Epstein’s Last Paranoia: The FOIA Request That Exposed His Fear of Federal Surveillance (1/27/26)

In 2014, Jeffrey Epstein — through his estate’s representatives — submitted a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request to U.S. Customs and Border Protection seeking records that would reveal whether and how he had been subject to any monitoring, surveillance, questioning, or investigation by the agency years after his 2008 guilty plea to solicitation of prostitution involving a minor. The request asked for documents that could illuminate how, why, or when Epstein was flagged as a subject of interest by border officials, a detail long obscured from public view. This unusual FOIA filing, uncovered by investigative reporter Jason Leopold, shows Epstein actively trying to understand the scope of government scrutiny against him long before the recent push to release a much broader cache of files tied to his case.

The story comes amid ongoing controversy surrounding the federal government’s handling of material related to Epstein’s criminal conduct and alleged networks. Under the Epstein Files Transparency Act, passed by Congress in November 2025, the Department of Justice was required to release all investigative records within 30 days, but as of early 2026 had only shared a tiny fraction of the millions of documents potentially responsive to that mandate. Epstein’s FOIA request adds another layer to the public’s scrutiny of what information federal agencies collected and retained about him, and how much remains hidden or heavily redacted decades after key events in the case.


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Jeffrey Epstein Filed a FOIA Request - Bloomberg