404 Media

2026-02-05 21:40:42

The DOJ Redacted a Photo of the Mona Lisa in the Epstein Files

The Department of Justice redacted the face of the Mona Lisa, a 522-year-old painting of an Italian woman who died centuries ago, as part of its release of files related to the late convicted sex offender Jeffery Epstein.

In a PDF of an email with the subject line “simply paris” sent on July 3, 2009, a redacted sender sent Epstein several photos of, presumably, himself and a woman sightseeing in Paris. The photos of the woman are all redacted with a black box over her face, but the man’s face is visible.

The photos are from tourist locations like Disneyland Paris, the Versailles fountains, and the Louvre, where the Mona Lisa is installed. “We just walked around all over the city not just the sight seeing...we took like 1500 pictures so was really difficult to decide wich to send! :)” the sender wrote at the end of the email.

DOJ Released Unredacted Nude Images in Epstein Files
A note from investigators in the files said some images Epstein had were “POSSIBLE CSAM.”
404 MediaSamantha Cole

The DOJ redacted the face of the Mona Lisa, believed by art historians to be a Florentine woman named Lisa Gherardini, while failing to redact the names, faces, and nude photos of dozens of Epstein’s victims as part of its latest data dump. As 404 Media reported on Monday, several unredacted, sexually explicit photos of nude women or girls were present in Friday’s data release; the DOJ left those photos online until we reported specific links through their tipline.

Historians believe Gherardini was 15 years old when she married the 29-year-old wealthy merchant Francesco del Giocondo. Her portrait, made immortal by Renaissance painter Leonardo da Vinci, has been in the public domain for hundreds of years.

💡
Do you have a tip or story to tell? Using a non-work device, you can message me securely on Signal at sam.404. Otherwise, send me an email at sam@404media.co.

Here in the year 2026, however, victims of Epstein’s abuse are enduring the fallout of the DOJ’s failure to protect their identities as it dumped another 180,000 images and 2,000 videos into the public’s hands last week, adding to the 40,000 files it released in previous batches in December.

“We are getting constant calls for victims because their names, despite them never coming forward, being completely unknown to the public, have all just been released for public consumption,” victims’ attorney Brad Edwards told ABC News after the release of the files. “It's literally thousands of mistakes.”

The DOJ did not immediately respond to 404 Media’s request for comment.

DOJ releasing 3 million pages of Epstein files, 'didn't protect' Trump, deputy AG says

Deputy AG Todd Blanche said nearly 3 million other pages were being withheld.

^{James Hill (ABC News)}

404 Media

2026-02-05 15:36:40

This Tool Searches the Epstein Files For Your LinkedIn Contacts

A new tool searches your LinkedIn connections for people who are mentioned in the Epstein files, just in case you don’t, understandably, want anything to do with them on the already deranged social network.

404 Media tested the tool, called EpsteIn—as in, a mash up of Epstein and LinkedIn—and it appears to work.

This post is for subscribers only

Become a member to get access to all content
Subscribe now

This Tool Searches the Epstein Files For Your LinkedIn Contacts

^{Joseph Cox (404 Media)}

404 Media

2026-02-02 15:39:55

DOJ Released Unredacted Nude Images in Epstein Files

The Department of Justice left multiple unredacted photos of fully nude women or girls exposed as part of Friday’s dump of more than 3.5 million pages of files related to the investigations and prosecutions of Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislane Maxwell. Unlike the majority of the images in the released files, both the nudity and the faces of the people were not redacted, making them easy to identify. In some of the photos, the women or girls were either fully nude or partially undressed, posed for cameras, and exposed their genitals.

The files include more than 2,000 videos and 180,000 images, Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said Friday in a press conference, including “large quantities of commercial pornography and images that were seized from Epstein’s devices,” some of which were taken by Epstein, according to Blanche.

404 Media emailed the DOJ on Friday evening for comment after a reader found the exposed photos.

“Our team is working around the clock to address any victim concerns, additional redactions of personally identifiable information, as well as any files that require further redactions under the Act, to include images of a sexual nature,” a Department of Justice spokesperson told 404 Media in an email. “Once proper redactions have been made, any responsive documents will repopulate online. As stated on the website, and in public materials.

