Getty Images; Adobe Stock Share on Facebook Share on X Google Preferred Share to Flipboard Show additional share options Share on LinkedIn Share on Pinterest Share on Reddit Share on Tumblr Share on Whats App Send an Email Print the Article Post a Comment Jeffrey Epstein has kept public relations professionals busy with crisis management work ever since Palm Beach police first arrested him on prostitution charges in 2006. The latest tranches of Justice Department documentation provide fresh insight into who they were, what they did and how much they were paid. These spin doctors are employed to win in the court of public opinion even as their typically high-profile, resource-rich clients often pursue legal cases in court or in arbitration. Frequently, they're tapped by law firms, who shield their efforts behind the cloak of attorney-client privilege. These government disclosures offer a rare window into the how their work unfolds. Related Stories Business Jeffrey Epstein's 600-Inch Fantasy: An Imax on His Island News Peter Mandelson Arrested in U.K. on Suspicion of Misconduct in Public Office Over Epstein Ties Among the earliest communications advisors Epstein brought onboard appears to have been the New York PR guru Dan Klores, who handled damage control for Paris Hilton when her sex tape leaked and for fellow publicist Lizzie Grubman after she plowed into 16 people in her father's Mercedes SUV in the Hamptons. Bank records indicate Epstein paid Klores' firm $10,000 in January 2007, as the FBI pursued its probe into the financier. Klores' services for Epstein were not detailed in the DOJ materials. Soon after, as media coverage of the case intensified, Epstein switched to Klores' former boss Howard Rubenstein, a dean of the field who'd wrangled messaging for World Trade Center leaseholder Silverstein Properties after Sept. 11 and for Kathie Lee Gifford during her sweatshop saga. When New York magazine interviewed Epstein, its reporter met the mogul in Rubenstein's office. To the New York Post, at the time also a Rubenstein client, the flack asserted that Epstein had "no business relationship" with Jean-Luc Brunel or Brunel's MC2 Model Management. Documents have since shown that Epstein was a key financial backer of the late Brunel and MC2, now considered key conduits in his sex trafficking operation. Post-Rubenstein, Epstein reached out to the seasoned flack Ken Sunshine about representation. His CV has included troubleshooting for Michael Jackson, R. Kelly, Sean Combs, Harvey Weinstein and Epstein pal Bill Clinton. Nothing came of their talks. Epstein also worked with Merrie Spaeth, a White House Director of Media Relations during Ronald Reagan's administration. She's best known for advising the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth, the right-wing veterans group that attacked 2004 Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry's Vietnam War record. According to Bloomberg's review of a trove of e-mails which the outlet obtained from Epstein's personal Yahoo e-mail account, Spaeth helped Epstein pen drafts of a public apology in 2008 which was never released. This was months before he pled guilty to a Florida state charge of procuring an underage prostitute. She also provided media coaching on how to respond to anticipated inquiries about his predations. When Bloomberg asked her about this, she said she "ultimately terminated the engagement because of my discomfort with it." Immediately after Epstein completed his probation in August 2010, the publicist R. Couri Hay - whose experience was mostly with New York society figures, luxury brands and institutions like Lincoln Center - sent him a detailed strategy proposal to help resuscitate his image, outlining a cost of between $15,000 and $20,000 per month on a six- to 12-month retainer agreement. "You have a very colorful story but it's not all black nor is it strictly black and white," he wrote Epstein. "I can help you turn your reputation around." Hay suggested securing positive press centered on Epstein's financial support for scientific research. "At the appropriate times we could discuss possible photo opportunities with Pulitzer prize-winning scientists and other VIP's that would demonstrate their respect and trust for you at targeted events," he wrote. In addition, he proposed the endowment of a "Pulitzer Prize in Mathematics," noting that he'd "have to check into the feasibility." If not, he assured, "we can find an equally prestigious institution that would." Questioned about this exchange in November 2025, Hay told The New York Times he'd never ended up working for Epstein and contends he didn't understand how "heinous" the financier was. He described himself as "blinded a little bit by the glamorous facade that Jeffrey and Ghislaine [Maxwell, now imprisoned for child sex trafficking] put on in social circles in New York and in Palm Beach." Epstein went on to engage Mike Sitrick, a legendary L.A.-based cleanup specialist who Fortune once compared to Harvey Ke