Who is Joe Pagano in the Epstein files?

Pagano is a financier and venture capitalist, described in press coverage within the files as Aspen-based, who was a longtime friend of Jeffrey Epstein. The files show him on flight manifests, in Epstein's schedules, and in emails from Epstein's staff arranging his travel and calls with Epstein. A press profile says he had known Epstein since before his Bear Stearns days.

Did Joe Pagano fly on Epstein's plane?

He is named on flight manifests dated November 1997, August 1998, September 2000, March 2001, March 2002 and March 2007. Emails from July 2011 also describe him flying with Epstein to New Mexico and then to Aspen. The manifests list him as a passenger. They do not say why he traveled or what happened on the trips.

Is Joe Pagano accused of any wrongdoing in the documents?

No. The documents show him as a friend, investor and travel companion in Epstein's circle, mostly through scheduling emails, itineraries and press quotes. Nothing in them alleges that he committed a crime. Appearing in Epstein's files does not imply wrongdoing.

Why does Joe Pagano appear in so many documents?

The archive has about 670 documents mentioning him, but only 11 emails list him in the From/To/Cc header, and 19 are substantive non-email records. The rest are mostly duplicate copies of the same press-profile text and of scheduling threads that forward earlier messages. The count mainly reflects repeated copies, not 670 separate interactions.

What did Ghislaine Maxwell say about Joe Pagano?

In her July 24, 2025 interview with Todd Blanche, Maxwell read Pagano's name from her notes in a list of people. The list also included Jerry Goldsmith, Joe Roberts, Kenny Lipper and Dan Abramson. The transcript passages do not show any claim about his conduct.

Who is Joe Pagano in the Epstein files?

Pagano is a financier and venture capitalist, described in press coverage within the files as Aspen-based, who was a longtime friend of Jeffrey Epstein. The files show him on flight manifests, in Epstein's schedules, and in emails from Epstein's staff arranging his travel and calls with Epstein. A press profile says he had known Epstein since before his Bear Stearns days.

Did Joe Pagano fly on Epstein's plane?

He is named on flight manifests dated November 1997, August 1998, September 2000, March 2001, March 2002 and March 2007. Emails from July 2011 also describe him flying with Epstein to New Mexico and then to Aspen. The manifests list him as a passenger. They do not say why he traveled or what happened on the trips.

Is Joe Pagano accused of any wrongdoing in the documents?

No. The documents show him as a friend, investor and travel companion in Epstein's circle, mostly through scheduling emails, itineraries and press quotes. Nothing in them alleges that he committed a crime. Appearing in Epstein's files does not imply wrongdoing.

Why does Joe Pagano appear in so many documents?

The archive has about 670 documents mentioning him, but only 11 emails list him in the From/To/Cc header, and 19 are substantive non-email records. The rest are mostly duplicate copies of the same press-profile text and of scheduling threads that forward earlier messages. The count mainly reflects repeated copies, not 670 separate interactions.

What did Ghislaine Maxwell say about Joe Pagano?

In her July 24, 2025 interview with Todd Blanche, Maxwell read Pagano's name from her notes in a list of people. The list also included Jerry Goldsmith, Joe Roberts, Kenny Lipper and Dan Abramson. The transcript passages do not show any claim about his conduct.

Back to People & Entities

Joe Pagano

Person

671

Total Mentions

670

Documents

1,154

Connected Entities

Individual referenced in Epstein documents

Watch: Joe Pagano in the Epstein files

1:31

Narrated from the AI-generated summary of the documents. Numbers reflect the archive at generation time.

Joe Pagano appears in the files as a longtime friend and business associate of Jeffrey Epstein. He is named on flight manifests from 1997 to 2007, appears in Epstein's scheduling emails and calendars, and is quoted in press profiles as an Aspen-based venture capitalist who had known Epstein since before his Bear Stearns days.

Pagano is named on flight manifests dated between November 1997 and March 2007, and he is the recipient of 11 emails. Several 2011 emails from Epstein's staff coordinate his travel with Epstein to New Mexico and Aspen. Lesley Groff's 2015 and 2017 emails relay Epstein's invitations and requests that Pagano call him. He also appears in Epstein's daily schedules, in a 2014 introduction email calling him "an important businessman and investor in NYC," and in a list of names Ghislaine Maxwell read out in her July 2025 interview with Todd Blanche. Many of the roughly 670 documents are repeat copies of the same press-profile text and email threads, so the count overstates how many separate events involve him.

