A federal judge has ordered the release of a handwritten note attributed to Jeffrey Epstein, found in his Manhattan jail cell in July 2019, nearly five years after his death. US District Judge Kenneth Karas ruled the document must be unsealed, stating it qualified as a judicial record submitted in the criminal case of Epstein's former cellmate, Nicholas Tartaglione, and that no legal basis existed to keep it sealed.

The note, written on a yellow legal pad, includes the line: "It is a treat to be able to choose ones time to say goodbye." It also reads: "They investigated me for month - Found NOTHING!!! So 15 year old charges resulted." The document was discovered by Tartaglione, a convicted murderer and former police officer, who said he found it tucked inside a book in their shared cell after Epstein was found injured on July 23, 2019. Jail records show Epstein had neck injuries consistent with an attempted hanging, though he told officials he did not attempt suicide.

Epstein and Tartaglione shared a cell for about two weeks following Epstein's arrest on federal sex trafficking charges. Both men told investigators there were no conflicts between them. Epstein died by suicide on August 10, 2019, at the Metropolitan Correctional Center, while unmonitored due to staff failures. A second note found after his death contained complaints about jail conditions, not personal farewells.

Judge Karas did not authenticate the note or assess its chain of custody, emphasizing those issues were outside the scope of the sealing decision. The document had been submitted as evidence in Tartaglione's case and remained under seal during disputes over his legal representation.

Tartaglione disclosed the note's existence in a podcast interview last year and had informed his lawyer of it days after the July 23 incident. The court will hold further proceedings in Tartaglione’s criminal case next month.