 AM, Epstein checked in again: "if you are still awke?" (EFTA02555541).

Later that same day, Mottola sent Epstein a link to Bradley Edwards' professional website, which described Edwards as a "Sexual Abuse Attorney" and "Victims Advocate." Mottola's message: "Can't make this stuff up !!!!...cannot believe this!" (EFTA02556155).

"The Life of Your Friend Would Have Come to an End"

The Christmas Day emails did not emerge in isolation. They were the continuation of a conversation that started on Christmas Eve.

On December 24, 2017, Epstein told Mottola to call him (EFTA02555604). Mottola responded that he was boarding a flight: "Taking off as we speak." Then came Epstein's ominous message about "my guy" and the warning that Mottola's life "as he knew it" would have ended without Epstein's intervention (EFTA02555369).

The documents do not identify who "my guy" was or what specific threat Epstein claims to have deflected. But Mottola's physical reaction was extreme. "Felt like I was gonna have to go back into the hospital.... That's how high my BP went," he wrote. He told Epstein he would call when he landed (EFTA02556412).

The implication is plain: Epstein presented himself as Mottola's protector. And Mottola, by his own words, believed him.

A Cover Story for His Wife

Within the same Christmas email chain, Mottola introduced another element that investigators have flagged. According to the original article's analysis of the thread, Mottola told Epstein he was "telling Eva my older sister is sick & I came home."

The "Eva" is Eva Longoria, the actress who married Mottola. The documents do not explain what Mottola needed a cover story for, or why he felt it necessary to fabricate a reason for his whereabouts on Christmas Day. But the sequence speaks for itself: alarm at the mention of a victims' attorney, reassurance from Epstein, a pledge to "shut up and lay low," and a false story prepared for a spouse.

Architects, Islands, and a Five-Year Undertaking

Two days after Christmas, on December 27, 2017, the tone shifted. Mottola asked Epstein: "Do you need to build a new house on the island as well" (EFTA02553722).

Epstein replied that he had "noting else to do." Mottola pushed further: "So are you really this is it worth it it's a giant undertaking.... probably five years." He then asked whether the design should be "totally modern and contemporary right 3.0??" (EFTA02553617).

This was not hypothetical. Records from January 2018 show that Epstein's assistant, Lesley Groff, confirmed an appointment with "Tommy Mottola's architects" scheduled for 9:30 AM on Tuesday, January 9, 2018. "If you would like me to reconfirm your appointment with Tommy Mottola's architects, I will need their contact info!" Groff wrote (EFTA02234228). Epstein's reply referenced "Tommy" alongside other names on his schedule that week: "Confirm with Tommy deepak thurs Jabor we'd Woody dinner tucs."

A separate record from January 6, 2018 shows Mottola and Epstein coordinating about the architect meeting, with Mottola responding "perfect" (EFTA02232065).

The day after the island discussion, on December 28, Mottola was trying repeatedly to reach Epstein by phone. "Where can I call you I keep trying 212 number," he wrote (EFTA02554208).

And on December 26, just one day after the "shut up and lay low" exchange, Mottola had already moved on to planning a home theater for Epstein, complete with a projector, a "Kaleidoscape" media server capable of storing 15,000 movies, sound equipment, and decor. "Working on all aspects," Mottola wrote. He asked: "Is everything else cool today?" Epstein replied: "very, 35 ft screen" (EFTA02556879).

The speed of the pivot, from panic over a victims' attorney to planning a private cinema, is striking.

A Relationship That Survived a Conviction

The EFTA records trace the Epstein-Mottola relationship back years before the December 2017 crisis. The earliest identified personal communication dates to New Year's Eve 2015. That day, the two men arranged to meet in person. Mottola wrote: "Jeffrey are you back home now." Epstein replied: "I left be home at 12." Mottola said he was "on my way from a workout be there in 10 minutes" (EFTA01802541).

After their meeting, Mottola sent a message at 4:36 PM: "It was so good to see you today. Looking healthy strong and happy!!! I missed you man! Let's hang in New York." Epstein responded affectionately. Then Mottola sent a photo of himself with the message: "Why do I look like I'm going to fuckin die About one year ago" (EFTA01802541).

This was December 31, 2015, more than seven years after Epstein's 2008 guilty plea in Florida for procuring a minor for prostitution. By that point, Epstein was a registered sex offender. The meeting and its warm tone establish that the relationship was not a distant or reluctant acquaintance. It was personal and active.

