EFTA00020462: FBI Tip Alleging Art Theft and Grooming Scheme
Snapshot
Document: EFTA00020462 through EFTA00020469
Direct evidence link: View EFTA00020462
Date created: August 3, 2020
Date sent or filed: The online tip was submitted on August 2, 2020, at 11:54:17 a.m. Eastern Time.
Date released: December 23, 2025, in Department of Justice Data Set 8.
Author or creator: The submitted narrative was written by an unidentified complainant. An unidentified Federal Bureau of Investigation employee converted the submission into an official intake record.
Sender: A redacted complainant located in North Hollywood, California.
Recipient: Federal Bureau of Investigation National Threat Operations Center through tips.fbi.gov.
Custodian or producing source: Federal Bureau of Investigation and United States Department of Justice.
Evidence type: FBI public tip intake containing allegations of art theft, art forgery, false provenance, financial loss, coercive control, false romance, grooming, modeling recruitment, and connections to Epstein and Maxwell.
Length and format: Eight page unclassified FBI intake report.
Case or investigation: FBI case 50D NY 3027571, captioned “EPSTEIN, JEFFREY; CHILD SEX TRAFFICKING.”
People named: Jeffrey Epstein, Ghislaine Maxwell, Matthew Settle, Jasmine Dashtizad, Mark Epstein, Petrina Ryan Kleid, Tony Podesta, Biljana Djurdjevic, J.B. Benn, Urim Lekaj, Jean Luc Brunel, Elle Macpherson, a manager identified only as Stuart, Lady Victoria Hervey, Prince Andrew, Bill Clinton, Hillary Clinton, George W. Bush, Dan Quayle, Ray Johnson, David Bourdon, D.B. Henkel, and an unidentified Yugoslav princess.
Organizations named: Federal Bureau of Investigation, FBI National Threat Operations Center, NorthStar Moving, Moishe’s Moving, Sotheby’s, Smithsonian Institution, Ray Johnson Estate, Adler Beatty Gallery, Adelson Gallery, Cooper Union, and an unidentified New York restaurant.
Locations named: North Hollywood, Los Angeles, Manhattan, New York City, London, Traverse City, England, and the former Yugoslavia.
Content warning: This record contains allegations of grooming, coercive control, organized art theft, threats of violence, false romantic involvement, fraudulent modeling recruitment, financial loss, and possible exploitation within Epstein’s network.
Key takeaway: EFTA00020462 proves that the FBI received a detailed online tip from a complainant who alleged that a false romance and modeling approach were used to facilitate the theft and fraudulent resale of an art portfolio. It does not prove that Epstein, Maxwell, Matthew Settle, or any other named person participated in such a scheme. Several background details are independently verifiable, but the central ownership and conspiracy claims remain uncorroborated, and important parts conflict with documented art provenance.
What Is This Record?
EFTA00020462 is an FBI National Threat Operations Center intake report created from an online tip submitted through tips.fbi.gov.
The complainant alleged that an extensive art portfolio disappeared in Los Angeles in July 1997. The complainant believed former classmates, a romantic partner, movers, modeling contacts, artists, galleries, collectors, Epstein, and Maxwell were connected through a coordinated scheme.
The complainant said the alleged scheme began when former classmates saw the art portfolio in 1996. According to the tip, acquaintances then created a false romantic relationship intended to gain access to the complainant and the artwork.
The complainant claimed to have encountered Epstein at a Los Angeles bar in 1997 and Maxwell at a Manhattan restaurant during the same general period. The tip describes the Maxwell encounter as a modeling recruitment approach.
The complainant was 19 in 1996 and 20 in 1997. The report does not allege that the complainant was legally a minor during the reported encounters. The complainant said they appeared approximately 15 years old and believed that appearance was relevant to Maxwell’s alleged interest.
The submission also alleges that artwork from the missing portfolio was later attributed to established artists, placed in galleries and archives, sold through Sotheby’s, purchased by collectors, and displayed in Epstein’s New York residence.
The complainant identified art theft, art fraud, and art forgery as the alleged offenses and selected public corruption, white collar crime, and civil rights violation as reporting categories.
This document is an official FBI record of a public submission. It is not a finding that the allegations were true. The released pages do not contain an FBI credibility assessment, investigative conclusion, supporting images, ownership records, interviews, laboratory examination, or disposition.
Source and Provenance
Primary source: EFTA00020462 on Epstein Data
Epstein Data record: The document contains EFTA00020462 through EFTA00020469.
Official source: Department of Justice copy of EFTA00020462
Department of Justice collection: Department of Justice Epstein Library
Archived copy: EFTA00020462 at the Epstein Project
The report is marked “OFFICIAL RECORD,” “UNCLASSIFIED,” and “FEDERAL BUREAU OF INVESTIGATION.”
