NEW YORK – Newly unsealed documents from the Jeffrey Epstein case have confirmed the existence of a fraudulent Austrian passport bearing the late financier’s photograph but issued under the name “Marius Robert Fortelni.” The document, which was discovered by FBI agents during a 2019 raid of Epstein’s Manhattan townhouse, has become a focal point of recent file releases authorized under the Epstein Files Transparency Act (EFTA).
The passport, issued in 1982, lists the holder’s residence as Saudi Arabia and contains stamps indicating travel in the 1980s. While the face on the document is unmistakably that of Jeffrey Epstein, the name belongs to a real individual—a New York-based real estate developer who later relocated to Palm Beach, Florida. The discrepancies between the photo and the name were originally cited by federal prosecutors as evidence that Epstein posed a significant flight risk, arguing he had the means and intent to use false identities to evade law enforcement.
Files released with the “EFTA” locator codes show that investigators considered contacting the real Marius Fortelni to determine how his identity came to be associated with Epstein’s travel document. According to reports surfacing from the document dump, the real Fortelni is an Austrian national who moved to the United States in the 1980s. There is no evidence currently suggesting the real Fortelni was aware his identity was being used by Epstein.
Epstein’s legal team had previously acknowledged the passport’s existence in court filings, claiming it was obtained for personal protection. They argued that because Epstein is Jewish and wealthy, he feared potential kidnapping or hijacking attempts while traveling in the Middle East during the 1980s. His lawyers asserted that the passport was intended to be used only if he were taken hostage, to conceal his American citizenship and Jewish heritage. Prosecutors, however, rejected this explanation, viewing the document as a tool for deception.
The image of the passport, now circulating widely online with EFTA markings, remains one of the most tangible pieces of evidence regarding the lengths to which Epstein went to obscure his movements. The release of these files continues to shed light on the complex web of assets and aliases maintained by the disgraced financier before his death in federal custody.
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