'Never believed they existed': Jeffrey Epstein's brother Mark casts doubts on blackmail tapes

NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK: The life and death of disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein continues to captivate and shock the public imagination.

Once a mysterious money manager rubbing elbows with the rich and powerful, Epstein's 2019 arrest and subsequent prison death unveiled the dark reality of his alleged elaborate sex trafficking operations involving underage girls.

But many questions still linger - most sensationally, whether Epstein secretly recorded his high-profile acquaintances in compromising situations to blackmail for money and favors, as reported by RadarOnline.

Mark Epstein cast doubt on existence of compromising tapes for extortion

New questions emerge about the disgraced financier's secret surveillance and extortion schemes.

In the years since Epstein's shocking 2019 arrest and subsequent death in prison, theories have swirled about whether the convicted sex offender had secretly recorded compromising tapes of his high-profile acquaintances. These tapes, some claim, were then used to blackmail and extort favors and money from the rich and powerful men who socialized with Epstein.

But Epstein's own brother, Mark Epstein, has now cast doubt on the existence of such blackmail tapes in an exclusive interview with the New York Post. "I never really believed they existed," said Mark, 69. "Jeffrey was buying islands in the Virgin Islands. He had his own private 727 [jet]. Do you think he needed to make money by extortion?"

Instead, Mark argues that his brother, who climbed the ranks on Wall Street in the late 1970s and founded his own consulting firm in the early 80s, already knew all the tricks when it came to making money. "He knew how to make money in the financial world. He knew all the dirty tricks. When he was on Wall Street he learned all the tricks before Wall Street was cleaned up."

Ghislaine Maxwell acknowledged existence of compromising tapes

Still, the theories persist, perhaps most infamously a claimed encounter between Epstein's alleged co-conspirator Ghislaine Maxwell and a former 60 Minutes producer named Ira Rosen in 2016. In this alleged conversation, Maxwell acknowledged the existence of compromising tapes featuring both Donald Trump and Bill Clinton.

“I think you could argue that I knew Jeff better than anybody, and some of these stories seem so far fetched,” Mark claims.

Take for example the surveillance system at Epstein's palatial New York townhouse on the Upper East Side - the site of much of Epstein's reported illicit activities. Mark says that beyond routine security cameras, he knew of no hidden devices secretly filming guests.

"There was not an extensive camera system in the New York House," he clarified. "I was told there were no cameras in the house — like spycams. But... I wasn’t there."

Indeed, no blackmail tapes have ever surfaced. And neither Trump nor Clinton have faced any charges related to Epstein's alleged sex trafficking operation, despite both men being known to have associated with Epstein in the 90s and early 2000s.

Mark Epstein remains convinced his brother Jeffrey's death was no suicide

Both Clinton and Trump's names did show up repeatedly in the latest round of documents released on Wednesday, December 3, from Epstein-related lawsuits - Clinton over 70 times and Trump four times. Most notably, flight records confirm both men flew on Epstein's now infamous private jet, nicknamed the 'Lolita Express.'

“I was actually on the plane with Donald Trump and my brother,” Mark recalled in the interview. “Back then, I regularly flew with my brother.” Though he said it was just a normal flight where nothing inappropriate happened.

Over the years however, Mark does admit that his brother Jeffrey was a notorious gossip when it came to the rich, famous and powerful people he associated with.

“Jeffrey used to tell me when something interesting — or, particularly, something funny — happened, because he could share it with me and he knew it wouldn’t go anywhere,” he said.

While not interested in substantiating or spreading rumors, Mark remains convinced his brother's death was no suicide. "I'm not here to defend him. What he did was wrong. But that's my concern. My brother was murdered."