Media Is Purposely Twisting Nicholas Tartaglione’s Case
Exclusive audio from Epstein's Cellmate: Corruption claims about the Comeys are a key factor conveniently overlooked
“They didn’t just fire Maurene Comey because she lost the case. They know she’s dirty, and I can prove it. My case can prove it without a doubt. It just needs the right eyes to look at it.”
— Nick Tartaglione
After my profile in The New Yorker (I’ll get into that later), several outlets picked up the mention of my involvement with Nicholas Tartaglione — an outcome I had hoped for. I figured bringing him up might reignite attention in major media and push the story further.
That happened — but without any of the latest reveals included.
Instead, the follow-ups recycled the same narrow angle, stripped of critical context and reinforcing a narrative that Nick’s audio and evidence directly contradict. It’s clear what they’re doing: erasing readers’ curiosity by omitting the most crucial elements of Nick’s case, reducing him to “Epstein’s would-be killer” serving a life sentence for a cartel murder. Some even went so far as to bizarrely drag RFK’s name into headlines — despite his total irrelevance to the story — as a tactic to discredit me among left-leaning readers.
They ignored the fact that Nick’s claims align with accounts from Trump and the FBI, not to mention left out the potential Comey-era corruption, the officer who upon being pulled over shot himself at a stoplight, tampered evidence, compromised phone forensics, spliced videos, and utterly ignored that a judge cleared Nick of any involvement in harming Epstein.
Another key missing detail: the suicide note Epstein left in Nick’s book. That note remains unfortunately under seal. But I spoke with John Wieder (Nick’s lawyer at the time) who confirmed that it exists. He saw it firsthand.
I’ve already compiled a multi-series thread detailing the glaring inconsistencies and overlooked evidence in Nick’s case. Again: Nick’s claims about the Comeys get no mention in these articles.
Why is that?
Recent Articles:
Jeffrey Epstein’s killer-cop former cellmate pushing for pardon, backed by RFK Jr. ally: report
Jeffrey Epstein’s cellmate ‘angling for pardon’ from Donald Trump
Face of man who tried to ‘murder Jeffrey Epstein’ days before pedophile financier’s mysterious suicide
Only recently have outlets mentioned Nick’s case. And while they do credit my reporting, they gloss over the most compelling details of it. Details, I should note, that later lined up closely with what the FBI uncovered. By eliminating these pieces, it doesn’t give the reader any sense of why I would even be interested in writing about a 4-time convicted killer in the first place.
Also, let me be clear: I’m not bargaining for a pardon. My work on this began long before Trump became president. I’ve simply been presenting Nick’s account in his own words — and asking why so many glaring issues in his case remain unexamined: manipulated evidence, tainted phone forensics, and red flags serious enough to demand a second look.
Is this not the job of a journalist? To scrutinize new evidence and shine light on the angles others might have overlooked? Every trial deserves this. It’s why I don’t trust mainstream coverage of high-profile trials.
And one more point — according to a source connected to the case: “There are no records anywhere showing that a corrections officer leaked information to support any of these claims. Instead, journalists are flipping the narrative, suggesting a CO somehow accessed prison records indicating Epstein blamed Nick. They also claim to have a comment from Nick’s attorney, but that information is false.”
NICK’S NEWEST AUDIO August 7th, 11:11 AM
Details on Epstein’s state of mind and the day he was found dead in his cell.
Me: So with all this going on, what do you say to people who are convinced of the conspiracy that you were put in Epstein’s cell to take care of him?
Nick: That’s ridiculous. Actually, Epstein was put in my cell. They told me, “We need someone who won’t beat him up or extort him.” I didn’t even know who he was at first. Later, when he said I attacked him, I reminded him, “You forgot your suicide note.” Then he changed his story to, “I don’t remember.” When he died two weeks later, I wasn’t even near him — he was upstairs. I heard the guards yelling, “Breathe, Epstein, breathe!” at 4–5 AM.