The first page states that the tip was received on August 2, 2020. The intake itself is dated August 3, 2020.
The intake preserved the complainant’s submission time, transaction number, general location, Internet Protocol location, browser information, and referring webpage. Personal identifiers were redacted.
The Internet Protocol address resolved to North Hollywood, California. The report lists a home address in the same general area.
The HTTP referrer shows that the complainant reached the form through an FBI art crime webpage concerning the recovery of art and cultural property. The referenced page is the FBI New York Art Crime Team announcement.
The PDF contains the narrative exactly as submitted, including spelling errors, inconsistent capitalization, repeated allegations, and incomplete fields. Those features are part of the primary record and should not be silently converted into FBI conclusions.
What the Record Contains
The Complainant’s Art Portfolio
The complainant said that by 1996, at age 19, an art portfolio was ready for submission to art schools.
The complainant showed selected pieces to former high school classmates. According to the tip, several classmates were Israeli, and one had Serbian acquaintances connected to a Yugoslav princess and a Serbian Canadian model and actor.
The complainant believed this disclosure triggered a chain of events leading to the disappearance of the portfolio.
No inventory of the complete portfolio appears in the released record. The report does not include photographs, dated sketches, supply receipts, exhibition records, school applications, copyright registrations, insurance documents, or witness statements establishing ownership.
Alleged False Romance
The complainant alleged that Matthew Settle appeared outside an audition in July 1996 and began a false romantic relationship.
According to the submission, the relationship ended in July 1997 immediately after the artwork disappeared.
The complainant characterized the relationship as “love fraud” and believed it was designed to gain access to the portfolio.
The tip does not include correspondence, photographs, travel records, telephone records, witness statements, or other evidence confirming the alleged relationship.
Matthew Settle is identified both as a subject and a witness in different portions of the intake form. That inconsistency appears to reflect how the complainant entered information into the online form rather than an FBI determination about his legal status.
July 1997 Move and Disappearance
The complainant said the artwork disappeared during a July 1997 move into a first apartment in Los Angeles.
The tip names NorthStar Moving and Moishe’s Moving. The wording does not clearly establish whether one company, both companies, or workers believed to be associated with both were involved.
The complainant alleged that Settle assisted with the move and knew about the entire portfolio.
The report does not contain a moving contract, inventory sheet, delivery receipt, employee roster, insurance claim, police report, lost property report, or statement from either moving company.
Alleged Introduction to Epstein
The complainant claimed to have been introduced to Epstein at a bar near Settle’s residence.
The date is not precise. The surrounding narrative places the alleged encounter in 1997.
The report does not identify the bar, person who made the introduction, exact date, other witnesses, or what Epstein allegedly said.
The complainant’s statement is the only evidence of this encounter in EFTA00020462.
Alleged Speaker Telephone Conversation
The complainant said a redacted person telephoned Settle between April and June 1997 and asked whether he had her money.
According to the complainant, Settle said the caller would send Serbian organized crime figures to hurt him if he did not produce the money.
The complainant later concluded that the missing artwork was intended to provide the money.
The report does not identify the caller in the visible text. It contains no recording, telephone bill, financial record, witness statement, or evidence that a threat was communicated.
Alleged Encounter With Maxwell
The complainant said J.B. Benn brought them to a Manhattan dinner in April 1997. Maxwell was allegedly seated at a nearby table.
According to the tip, Maxwell requested the complainant’s contact information and offered to send modeling castings.
The complainant said they were 20 but looked approximately 15, were short, and did not consider themselves sufficiently photogenic for modeling. The complainant concluded that the approach was not a legitimate modeling opportunity.
The report does not identify the restaurant, exact date, reservation, other diners, or any later communication from Maxwell.
The complainant’s description bears a general resemblance to known accounts involving modeling access and Epstein’s network. That resemblance does not prove this particular encounter occurred.
Alleged Stay at J.B. Benn’s Apartment
The complainant alleged that Settle forced them to stay for approximately one week at J.B. Benn’s New York apartment.
The room reportedly belonged to Urim Lekaj, described as an Albanian model who traveled to Los Angeles while the complainant was staying in Manhattan.
The report does not explain what the complainant meant by “forced,” what prevented departure, or whether threats, physical restraint, financial control, or another form of pressure was involved.
No lodging, airline, telephone, or witness records are attached.
Claimed Artwork Identifiers
The complainant described several details that could potentially assist authentication.
These included an artwork depicting Bill Clinton’s head on Hillary Clinton’s body, a painting originally depicting Dan Quayle, a high school calendar collage, traced handprints, a drawn fingerprint, dental impressions, a replica appearing on a high school theater program, and signatures applied with permanent marker or pencil.
