DOJ recordsdata reveal FBI’s plan to probe if shut mates David Copperfield and Jeffrey Epstein shared a ‘predilection for minors’ and swapped potential victims
The FBI sought to investigate if close friends Jeffrey Epstein and David Copperfield referred underage women to each other, a document released as part of the Epstein files reveal.
But agents claimed ‘weak’ bureau brass were intimidated by Copperfield and his ‘financial resources’ were too much for them to handle and the probe was eventually called off for those and other reasons.
A Daily Mail deep dive into the DOJ’s files reveals how serious the investigation into Copperfield was – and how close he was to the pedophile. Their ties were so close, the FBI referred to the illusionist as his favorite ‘cohort.’
Now, Copperfield announced today he is quitting his long running residency at the MGM Grand. He did not give a reason although it comes as his name appears at least 438 times in the released DOJ documents from the Epstein files.
His final performance at the MGM Grand will be on April 30. He remains slated to perform 120 shows over the next eight weeks, in some cases as many as three shows a night.
The DOJ emails show that prosecutors identified ‘lots of acts’ and and needed to further investigate whether Copperfield and Epstein were ‘engaged in referring possible victims to each other’.
The documents indicate that Copperfield had a ‘very close relationship’ with Epstein and trained his staff to pull young women from the audience at his shows to bring them backstage, where he kept a notebook of those he had sex with.
But after concern from ‘higher ups’, as one law enforcement official put it, the investigation did not lead to charges.
David Copperfield’s close relationship with Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell put him under the microscope when the FBI investigated the magician for sex crimes in 2007, but his wealth and power made a formidable buffer between him and prosecutors’ desire to charge him, according to the government docs
The FBI raided Copperfield’s warehouse in 2007 during the two-year-long inquiry into claims he sexually assaulted a woman, but the investigation hit a dead end after prosecutors claimed in part their office was too ‘weak’ to go up against his vast ‘financial resources,’ say the docs
The raid was mentioned in an October 2007 email between law enforcement officials, who described Copperfield as Epstein’s favorite ‘cohort,’ noting the magician spoke to girls at Epstein’s home and gave backstage passes as ‘birthday gifts’
The files include a memo dated December 12, 2007 from FBI agents in Seattle who were investigating Copperfield to FBI agents in Miami who were investigating Epstein.
The memo stated that the Seattle agents had identified ‘a number potential witnesses’ in the Miami area who may have had a relationship with Copperfield or worked for him.
Two of the witnesses were women who are or could be witnesses in the Epstein case, the memo stated.
One of them had stated that Epstein ‘groomed her’ and she worked for him.
The names of two such witnesses, which are both redacted, are ‘both contained in Copperfield’s ‘business list’ which appears to be a compilation of females he ‘targeted for sexual conquest’, the memo stated.
The memo stated: ‘A review of the evidence seized from search warrants executed on Copperfield’s residence, warehouse and at the MGM Grand Hollywood Theater where he performs, show a number of other occasions when he provided complimentary tickets to Epstein and his guests. Epstein’s name and information is contained within Copperfield’s personal telephone list.
‘A clear connection between Copperfield and Epstein exists that requires further investigation to determine if they both shared a predilection for minors. In addition, the investigation needs to determine if they engaged in referring possible victims to each other’.
The Epstein files also reveal that the FBI raided Copperfield’s warehouse in Las Vegas in 2007 during a two-year inquiry into claims that he sexually assaulted a woman.
The Epstein files show the FBI subpoenaed Live Nation Entertainment for programs and customer records from Copperfield’s shows, allegedly because Epstein gave tickets to his victims as gifts
Copperfield’s investigation and the 2007 raid on his Las Vegas warehouse unfolded alongside the Epstein’s which ran from 2006 to 2008 and ended in a plea deal
The famous illusionist and magician is pictured in front of a ‘tornado of fire’ on stage in New York in 2001
Copperfield has faced claims of sexual impropriety for years, including a devastating report in The Guardian in 2024, that spoke with 16 women – some of whom were under 16 at the time – who made claims against him.
He was not charged in connection with those claims.