Excerpt
Note The Bias: “MAJOR SUPPORTER OF TRUMP”
“Disgraced ex-officer Nicholas Tartaglione, 57, who is serving four consecutive life sentences for the 2016 kidnappings and killings of four men, is working with influencer Jessica Reed Kraus to try to overturn his conviction, The New Yorker reported.
Kraus, a former mommy blogger and major supporter of President Trump, took a call from Tartaglione during her interview with the magazine, reassuring the quadruple murderer that she could help him receive a pardon from the president.
“Trump is known as the pardon president,” Kraus reportedly told Tartaglione, who has insisted since his 2023 conviction that he was framed. — New York Post
Related:
James Comey Expected to Be Indicted in Coming Days
Maurene Comey, prosecutor who handled Jeffrey Epstein case, sues over firing
Inga Parsons (Nick’s Attorney) to Fact Checker at The New Yorker
Nicholas was at one point Jeffrey Epstein’s cellmate in the Metropolitan Correctional Center. That is correct. Both Epstein and Nick had the same federal prosecutor — the recently fired former AUSA Maurene Comey, who was also P. Diddy’s prosecutor.
Nicholas is a former police officer. He retired from the force on disability and, prior to his arrest, ran an animal rescue sanctuary where he cared for thousands of abused, abandoned, neglected, and injured animals.
Nicholas was convicted of kidnapping and killing four men. Nick is innocent of these charges and was convicted on corrupt and perjured testimony. The cooperators initially denied Nick’s involvement and admitted their own, but after more than 90 meetings with Comey and/or an extremely corrupt lead police investigator, William Young — who threatened and coerced the cooperators — they ultimately pointed the finger at Nick. The lead investigator was so compromised that the prosecution did not even call him as a witness at trial (an almost unheard-of omission in federal practice). We later learned that Young himself was under investigation for criminal charges including witness tampering, falsification of evidence, and texting with a 12-year-old minor. Young tampered with evidence in Nick’s case, including seizing cooperators’ phones and making deletions and additions — one such addition was the name “Niki Polis” inserted into a cooperator’s phone.
Attached is Nick’s Petition for Pardon/Commutation, which summarizes the corruption and perjury by the prosecution and lead investigator. The exhibits to the Petition are available via Dropbox or another large-file transfer service. Please advise how you would like us to send them.
Nicholas was also convicted of dealing drugs. The individuals found dead on the animal rescue sanctuary property vacated by Nick were members of the Mexican drug cartel. The main cooperator — who worked for Nick at the sanctuary and was himself connected to the cartel — repeatedly denied Nick’s involvement, told Young he was the one who killed the four men, and admitted the same to his own brother. Nick had no connection to the cartel, yet he was still convicted on the same corrupt evidence.
Jessica and Nicholas have spoken on the phone, including a call in late spring of this year. That is correct.
Nicholas is seeking a presidential pardon (Clare correctly noted that his conversation with Jessica concerned his efforts to obtain one). Nick discussed both his pardon request and the corruption and perjury in his case.
I did not represent Nick at trial, but along with Susan Wolfe, I represented him on post-trial motions and his appeal. Nick is an innocent man. I am a former Assistant Federal Defender in the SDNY and have been practicing federal criminal defense for 35 years. I do not make this claim lightly. I have never before seen such corruption and fabricated evidence in a case. As the Pardon/Commutation Petition makes clear, Nick is serving consecutive life sentences for crimes he did not commit. What has happened to him is a complete travesty of justice.
Furthermore, despite a judicial order that he be protected as a former law enforcement officer and a recommendation that he be housed near his 83-year-old mother in New York, Nick was sent to a federal penitentiary in California. There, staff and inmates were told he had been law enforcement. His cell door was left open, and he was attacked by a group of men who beat, strangled, and stabbed him. He was hospitalized and required a blood transfusion. This was in addition to the brutal attack he suffered at the MCC. Nick now lives with a plate in his head, multiple scars from dozens of stitches and staples, and loss of vision. Without an immediate pardon, Nick will not survive prison.
