Internal FBI/NYPD correspondence from July 2019 discussing the discovery of a fake Austrian passport bearing Jeffrey Epstein's photograph but issued under the name 'Marius Fortelni,' found in Epstein's mansion safe after his arrest.

This email exchange between law enforcement officials from the NYPD FBI Child Exploitation Human Trafficking Task Force and federal prosecutors documents their investigation into a fraudulent Austrian passport discovered in Epstein's Manhattan residence. The passport, found alongside $70,000 in cash and 48 loose diamonds, bore Epstein's photo but was issued to 'Marius Fortelni' with a listed residence in Saudi Arabia. Investigators traced the name to a real Austrian-born real estate developer living in Southampton, NY, who had previously resided in Saudi Arabia—raising questions about how Epstein obtained credentials matching a real person's identity and travel history.

Key Highlights

• •Prosecutors discovered that 'Marius Fortelni' is a real person—an Austrian real estate developer who resided in Saudi Arabia and later moved to Southampton, NY
• •Law enforcement planned to contact the real Marius Fortelni to determine if he knew why a passport with his name and Epstein's photo existed
• •The fake passport became key evidence in denying Epstein bail, as it demonstrated his ability to obtain fraudulent travel documents and posed a flight risk
• •Epstein's lawyers later claimed he obtained the passport in 1982 for 'personal protection' as a Jewish-American traveling in the Middle East during an era of hijackings

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