The complainant said the Clinton related work was created between November 1995 and January 1996.
The complainant also claimed that a painting attributed to Petrina Ryan Kleid had been altered from an earlier Dan Quayle composition to depict George W. Bush.
These descriptions create testable claims. The released file does not include the original calendar, theater program, photographs, fingerprints, dental records, preliminary sketches, witnesses, or scientific testing needed to perform the comparison.
Claims Concerning Parsing Bill
The complainant claimed that the painting of Bill Clinton displayed in Epstein’s residence was based on or derived from stolen artwork.
The documented painting is Petrina Ryan Kleid’s 2012 work “Parsing Bill.” It depicts Clinton wearing a blue dress and red heels.
Reporting from Artnet documents that Ryan Kleid created the painting while completing her Master of Fine Arts degree at the New York Academy of Art. A model who posed for the body also described participating in its creation.
The painting was displayed at a 2012 student exhibition and sold through the New York Academy of Art’s Tribeca Ball.
That documented creation history conflicts with the complainant’s claim that the work was stolen from a 1995 or 1996 portfolio. EFTA00020462 supplies no comparative images or technical examination connecting the two works.
Claims Concerning War Games
The tip describes a painting that originally portrayed Dan Quayle with a misspelled version of “potato” and claims that the face was later changed to George W. Bush.
Ryan Kleid created a companion work titled “War Games,” depicting Bush with paper airplanes and fallen block towers.
The complainant’s allegation appears to identify this companion painting as another altered work. Public documentation attributes “War Games” to Ryan Kleid’s 2012 graduate school project.
No physical, photographic, or forensic evidence in EFTA00020462 supports the claimed earlier Dan Quayle composition.
Ray Johnson and Smithsonian Claims
The complainant claimed that a collage was falsely attributed to a deceased person identified as David Bourdain or Bourdan and listed through the Smithsonian as part of the Ray Johnson Estate.
The likely referenced name is David Bourdon, a recognized art critic whose papers are held by the Smithsonian Archives of American Art.
The Smithsonian collection record describes mail art created by Ray Johnson and sent to David Bourdon. It does not identify Bourdon as the creator.
The tip appears to conflate an archival collection name, a recipient, and an artist attribution. Nothing in the Smithsonian record supports the complainant’s ownership claim.
Sotheby’s Allegations
The complainant claimed that missing works appeared in a Sotheby’s London catalogue dated June 22, 2017.
The tip does not provide lot numbers, titles, dimensions, catalogue pages, purchaser names, consignor names, or links to the specific works.
Without those identifiers, the claimed Sotheby’s sales cannot be reliably matched to the complainant’s portfolio.
The report provides no evidence that Sotheby’s knew of or participated in theft or forgery.
D.B. Henkel Allegations
The complainant claimed that some paintings associated with D.B. Henkel were created from the missing portfolio.
This portion of the tip was submitted shortly after federal agents searched Henkel’s Michigan property during a separate art forgery investigation.
In 2022, the Department of Justice charged Donald Henkel, Mark Henkel, and Raymond Paparella with offenses connected to an alleged art and memorabilia fraud scheme.
Donald and Mark Henkel later admitted participating in fraudulent conduct involving false provenance and counterfeit art or memorabilia. Their admitted conduct concerned a scheme operating years after the complainant’s alleged 1997 theft.
The existence of the Henkel fraud scheme does not establish that the complainant’s artwork was involved. No Epstein connection was alleged in the federal Henkel indictment.
Biljana Djurdjevic and Tony Podesta
The complainant claimed that paintings attributed to Serbian artist Biljana Djurdjevic were stolen works and that Tony Podesta purchased them.
The tip does not identify titles, sales, dates, galleries, invoices, images, or forensic evidence connecting those works to the complainant.
Even if Podesta purchased works by Djurdjevic, that would not establish that the works were stolen, forged, or connected to Epstein.
Claimed Financial Loss
The complainant reported spending approximately $100,000 supplied by the complainant’s father to repurchase allegedly stolen artwork.
The report does not include receipts, bank records, invoices, auction documents, seller identities, shipping records, or photographs of recovered pieces.
The FBI form records the asserted loss. It does not verify the amount.
Claimed Epstein Estate Art
The complainant alleged that three paintings from the missing portfolio became part of Epstein’s art collection or estate.
One was allegedly attributed to Ryan Kleid.
EFTA00020462 does not identify all three works. It does not contain an Epstein inventory, estate appraisal, purchase record, gallery invoice, or chain of ownership supporting the claim.
Key Evidence Points
- The FBI received the online tip on August 2, 2020.
- The FBI preserved the submission in an official intake report dated August 3, 2020.
- The complainant’s identity and direct contact information are redacted.