Almost Two Years Ago
Nick first surfaced here in a series of exclusive audio clips. In those recordings, he recalled what Epstein told him in the weeks before his death, along with evidence supporting Nick’s claim that he was wrongly convicted.
According to Nick, Epstein confided that “they” only wanted dirt on Donald Trump — something they could use as grounds for impeachment — and that if he had it, he might secure a plea deal that would reduce or even erase his sentence. But Epstein admitted to Nick that he had nothing on Trump.
Nick also remembered Epstein expressing guilt that “they” were going after Ghislaine. When pressed about the nature of his crimes, Epstein dismissed the rape allegations, insisting the charges stemmed from encounters with girls who were “already having sex anyway.”
Nick described Epstein as whiny and miserable in the cell. He recounted the night Epstein tried to strangle himself with shredded bed sheets — and how he had to resuscitate him.
Since I first spoke to Nick, his story hasn’t changed.
I began covering Nick’s case long before Trump became president, back when the Epstein saga had largely faded from public view. His tapes don’t just offer an intimate glimpse into Epstein’s final weeks — they also highlight glaring issues in Nick’s own case: a corrupt lead investigator later placed on leave for framing another man, tampered evidence, and accusations of Comey-era misconduct. Years later, Comey himself came under investigation for the same type of corruption Nick had flagged early on, lending credibility to his account.
All of this makes his story more relevant than ever. Yet because Epstein’s alleged words don’t match the media’s preferred narrative — because they align more closely with Trump’s perspective — journalists ignore all the most interesting new details.
Imagine if Nick had come forward claiming Epstein did have major dirt on Trump. That story would be everywhere, splashed across headlines in exaggerated detail.
For those of you who’ve followed this case closely: read the latest articles and notice the bias. Look at how it’s phrased, what’s implied, what’s left out, and how the conclusion is spoon-fed.
A source close to Nick texted me today: “They are doing what the press always does. They take little bits and pieces and they refuse to call him anything other than a killer.”
What’s New?
Alexander Acosta Returned to Washington Last Week
The former US attorney who signed off on Epstein’s 2008 sweetheart deal was back on Capitol Hill this week. Acosta testified under oath on September 19 before the House Oversight Committee in a closed-door session, where lawmakers pressed him on why Epstein received such a lenient sentence.
Acosta repeated his long-standing defense: the case was built on weak evidence, unreliable witnesses, and the risk of losing at trial. He also claimed he was misled about Epstein’s later work-release privileges. But his carefully worded regrets did little to blunt bipartisan criticism.
Kash Patel called Acosta’s decision the “original sin” of the Epstein saga, saying the failure to press harder nearly 20 years ago set the stage for everything that followed.
Nick’s Mother Shared a Text She Received Recently
Transcript RE: Nick’s Hard Drive with Evidence
Me: I’ll kind of piece some of this out and share what I can. I talked to Inga and she said it’s all shareable.
Nick: Yeah, you can share it — but don’t give it to everybody. I think it’ll help people, though, because it shows how crooked they really were. I mean, they must know it already — otherwise they wouldn’t have fired Comey. They didn’t just fire her because she lost the case. They know she’s dirty, and I can prove it. My case can prove it without a doubt. It just needs the right eyes to look at it.
Me: I haven’t looked through it yet, but are all the evidence and exhibits categorized in here?
Nick: Yeah, yeah. I think they brought the exhibit to a video guy so he was able to pick out just the relevant parts instead of making you sit through everything. He even told X the videos were cut — the interviews were edited. You can tell by looking at the clock on the wall. The clock literally jumps 15 minutes.
Me: So it’s the same thing we’ve been seeing with everything else going on — spliced videos, right?