404 Media then sent the DOJ specific links to the images on the DOJ’s website. The files stayed online for at least another full day, until Sunday evening, when they disappeared.

Another file in the dump is a typed message from investigators, commenting on the content of three CDs found in Epstein’s possession. Each CD is marked as “POSSIBLE CSAM,” referring to child sexual abuse material.

💡
Do you have a tip to share? We would love to hear from you. Using a non-work device, you can message us securely on Signal at sam.404. Otherwise, send an email at sam@404media.co.

Another file containing comments from investigators on the three CDs says “Mostly fine, a few Suspected CSAM photo items in photos, needs to be SPLIT.” The photos on the DOJ’s website were of people in sexually explicit poses and situations, but it was unclear whether they were underage.

The DOJ released the files because it was required to by the Epstein Files Transparency Act, but missed the December deadline set out by the act. President Donald Trump signed the act into law on November 19, at which point Attorney General Pam Bondi had 30 days to release all of the files. On December 19, the DOJ released about 10,000 files, and on December 23 it released another 30,000.

The amount of information released and the unorganized way the government released has made it difficult to cover.

Musk to Epstein: ‘What Day/Night Will Be the Wildest Party on Your Island?’
New emails show Musk has been lying about his relationship with Epstein.
404 MediaJason Koebler

“In view of the Congressional deadline, all reasonable efforts have been made to review and redact personal information pertaining to victims, other private individuals, and protect sensitive materials from disclosure,” a notice from the DOJ says at the top of every page of files. “That said, because of the volume of information involved, this website may nevertheless contain information that inadvertently includes non-public personally identifiable information or other sensitive content, to include matters of a sexual nature.” The Epstein Library also asks if visitors are over the age of 18 before entering the site.

If a member of the public “identifies any information that should not have been posted,” the notice says, the DOJ asks them to notify them at EFTA@usdoj.gov “so we can take steps to correct the problem as soon as possible.”

On Sunday, the Wall Street Journal reported that the DOJ left 43 of 47 full names of Epstein and Maxwell’s victims exposed in Friday’s data.

Podcast: The Epstein Email Dump Is a Mess
We talk the terrible format of the latest Epstein dump; how a contractor is hiring randos on LinkedIn to physically track immigrants for $300; and a new code of conduct in the adult industry.
404 MediaJoseph Cox

“We are getting constant calls for victims because their names, despite them never coming forward, being completely unknown to the public, have all just been released for public consumption,” victims’ attorney Brad Edwards told ABC News. “It's literally thousands of mistakes.”

According to the New York Times, a group of 18 survivors of Epstein’s abuse said in a joint statement reacting to the release of data exposing their identities: “Once again, survivors are having their names and identifying information exposed, while the men who abused us remain hidden and protected. That is outrageous. This is not over. We will not stop until the truth is fully revealed and every perpetrator is finally held accountable.”

DOJ releasing 3 million pages of Epstein files, 'didn't protect' Trump, deputy AG says

Deputy AG Todd Blanche said nearly 3 million other pages were being withheld.

^{James Hill (ABC News)}

404 Media

2026-01-30 21:26:56

Musk to Epstein: ‘What Day/Night Will Be the Wildest Party on Your Island?’

Here is an email that Elon Musk, current world’s richest man and owner of a gigantic social media network that generated child sexual abuse material on demand, sent to sex offender Jeffrey Epstein on November 11, 2012: “What day/night will be the wildest party on your island?”

At first glance, the latest Department of Justice dump of Epstein documents is at least as horrifying as any of the dumps that came previously. Whether or not—and most likely not—any consequences of any sort come for any of the people who interacted with or were friends with the notorious child sexual abuser, the documents are depraved and continue to show that Musk and many other rich and powerful people have been lying about their relationships with Epstein for years.

