Jeffrey Epstein urged Canadian-American media and real estate mogul Mortimer Zuckerman to relinquish control of his financial affairs over what he said was the magnate’s “potentially dangerous” cognitive impairment, according to files released by the US Department of Justice.
The files show Epstein, the late convicted sex offender, had long-standing business ties with Zuckerman, now 88, and also served as a confidant with access to intimate details of the billionaire’s personal life.
After a meeting in October 2015 with Zuckerman and Norwegian diplomat Terje Rod-Larsen, Epstein wrote an email urging the tycoon to enter a guardianship or conservatorship “for your own protection.” Epstein told Zuckerman the mogul had asked for his help during the meeting but “might not remember.”
“Your friends including me are very concerned that your cognitive impairment has now reached a serious and potentially dangerous level. There is serious concern for your financail, emotional physical and psychological safety,” Epstein wrote, using his idiosyncratic spelling and punctuation.
He suggested Zuckerman grant Rod-Larsen, Zuckerman’s nephews, and “anyone else you trust” authority to manage his affairs, warning that his “remarkable abilities” were no longer enough to protect him. “I am aware that your condition makes you prone to suspicion but that being said, the future predictable decline will be an ever increasing danger,” Epstein added. “Admittting you have a problem will take courage and determination.”
Zuckerman, who has owned US News & World Report and formerly owned The Atlantic and the New York Daily News, appeared to take the advice seriously. He thanked Epstein for his “thoughtfulness and friendship” and asked for recommendations for a lawyer “with experience in such matters.” Zuckerman suggested meeting after a planned trip to San Francisco; Epstein urged him to cancel the trip and choose a guardian while “your judgment peeks through the haze,” warning a delay could lead to a court-imposed solution.
Epstein also discussed Zuckerman’s health with his nephew Eric Gertler, advising him to oversee the sale of stocks, art, a helicopter and a plane. “my expertise is the financial . take any other suggestion as merely transmitting from others skilled in this terrible situation,” Epstein wrote to Gertler, the current executive chairman of US News & World Report, in one email.
It is not clear whether Zuckerman followed Epstein’s recommendations. About six months after the correspondence, Zuckerman announced he would step down as chairman of Boston Properties, though he retained the title of chairman emeritus and did not cite health concerns. The Zuckerman Institute, Zuckerman STEM Leadership Program and Gertler did not respond to requests for comment.
Zuckerman’s association with Epstein occasionally surfaced in earlier coverage. In 2003 Zuckerman partnered with Epstein and others in an unsuccessful bid to buy New York magazine, and in 2004 they invested in a relaunch of Radar magazine. DOJ files released in January described Epstein as viewing Zuckerman as a client, close associate and business partner. In 2013 Epstein proposed a $21m plan to provide Zuckerman with “analysing, evaluating, planning and other services” related to estate planning; it is unclear if Zuckerman accepted that proposal.
Epstein, who died in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges, also pressed Zuckerman in 2009 to influence coverage of allegations of his sexual abuse in the New York Daily News, according to the released files.