Darren K. Indyke is an attorney who served as Jeffrey Epstein's personal lawyer for approximately 25 years and is co-executor of Epstein's estate. According to CBS News, Indyke first began working with Epstein in 1986 at a small boutique law firm in New York City that handled Epstein's real estate deals, and was exclusively employed by Epstein by the 1990s. The archive contains 14,913 emails involving Indyke, spanning from 1990 to 2023, documenting his central role in managing Epstein's legal, business, and personal affairs. Indyke helped establish Epstein's corporate and personal base of operations in the U.S. Virgin Islands and served as an officer in numerous Epstein-controlled entities. Following Epstein's death in August 2019, Indyke was named co-executor of the estate alongside accountant Richard Kahn. Both men have faced multiple lawsuits from Epstein's victims and were sued by the U.S. Virgin Islands Attorney General, who alleged they were "indispensable captains of Epstein's criminal enterprise". In February 2024, victims filed a class action lawsuit against Indyke and Kahn seeking damages for allegedly building "the complex corporate scaffolding" that enabled Epstein's sex trafficking operation.
Background#
Darren Keith Indyke graduated from Colgate University with a B.A. in Economics and Education and obtained his J.D. from Cornell Law School, graduating in 1991. According to Yahoo Finance, in his 1982 senior yearbook, Indyke wrote that in the year 2002 he would be "performing [his] first case for the Supreme Court quoting Al Pacino." Instead, by that time he was deeply embedded in Epstein's operations. CBS News reported that Indyke first met Epstein in 1986 at a small boutique law firm in New York City that handled Epstein's real estate deals, later claimed Epstein as a mentor, and was exclusively employed by Epstein by the 1990s. Public records show Indyke's name on Epstein's charitable filings, real estate records, and trademark documents dating back to at least 1995.
Indyke helped establish Epstein's corporate and personal base of operations in the U.S. Virgin Islands and was involved in almost every aspect of Epstein's business and personal affairs, for which he was paid millions of dollars, according to court documents. Following Epstein's death on August 10, 2019, Indyke and Richard Kahn were appointed co-executors of the estate under Epstein's will signed just two days before his death. The estate was valued at over $577 million at the time of filing. A 2026 New York Times report revealed that Epstein's trust named Indyke as a beneficiary to receive $50 million.
Both Indyke and Kahn have faced extensive litigation related to their roles in Epstein's operations. In February 2021, the U.S. Virgin Islands Attorney General sued them individually, alleging they were "indispensable captains of Epstein's criminal enterprise" who participated "in virtually all of the business operations and financial activities that allowed the Epstein trafficking enterprise to flourish." The territory's case was settled in November 2022 for $105 million. In February 2024, two victims filed a class action lawsuit against Indyke and Kahn in federal court in Manhattan, claiming the men helped build "the complex corporate scaffolding that enabled Mr. Epstein's continued sex trafficking." According to The Atlantic, Indyke joined the Parlatore Law Group in October 2022, working for a firm with connections to Trump-affiliated attorneys.
Correspondence with Epstein#
The archive documents extensive daily communication between Indyke and Epstein spanning decades. Indyke appears in 14,913 emails, making him one of the most frequent correspondents in the archive. The emails reveal Indyke's role extended far beyond typical attorney-client relationships to encompass comprehensive management of Epstein's legal, financial, personal, and logistical affairs.
During Epstein's final months, Indyke handled sensitive compliance matters related to Epstein's sex offender registration requirements. In April 2019, Indyke repeatedly attempted to contact federal authorities regarding Epstein's travel notifications, writing that he "Got Moses voice mail twice more. Called SMART Office three times got a VM and request to leave a message each time" and inquiring about contacting "Angel Watch" at ICE. When Epstein provided updated travel schedules, Indyke asked "Should I just change your arrival notice to say you have returned and then draft a separate new travel notice? Or will you go to DOJ?" On the same day in April 2019, Indyke reported going "into court room. Argument scheduled at approx 9:30" for an unspecified legal matter.
Indyke managed Epstein's personal relationships through his law practice. In June and July 2019, he oversaw divorce proceedings for Karyna Shuliak, coordinating with attorney Rachel Ehrlich and forwarding updates to Epstein about when "the divorce was granted". When Shuliak contacted him from Paris immediately after Epstein's arrest on July 6, 2019, Indyke advised her: "There is absolutely no rush. I have no info yet. Probably best to stay put until we know more".