In response, his lawyers told the newspaper that he ‘never, ever acted inappropriately with anyone, let alone anyone underage’.
But the documents released in the Epstein files put new light on the pair’s friendship and raise fresh questions about how he has avoided prosecution.
Indeed, there are eerie parallels with the Florida case against Epstein, whose ‘Dream Team’ of lawyers managed to get him a 15-month sentence in a state prison for soliciting a minor for prostitution, instead of a federal sex trafficking case, which could have put him away for decades.
The Copperfield investigation and the raid on his warehouse were contemporaneous with the Epstein investigation, which began in 2006 and ended in 2008 with the plea deal.
It stemmed from allegations by Lacey Carroll, who claimed Copperfield raped her after one of his shows in Kennewick, Washington. He denied the claim.
No charges were filed, and Carroll was later arrested and charged with obstructing a police officer in Bellevue in a separate matter.
She pleaded guilty and was given a $953 fine and ordered to do community service.
Prosecutors agreed to drop prostitution and false-statement charges against her.
They related to her making a claim she had been raped by a man who refused to pay her $2,000 for sex, according to police documents released at the time.
The Epstein files, three million documents released by the Department of Justice, show that as part of the investigation into the pedophile, the FBI subpoenaed Live Nation for Playbills or programs for some David Copperfield shows and 12 customer records covering 2004 – 2005.
The reason appears to be that Epstein gave out tickets to Copperfield’s shows as gifts to his victims.
A DOJ-released October 2007 email, which appears to be between law enforcement officials, notes that the FBI raided Copperfield’s warehouse.
The person called Copperfield Epstein’s favorite ‘cohort’.
The files report at least four cases of young women receiving David Copperfield show tickets, including Jane Doe #10, who said Epstein gave her four tickets for her 18th birthday after learning she wasn’t 18
A trove of files released by the DoJ included photos of Copperfield and Maxwell wearing matching white bath robes together
The email said: ‘Copperfield spoke with the girls at Epstein’s home on several occasions, and tickets with ‘backstage passes’ were a favorite birthday gift for Epstein to give the girls.
The Epstein files contain at least four examples of young women who were given tickets to Copperfield’s shows.
In one such instance, a woman identified only as Jane Doe #10 stated ‘that she originally told Epstein that she was 18, but he found out that she wasn’t and gave her 4 tickets to a David Copperfield show for her 18th birthday’.
Among the other evidence that the FBI collected were message pads from Epstein’s Palm Beach mansion.
One states that ‘Magic David called’ while another says mysteriously: ‘It’s jackpot.’
In another message, Copperfield said: ‘I just wanted to say hello.’
Images unearthed by the Daily Mail from the Epstein files show Copperfield and Ghislaine Maxwell, the pedophile’s ‘madam’ who is serving 20 years in prison for child sex trafficking, posing together.
They are both wearing white dressing gowns and hug each other with smiles on their faces.
Among other evidence obtained by the FBI was a 2007 email from a woman to Copperfield saying sorry for not being able to find her passport and thanking him for ‘inviting me to come see this paradise’, an apparent reference to one of his private islands in the Caribbean.
Another email suggests that the woman got an emergency appointment to get her travel documents.
Among the other evidence obtained by the FBI was a 2007 email between Copperfield and a fan that suggests she got an emergency appointment to get her travel documents to see him
In an August 2008 email, the subject of which was ‘sex criminals’, a law enforcement official wrote: ‘Well, I’m still working on the Copperfield matter, but some of the higher ups are very very uncomfortable with it.
‘One question came up about his connection with Epstein. Do you think Epstein would ever talk or cooperate ? Any provision for that in his state plea agreement?’
In response, the other person said that Epstein would not cooperate, stating ‘he would just never turn in one of his friends unless it meant a big benefit for him [Epstein].’
The following month, the conversation appears to have continued with a discussion between prosecutors in Florida and Washington state.
The Washington prosecutor wrote: ‘We’re still working on Copperfield – lots of acts but concerns about applicable law.’
The Florida prosecutor replied: ‘Any chance that either Copperfield or the victim flew to the Bahamas via South Florida (Miami, Ft Lauderdale or West Palm)? Then I could pitch in.