- The complainant was 19 when the alleged scheme began and 20 during the reported 1997 encounters.
- The complainant alleged that a false romance provided access to an art portfolio.
- The portfolio allegedly disappeared during a July 1997 Los Angeles move.
- The complainant named Matthew Settle as a central participant but provided no supporting records in the released file.
- The complainant alleged a brief encounter with Epstein at an unidentified Los Angeles bar.
- The complainant alleged that Maxwell requested contact information during a Manhattan dinner and offered modeling castings.
- The complainant said they looked approximately 15 but acknowledged being 20.
- The complainant characterized the modeling approach as grooming connected to a broader art theft plan.
- The report contains no allegation of a completed sexual assault.
- The complainant described physical features that could theoretically assist artwork authentication.
- The released record contains no photographs or forensic examination of those features.
- The complainant alleged that works were sold through Sotheby’s, placed in galleries, listed by the Smithsonian, purchased by Tony Podesta, and held by Epstein.
- The tip does not provide sufficient transaction or catalogue information to trace most of those claims.
- The claim concerning “Parsing Bill” conflicts with the documented 2012 creation and exhibition history of Ryan Kleid’s painting.
- The Smithsonian record identifies Ray Johnson as the creator of mail art sent to David Bourdon, contrary to the apparent interpretation in the tip.
- Mark Epstein attended Cooper Union and later chaired its Board of Trustees, but he was not the school’s director in 1997.
- A separate federal investigation confirmed that Donald and Mark Henkel participated in art or memorabilia fraud, but no released evidence connects that scheme to the complainant’s portfolio or Epstein.
- The released report contains no FBI credibility determination or investigative conclusion.
What the Record Does and Does Not Prove
What It Establishes
The record establishes that a North Hollywood complainant submitted an online tip to the FBI.
It establishes that the complainant reported an art portfolio missing since July 1997.
It establishes that the complainant alleged art theft, art fraud, art forgery, grooming, coercive control, and financial loss.
It establishes that the complainant named Epstein and Maxwell in the submission.
It establishes that the complainant claimed personal encounters with Epstein and Maxwell.
It establishes that the complainant associated numerous artists, collectors, galleries, and institutions with the alleged theft.
It establishes that the complainant supplied descriptions of purported ownership markers, including handprints, a fingerprint, dental impressions, signatures, calendar fragments, and a school theater program.
It establishes that the FBI possessed the allegations by August 2020.
It independently remains true that Epstein possessed “Parsing Bill,” that Petrina Ryan Kleid publicly documented creating it in 2012, that Mark Epstein was associated with Cooper Union, and that Donald and Mark Henkel became defendants in an actual federal fraud case.
Those separate facts do not establish the complainant’s proposed conspiracy.
What It Does Not Establish
The record does not prove that an art portfolio was stolen.
It does not prove that Matthew Settle entered a false romantic relationship with the complainant.
It does not prove that Settle participated in art theft or forgery.
It does not prove that any moving company or employee stole artwork.
It does not prove that the complainant met Epstein.
It does not prove that the complainant met Maxwell.
It does not prove that Maxwell offered modeling work.
It does not prove that Epstein or Maxwell knew about the artwork.
It does not prove that the complainant was sexually groomed or trafficked.
It does not prove that Epstein or Maxwell participated in an art fraud operation.
It does not prove that Serbian organized crime figures threatened anyone.
It does not prove that Jasmine Dashtizad participated in wrongdoing.
It does not prove that J.B. Benn or Urim Lekaj participated in wrongdoing.
It does not prove that Mark Epstein knew Settle or the complainant.
It does not prove that Jean Luc Brunel, Elle Macpherson, Lady Victoria Hervey, Prince Andrew, or any unidentified princess participated in the alleged conduct.
It does not prove that Tony Podesta purchased stolen artwork.
It does not prove that Biljana Djurdjevic claimed authorship of the complainant’s paintings.
It does not prove that Petrina Ryan Kleid appropriated the complainant’s work.
It does not prove that Sotheby’s sold the complainant’s paintings.
It does not prove that the Smithsonian holds or lists the complainant’s artwork under a false attribution.
It does not prove that Adler Beatty Gallery, Adelson Gallery, or the Ray Johnson Estate handled stolen property.
It does not prove that the complainant spent $100,000 repurchasing artwork.
It does not prove that three paintings in Epstein’s possession belonged to the complainant.
It does not connect the Henkel fraud prosecution to Epstein or the complainant.
It does not show that the FBI opened an art theft investigation based on the tip.
Unresolved Questions
- Did the FBI contact the complainant after receiving the submission?
- Did the complainant provide photographs of the missing portfolio?
- Did the complainant provide the high school calendar or theater program described in the tip?
