Convicted pedophile Jeffrey Epstein’s fake passport, one of the most intriguing pieces of evidence in the federal sex-trafficking case against the late financier, is included in the latest trove of records released by the Trump Justice Department early Tuesday.
The green passport, purporting to be issued by Austria, gives a date of issue as May 21, 1982, and states that it is good for the next five years.
The passport photo is a younger version of Epstein, but the bearer’s name is given as Marius Fortelni, a real estate developer who records show lived in New York before moving to Palm Beach, Fla. Attempts to reach a number linked to Fortelni’s business in Florida were not immediately successful.
Most intriguingly, the passport lists Epstein/Fortelni’s residence as Dammam, Saudi Arabia.
The travel document was included in a list of evidence recovered by the feds from Epstein’s Upper East Side townhouse following his arrest in July 2019.
Here’s the latest on the release of the Epstein files
Attorneys for Epstein claimed that he never used the passport and it was only “for personal protection in the event of travel to dangerous areas, only to be presented to potential kidnappers, hijackers, or terrorists should violent episodes occur.”
Prosecutors rejected that claim, and photos included in the document release show stamps granting the bearer entry to France, Spain, and the United Kingdom on multiple occasions in 1982 and 1983.
Yet another stamp, from the Saudi Consulate in Vienna, appears to grant the bearer entry for two months.
The existence of the passport has led to speculation that Epstein was employed by one or more intelligence agencies; however, there is no evidence that this was the case.
