Transcription
We uncover how the wealthy sex offender Jeffrey Epstein allegedly used a network of doctors to exert influence and control over women in his orbit. A photograph taken inside Epstein's Manhattan townhouse appears to show a doctor performing a medical procedure on a dining room table. An image that has now become central to new reporting examining the relationship between Epstein and several medical professionals.
Investigators and journalists reviewed around 15,000 records from the Epstein files in an attempt to understand how the financier cultivated a small circle of doctors. According to those records, Epstein often dictated the medical decisions of women around him, including when they could undergo plastic surgery or even visit a gynecologist. In some cases, the files suggest Epstein could also control access to medical care, reinforcing his influence over their lives.
One particularly striking example appears in emails detailing a medical emergency involving a young woman traveling with Epstein. During a flight from Epstein's private island in the US Virgin Islands to New York, the woman reportedly suffered a serious injury after falling off an ATV. Epstein contacted Ava Duban, a former girlfriend and founder of the Duban Breast Center at Mount Sinai Hospital, asking for help arranging treatment. According to the email exchange, Duban responded by saying a plastic surgeon was ready to assist. "Jess Ting, plastic surgeon at Mount Sinai, is standing by. Call me as soon as you land." The next day, Epstein sent another message describing the treatment. "Dr. Ting put 35 stitches in her head laid out on the dining room table."
The photograph is believed to show that procedure has drawn scrutiny from medical experts. When reporters spoke with independent specialists, they said performing such treatment in a private home, especially on a dining room table, would be highly unusual. Experts noted that standard medical protocol would typically require taking a patient to a hospital where there is proper equipment, staff, and reduced risk of infection. One expert explained that performing the procedure outside a clinical setting would raise serious questions about whether the patient's needs were the primary concern.
The records also suggest that some doctors communicated directly with Epstein about the medical conditions of women connected to him, raising concerns about patient privacy. In one email, a woman associated with Epstein expressed discomfort with doctors sharing her medical information with him. Epstein reportedly responded, "This is how it is. These doctors know that I'm paying. They want to keep me happy."
The files also indicate that some doctors benefited financially from their relationship with Epstein. He donated more than $375,000 to Mount Sinai Hospital, including contributions to Duban's breast cancer center and $50,000 toward cancer research connected to Dr. Jess Ting. Other physicians reportedly received high retainer fees, access to Epstein's social network, and even luxury gifts, including Apple Watches valued at about $900 each.
Reporters contacted all the doctors mentioned in the investigation. Dr. Ting and Eva Dubin said they never witnessed any criminal conduct by Epstein. Dr. Ting added that he deeply regrets his association with the financier. Mount Sinai Hospital said it has established a committee to investigate the institution's past ties to Epstein and would take appropriate action if necessary.
The newly released files have also had professional consequences for another physician linked to Epstein. Dr. Bernard Krueger, a longtime Manhattan doctor, has stepped away from roles at two concierge medical practices following the public disclosure of his relationship with the financier. Krueger had been associated with the Artrea Health and Research Institute, which informed staff that he had recently retired and was no longer involved with the organization. At another company, Solace Health, a private emergency room service, Krueger has taken leave from the board while the company conducts a review. The review was launched after management became aware of his past interactions with Epstein.
According to reporting, Krueger had been part of a small circle of specialists providing medical care to Epstein, his associates, and some of the women around him during the last decade of his life. Emails from 2016 show that a private emergency practice connected to Krueger charged Epstein $15,000 for an annual membership covering him and five unnamed girls. An accountant told Epstein that patients did not initially need to be named, which would give him more flexibility. A spokesperson for the practice later said names were eventually added.
Other records show that appointments were sometimes scheduled without clear patient identification. In one case, an office attempted to reschedule a visit for Jeffrey's assistant, though staff did not know which assistant it referred to. The patient later turned out to be a lawyer associated with Epstein. A spokesman for Krueger said the doctor never knowingly treated patients without knowing their identities, describing the incident as a clerical mistake. Krueger's representative also emphasized that Epstein's crimes should not automatically implicate doctors who treated him. "The fact that Mr. Epstein was later revealed to be a serial predator does not implicate the physicians who cared for him."
Krueger has since retired from his role as a clinical consultant at Artrea and said he expects the results of the ongoing review to be made public.