- Were any artworks dated, signed, exhibited, photographed, insured, or registered before July 1997?
- Which witnesses allegedly saw the artwork before it disappeared?
- Did the FBI interview those witnesses?
- Was a police or insurance report filed in 1997?
- Which moving company handled the July 1997 move?
- Does a moving contract or inventory survive?
- Which employees participated in the move?
- Did the complainant document the alleged relationship with Matthew Settle?
- Did Settle respond to the allegations?
- Which Los Angeles bar allegedly hosted the Epstein introduction?
- Who allegedly introduced the complainant to Epstein?
- When did the alleged introduction occur?
- Which Manhattan restaurant allegedly hosted the Maxwell encounter?
- Do reservation, payment, telephone, or travel records support the account?
- Did Maxwell ever contact the complainant after requesting contact information?
- What did the complainant mean by being forced to stay in New York?
- Did the complainant report coercion at the time?
- Who was the redacted speaker telephone caller?
- What evidence supports the alleged organized crime threat?
- Which Sotheby’s London catalogue and lot numbers did the complainant mean?
- Which works attributed to D.B. Henkel did the complainant claim?
- Which works attributed to Biljana Djurdjevic did the complainant claim?
- Which alleged purchases involved Tony Podesta?
- Which Smithsonian catalogue entry did the complainant intend to identify?
- What are the three works allegedly held by Epstein?
- Was “Parsing Bill” one of the three?
- Did the FBI compare the complainant’s materials with Ryan Kleid’s sketches, model photographs, canvas, paint, and exhibition history?
- Did the complainant possess any image predating Ryan Kleid’s 2012 work that resembles “Parsing Bill”?
- Did any scientific examination reveal an earlier composition beneath “War Games”?
- What documentation supports the claimed $100,000 loss?
- From whom did the complainant allegedly repurchase artwork?
- Was the tip prompted by July 2020 reporting about the Henkel investigation?
- Did the FBI refer the art claims to its Art Crime Team?
- Was the tip referred to the Los Angeles, New York, Detroit, or Chicago field offices?
- Did the FBI create a closing or disposition record?
- Were any allegations separated from the Epstein case and assigned independent art crime identifiers?
- Does Congress possess an unredacted copy or additional follow up records?
People and Entities Appearing in the Record
The Redacted Complainant
The complainant described themselves as an aspiring artist whose portfolio disappeared while they were entering adulthood.
The person was 19 in 1996 and 20 in 1997. The complainant said they appeared younger and believed that appearance was relevant to Maxwell’s alleged modeling approach.
The complainant’s name and contact information are redacted. The record does not permit independent evaluation of the person’s portfolio, education, witnesses, finances, prior reports, or communications.
Jeffrey Epstein
Jeffrey Epstein is alleged to have met the complainant at a Los Angeles bar.
The tip also claims that three pieces of the complainant’s artwork entered Epstein’s collection.
Neither claim is supported by attached evidence.
Epstein’s possession of “Parsing Bill” is independently documented. That fact does not establish that the painting was stolen from the complainant.
Ghislaine Maxwell
Ghislaine Maxwell is alleged to have approached the complainant at a Manhattan restaurant and requested contact information for modeling castings.
The complainant interpreted the encounter as grooming. The report does not include later messages, casting information, photographs, or another witness account.
Maxwell’s proven involvement in recruiting and grooming minors for Epstein does not automatically verify this separate allegation involving an adult complainant.
Matthew Settle
The tip identifies actor Matthew Settle as the person who allegedly began a false romance, assisted with the Los Angeles move, knew the complainant’s artwork, discussed a debt, and maintained connections with other named figures.
Settle is listed as both a subject and a witness within the intake fields.
The record contains no independent evidence that he participated in theft, forgery, grooming, threats, or an Epstein related scheme.
Jasmine Dashtizad
The complainant identified Jasmine Dashtizad as the former classmate whose discussion of the artwork allegedly began the chain of events.
The report contains no evidence that Dashtizad stole, sold, copied, or transferred any artwork.
Mark Epstein
Mark Epstein is Jeffrey Epstein’s brother and a Cooper Union graduate.
The tip claims Mark Epstein was Cooper Union’s director in 1997. Available institutional records do not support that title or date. Mark became a trustee in 2004 and later served as chairman of the Board of Trustees from 2009 through 2015.
His later leadership position does not establish involvement with the complainant, Settle, or the artwork.
Petrina Ryan Kleid
Petrina Ryan Kleid is the artist who created “Parsing Bill” and “War Games” while attending the New York Academy of Art.
The complainant alleged that Ryan Kleid falsely claimed authorship of three paintings used in a college portfolio.
Artnet’s interview with Ryan Kleid documents a 2012 creation history, a model who posed for the Clinton painting, a graduate exhibition, and sale through the Tribeca Ball.