In September, Musk tweeted “this is false” in response to a Forbes article based on previously released documents that stated he “planned a trip to Epstein’s private island.” He also wrote “Epstein tried to get me to go to his island and I REFUSED.” Musk had previously been named on Epstein’s calendar as being slated to visit Epstein’s island in 2014.

The emails released Friday show without a doubt that Musk, at the very least, “planned” a trip to Epstein’s island. They also show that Epstein asked Musk if SolarCity, his solar power startup that was eventually folded into Tesla, could electrify the island or his New Mexico ranch.

The newly released documents show that Musk emailed with Epstein over the course of more than a year. In a December 2013 thread called “Christmas and New Year’s,” Musk wrote “Will be in the BVI [British Virgin Islands]/St Bart’s area over the holidays. Is there a good time to visit?”

“I will send heli for you,” Epstein responded. “Thanks,” Musk answered.

“Actually, I could fly back early on the 3rd. We will be in St Bart’s. When should we head to your island on the 2nd?,” Musk said in a follow-up email.

In October 2012, Musk emailed Epstein and said “The world needs more romance […] Talulah [Musk’s second wife] and I are headed to St. Barth’s at the end of the year. I assume you will most likely be on your island?”

Epstein eventually responded in November and offered to send Musk as helicopter: “how many people will you be for the heli to island,” Epstein wrote.

“Probably just Talulah and me,” Musk responded. “What day/night will be the wildest party on your island?”

Another thread between Epstein and Musk was about providing power to two of Epstein’s properties: “is there any one at Solar City that my guys can talk to about electrifying the caribean [sic] island? Or the New Mexico ranch,” Epstein wrote. “Are we in New Mexico?” Musk wrote, adding a colleague to the thread.

These emails are hitting at a time where there is quite a lot going on in the world, and Musk, Donald Trump, and the current class of people in political power have shown that they will suffer very little from essentially any political scandal. And yet, these emails show in black and white that Musk has been lying about his relationship with Epstein, and that’s worth documenting.

Epstein calendar released by Democrats mentions Elon Musk, who denies visiting his island

A copy of Jeffrey Epstein’s daily schedules released Friday by House Democrats stated that Elon Musk was tentatively expected to visit Epstein’s private island in December 2014

^{David Ingram (NBC News)}

404 Media

2025-12-18 20:53:49

The Government Added a Comments Section to the Epstein Photo Dump

Update: After publication of this piece, House Oversight Democrats disabled comments on the photos. The original article follows below.

Thursday afternoon House Democrats publicly released a new trove of photographs they’ve obtained from the estate of Jeffrey Epstein via Dropbox. They left the comments on so anyone who is signed into Dropbox and browsing the material can leave behind their thoughts.

Given that the investigation into Epstein is one of the most closely followed cases in the world and a subject of endless conspiracy theories, and that the committee released the trove of photographs with no context, it’s not surprising that people immediately began commenting on the photographs.
playlist.megaphone.fm?p=TBIEA2…
“Really punchable face,” BedeScarlet—whose avatar is Cloud from Final Fantasy VII—said above a picture of New York Times columnist David Brooks. Brooks, who wrote a column about his boredom with the Epstein case in November, attended a dinner with Epstein in 2011 and appears in two photographs in this new document dump.

“Noam Chomsky,” Alya Colours (a frequent Epstein dropbox commenter) said below a photograph of the linguist talking to Epstein on a plane. Below this there is a little prompt from Dropbox asking me to “join the conversation” next to a smiley face.

In another picture, director Woody Allen is bundled up to his eyes in a heavy coat while Epstein side hugs him. “Yep, I’d know that face anywhere,” Susan Brown commented.

Among the pictures is a closeup of a prescription bottle labeled Phenazopyridine. “This is a medication used to treat pain from urinary tract infections,” Rebecca Stinton added, helpfully, in the comments.

“The fuck were they doing all that math for?” BedeScarlet said next to a picture of Epstein in front of a whiteboard covered in equations.

“Shit probably tastes like ass,” he added to a picture of Epstein cooking something in a kitchen.