Key Highlights

•Pagano is named on flight manifests dated 1997-11-29, 1998-08-25, 2000-09-21, 2001-03-22, 2002-03-14, 2002-03-17, 2007-03-14 and 2007-03-17. Together they show travel with Epstein over about a decade.
•In July 2011, Epstein's assistant wrote to Pagano's address (the emails are addressed to "Kasia") about a trip. One email says Joe "will be flying with us tomorrow to New Mexico, then on to Aspen Saturday morning." Another asks that he be set to meet them at the airport with the departure information.
•Lesley Groff emailed Pagano in February 2015 about Epstein inviting him and his girlfriend to a show. She emailed again in January 2017 asking him to call Epstein. These are among the latest-dated items involving him.
•A press profile quoted in several documents describes him as "an Aspen-based venture capitalist, who has known Epstein since before his Bear Stearns days." Another passage quotes him calling Epstein's mind wide-ranging, moving "from mathematics to psychology to biology."
•Epstein's daily schedules include appointments with Joe Pagano. One is a 5:15pm slot on the same day as meetings with Mort Zuckerman and Boris Nikolic. A travel itinerary lists him meeting Epstein at the Aspen airport, and another note says it was "completely fine for Joe Pagano to go as well" on a ranch visit.
•In a 2014 email, Mike Poole introduced Pagano to a neuroscientist as "an important businessman and investor in NYC."
•In her July 2025 interview with Todd Blanche, Ghislaine Maxwell included Pagano in a list of names, alongside Jerry Goldsmith, Joe Roberts, Kenny Lipper and Dan Abramson. The transcript excerpts do not show what the list was for.
•The files show social, business and travel contact. They do not show Pagano accused of any wrongdoing. Being named on a flight manifest or in a schedule is not evidence of misconduct.

Frequently Asked Questions

Books for Further Reading

Perversion of Justice: The Jeffrey Epstein Story

Julie K. Brown

Investigative journalism that broke the Epstein case open

Filthy Rich: The Jeffrey Epstein Story

James Patterson

Bestselling account of Epstein's crimes and network

Relentless Pursuit: My Fight for the Victims of Jeffrey Epstein

Bradley J. Edwards

Victims' attorney's firsthand account

Document Mentions (20 of 670)

FLIGHT_MANIFEST_1530

Aug 25, 1998Source: Epstein Flight Logs

2 mentions

JOE PAGANO

Joe Pagano

FLIGHT_MANIFEST_0461

Mar 14, 2002Source: Epstein Flight Logs

1 mention

Joe Pagano

EFTA00260609.pdf

EFTA00260609

1 mention

ge was clear: There will be trouble for your family if I don't like the article. On the other hand. Epstein is clearly very generous with friends. Joe Pagano. an Aspen-based venture capitalist, who has known Epstein since before his Bear Stearns days. can't say enough nice things: "I have a boy who's d

Sponsored

FLIGHT_MANIFEST_0482

Mar 17, 2002Source: Epstein Flight Logs

1 mention

Joe Pagano

FLIGHT_MANIFEST_0485

Mar 17, 2007Source: Epstein Flight Logs

1 mention

Joe Pagano

FLIGHT_MANIFEST_0511

Mar 22, 2001Source: Epstein Flight Logs

1 mention

Joe Pagano

Sponsored

FLIGHT_MANIFEST_0463

Mar 14, 2007Source: Epstein Flight Logs

1 mention

Joe Pagano

FLIGHT_MANIFEST_1717

Sep 21, 2000Source: Epstein Flight Logs

1 mention

Joe Pagano

FLIGHT_MANIFEST_2233

Nov 29, 1997Source: Epstein Flight Logs

1 mention

JOE PAGANO

Sponsored

EFTA00143524.pdf

EFTA00143524

1 mention

Peter Listerman 53. George Lucas 54. Tony Lyons 55. Bob Meister 56. Jamie A. Melanson 57. Lynn Miller 58. Marvin Minsky 59. REDACTED 60. 61. Joe Pagano 62. Mary Paluga 63. J. Stanley Pottinger 64. Joseph Recarey 65. SUBSCRIBE FOR $1 laann Rirharr1 Login EFTA00143529 10:53 * • #•—•16 II. •