The public provenance strongly conflicts with the complainant’s account. EFTA00020462 contains no evidence demonstrating appropriation by Ryan Kleid.
J.B. Benn
J.B. Benn is identified as a professional magician who allegedly hosted the complainant in Manhattan and brought them to the restaurant where Maxwell was present.
No independent evidence in the record connects Benn to art theft, grooming, or criminal conduct.
Urim Lekaj
Urim Lekaj is described as an Albanian model whose bedroom the complainant used during the reported New York visit.
The tip does not accuse Lekaj of a specific act of theft or coercion.
Jean Luc Brunel
Jean Luc Brunel was a modeling agent with documented connections to Epstein.
The complainant listed Brunel among people allegedly connected through Settle and others. The tip supplies no direct communication, meeting, payment, or event involving Brunel.
Lady Victoria Hervey and Prince Andrew
The complainant claimed Settle was acquainted with Lady Victoria Hervey and referred to Hervey’s association with Prince Andrew.
These social claims do not establish participation in the alleged art theft or grooming plan.
Elle Macpherson and Stuart
The tip lists model Elle Macpherson and a manager identified as Stuart within a broad chain of alleged associations.
No specific criminal act by either person is described or supported.
Tony Podesta
The complainant alleged that Tony Podesta purchased paintings attributed to Biljana Djurdjevic that actually belonged to the complainant.
The report contains no purchase records, catalogue references, photographs, or provenance evidence supporting that allegation.
Biljana Djurdjevic
Biljana Djurdjevic is a Serbian artist whose works the complainant alleged were falsely attributed.
The FBI report records that accusation but contains no evidence that Djurdjevic forged or misrepresented artwork.
Ray Johnson and David Bourdon
Ray Johnson was an American artist known for collage and mail art.
David Bourdon was an art critic and recipient of correspondence and mail art from Johnson. Bourdon’s papers are held by the Smithsonian Archives of American Art.
The complainant appears to have interpreted a Smithsonian archival description as a false artist attribution. The actual record identifies Johnson as the creator and Bourdon as the recipient or archival source.
D.B. Henkel
Donald D.B. Henkel became the subject of a documented federal art and memorabilia fraud case.
The complainant submitted this tip shortly after the Henkel investigation became public and claimed some Henkel associated works came from the missing portfolio.
The later prosecution confirms that a real fraud scheme existed. It does not verify the complainant’s ownership claim or connect Henkel to Epstein.
Sotheby’s
The complainant alleged that Sotheby’s sold misattributed works in London on June 22, 2017.
The tip provides no lot numbers or complete catalogue references. Nothing in the intake demonstrates that Sotheby’s knowingly sold stolen or forged works belonging to the complainant.
Smithsonian Institution
The Smithsonian appears through its online archival description of Ray Johnson mail art in the David Bourdon papers.
The public Smithsonian record does not support the allegation that the institution falsely identified Bourdon as the artist.
Cooper Union
The complainant said Settle discouraged an application to Cooper Union and inaccurately described Mark Epstein as its director.
Cooper Union was historically tuition free during the period in question. Mark Epstein was an alumnus but did not become a trustee until years after 1997.
Timeline Significance
November 1995 Through January 1996
The complainant claimed to have created a work depicting Bill Clinton’s head on a woman’s body.
No image or contemporaneous ownership record appears in the intake.
July 1996
The complainant alleged that Settle began a false romantic relationship after appearing outside an audition.
April Through June 1997
The complainant reported a speaker telephone conversation involving an alleged debt and threat.
The complainant also placed the reported New York visit, dinner, and Maxwell encounter in April 1997.
July 1997
The complainant said the art portfolio disappeared during a move into a first Los Angeles apartment.
2004
Mark Epstein became a Cooper Union trustee, approximately seven years after the complainant’s reported events.
2009 Through 2015
Mark Epstein served as chairman of Cooper Union’s Board of Trustees.
2012
Petrina Ryan Kleid created “Parsing Bill” while completing graduate work at the New York Academy of Art.
The work was displayed and sold through the Tribeca Ball. This documented timeline conflicts with the tip’s claim that the painting derived from a work stolen in 1997.
June 22, 2017
The complainant identified this as the date of a Sotheby’s London catalogue containing allegedly stolen works.
No lot numbers were supplied.
August 2019
“Parsing Bill” received international attention after it was photographed inside Epstein’s Manhattan residence. Ryan Kleid publicly discussed its creation and provenance.
July 2020
Federal agents searched D.B. Henkel’s Michigan property during an investigation into suspected forged art and memorabilia.
August 2, 2020
The complainant submitted the online FBI tip.
August 3, 2020
The FBI created the formal intake record.
