Newly disclosed correspondence from the United States Department of Justice has brought to light that Todd Boehly, the co-owner of Chelsea Football Club, organised two distinct business meetings with the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein during 2011. This revelation emerges from a substantial cache of emails made public by federal authorities.
Epstein's Criminal Background and Unusual Incarceration
The disgraced financier, Jeffrey Epstein, ultimately took his own life in 2019 while facing federal sex trafficking charges. His criminal history includes a prior conviction in 2008, where he pleaded guilty to procuring a minor under the age of 18 for prostitution. Epstein served a notably lenient 13-month sentence out of an 18-month term at the Palm Beach County Stockade in Florida.
During this period, he was granted highly unorthodox privileges, including a 'work release' arrangement that permitted him to leave the facility for up to twelve hours daily, six days each week. Following his incarceration, Epstein completed an additional year of probation under house arrest, a condition that curiously allowed for international travel, before being formally registered as a sex offender.
The 2011 Introduction and Initial Meeting
Records indicate that in January 2011, approximately one year after Epstein's probation concluded, Todd Boehly was introduced to him through an intermediary named David Mitchell, a property developer based in New York. At that time, Boehly held the position of managing partner at the financial services firm Guggenheim Partners, which managed assets exceeding $100 billion.
Email exchanges released by the Department of Justice show that Epstein's assistant, Lesley Groff, contacted Mitchell regarding what was referred to as the "Guggenheim person." In her communication, Groff inquired whether this individual could meet with Epstein on either January 17 or 18. The contact was confirmed to be Todd Boehly, with a meeting scheduled for 11 a.m. on Tuesday, January 18, 2011.
Follow-Up Communications and a Second Proposed Meeting
Further emails reveal that in April 2011, Groff sent another message to Epstein detailing an attempt to telephone Boehly and confirming she had requested Boehly's assistant to have him return Epstein's call. Later that year, in September, David Mitchell proposed a second meeting via an email with the subject line 'Peter Mandelsohn.'
Mitchell's message asked, 'Can we get together with my friend Jeffery (sic) to speak about bringing Peter into the Irish situation. Is there some time that work for you?' The potential misspelling suggests the 'Peter' referenced could be Peter Mandelson, the former British ambassador to the United States, who was dismissed from his role last September amid revelations concerning his connections to Epstein and his associate, the convicted sex-trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell.
Boehly responded to this email five days later on September 12, expressing approval and noting he was 'in Europe.' After subsequent coordination involving Groff, Mitchell, Epstein, and Boehly's diary manager, Emily Curtis, a conference call was confirmed for September 19, according to an email sent by Mitchell to Curtis that morning.
Context and Broader Revelations
It is crucial to note that the released emails contain no suggestion that Todd Boehly was involved with Jeffrey Epstein in any capacity beyond business discussions. Furthermore, there is no evidence within the disclosed correspondence of any additional contact between the two individuals following these 2011 interactions.
This latest tranche of documents, comprising over three million emails released by the Department of Justice on Friday, has also implicated other high-profile figures. Notably, it revealed that Steve Tisch, co-owner of the New York Giants, was in contact with Epstein concerning the procurement of young women.
In a statement provided to the media, Tisch addressed the association, stating, 'We had a brief association where we exchanged emails about adult women, and in addition, we discussed movies, philanthropy, and investments. I did not take him up on any of his invitations and never went to his island. As we all know now, he was a terrible person and someone I deeply regret associating with.'
Todd Boehly, who is also a co-owner of the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Los Angeles Lakers, serves as the head of the holding company Eldridge Industries. His firm's investment portfolio spans media, real estate, and asset management sectors. Representatives for Boehly have been contacted for comment regarding these newly revealed email exchanges.