Gifts, Chocolates, and a Bronx Italian Basket

The documentary record also captures a pattern of gift exchanges that spans years.

In December 2011, Epstein's longtime assistant Lesley Groff notified him: "You rec'd a huge box of Bridgewater Chocolates from Tommy Mottola" (EFTA01846371).

Six years later, in December 2017, the same tradition continued. Groff sent an internal alert: "Tommy Mottola sending bridgewater chocolate to JE...did it arrive?" (EFTA02231632).

In September 2017, Mottola sent Epstein a food package with the message: "BRONX Italian basket coming to you by 11:30 AM." The subject line of the email was "DON'T EAT!" (EFTA02599036).

These are small details. But they paint a picture of regular, familiar contact between two men who, by all external appearances, occupied very different worlds.

Phone Calls, Flights, and a Helicopter Company

The relationship extended beyond emails and gifts. In February 2014, Epstein contacted his personal pilot, Larry Visoski, to ask about "the guy tommy mottola uses" in reference to a helicopter charter company. The email chain also referenced Blue Star Jets, which offered Epstein backup aircraft options including a Citation Excel at $15,000 and a Challenger 601 at $17,000 (EFTA02580545).

In March 2018, Mottola called Epstein multiple times after hearing he was unwell. "Called you a few times you OK I heard you were not feeling well," Mottola wrote at 3:08 AM (EFTA02514549, EFTA02514721). Epstein replied simply: "Just land."

In February 2018, Mottola emailed Epstein that he was "Flying to LA" and would "Call you later" (EFTA02526305). In March 2018, another exchange: "In LA I am calling you now" (EFTA02503167).

Internal scheduling records from Epstein's office show that staff were regularly instructed to arrange calls with Mottola. A July 2011 note reads simply: "Please call Tommy Mottola" (EFTA02024995). A June 2013 calendar entry lists "Reminder Call Tommy Mottola" alongside meetings with Mort Zuckerman and others (EFTA01968470).

Mottola's attorney, Paul Morris, also appears in the document set, coordinating phone calls with Epstein's office.

Under Oath: "Have You Ever Socialized with Tommy Mottola?"

One document places the relationship directly into the legal record. During a sworn deposition in the Bradley Edwards lawsuit, Epstein was asked point-blank: "Have you ever socialized with Tommy Mottola?"

Epstein did not answer the question directly. Instead, he launched into a complaint about Edwards: "This is the type of questions where people who have nothing to do with this case whatsoever have been brought into the case by Mr. Edwards in an attempt to simply imperil my relationships with social friends and serves as an example of why this case has been brought against Mr. Edwards and his firm, sir" (d-31818).

It is worth noting what Epstein did not say. He did not deny socializing with Mottola. He objected to the question itself, calling it an invasion of his social relationships. This was consistent with his approach throughout the deposition. Moments before the Mottola question, when asked about socializing with Alan Dershowitz in the presence of minors, Epstein invoked his Fifth, Sixth, and Fourteenth Amendment rights.

793 Documents, 930 OCR Mentions, Zero Public Statements

The numbers alone tell a story. Tommy Mottola appears in 793 documents across the EFTA disclosure set. His name surfaces 930 times in OCR-scanned text across the broader archive. These are not passing references. They represent a sustained, documented relationship with a convicted sex offender who maintained contact with Mottola for years after his Florida conviction and continued building that relationship right up until the period preceding his 2019 arrest.

Since the EFTA documents became public, one tangible consequence has already materialized. Television host Jimmy Fallon reportedly cancelled a planned pasta sauce business venture with Mottola after the filings surfaced.

Mottola himself has said nothing. His representatives have not responded to requests for comment about the Christmas emails, the island construction plans, the architect meetings, or the "shut up and lay low" exchange.

The documents do not prove that Mottola participated in or had knowledge of Epstein's crimes. They do not establish criminal liability. But they raise questions that remain unanswered.

Why did the mention of a victims' rights attorney cause Mottola to panic? What did Epstein mean when he told Mottola "you are safe," and why did he repeat it? What threat had "my guy" warned Epstein about on Christmas Eve? Why did Mottola need a cover story for his wife? And why, years after Epstein's conviction, was the former head of Sony Music helping plan construction projects on Epstein's private island?

Until Tommy Mottola decides to speak, the documents speak for themselves.

Documents Referenced