April 2022
Federal prosecutors charged Donald Henkel, Mark Henkel, and Raymond Paparella in a separate art and memorabilia fraud case.
February 2026
Donald and Mark Henkel reportedly entered guilty pleas admitting fraudulent conduct involving false provenance and counterfeit collectibles or art. Their admissions did not establish any connection to Epstein or the complainant.
Related Evidence
Epstein Residence Photographs
Federal search photographs show “Parsing Bill” displayed inside Epstein’s Manhattan residence.
The photographs confirm Epstein’s possession of the painting. They do not support the complainant’s ownership claim.
The related context belongs within Jeffrey Epstein: Art Collection and Cultural Assets.
Parsing Bill Provenance
Ryan Kleid described creating the work in 2012 as a graduate art project. A model who posed for the body corroborated part of the creation process.
The painting was shown through the New York Academy of Art and reportedly sold for approximately $1,300 at the Tribeca Ball.
This provenance directly challenges the complainant’s claim that the work originated in a 1995 or 1996 portfolio.
Smithsonian Ray Johnson Record
The Smithsonian record for Ray Johnson mail art identifies Johnson as the creator and Bourdon as the recipient.
The record does not support the tip’s apparent claim that Bourdon was falsely credited as the artist.
Henkel Fraud Prosecution
The federal indictment announcement describes a genuine alleged scheme involving false signatures, fabricated provenance, straw sellers, galleries, auction houses, and collectors.
The existence of that scheme is independently important. It does not corroborate the complainant’s assertion that the Henkel defendants possessed works stolen in Los Angeles in 1997.
The federal case is United States v. Henkel.
Mark Epstein and Cooper Union
Cooper Union records establish that Mark Epstein graduated from the School of Art and later became chairman of its Board of Trustees.
Those records contradict the tip’s claim that he was the school’s director in 1997.
EFTA00020457
EFTA00020457 is another public intake record placed under the same Epstein child sex trafficking case identifier.
The shared case number reflects administrative classification. It does not indicate that the complainants knew each other or that one report corroborates the other.
Reliability and Limitations
EFTA00020462 is reliable evidence that the FBI received the tip. It is not reliable as standalone proof of the alleged scheme.
The narrative concerns events reported approximately 23 years after they allegedly occurred.
The complainant supplied many specific names, institutions, dates, visual descriptions, and possible ownership markers. Specificity can assist investigation, but it does not substitute for corroboration.
No documentary attachments appear in the released file.
The tip links a wide range of actors through asserted friendships, nationalities, social contacts, art ownership, modeling activity, organized crime, and institutional roles. Most of those connections are not supported by records within the submission.
Several background facts are real. Epstein owned “Parsing Bill.” Mark Epstein was associated with Cooper Union. Jean Luc Brunel was connected to Epstein. A federal art fraud investigation targeted D.B. Henkel. Ray Johnson material appears in the Smithsonian’s David Bourdon papers.
The existence of those separate facts cannot be used to prove the complainant’s proposed network.
Some portions conflict with verifiable records.
Mark Epstein was not Cooper Union’s director in 1997. The Smithsonian record does not attribute Ray Johnson’s mail art to Bourdon. Ryan Kleid’s paintings have a documented 2012 creation and exhibition history. The federal Henkel case concerned a later fraud scheme and did not identify Epstein or the complainant.
The tip was submitted shortly after publicity surrounding the Henkel search and after the 2019 publicity involving “Parsing Bill.” The report does not reveal whether those public stories shaped the complainant’s interpretation.
The released pages contain no FBI disposition. Absence of a visible follow up record does not prove that none existed, but no such record has been identified with EFTA00020462.
Survivor Safety and Privacy Review
The complainant’s name, date of birth, telephone number, email address, and precise home address are redacted. Those protections should be preserved.
The complainant described experiencing financial loss, coercion, false romance, grooming, and an unwanted modeling approach. The document does not establish whether those experiences were independently verified.
The complainant was an adult during the reported events. The statement that the complainant looked approximately 15 should not be converted into a claim that Maxwell approached a legal minor.
The report does not describe a completed sexual assault. It should not be labeled as a sexual abuse disclosure without additional evidence.
The word “grooming” comes from the complainant’s interpretation of the alleged false romance and modeling approach. It is not an FBI finding.
The complainant’s credibility should be evaluated through evidence, not speculation about mental health or motive.
Named individuals are entitled to the same evidentiary care. Their appearance in a raw public tip does not establish guilt, association with Epstein, or participation in crime.
Why This Record Matters
EFTA00020462 illustrates the difference between an official record and a verified allegation.
