Jeffrey Epstein reportedly pressured a media mogul with whom he did business to drop reports that he sexually abused girls Published documents By the U.S. Department of Justice.

Documents show that after Epstein was convicted of soliciting prostitution from a minor in 2008, he used his close personal and professional relationship with Canadian-American billionaire Mortimer Zuckerman to try to influence the New York Daily News’ coverage of the charges against him.

After Epstein contacted Zuckerman, the Daily News’ owner at the time, the tabloid first delayed reporting on the allegations and then omitted details that the late financier specifically asked to be omitted, documents show.

In an email on Oct. 9, 2009, Epstein shared with Zuckerman a “proposed answer” to the newspaper’s question that refuted the charges against him and his girlfriend, Ghislaine Maxwell, who is currently serving a 20-year sentence for child sex trafficking.

The charges, brought against Epstein and Maxwell by then-Daily News reporter George Rush, included accusations that the pair engaged in routine sexual abuse of a minor known as “Jane Doe No 102” and engaged in threesomes with “various underage girls.”

The charges also include claims that Maxwell kept “a computer database of hundreds of girls and monitored the schedules of girls who came to Epstein’s home.”

In a proposed response shared with Zuckerman, Epstein said “no sexual activity occurred” with Jane Doe 102, and she admitted in a deposition that she “worked as an escort, call girl and massage parlor worker since she was 15 years old.”

“All adult facilities where she admitted to working require proof of age. Please answer the remaining questions,” Epstein said in an email to Zuckerman.

“These were malicious fabrications designed to allow Mr. Edwards’ client to receive more money than she would normally receive, although she did testify under oath that she was making as much as $2,000 a day,” the email said, referring to Bradley J. Edwards, a Florida attorney who has represented many of Epstein’s accusers.

Later that day, Zuckerman told Epstein in an email that the Daily News was “making a major edit overcoming tremendous opposition” and that he would “replicate it as soon as possible.”

“If possible, take Ghislaine away,” Epstein responded in an email minutes later.

“The first deposed accuser admitted in a sworn videotaped statement that she lied about being a call girl since she was 15 years old. She went on her fifth. Over 40 times…that’s crazy…thank you for your help.”

“Please call me as soon as possible,” Zuckerman wrote to Epstein hours later, then asked Epstein to call him again later that night.

The Daily News eventually published an article on December 19, 2009, describing Epstein’s settlement with his accusers for an undisclosed amount.

The article noted that Epstein faced “more than a dozen” lawsuits from women who accuse him of sexually abusing them, but did not mention Maxwell or the allegations against her.

Zuckerman, a staunch supporter of Israel who served as head of the American-Israel Friendship Alliance and the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, has never been charged with any involvement in Epstein’s crimes.

Rush, who left the Daily News in 2010, confirmed that Epstein tried to “cajole” Zuckerman, the current boss of U.S. News and World Report, into burying or shaping the story to Epstein’s liking.

Rush said the Daily News decided to delay publication after Epstein provided the interview to the newspaper.

“Unfortunately, Epstein immediately insisted on a non-public interview. He also used the conversation to relentlessly claim that he was the victim of overzealous prosecutors and dodgy lawyers,” Rush told Al Jazeera.

Rush said Zuckerman, who sold the Daily News in 2017, never suggested that the paper cancel the story entirely or publish stories favorable to Epstein.

“I do remember someone suggesting that Ghislaine Maxwell be taken out of the story,” Rush said.

“At the time, the newspaper’s lawyers were concerned about libel, and I thought this was a necessary compromise.”

Rush said he objected to interference in his reporting but that the incident did not cause “outrage in the newsroom.”

“Most people at the time had not heard of Epstein. I didn’t like that Epstein and Maxwell were trying to attract property owners,” he said.

“But I’m relieved that the story wasn’t killed, just delayed in the hope that Epstein would say something quote-worthy in the interview. It shows Epstein’s arrogance that he believed he had the power to make Mott do his bidding.”

Zuckerman’s personal assistant and the Zuckerman STEM Leadership Initiative, which was launched by the billionaire to fund scientific collaboration between the United States and Israel, did not respond to Al Jazeera’s requests for comment.

A twenty-year relationship

Zuckerman’s relationship with Epstein dates back more than 20 years.

Zuckerman, who owned The Atlantic from 1984 to 1999, briefly relaunched the gossip entertainment magazine Radar in 2005 in partnership with Epstein.

A U.S. congressional panel released a report in September for Epstein’s 50th Birthday In 2003, Zuckerman was one of many well-known figures who expressed their well wishes to the financier.

But the latest batch of documents from the 2019 Epstein prosecution released by U.S. authorities last week showed that Zuckerman had a much closer relationship with the sex offender than previously thought.

In 2008, Zuckerman sought Epstein’s advice on his estate plan, sharing sensitive details about his financial affairs in the process, including a copy of his will and an assessment of his assets, which revealed a net worth of $1.9 billion.

In 2013, Epstein drafted several agreements to provide Zuckerman with “analytical, evaluation, planning and other services” related to the billionaire’s wealth inheritance plans.

Documents show Epstein proposed a fee of $30 million in a proposal drafted in June 2013 and then provided services for $21 million in a revised proposal in December.

In letters from this period, Zuckerman appears to place high value on Epstein’s claims of expertise.

“Your questions are critical to my growing understanding of how much further I still have to go before my finances are properly organized,” Zuckerman wrote in an email to Epstein on Oct. 12, 2013, after the financier earlier claimed to have found “serious errors” in Zuckerman’s financial accounting.

“You have been an invaluable friend and a most constructive provocateur, and I am so grateful that I now begin to pay attention to the issues you raise. To the admiration of a hesitant amateur Mott.”

It’s unclear whether Zuckerman ultimately signed the deal proposed by Epstein.

Zuckerman and Epstein communicated regularly, and the two arranged numerous dinners and other meetings over the years, including at the financier’s Manhattan home, documents show.

“Mott now has a reservation for tonight at 8:30…I’ve been asked if I can see him this weekend…please let me know,” Epstein’s personal assistant Lesley Groff wrote on May 5, 2015, in one of many emails detailing the appointment.

While Zuckerman sought financial advice from Epstein, he also appeared to consider Epstein a friend.

“Hello. You are special. And a great friend. Mort,” Zuckerman wrote in an Aug. 24, 2014, email to Epstein.