How Jeffrey Epstein secured visas, sham marriages for women in his trafficking network

Newly released files from the US Department of Justice show how Jeffrey Epstein used student visas, English-language schools, work permits and marriages to manage the immigration status of women in his orbit.

Emails, bank records and legal correspondence reveal a pattern: enrolling women in language programs to secure student visas, sponsoring their expenses, pursuing special work visas and, in at least one case, arranging a marriage to obtain permanent residency and citizenship.




In a 2012 email exchange about an unidentified woman’s travel plans, Epstein wrote: “Call immigration , does she need an I 20 with her visa ???” Messages show two associates scrambling to get answers before a flight the next morning. When the woman did not board, one person expressed relief: “I am glad she didn’t go,” they wrote. “I felt sick at the thought of her coming back on Je plane and something going wrong.”

The records show that English-language schools were often used as an entry point. In November 2010, Karyna Shuliak enrolled at the Spanish American Institute in Midtown Manhattan. Such programs could provide the paperwork needed for a student visa, as long as applicants demonstrated sufficient funds or had a financial sponsor.

Emails and bank statements indicate Epstein sponsored and paid fees for multiple women.

“this is the english language school that anna in paris would like to join,” Epstein wrote in 2017 regarding the American Language Communication Center, as quoted by Bloomberg. “Get an I 20 issued and get a visa shees russian but staying in paris.”

The courses frequently prepared students for the TOEFL exam, required for many US colleges. In 2015, one employee wrote: “Jeffrey is in need of TOEFL books again for the island,” asking for books to be sent overnight. Later emails show Epstein requested 10 TOEFL prep books for his Paris apartment.

Karyna Shuliak’s case

Shuliak’s case illustrates how immigration hurdles were handled.

Epstein arranged her admission to Columbia University’s dental school in 2011 as a transfer student from Belarus who had not completed her degree. The process was described in the files as complicated.

By mid-2012, concerns arose about her visa status. “I am so sorry if you were given the run a round with the immigration office today,” a Columbia dental school official wrote to Shuliak in July 2012. “At this time I believe that everything is fine with your immigration status.” Columbia and the official did not respond to requests for comment.

Epstein sought additional help. In late 2012, he contacted British investor Ian Osborne.

“I don’t want to ask as I prefer her not to be a part of my file,” Epstein wrote. “I recall you had a good lawyer friend for immigrarion in washington.”

Osborne replied that he knew someone connected to senior immigration officials and mentioned Greg Craig, then a partner at Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom and a former White House counsel to President Barack Obama. Craig “uses an excellent specialist immigration law firm – and then gives Ali Mayorkas over at INS the heads-up,” Osborne wrote. “I will call you later today to coordinate.”

Mayorkas, who later served as Secretary of Homeland Security under President Joe Biden, is not mentioned again in the messages, and there is no indication he was aware of the matter. Osborne said he regretted meeting Epstein and was unaware of his illegal behaviour.

Lawyers later told Epstein that Shuliak had overstayed her student visa and had a pending asylum case, complicating efforts to reinstate her status. “We will need to decide if pushing the asylum and redoing it, is a more like path to sucess than the prosecutorial descretion re the reinstatement,” Epstein wrote.

Marriage and citizenship

By August 2013, Epstein was working with immigration lawyer Arda Beskardes.

“We should also talk about the marriage asap. are you in NYC?” Beskardes wrote to Epstein and a redacted address.

A month later, Shuliak contacted the lawyer. “ Can we meet sometime tomorrow? That will be me and Jen,” she wrote.

On October 9, 2013, Shuliak married in New York. The spouse’s name was redacted from the marriage certificate, but both listed the same Manhattan address that appears repeatedly in the files as housing women and guests connected to Epstein. Records later showed Shuliak and Jennifer held a joint bank account.

“Yes Arda, sorry for the delay, waiting for the rest of the info from Jen,” Shuliak wrote in response to a follow-up from Beskardes, as reported by Bloomberg.

In mid-2014, Shuliak applied for a family-based Green Card. An interview was scheduled by December. In January 2015, she wrote to Beskardes: “I have received my green card!! Thank you so much for all your help!!!”

Three years later, she was naturalised as a US citizen. On the day of her citizenship interview, one of Epstein’s regular immigration lawyers sent a celebratory message: “now that she’s an american you should throw her a big ole party,” the lawyer wrote. “with a mechanical bull, red white and blue balloons, and deep fried snickers bars on flag toothpicks”.

Shuliak began divorce proceedings in October 2018, months after becoming a citizen. The divorce was finalised less than a year later.

Work visas

The files also show efforts to secure work visas for women associated with Epstein.

His long-time legal adviser, Darren Indyke, filed a work visa application for one woman, citing her volunteer work with Epstein’s foundation and her modelling career.

In other cases, lawyers sought O-1 visas, reserved for individuals with “extraordinary ability or achievement,” describing applicants as accomplished in modelling, communications, public relations and art curation. It is unclear how many petitions were approved.

A former bookkeeper for MC2 Model Management said in a sworn deposition that Epstein guaranteed a $1 million credit line to the agency. Its founder, Jean-Luc Brunel, was accused in a civil lawsuit of bringing underage girls to the US for sexual purposes and supplying them to Epstein. Brunel died in 2022 while facing rape charges.

“Mr Epstein was paying for the visas. But, you know, all the visas were done through – through Karin’s or MC Squared,” the former bookkeeper said.