Overview:
Court-released emails tied to Jeffrey Epstein reference Haiti more than 400 times. The Haitian Times has reviewed about 100 documents so far, revealing details about humanitarian aid flights, celebrity-studded philanthropic gestures, financial discussions and political monitoring between 2010 and 2016. This story is part of an ongoing reporting series.
Editor’s note: This story is part of an ongoing Haitian Times series examining how Haiti appears in the Epstein files. Haiti is mentioned more than 400 times across the released Epstein files. As we continue examining the records, we will publish additional reporting, context and analysis relevant to Haiti and the Haitian Diaspora.
NEW YORK —In court-released documents tied to Jeffrey Epstein’s sexual abuse of minors, Haiti appears in more than 400 records. So far, The Haitian Times has reviewed about 100 of those documents.
No Haitian officials or institutions currently face accusations of wrongdoing based on records released by the Department of Justice (DOJ) in January. However, the documents reviewed so far show how Haiti figured into the philanthropic networks, financial interests and political maneuvering that surrounded Epstein between 2010 and 2016.
The DOJ released more than 3 million pages of documents, along with thousands of videos and images — a trove that will take months to fully review.
So far, here is what we know about Epstein and Haiti.
Epstein debated sharing jet for aid flights after 2010 earthquake
In the days following Haiti’s devastating earthquake on Jan. 12, 2010, Epstein’s chief pilot, Larry Visoski, received a request to use Epstein’s Gulfstream jet to deliver medical supplies, doctors and nurses to Haiti.
Epstein initially responded, “tell him we had a mechanical issue” according to the correspondence. Organizers emphasized that Epstein would receive media coverage and publicity for participating.
In a separate exchange about the flights, he wrote, “I will do it, if we can protect the interior.” His team ultimately coordinated with organizers to secure landing slots and load the aircraft.
In March 2010, Epstein was also forwarded an email from the charity CARE asking whether he or his contacts could provide a flight for former President Bill Clinton to travel to Haiti to meet with former President George W. Bush.
The emails do not indicate whether that flight took place.
Epstein saw Haiti as a potential place to ‘park money’
Screenshot of email correspondence from the Epstein files.
In 2011, Epstein was invited to meet Haiti’s president at the time, Michel Martelly. A July 2011 email shows Epstein discussing going to Port-au-Prince for a possible one-day visit — a “PERSONAL (no grants, no BMGF)” trip.
In that exchange, Epstein also described the country as unstable, writing that amid global banking uncertainty, Haiti “just might be a safe place to park money.”
Epstein saw Martelly as ‘hilarious, a realist’ while planning ‘down low’ trip
In the same 2011 exchange about a visit, Epstein described Martelly as hilarious and “a realist.”
“Steve and I (if we do it) will do this very quietly,” Epstein wrote in the email. He encouraged the recipient of the email, whose name is redacted, to “join us, on the down low.”
The emails do not say whether the visit occurred or any financial actions followed. If the trip did occur “quietly,” however, it is not clear in which records such information would be captured.
Epstein bought $5,000 ticket to Sean Penn’s Haiti benefit in Cannes
Screenshot of email correspondence from the Epstein files.
In May 2012, publicist Peggy Siegal asked Epstein to purchase a $5,000 ticket for her to attend Sean Penn’s “Haiti: Carnival in Cannes” benefit. The fundraising dinner and party was set for the evening of May 18, 2012, at the Agora Pavilion in the French Riviera city.
Siegal wrote that if Epstein bought her the tax-deductible ticket, she could report on the event for The Huffington Post. She promised to write “whatever you want,” according to the emails.
Epstein agreed. His accountants and assistants coordinated a $5,000 wire transfer through an entity called Enhanced Education, a charity reportedly built to boost his image. Noting that $350 of the ticket price was non-deductible, the accounting correspondence detailed that the ticket included food, beverages and entertainment.
Epstein foundation linked to building country’s “biggest school”
In 2012, Epstein received links to articles in The Wall Street Journal and The Telegraph about his largesse with Haitian groups. The articles described plans to build what was reported as the largest school in Haiti, with support from the Jeffrey Epstein VI Foundation, in partnership with the Edeyo Foundation. The Wall Street Journal article also mentioned a party promoter active in the Haitian Diaspora. The Haitian Times is withholding the individual’s name while seeking comment.
A school supplier later reached out offering to furnish the new school. That message was forwarded to Cecile de Jongh, the First Lady of the U.S. Virgin Islands at the time, according to the emails.
The documents reviewed so far do not detail the final status of the school project.
Epstein invited to Haiti-focused fundraisers post-earthquake
Epstein was on the mailing list for designer Donna Karan’s Urban Zen Foundation, which launched a “Hope Help & Rebuild Haiti” initiative after the 2010 earthquake.
Emails show he received invitations to “Haiti in the Hamptons” events and fundraising appeals, including requests for emergency relief support following Hurricane Matthew in 2016.
The correspondence reflects how Haiti remained central to high-profile philanthropic networks years after the earthquake.
Epstein updated on Haiti’s political and economic climate
In October 2012, Epstein received a “Regional Insights” report from the International Peace Institute discussing then-Prime Minister Laurent Lamothe declaring Haiti “open for business.”
The report noted that Haiti remained vulnerable to political instability and faced an ongoing need to strengthen rule-of-law institutions.
The emails do not show direct policy involvement but indicate that Epstein tracked geopolitical developments in Haiti alongside philanthropic and financial conversations.
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