There are darker and weird photographs in this collection of images that, as of this writing, do not yet have comments. There’s a pair of box springs in an unfinished room lit by the sun. There is a map of Little St James indicating where Epstein wants various buildings constructed. Bill Gates is shown in two photos standing next to women with their faces blocked out.

And then there are the Lolita pictures. A woman’s foot sits in the foreground, a worn annotated copy of Vladimir Nabokov novel Lolita in the background. “She was Lo, plain Lo, in the morning, standing four feet teen in one sock,” is written on the foot, a quote from the novel.

These photos are followed by a series of pictures of passports with the information redacted. Some are from Ukraine. There’s one from South Africa and another from the Czech Republic.

The House Democrats allowing the public to comment on these photos is funny and it’s unclear if intentional or a mistake. It’s also a continuation of the just-get-out-there approach when they have published other material, with it sometimes being in unsorted caches that readers then have to dig through. The only grand revelation in the new material is that Brooks was present at a dinner with Epstein in 2011.

“As a journalist, David Brooks regularly attends events to speak with noted and important business leaders to inform his columns, which is exactly what happened at this 2011 event. Mr. Brooks had no contact with him before or after this single attendance at a widely-attended dinner,” a Times spokesperson told Semafor’s Max Tani.

House Oversight Democrats did not immediately return 404 Media’s request for comment.

12.18.25 Release

Shared with Dropbox

^Dropbox

404 Media

2025-10-09 15:34:17

Data Hoarder Uses AI to Create Searchable Database of Epstein Files

A data hoarder on Reddit used AI to create a searchable database of more than 8,100 files about Jeffrey Epstein released by the House Oversight Committee, making it one of the easiest ways to search through a very messy batch of files.

The project, called Epstein Archive and released on Github, allows people to search the database to find files that mention specific people, organizations, locations, and dates.

Thousands of people are named in the more than 33,295 pages worth of files released by the House Oversight Committee last month as part of its investigation into Epstein. The files, which are partial and redacted (as in, they are not the “full Epstein files”), were subpoenaed by the committee from the Department of Justice. The files were released to the public in an extremely poorly organized Google Drive folder, and were released primarily as jpg and tif images of documents, which are not in any discernible order. Because of this, they have been an absolute nightmare to search.

The Redditor, nicko170, said they had a large language model transcribe, collate, and summarize the documents and built the database to make the files more easily searchable.

“It processes and tries to restore documents into a full document from the mixed pages - some have errored, but will capture them and come back to fix,” they wrote. “Not here to make a buck, just hoping to collate and sort through all these files in an efficient way for everyone.”

On the project’s GitHub, they further explain how it was built:

“This project automatically processes thousands of scanned document pages using AI-powered OCR to:

• Extract and preserve all text (printed and handwritten)
• Identify and index entities (people, organizations, locations, dates)
• Reconstruct multi-page documents from individual scans
• Provide a searchable web interface to explore the archive

This is a public service project. All documents are from public releases. This archive makes them more accessible and searchable.”

The database only features OCR’ed transcripts of the files and not images of the files, though it does tell users the filename so they can go and download the actual document themselves. Like essentially all OCR and LLM projects, there are some errors. Some of the transcripts are gibberish, presumably caused by blurry or illegible type and handwriting on the source documents. But the project represents a pretty good use of AI technology, because the source documents themselves are so messy and were released in such a terrible format that is extremely time consuming to go through them.

The database is indeed pretty usable; I was able to quickly find files that mention Donald Trump (which have already been widely reported on).

To be clear, there are no new files included in this tool, but for people who are looking to explore what has been released in a coherent, straightforward way, this is one of the better options out there. Besides releasing the database and the code for it on Github, they have also turned the entire project into a torrent file, meaning it cannot be easily deleted from the internet.

Oversight Committee Releases Epstein Records Provided by the Department of Justice - United States House Committee on Oversight and Accountability

United States House Committee on Oversight and Accountability

^{Oversight Committee Republicans Verified account}