Epstein included Indyke in routine travel and scheduling matters. In numerous emails from 2019, Epstein notified Indyke and pilot Larry Visoski of departure times, such as "We will leave tues heli at 630 am". Indyke coordinated with Epstein's staff on matters ranging from passport renewals to property management. In March 2019, Lesley Groff scheduled a passport appointment for Indyke at the West Palm Beach passport office, indicating Indyke obtained government documents through Epstein's administrative apparatus.
The correspondence reveals Indyke's involvement in Epstein's real estate and business operations. In 2016, he coordinated phone calls with architect Christian Glauser Benz regarding property matters, with Epstein's assistant arranging the meetings. In 2013, Indyke facilitated sending documents to JPMorgan executive Jes Staley at his home address, with Epstein's staff requesting Staley's personal information from JPMorgan. In 2017, Indyke confirmed investment decisions for "Southern Financial", one of Epstein's Virgin Islands entities, requesting 50,000 shares in an IPO through Deutsche Bank.
Indyke also received legal updates relevant to Epstein's case. In May 2019, he forwarded to Epstein and attorney Martin Weinberg a Miami Herald article defending then-Labor Secretary Alexander Acosta's role in Epstein's 2008 plea deal, marking it "Privileged - Redacted."
In May 2019, Indyke told his assistant he was "working on a ticket to go ...it would actually be for me. Jeffrey wants me to visit the island", referring to Little St. James. In February 2013, Epstein included Indyke in an email about his upcoming travel schedule, writing "we will leave ny on the morning of the 23. fly to ranch."
Following Epstein's July 6, 2019 arrest, the volume and nature of Indyke's correspondence shifted dramatically. A July 2019 JPMorgan email thread documented urgent efforts to add Indyke and Harry Beller as signatories on Epstein's Financial Trust Co Inc accounts after Epstein's incarceration, with a JPMorgan officer writing "Espen was incarcerated this past Monday, hence he is not likely to sign anything anymore."
Connections#
Indyke's most extensive email exchanges were with Richard Kahn (4,935 shared emails), Epstein's accountant and fellow co-executor, and Lesley Groff (4,447 shared emails), one of Epstein's longtime assistants. He had 3,793 shared emails with Jeffrey Epstein himself and 2,382 with Bella Klein, another Epstein assistant.
Indyke regularly communicated with Epstein's pilots Larry Visoski (2,226 shared emails) regarding travel arrangements. He exchanged emails with numerous women in Epstein's orbit, including Karyna Shuliak (520 shared emails), for whom he arranged divorce proceedings in 2019. He corresponded with financial advisors including Stewart Oldfield (667 emails) and Vahe Stepanian (657 emails) at Deutsche Bank regarding Epstein's investment accounts.
Indyke also had correspondence with Janusz Banasiak (316 emails) and Brice Gordon (273 emails), though the nature of these relationships is not specified in the evidence. His assistant Bebe Avdiu appears in 620 shared emails, coordinating his schedule and communications.
Document References#
Indyke appears as a defendant or subject in numerous federal and Virgin Islands court filings related to Epstein's estate and victims' lawsuits. Multiple federal complaints name him as co-executor, including Bryant v. Indyke, which alleges Indyke served "in his capacity as an appointed executor of the Estate of Jeffrey E. Epstein" and was sued by a victim who claimed Epstein trafficked her to his properties in New York, New Mexico, and Paris. Similar complaints were filed in VE v. Nine East 71st Street, Davies v. Indyke, Farmer v. Indyke, and multiple Jane Doe cases, all alleging the executors control an estate liable for Epstein's abuse.
The most significant litigation came from the U.S. Virgin Islands government. In February 2021, the Virgin Islands Attorney General filed an amended complaint naming Indyke and Kahn as individual defendants, alleging they were "indispensable captains of Epstein's criminal enterprise" with "direct participation in virtually all of the business operations and financial activities" that enabled trafficking. The complaint detailed that Indyke served as secretary/director of multiple Epstein Virgin Islands entities including Nautilus, Inc. (which owned Little St. James), Poplar, Inc., Southern Trust Company, Cypress, Inc., Maple, Inc., and Laurel, Inc. The government alleged Indyke "made payments from Epstein's personal, corporate and nonprofit accounts to alleged sex-trafficking victims" and "facilitated at least three sham marriages between alleged victims" to avoid deportation. This case was settled in November 2022 for over $105 million.
