Topline
House Republicans asked the Justice Department on Thursday to investigate two men named by Jeffrey Epstein’s longtime assistant as being complicit in his alleged abuse, raising the possibility that associates of the late financier could face criminal consequences as a result of the House Oversight Committee’s probe.
Philip Levine appears at a Florida gubernatorial debate ahead of the Democratic primary on Aug. 2, 2018, in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.
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Key Facts
Several Republicans on the House Oversight Committee sent a letter Thursday to Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, asking for the DOJ to “use all available tools” to investigate former Miami Beach Mayor Philip Levine and celebrity hairstylist Frédéric Fekkai.
The request came after Epstein’s former assistant Sarah Kellen identified the two men as being complicit in Epstein’s alleged abuse, with House Republicans telling Blanche that Kellen alleged criminal misconduct by both men.
Kellen testified to the committee that Levine and Fekkai sexually assaulted her, the Miami Herald first reported, also naming photographer Patrick Demarchelier—who died in 2022 and was not mentioned in Thursday’s letter—as being allegedly complicit in Epstein’s abuse and exposing himself to her.
Fekkai also allegedly “played a role in” Epstein’s “grooming schemes,” the lawmakers alleged, “by routinely providing salon services to women at Mr. Epstein’s instruction.”
The lawmakers’ letter asks for DOJ to investigate the allegations against Levine and Fekkai and “any other criminal conduct” they may have committed, and suggests DOJ should grant other witnesses immunity if necessary.
DOJ, Levine and Fekkai’s company have not yet responded to requests for comment, but Levine previously told The Miami Herald in a statement he “met Epstein only a few times” and “I never conducted business with him, never visited his island and never flew on his aircraft.”
This story is breaking and will be updated.