EFTA00157634.pdf

EFTA00157634

1 mention

delton, David Mitchell, Senator George Mitchell, Myhrvold Nathan, NA Property Inc., New Alban Country Club, Bob Oatman, Gary Newman, Ovitz Michael, Joe Pagano, Pilots, Thomas Quinn, Lewis Reniere, Ed Razek, David Rochafeller, David Rodgers, Henry Rosovsky, David Ross, Jeffrey Schantz, Douglas Schoettle,

EFTA01334040.pdf

EFTA01334040

1 mention

age was clear: There will be trouble for your family if I don't like the article. On the other hand, Epstein is clearly wry generous with friends. Joe Pagano. an Aspen-based venture capitalist. who has known Epstein since before his Bear Stearns days. can't say enough nice things: "I have a boy who's d

Sponsored

EFTA00190013.pdf

EFTA00190013

1 mention

ho believe in Epstein say that his intelligence works in a lofty and synthetic manner. "His mind goes through a cross section of descriptions," says Joe Pagano, a financier. "He can go from mathematics to psychology to biology. He takes the smallest amount of information and gets the correct answer in the

EFTA00204650.pdf

EFTA00204650

1 mention

age was clear: There will be trouble for your family if I don't like the article. On the other hand, Epstein is clearly very generous with friends. Joe Pagano, an Aspen-based venture capitalist, who has known Epstein since before his Bear Stearns days, can't say enough nice things: "I have a boy who's dys

DOJ-OGR-00022986.WAV

DOJ-OGR-00022986

Source: DOJ First Production

1 mention

n. So again? But Millen. Okay. Henry Wresowski, who was the Provost of Harvard. I don't think. Sure. You're looking at your notes. Yes. Right. Right. Joe Pagano, Jerry Goldsmith, Joe Roberts, Kenny Lippa, Dan Abramsson, I don't know if in the 90s Tom Pritzker, Ace, Jimmy Kane, Lurinary, I mean, there were...

Sponsored

EFTA00261255.pdf

EFTA00261255

1 mention

EFTA00285006.pdf

EFTA00285006

1 mention

w/Mort Zuckerman at his office 599 Lexington Avenue, Suite 1800 Southeast corner of 53rd & Lex....18th Floor (w) Jojo to drive you 5:15pm Appt w/Joe Pagano ) 5:15pm Appt w/Boris Nikolic 6:00pm Appt w/Ter'e Rod Larsen 6:00pm Appt w 6:00pm Appt w 6:00pm Appt w/Steve Hanson 6:30/7:00pm Jean Luc to sto

EFTA00285028.pdf

EFTA00285028

1 mention

00pm Appt w/Ehud 1:15pm LUNCH w/Leon Black (=M) (After 3:00pm CALL Dr. Shimony for blood results to do this) 3:45pm Appt w/Terje ( 3:45pm Appt w/Joe Pagano 4:45 m A t w Dr. Mechanick 6:00pm Appt w/Gaiy Mann at Mercedes Mercedes-Benz Manhattan. Inc. Fri. April 24, 2015 NY-PB 9:45am Quest 10:45am Hair

Sponsored

EFTA00285058.pdf

EFTA00285058

1 mention

ppt w, 1:30pm Depart NY (Teterboro, Meridean) 5:10pm Arrive PB 8:00pm Bobby Slayton at the West Palm Improv (8 tickets) Steve Hanson and wife and Joe Pagano and girlfriend will come along. Sat. Feb 14 2015 PR Reminder: Valentine's Day $un. Feb. 15, 2015 PB 11:00am Appt w/Dr. Bard at the PB house (MM)

Microsoft Word - Exhibit K.docx

HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_017771 - HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_017786

Apr 9, 2019Source: House Oversight Committee

1 mention

sage was clear: There will be trouble for your family if I don’t like the article. On the other hand, Epstein is clearly very generous with friends. Joe Pagano, an Aspen-based venture capitalist, who has known Epstein since before his Bear Stearns days, can’t say enough nice things: “I have a boy who’s dysle

Page: HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_017776 →

Sponsored