In the Maxwell v. Estate of Epstein case in Virgin Islands Superior Court, Indyke and Kahn argued in an August 2022 brief that public policy bars indemnification for Maxwell's criminal convictions, stating courts cannot "encourage individuals like Maxwell ― a convicted felon ― to engage in crimes victimizing minors with the knowledge that they can offload to others the financial repercussions."
A DOJ memorandum dated April 14, 2020 investigating one of Epstein's assistants noted that this individual "scheduled many of the massages that gave rise to the indictment of Epstein for sex trafficking" and that payments to victims "were sometimes made by employees" of Epstein. While the document does not specifically name Indyke, it describes the infrastructure of assistants and payments that the Virgin Islands complaint alleged Indyke helped facilitate.
Internal DOJ emails from October 2020 regarding privilege review of Epstein's devices referenced removing "one PP chat (with Darren Indyke)" from materials being prepared for disclosure, indicating prosecutors recognized attorney-client privilege for some Indyke communications. However, prosecutors also noted that Marc Weinstein and Andrew Tomback "represent the co-executors of the estate (Darren Indyke and [Richard Kahn])" in ongoing matters.
A 2015 email from journalist Tom Leonard to Ghislaine Maxwell's representative asked about property ownership, noting "Records show the entire house in question was bought in 2000 by Darren Indyke, a lawyer with long standing links to Jeffrey Epstein, and it was split into flats" — an apparent reference to Maxwell's East 65th Street apartment in Manhattan.
Visits to Epstein Properties#
The archive documents limited specific visits by Indyke to Epstein's properties, though his extensive correspondence with Epstein's staff and his role managing property-owning entities suggests regular access:
Little St. James Island:
- May 2019 - Planned visit, with Indyke writing to his assistant: "Jeffrey wants me to visit the island" and arranging to stay at the Ritz Carlton in St. Thomas
Manhattan Townhouse: The evidence does not document specific visits to 9 East 71st Street, though Indyke's frequent presence in New York and coordination of property matters suggests access.
Palm Beach: Multiple emails show Indyke in Palm Beach coordinating with Epstein's staff, including a March 2019 passport office appointment in West Palm Beach.
New Mexico Ranch: In February 2013, Epstein sent Indyke his schedule stating "we will leave ny on the morning of the 23. fly to ranch", suggesting coordination around ranch travel, though whether Indyke joined is unclear.
Paris: No visits to Epstein's Paris properties are documented in the available evidence.
The archive indicates Indyke primarily interacted with Epstein through business meetings, legal consultations, and coordination of Epstein's operations rather than social visits to the properties themselves.
Criminal Activity#
Jmail believes society has a moral obligation to fully investigate all potential perpetrators in Epstein's extensive network.
The archive documents conduct that falls within the scope of multiple federal criminal statutes:
Indyke's management of Epstein's Virgin Islands corporate structure and his role as an officer in entities that owned Little St. James and facilitated victim transportation implicates 18 U.S.C. § 1591 (sex trafficking of children) and 18 U.S.C. § 1594 (general provisions relating to sex trafficking). The Virgin Islands Attorney General's complaint alleged Indyke facilitated "at least three sham marriages between alleged victims" to help them avoid deportation, conduct that could fall under 18 U.S.C. § 1546 (fraud and misuse of visas, permits, and other documents).
His processing of payments to victims, as alleged in the Virgin Islands complaint, potentially implicates 18 U.S.C. §§ 1956-1957 (money laundering) if such payments constituted proceeds of trafficking or were structured to conceal criminal activity. The Virgin Islands complaint alleged Indyke "made payments from Epstein's personal, corporate and nonprofit accounts to alleged sex-trafficking victims — including those who also acted as recruiters," conduct that could also constitute aiding and abetting trafficking under 18 U.S.C. § 2.
Indyke's coordination of Epstein's travel notifications to federal sex offender authorities in April 2019, documented in emails where he attempted to contact the SMART Office and Angel Watch to file travel notices after Epstein's movements, raises questions about whether such notifications were accurate or designed to facilitate continued criminal activity, potentially implicating 18 U.S.C. § 2250 (failure to register as a sex offender) or obstruction statutes.
His decades-long exclusive employment by Epstein, combined with the evidence of his involvement in corporate structures that facilitated trafficking, his management of payments to victims, and his arrangement of sham marriages, presents substantial evidence relevant to 18 U.S.C. § 371 (conspiracy to commit offenses against the United States). The U.S. Virgin Islands characterized this conduct as participation in an "enterprise," though Indyke has not been criminally charged.
For a complete analysis of potentially applicable statutes, see Criminal Statutes.