Read: Epstein's purported suicide note released by judge

Rebecca Falconer

Collage of white legal forms and a black-and-white portrait; U.S. Department of Justice documents with headings such as PRISONER REMAND and ARREST WARRANT. — Printed documents available at Epstein Library on the U.S. Department of Justice website are seen in this illustration photo taken in Krakow, Poland in February 6. (Photo by Jakub Porzycki/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

A federal judge unsealed a purported Jeffrey Epstein suicide note on Wednesday.

The big picture: The convicted sex offender was found dead in his New York City prison cell in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges.

Online influencers pushed conspiracy theories about Epstein's death after it was ruled a suicide, but the Justice Department and FBI — now headed by one of those influencers, Kash Patel — concluded last July that he had in fact died by suicide.

Driving the news: Judge Kenneth Karas released the unverified and undated note to the court's docket, in regards to a case relating to the 's former cellmate Nicholas Tartaglione, who told the New York Times he had found it.

Read the letter and note submitted to the court, via DocumentCloud:

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Editor's note: This article has been updated with more context.

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Read: Epstein's purported suicide note released by judge

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