Nick: Exactly. In the first interview with Marcos, the video goes mute at the exact times Marcos gives certain answers. In the next interview, whenever Maurene Comey walks in, the audio drops out. There’s even a moment where a notebook moves without anyone touching it. Then, when they ask Marcos about Gerard Benderoth, the video looks seamless, but if you check the clock on the wall, it jumps ahead 10–15 minutes. They cut out what he really said.
Me: Yes.
Nick: And the other video — the one with the supposed victims — shows only three people in the car when they said four. Right at the moment where you should see who’s in the car, the video freezes and skips. Same with the white van: it’s there one second, then the video skips and suddenly it’s gone. So we never see who got in.
Me: OK, send it.
Nick: Yeah. They knew. But anyway, I don’t want to derail your story.
Me: I think the only clip I’ve shared is the cars with a little bit missing.
Nick: Right, and then there’s the photo with the zip tie — one frame it’s not there, then suddenly it is.
Me: I’ve seen that too. I have it in my files.
Nick: And there’s a letter to the ME from one of the senior investigators saying, “Don’t put a date of death on your report.” They literally said that — it’ll hamper the prosecution. The medical examiner is supposed to be neutral. Why wouldn’t you want the date unless it went against their story?
Me: It didn’t match.
Nick: Exactly. They know those men weren’t killed then. Three of them were seen alive at a market 11 days later — by a retired state trooper and a worker who said she cooked them breakfast every day. She even said they left in a white van.
Me: Did she testify?
Nick: No. Nobody ever called her. Nobody even interviewed her. And my lawyer didn’t care.
Me: So with all this going on, what do you say to people who are convinced of the conspiracy that you were put in Epstein’s cell to take care of him?
Nick: That’s ridiculous. Actually, Epstein was put in my cell. They told me, “We need someone who won’t beat him up or extort him.” I didn’t even know who he was at first. Later, when he said I attacked him, I reminded him, “You forgot your suicide note.” Then he changed his story to, “I don’t remember.” When he died two weeks later, I wasn’t even near him — he was upstairs. I heard the guards yelling, “Breathe, Epstein, breathe!” at 4–5 AM.
Me: That’s why I wonder why people still run with that theory. You weren’t near his cell.
Nick: No. He was directly above me. I heard them. Later that morning, a lieutenant even said, “Can’t blame you this time.”
Me: So who was the judge again?
Nick: Judge Kenneth Karas. He dismissed solid evidence to protect Comey — like Marcos Cruz’s accident report years before he claimed he met me. Harris just said, “Maybe it’s a different Marcos Cruz.” Ridiculous. Same with the pants evidence — they changed color in the grave? Come on.
Me: I see some of my articles in here. Do you think it’s crazy the media hasn’t picked up your story?
Nick: It’s discouraging. I’m innocent. I was a cop and animal rescuer. I’ve been in prison nearly a decade. And the media cares more about celebrities’ jeans than this.
Me: How do you keep up with the news?
Nick: I’ve got a little wind-up radio. I listen all day.
Me: So what do you think about all the Epstein/Maxwell stuff now?
Nick: I only know what Epstein told me. When Maxwell’s name came up, he said she had nothing to do with the girls, hadn’t dated her in decades. If Comey did to her what she did to me, she just created a story with witnesses. Ninety meetings with the killers in my case? That’s not truth-seeking — that’s building a script. Probably the same with Maxwell.
Jessica, thank you so much for shedding light into the corruption and unfair treatment Nick has received for almost a decade now. I have known Nick my entire life as he is my cousin. Nick is innocent of these horrific charges and clearly has the evidence to show the corruption used to put an innocent man behind bars. Nick is a kind person and dedicated his life to helping animals. I really hope you continue pushing the facts of this case for all to see. God bless you Jessica, hopefully he will get a pardon or at the least a fair re-trial. Keep sharing Nicks story, it needs to be heard.
thanks for the update. have enjoyed your coverage since you began it. unbelievable twisted story!