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Key Figure

Philip Levine:
the friendship he described away

Mayor of Miami Beach 2013–2017 and a 2018 candidate for governor, Levine said he met Epstein “a couple of times.” The DOJ release contains roughly 435 emails with Epstein and Maxwell beginning in 2001.

Emails in the release
~435
Correspondence begins
2001
Charged
No
DOJ referral
June 2026
The Finding
Philip Levine said he met Jeffrey Epstein “a couple of times” and had “no clue” how they met. The released files contain roughly 435 emails between Levine, Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell, beginning in 2001 and running for close to two decades.
The gap between those two descriptions is the story. It is not a case about proximity — proximity is common in this archive. It is a case about a public official describing a documented relationship as something it demonstrably was not, while holding office and running for higher office.

Section 01

What He Said, and What the Files Show

The account vs. the record
Levine, 2019
“We probably met probably 15-20 years ago at a social event in NY — and probably exchanged biz cards. I really don’t recall where and when. Never had any interactions with him and didn’t meet beyond that.”
The released files
~435 emails across nearly two decades. Nicknames — he is “Polyp,” she is “Gilligan.” FedEx packages. Thanks for her “warm and generous hospitality.” A 2010 email signed “Your friend, Philip.”
Levine on the relationship
“I never had a friendship or business relationship” with Epstein. Later: “My only connection to Jeffrey Epstein arose solely through my former friendship with Ghislaine Maxwell… I regret ever meeting him.”
Maxwell to the DOJ, 2025
Calls Levine her “very good friend” and says she became friendly with Bill Clinton “because of Philip Levine.” Levine: “This is simply untrue.”

What the documents actually show him doing is brokering. In April 2003 he passes Maxwell the number for an LVMH executive. Maxwell says he is the reason she met Clinton. That is a consistent role across two decades — and it is the role he has most firmly denied.

Section 02

The 9/11 Thread — A Correction

One Levine email has circulated widely as evidence of foreknowledge of the September 11 attacks. Read in full, it is not that.

The thread is dated 18 September 2001 and stacks newest-first, which is how the misreading happened. In order, it runs:

The thread, in order
11:35 AM · Maxwell
“As a trade thought you might like this pic. I just landed at Santa Monica in the helicopter w/my friend Kelly.”
11:21 AM · Levine
“Where is the real pilot?”
12:00 PM · Maxwell
“Now now, you know better than that. Be nice ’cos one day you will be in the back seat whilst I am flyong. You can check w/Kelly who flew that day.”
11:44 AM · Levine
“I will be in the back seat with you sitting next to me!!!”
Final · Maxwell
“No,no,no,no,no… NO. It’s not just the Arabs that spent hours learning to fly. I will be right seat, and if you are not careful you will be in luggage.”

“Where is the real pilot?” is a joke about whether Maxwell can fly a helicopter. She had sent a photo of herself having landed one. It has nothing to do with the hijackers.

The document is still notable — but for Maxwell, not Levine. One week after the attacks, she compares her own flight training to the hijackers’ and jokes that he will travel “in luggage.” Levine’s contribution is a jab about her piloting.

This archive corrected its own earlier characterisation of this email after reading the full thread. A single line pulled from a reply chain can invert its meaning. That is a general hazard of this corpus, not a feature of this document.

Section 03

The Kellen Allegation

In closed-door testimony to House Oversight in May 2026, Sarah Kellen — Epstein’s longtime assistant — said Levine sexually assaulted her at a house Epstein and Maxwell had rented in Saint-Tropez around 2003.

She said it happened after Epstein and Maxwell went to bed, and continued later on the beach. She was in her twenties; Levine was around 40. Nobody witnessed it, she told no one at the time, and she has not pursued legal action.

Levine denies it while confirming an encounter. His spokesperson: “Nearly a quarter century ago, our client had a brief intimate encounter with another consenting adult. Any allegation suggesting otherwise is not true.”

Kellen’s own position in this archive is complicated — she was named as a co-conspirator in the 2007 non-prosecution agreement and has described herself as a victim. Both can be true, and the record should not be forced to choose.

What is established

That Levine and Epstein corresponded from 2001. That he called him “a great guy” and “my friend” after the conviction. That he described that relationship publicly in terms the files contradict.

What is NOT established

That Levine committed any offence.

He has not been charged. The assault allegation is uncorroborated testimony, denied. A congressional referral is a request, not a finding.

And nothing in the files shows he knew what Epstein was doing. Understating a friendship is not evidence of participation in a crime.

Section 04

Timeline

Sept 2001
Levine and Maxwell are exchanging casual emails. On 18 September — one week after the attacks — she sends a photo of herself landing a helicopter at Santa Monica. He teases: “Where is the real pilot?”
Oct 2001
Maxwell asks whether he wants to meet a woman before or after his “breakfast” with her. Levine replies that “the rumor is that I am hung like a horse…not a rumor!!!” Maxwell says she likes to “verify all info” she gives out, and later suggests the woman “take pictorial evidence.”
2001–2003
FedEx traffic between Epstein’s office at 457 Madison Avenue and Levine in Miami Beach — three airbills are in our index, one showing Maxwell as sender.
Apr 2003
Levine passes Maxwell the contact number for Antonio “Toni” Belloni of LVMH. Two emails, minutes apart. He is brokering an introduction.
Jul 2010
As Epstein’s probation ends, Levine writes: “I am happy that everything has come to a positive ending for you during these tough times. You are a great guy…” Signed “Your friend, Philip.” Epstein: “i appreciate the thought.”
May 2013
Epstein emails Levine’s mayoral campaign: “I would like to contribute to the campaign,, how do i do it?”
2013–2017
Levine serves as Mayor of Miami Beach.
2018
Runs for Governor of Florida as a Democrat.
Aug 2019
After Epstein’s death, his contact details appear in the black book. Levine tells reporters he met him “a couple of times” and had “no clue” how.
Jul 2025
In a DOJ interview, Maxwell calls Levine her “very good friend” and says she became friendly with Bill Clinton “because of Philip Levine.” He calls this “simply untrue.”
May 2026
Sarah Kellen testifies to House Oversight that Levine sexually assaulted her at a Saint-Tropez house around 2003. He denies it, saying there was “a brief intimate encounter with another consenting adult.”
Jun 2026
Chairman James Comer and Republican lawmakers ask the DOJ to investigate.
Source documents · DOJ Epstein Files
Read the 18 September 2001 thread in our index.

EFTA02333942 and the April 2003 Maxwell correspondence are linked to their original PDFs on justice.gov. Filter by document type, or by the people named alongside.

Open the document index →