Four Men Named by Ro Khanna in Epstein Files Have No Ties to Sex Offender
Four individuals named by California Democratic Representative Ro Khanna in connection to recently released Jeffrey Epstein files have no apparent connection to the late sex offender, the Department of Justice has confirmed. The men were instead part of a photo lineup assembled by the Southern District of New York for investigative purposes.
Khanna's House Floor Announcement
Ro Khanna read a list of six names on the House floor earlier this week, claiming they were "wealthy, powerful men that the DoJ hid" in the Epstein documents. The list included Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem, the former CEO of DP World, and billionaire retail magnate Leslie Wexner, along with four other individuals with no significant public profile.
Khanna, alongside Kentucky Republican Representative Thomas Massie, had been pushing the Justice Department to unredact names in the Epstein files, arguing that some redactions were unlawful. Massie claimed credit for forcing the removal of redactions on a file containing 20 names, birthdays, and photos, which included Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell.
Justice Department Clarification
A spokesperson for Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche told the Guardian that the file in question was a photo lineup used by the Southern District of New York. "Rep Ro Khanna and Rep Thomas Massie forced the unmasking of completely random people selected years ago for an FBI lineup – men and women. These individuals have NOTHING to do with Epstein or Maxwell," the spokesperson stated.
When contacted for comment and informed that administration officials had confirmed the document was a photo lineup, Khanna posted on X that he wished the DoJ had provided that explanation earlier. "They have failed to protect survivors, created confusion for innocent men, and have protected rich and powerful abusers. We must have full transparency and the truth," he wrote, thanking the Guardian for reporting on the connection.
Reactions from Named Individuals
The Guardian spoke with two of the men whose names Khanna read on the House floor. Both strongly denied any knowledge of Epstein. One individual, Salvatore Nuarte of Queens, New York, said he didn't realize his name had been mentioned in connection to Epstein until contacted by the Guardian. "I don't know if they know what they are doing over there at the justice department," Nuarte said. "But how can I clear my name?"
Leonid Leonov, an IT manager in Queens whose name was incorrectly listed as Leonic Leonov in the files, also vigorously denied any connection. "I don't even have a second or third degree connection to him. Never worked for him, nothing," he stated via phone.
The two other men named by Khanna, Zurab Mikeladze and Nicola Caputo, could not be reached for comment. A spokesperson for Massie pointed to a post by the representative on X clarifying that the Caputo in the files was not an Italian politician with the same name.
Background on the Files
Massie and Khanna have been critical of the Justice Department's handling of the Epstein files, noting that victims' names have appeared unredacted at times while some associates' names were redacted. The file with 20 names and photos appears on the DoJ website four separate times with varying redactions.
By analyzing unredacted information from these versions, the Guardian found that 11 people on the list represented a diverse cross-section with ties to New York City, many with misdemeanor arrests by the NYPD. Five women on the list resembled Ghislaine Maxwell, while five men had similar characteristics to Jeffrey Epstein.
The Justice Department earlier told CBS News that the four men Khanna mentioned were "only included in this one document out of all the files. Wexner is referenced nearly 200 times in the files, and Bin Sulayem appears over 4,700 times."
Recent Developments
Following pressure from Massie and Khanna to reveal that Bin Sulayem was the recipient of an email in which Epstein said he "loved the torture video," the Emirati billionaire resigned from logistics company DP World. A legal representative for Leslie Wexner stated that the assistant US attorney told Wexner's counsel in 2019 that he was viewed as a source of information about Epstein, not a target, and that Wexner cooperated fully.
Khanna's office shared an email sent to Salvatore Nuarte after he reached out, with communications director Sarah Drory writing, "The Department of Justice has not been transparent in what the list was or why they redacted and unredacted your name. We will make sure to be absolutely factual and truthful once we have these facts and certainly not fuel any misimpression DoJ has created."