‘If you have more facts or more victims and want me to think creatively about charging decisions, let me know.’
The investigation was eventually closed in December 2009, no charges were filed and the following January, Carroll was arrested.
In September 2008, prosecutors in Florida and Washington state discussed Epstein taking the state plea deal and requested information on Copperfield
Copperfield’s name resurfaced among FBI agents in November 2019 after Epstein’s arrest and suicide, rehashing the 2007 allegations
In a 2010 declaration, Florida lawyer Brad Edwards, who represents more than 200 Epstein victims, said that he considered seeking a deposition from Copperfield because he might have relevant information about the pedophile.
Edwards said: ‘Epstein’s housekeeper Alfredo Rodriguez testified that David Copperfield was a guest on several occasions at Epstein’s house; according to the message pads confiscated from Epstein’s house, Copperfield called Epstein quite frequently, according to court documents, and left messages that indicated they socialized together.
‘One of Epstein’s sexual assault victims also alleged that Copperfield had touched her in an improper sexual way while she was at Epstein’s house.’
The Epstein files reveal that behind the scenes, the case against Copperfield was held back in part by anxiety among the FBI’s superiors.
At the time, Copperfield’s lawyer Patty Eakes said: ‘These developments vindicate Mr. Copperfield and confirm what he has said all along – this woman tried to extort money from him by making a false claim. Thankfully, authorities have now stepped in to stop her.’
In 2018, Copperfield again faced sexual assault allegations, this time from former model Brittney Lewis, who said she was 17 when he drugged and attacked her in 1988.
In response to the story published by The Wrap, Copperfield said that he would ‘weather the storm’.
He said: ‘Three years and hundreds of stories reported on a false claim investigated by the FBI, where the end result was that the accuser was caught by law enforcement making the same false claim about another man.’
Copperfield’s name came up among FBI agents in November 2019 after Epstein’s arrest and suicide while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges.
Prosecutors had yet to charge Maxwell, and the FBI appears to have been reviewing their leads in the case.
The email appears to be between a prosecutor working on the Epstein case and another prosecutor who worked on the 2007 investigation into Copperfield.
It states: ‘The investigation showed that Copperfield trained his employees to identify young females (teens to early twenties) in the audience of his shows.
In 2018, Copperfield faced new sexual assault claims from former model Brittney Lewis, who said he drugged and attacked her in 1988 when she was 17. He was never charged and denied the allegations
Copperfield’s name appeared in a 2025 email among FBI agents listing Epstein affluent associates, some of whom have been accused of sexual assault
‘These females were separated from their boyfriends, families and husbands and were brought backstage. Copperfield’s employees were given access to a notebook that instructed them how to provide Copperfield with females.
‘He kept a notebook with the females he was with, including in the notebook that contained contact information, whether he had sex with them, and a photograph. I don’t know if any of his victims were underage. There were allegations that he drugged some of the females.
‘Copperfield appeared to have a very close relationship with Epstein. His name was on a list we found that included other men, some of which had reputations like Copperfield and Epstein.’
In an astonishing claim, the person added: ‘Our case was eventually closed because our USAO (US Attorney’s Office) was weak and intimidated by the financial resources of Copperfield.’
The person says there were also jurisdictional issues and concerns about the credibility of the alleged victim.
In July 2025, Copperfield was looked at by the FBI yet again, which put together a list of high-profile people who were associated with Epstein and requested any salacious information on all of them
The list included people like Donald Trump, Prince Andrew, Harvey Weinstein and Kevin Spacey, all of whom have been accused of sexual impropriety.
Copperfield was not highlighted on that list.
In response to the Guardian story in 2024, Copperfield’s representatives said that the allegations against them were ‘false and entirely without foundation’.
They said that the alleged conduct is the ‘opposite of everything he stands for and works hard for’ and that he was a strong supporter of the MeToo movement.
The Daily Mail made repeated efforts to contact Copperfield’s lawyers, messaged him on social media and left a message with his Las Vegas warehouse staff, but there was no return call or response.
