Social media platforms have been flooded with claims and newly circulated information suggesting that American billionaire Jeffrey Epstein, convicted of sexual crimes, is still alive. Users have shared a range of content they claim serves as evidence that he did not die or commit suicide in his prison cell in 2019.
The fact-checking team at Al Jazeera Net monitored the circulation of images and allegations claiming to show Epstein walking through the streets of Tel Aviv. Accounts promoting the image said the man shown, with a long beard and hair, proves that Epstein’s death was fabricated.
Closer inspection of the image reveals street signs displaying the name “Tel Aviv” in multiple languages, seemingly added to enhance the scene’s realism.
However, verification of the image and examination of its circulated versions confirm that it is not authentic. The image was generated using artificial intelligence and contains an embedded SynthID watermark, indicating that it was produced with Google Nano Banana, a tool linked to Google’s AI technologies.
Despite being false, one post promoting the image garnered nearly six million views on the X platform.
Fortnite Claims
The misinformation did not stop there. Claims then spread suggesting that the American billionaire was actively playing the popular game Fortnite.
Some users alleged they had found a YouTube profile under the username littlestjeff1, along with an email address confirming the purchase of V Bucks, Fortnite’s in game virtual currency.
Users also identified a Fortnite profile with the same username that had been active only days earlier, prompting many to consider this further proof that Epstein was still alive.
These claims prompted a response from the game’s official account. The Fortnite Status account clarified in a post that the matter was simply a prank by a player. According to the explanation, an existing account holder had changed their username from an unrelated name to littlestjeff1 shortly after the YouTube username was circulated.
The company added that it has no records indicating that the alleged email address exists within Epic’s account system, Epic being the company that produces Fortnite.
In July 2019, Epstein was found in his Manhattan cell with injuries suggesting an attempted suicide by hanging. Less than a week later, special suicide watch supervision was lifted. On 9 August, one day before his death, his cellmate was transferred and not replaced. Guards also failed to check on him for a full three hours that night, while surveillance cameras outside his cell malfunctioned.
On the morning of 10 August 2019, Epstein was found dead in his cell with injuries to his neck. Given the breadth of his connections, including links to prominent figures, some believed he had been killed to shield others from exposure. Police, however, officially ruled his death a suicide. These circumstances, combined with his ties to political, legal and economic elites, have continued to fuel numerous conspiracy theories.