The FBI preserved a detailed complaint containing multiple testable assertions. Those assertions include moving records, artwork photographs, school materials, auction lots, financial transactions, restaurant reservations, travel records, telephone communications, fingerprints, handprints, dental impressions, paint layers, and signatures.
The public release does not show whether investigators tested any of them.
The document also demonstrates how genuine facts can become embedded in a much broader unverified theory. Epstein owned unusual art. Maxwell had connections to modeling. Mark Epstein had a real Cooper Union role. D.B. Henkel participated in an actual art fraud scheme. None of those facts automatically joins the people into the single conspiracy alleged by the complainant.
The “Parsing Bill” claim is particularly instructive. Epstein’s ownership is established, but the painting’s documented 2012 creation history conflicts with the tip’s claimed 1995 or 1996 origin.
The Henkel reference creates another important distinction. A real art fraud prosecution later produced admissions of fraudulent conduct. No released evidence connects that conduct to the complainant, Epstein, Maxwell, or a 1997 Los Angeles portfolio.
For EpsteinWiki, the record is valuable as evidence of what federal authorities received and catalogued. It is not proof that every named person or institution belonged to an Epstein art theft network.
Fact Check
Verification status: Verified as an authentic FBI intake report released by the Department of Justice. The central art theft, grooming, ownership, and conspiracy allegations remain unverified.
The following points are directly verified from EFTA00020462:
- An online tip was submitted on August 2, 2020.
- The FBI created an intake record dated August 3, 2020.
- The complainant was located in North Hollywood.
- The complainant said an art portfolio disappeared in July 1997.
- The complainant alleged a false romance and grooming scheme.
- The complainant named Epstein and Maxwell.
- The complainant claimed encounters with both.
- The complainant named Matthew Settle as a subject and witness.
- The complainant alleged a loss of approximately $100,000.
- The complainant identified Sotheby’s, the Smithsonian, galleries, collectors, artists, and Epstein’s collection.
- The complainant described possible physical identifiers within the disputed artwork.
- The released report contains no attached proof or FBI investigative conclusion.
The following background facts are independently verified:
- Epstein possessed “Parsing Bill.”
- Petrina Ryan Kleid publicly documented creating “Parsing Bill” in 2012.
- A model confirmed posing for Ryan Kleid’s painting.
- “Parsing Bill” was connected to a New York Academy of Art student exhibition and Tribeca Ball sale.
- Mark Epstein graduated from Cooper Union and later chaired its Board of Trustees.
- Mark Epstein was not Cooper Union’s director in 1997.
- The Smithsonian holds Ray Johnson mail art in the David Bourdon papers.
- The Smithsonian identifies Ray Johnson as the creator, not David Bourdon.
- Federal authorities investigated and prosecuted Donald and Mark Henkel for a separate art and memorabilia fraud scheme.
- The Henkel prosecution did not publicly connect that scheme to Epstein or the complainant.
The following claims are not established:
- That the complainant’s portfolio was stolen.
- That Matthew Settle conducted a false romance for criminal purposes.
- That Epstein or Maxwell participated in art theft.
- That Maxwell attempted to recruit or groom the complainant.
- That moving company employees stole artwork.
- That Serbian organized crime figures were involved.
- That Ryan Kleid appropriated the complainant’s paintings.
- That Sotheby’s knowingly sold the complainant’s artwork.
- That Tony Podesta purchased stolen works.
- That Biljana Djurdjevic claimed authorship of stolen paintings.
- That the Smithsonian or Ray Johnson Estate used false provenance.
- That D.B. Henkel possessed the complainant’s art.
- That three paintings in Epstein’s collection belonged to the complainant.
- That the complainant spent $100,000 repurchasing stolen property.
- That any named person was charged because of this tip.
Last checked: September 11, 2026.
Related EpsteinWiki Pages
Ghislaine Noelle Marion Maxwell
Jeffrey Epstein: Art Collection and Cultural Assets
Epstein Files Guide: Evidence Framework, What Counts as Evidence Versus Noise
Source List
- EFTA00020462 primary evidence record
- Official Department of Justice PDF
- Department of Justice Epstein Library
- EFTA00020462 archived at the Epstein Project
- FBI New York Art Crime Team announcement
- Department of Justice announcement of the Henkel art and memorabilia fraud charges
- United States v. Henkel federal docket
- Smithsonian record for Ray Johnson mail art sent to David Bourdon
- Smithsonian Archives of American Art description of the David Bourdon papers
- Artnet interview with Petrina Ryan Kleid concerning Parsing Bill
- Vanity Fair report on the artwork inside Epstein’s Manhattan residence
- Cooper Union institutional website
- Cooper Union alumni record concerning Mark Epstein
- Ray Johnson Estate
- Adler Beatty exhibition record for Ray Johnson
- Smithsonian Magazine report on the Henkel fraud prosecution