Recently released files related to US financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein mention Lithuania nearly 1,300 times, with references to Vilnius appearing more than 1,100 times and Kaunas about 60 times, according to a review of the documents.
The correspondence includes emails in which photos of young Lithuanian women were sent to Epstein along with comments. Many of the images and identifying details were redacted by the US Department of Justice to protect the anonymity of potential victims.
Several Lithuanian individuals are mentioned repeatedly in the files, including events organiser Valdas Petreikis. The correspondence suggests that Petreikis maintained contact with Epstein even after public accusations against the financier, discussing possible support for performers and writing that he admired Epstein’s “personality and generosity” and would like to learn a lot from him.
Financial support was also provided to Petreikis’ wife, ballet dancer Simona Petreikė, for her studies. In later messages, she thanked Epstein, saying the assistance had changed her life as an artist and as a person.
The files also contain messages between Epstein and well-known Lithuanian model Ditė Antanaitytė. The correspondence appears friendly and close, spanning several years. In the messages, Antanaitytė asked about Epstein’s favourite spa, joked about his interests and mentioned flowers he had sent.
According to the files, Antanaitytė also introduced Epstein to a Lithuanian woman who was studying in New York. Their correspondence suggests Epstein transferred money to her to help cover housing payments.
In messages with one Lithuanian woman, Epstein stated that his grandparents were from Lithuania. Genealogical records cited on public ancestry websites, including US census data from the 1920s and 1930s and World War I and II draft documents, link Epstein to Max Stofolski, who was born in “Kopciowo, Suwalki, Russia”, now the town of Kapčiamiestis in southern Lithuania.
Epstein pleaded guilty in 2008 to soliciting a minor for prostitution and was later arrested in 2019 on federal charges related to the sexual exploitation and trafficking of minors. He died by suicide in a New York jail in August 2019 before his case went to trial.
The story was amended on February 25 to remove the personal details of one individual initially identified in the Epstein files.
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