The Epstein Black Book: All Names Explained

The Epstein Black Book Explained

Jeffrey Epstein's personal address book, commonly referred to as the "black book," is one of the most widely discussed pieces of evidence in the Epstein case. This contact directory contained the names, phone numbers, and addresses of hundreds of individuals and has been the subject of extensive media coverage, legal proceedings, and public scrutiny.

How the Black Book Was Obtained

The black book came to public attention through Alfredo Rodriguez, a former house manager at Epstein's Palm Beach residence. Rodriguez took the address book from Epstein's home and attempted to sell it in 2009. He was subsequently convicted of obstruction of justice for trying to sell what was considered material evidence in a federal investigation. Rodriguez was sentenced to 18 months in federal prison and passed away from cancer in 2015.

The contents of the book were first made widely public through the civil lawsuit Virginia Giuffre v. Ghislaine Maxwell and subsequent FOIA releases. The complete book, including entries that were circled or otherwise marked, became part of the public record through court proceedings.

What the Black Book Contains

The address book is a contact directory that includes:

• Names — Full names of contacts, sometimes with titles or organizational affiliations
• Phone numbers — Home, office, mobile, and fax numbers, often multiple numbers per entry
• Addresses — Residential and business addresses
• Circled entries — Some names were circled in the original document. These circled entries have drawn particular attention, though the significance of the circling has been debated. Some investigators have suggested the circles were added by Rodriguez, not Epstein

The book contains entries for individuals across many spheres:

• Business executives and financiers
• Politicians and government officials
• Entertainment industry figures
• Academics and scientists
• Attorneys and legal professionals
• Medical professionals
• Staff and household employees
• Personal acquaintances and social contacts

Important Context About the Names

Critical caveat: The black book is a personal address book. Having one's contact information in someone's address book is not evidence of criminal conduct, knowledge of criminal activity, or even a close personal relationship. Many entries may reflect brief professional interactions, social introductions, or contacts inherited from other address books. The presence of a name in the book should not be treated as an accusation.

Many of the individuals listed in the book have publicly stated they had limited or no personal relationship with Epstein. Others have acknowledged knowing him in professional or social capacities. The book must be viewed as what it is: a contact directory, not a list of co-conspirators.

Searching Names in the Archive

Our archive makes it easy to search and explore all named individuals across the entire document collection, not just the black book:

#### The Names Page

The Names page provides a dedicated search interface for all 23,000+ named entities in the archive. This includes individuals mentioned in:

• The black book / address book
• Flight logs and passenger manifests
• Court filings and depositions
• FBI investigation reports
• Financial records
• Emails and correspondence
• Any other document in the archive

• You don't need to spell a name perfectly
• Partial names return relevant results
• Different transliterations or spellings of names are matched

#### People Profiles

When you find a person through the Names search or People directory, their profile page shows:

• All linked documents — Every document in the archive where they are mentioned
• Flight records — All flights where they appear as a passenger, if any
• Network connections — Relationships to other individuals in the archive, with connection strength
• Entity type — Person, organization, location, or other classification
• Context — How and where they appear in the source documents

How the Archive Processes Names

Our entity extraction process works as follows:

1. AI extraction — Documents are processed using AI to identify named entities (people, organizations, locations)
2. Normalization — Names are normalized to account for variations (e.g., "G. Maxwell," "Ghislaine Maxwell," "Ms. Maxwell" all map to the same entity)
3. Linking — Entities are linked to every document where they appear, with context about how they are referenced
4. Relationship mapping — Connections between entities are established based on co-occurrence in documents, flight logs, and other records

Key Categories of People in the Archive

While we do not editorialize about individuals, the archive's entity classification helps organize the 23,000+ named individuals into categories:

• People — Individual persons mentioned in documents
• Organizations — Companies, institutions, government agencies, and other organizations
• Locations — Properties, addresses, cities, and other geographic references

Using the Archive for Research

For researchers and journalists working with the names in the Epstein files:

1. Start with Name Search — Use the fuzzy search to find the person you're looking for
2. Review their profile — Check all linked documents, flights, and connections
3. Read source documents — Always go to the original documents for full context
4. Check connections — Use the network view to understand relationships between individuals
5. Cross-reference — Compare information across different document types (flights, emails, court filings) for a complete picture
6. Verify independently — Cross-reference findings with publicly available court records and media reports

Related Resources

• Search All Names — Fuzzy name search across 23,000+ entities
• Browse People — Directory of all individuals in the archive
• Browse Documents — Full document collection
• Who Is Named in the Epstein Documents? — Guide to key figures
• The Epstein Network Explained — Understanding connections