Bold opening: Four men linked to Epstein are not connected at all—yet their names were publicly read as if they were suspects, stirring confusion and debate. But here’s the full picture explained clearly, so beginners can follow along without getting lost.
Ro Khanna, a California Democrat, read a list on the House floor this week that he said contained “wealthy, powerful men that the DoJ hid” in the Epstein file releases. After reporting from The Guardian, the Justice Department clarified that four of the six individuals Khanna named have no known ties to Epstein. Instead, they appeared in a photo lineup created by the Southern District of New York (SDNY) for investigative purposes.
Khanna and Rep. Thomas Massie, a Republican from Kentucky, pressed the DOJ to unredact names in the files, arguing that some redactions were improper. Massie later claimed on X that he helped force the removal of redactions from a separate document listing 20 names, birthdays, and photos—including Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell. Khanna then echoed those names on the House floor.
Two of the six individuals Khanna mentioned are Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem, the Emirati billionaire who had been CEO of DP World and subsequently resigned, and Leslie Wexner, a billionaire retailer. The other four do not appear to have public profiles that connect them to Epstein.
A spokesperson for Todd Blanche, deputy attorney general, told The Guardian that the file Khanna cited was a photo lineup used by SDNY for investigative purposes, not a roster of Epstein associates. The spokesperson claimed Khanna and Massie pressured unmasking of random people from an FBI lineup—men and women—with no connection to Epstein or Maxwell.
Khanna responded on X, explaining that the DOJ’s later explanation came too late and that ongoing redactions had created confusion and harmed survivors. He thanked The Guardian for reporting the link to the lineup and urged full transparency and truth.
The Guardian spoke with two of the six men Khanna named. Both denied knowing Epstein; one learned his name had been mentioned only after the Guardian reached out. These two had past NYPD arrests for unrelated offenses, which could explain their photos appearing in a law-enforcement lineup. Salvatore Nuarte of Queens said he called Khanna’s office after hearing about the mention and questioned how to clear his name, given the department’s unclear handling. Khanna’s team told him they would pursue factual clarity and avoid fueling misimpressions.
Leonid Leonov, whose name was listed as Leonic Leonov due to a clerical error but whose photo and birthdate matched the file, is an IT manager in Queens who strongly denied any connection to Epstein.
The other two men—Zurab Mikeladze and Nicola Caputo—could not be reached for comment.
Massie’s office pointed to Massie’s X post clarifying that the Caputo in the file is not the Italian politician of the same name. Massie and Khanna have championed the Epstein Files Transparency Act, arguing that some victims’ names appeared unredacted in places while the identities of certain powerful associates were obscured in others.
The 20-name file—originating from NYPD, with Epstein and Maxwell plus two victims whose photos were sourced from Palm Beach or passport-style images—appears on the DOJ site in four versions, each with different redactions. One version lists all birth dates for the 20 individuals except for the two lines tied to victims. Another version unredacts several photos. An analysis of these variants suggests the list includes a diverse cross-section of New York City connections, including people with minor NYPD offenses. Some photographed individuals resemble Maxwell or Epstein, but this resemblance is not proof of any wrongdoing.
The DOJ previously told CBS News that the four men Khanna cited appear only in one document among many in the Epstein files, while Wexner is referenced hundreds of times and Bin Sulayem thousands of times in the broader collection.
After the push to reveal, and in light of Epstein’s email content that surfaced later, Bin Sulayem resigned from DP World. Wexner’s legal representatives noted that an assistant US attorney once indicated Wexner was a source of Epstein information rather than a target, and that he cooperated fully and was never contacted again.
In short: the paper trail around these names is tangled. Some individuals read aloud on the House floor have no known Epstein ties; others are linked only by appearance in investigative materials or by redaction patterns across multiple documents. The core takeaway for readers is to distinguish between mentions in lineups or multiple files and verified associations with Epstein or Maxwell, a distinction that remains unsettled in public discourse.
What do you think about the practice of naming individuals from unredacted lineups in high-profile releases? Should lawmakers insist on full transparency even when it risks implicating innocent people, or is caution warranted to protect individuals from mistaken connections? Share your thoughts in the comments.
