Karyna Shuliak
Snapshot
Karyna Shuliak is a Belarusian-born dentist who was Jeffrey Epstein’s longtime girlfriend during the final decade of his life. Records show that she was deeply integrated into Epstein’s personal, financial, household, travel, and estate-planning systems.
Shuliak was reportedly the last person known to speak with Epstein before his death at the Metropolitan Correctional Center on August 10, 2019. Two days before his death, Epstein signed a revised trust naming her as its largest intended beneficiary.
Documents also identify Shuliak as a beneficiary of earlier Epstein trusts, an authorized signer on accounts connected to Epstein-controlled entities, and a participant in household and property management.
Shuliak has not been criminally charged in connection with Epstein’s trafficking operation. The available records do not establish that she recruited victims, participated in sexual abuse, or knowingly facilitated sex trafficking.
Background
Karyna Shuliak was born in Minsk, Belarus, around 1989. She studied dentistry at Belarusian State Medical University before moving to the United States.
A Columbia University letter states that Shuliak withdrew from the Belarusian program in August 2010 after completing four of its five years. Immigration and academic records later placed her in the United States on a student visa.
Shuliak eventually attended Columbia University College of Dental Medicine and received her dental degree in 2015. Records identify professional dental licenses associated with her in California, Florida, and the United States Virgin Islands.
Relationship With Jeffrey Epstein
Available correspondence places Shuliak in Epstein’s orbit by approximately 2010 or 2011, after Epstein completed the custodial portion of his Florida sentence.
Emails document a romantic relationship accompanied by substantial financial dependence. Epstein paid for or arranged Shuliak’s education, travel, living expenses, medical costs, and other personal expenditures.
In EFTA01843414, Epstein offered to pay for classes and other educational expenses. Other correspondence shows him directing immigration and academic communications on Shuliak’s behalf.
The records portray a relationship with a substantial imbalance of money and power. Epstein controlled resources that affected Shuliak’s education, immigration status, housing, and financial security.
That imbalance is important when assessing her position. It does not erase her later access to Epstein’s financial and operational infrastructure, but it complicates any assumption that she entered the relationship as an equal participant.
Admission to Columbia University
Shuliak’s admission to Columbia’s dental program has drawn scrutiny because records indicate that she was initially rejected before being admitted through an unusual international transfer process.
Epstein communicated with Columbia personnel about her admission and made substantial donations connected to university programs. Reporting based on released records states that a $100,000 Epstein donation followed the initial rejection and that another $50,000 was later directed to the dental school.
The evidence establishes Epstein’s intervention, financial contributions, and communications with Columbia officials. It does not prove that Shuliak personally bribed anyone or controlled the university’s decision.
Columbia later investigated the matter, removed or disciplined personnel associated with the admissions process, and redirected Epstein-connected funds to organizations supporting survivors.
Immigration Arrangements
Records and subsequent reporting indicate that Epstein and immigration attorneys helped Shuliak navigate several stages of United States immigration status.
The sequence reportedly included:
- A temporary exchange or student visa
- Reinstatement of student status
- A 2013 marriage connected to obtaining permanent residence
- Receipt of a green card in 2015
- Naturalization as a United States citizen in 2018
- Divorce proceedings beginning later in 2018
Released correspondence has raised questions about whether the marriage was arranged primarily for immigration purposes.
No public criminal proceeding has adjudicated Shuliak’s marriage as immigration fraud. It should therefore be described as a reported or suspected arranged marriage rather than a proven criminal offense.
JSC Interiors LLC
New York corporate records identify Shuliak with JSC Interiors LLC, formed in November 2014.
The company used an address associated with HBRK Associates, the accounting firm connected to Epstein’s accountant Richard Kahn. Deutsche Bank records identified JSC Interiors as a significant source of Shuliak’s reported wealth.
Bank documents described the company as an interior-design business. Records also show purchases of furniture and fixtures for Epstein-associated properties.
An estate accounting later reportedly listed JSC Interiors as wholly owned by Epstein at the time of his death. That creates an unresolved question about why the company was presented as a major source of Shuliak’s independent income.
The available documents establish the company’s existence, its banking relationship, and its connection to Epstein’s property expenditures. They do not establish that the company committed a crime or that Shuliak used it to launder money.
Butterfly Trust
Shuliak became a beneficiary of Epstein’s Butterfly Trust in 2014.
The amendment preserved in EFTA01418923 removed Ghislaine Maxwell as a beneficiary and added Shuliak, Darren Indyke, Richard Kahn, and another redacted individual.
This is an important distinction. The amendment did not simply add Shuliak alongside Maxwell. It removed Maxwell and added Shuliak through the same instrument.
Later bank-compliance records continued to identify Shuliak as a Butterfly Trust beneficiary.
Documented transfers associated with Shuliak included:
| Date | Amount | Record |
|---|---|---|
| February 2015 | $50,000 | EFTA01420385 |
| November 2016 | $350,000 | EFTA01739169 |
| February 2019 | $150,000 | EFTA01421199 |
The 2015 transfer prompted a Deutsche Bank anti-money-laundering inquiry asking about its purpose and Shuliak’s relationship to the client.
The $350,000 transfer was described by Epstein as a loan that Shuliak would document with a loan agreement.
Banking and Signatory Authority
Deutsche Bank records show that Shuliak had more than a passive romantic connection to Epstein’s finances.
She was identified in banking records as:
- A joint account holder
- An authorized signer
- A beneficiary of the Butterfly Trust
- An authorized signatory connected to Neptune LLC
- A signer associated with accounts involving HBRK Associates
- A beneficiary receiving substantial transfers
EFTA01421286 identifies Shuliak as an authorized signatory or joint account holder in Epstein-related banking structures.
An authorized signature provides the legal ability to transact on an account. It does not prove that the person knew the source or ultimate purpose of every transaction processed through it.
Household and Property Management
Emails show Shuliak participating in the management of Epstein’s residences and staff.
Her documented activities included:
- Communicating with house managers
- Approving employee time off
- Coordinating cleaning schedules
- Managing purchases and shipments
- Discussing furniture and interior improvements
- Communicating about Epstein’s apartments
- Coordinating travel between Epstein properties
In EFTA02327859, Shuliak approved a staff member’s requested time away and assessed whether sufficient time remained to finish work at the house.
Other communications show her asking about cleaning schedules for apartments at 301 East 66th Street, a building where Epstein maintained multiple units.
These records establish a household-management role. They do not identify every apartment occupant or prove that Shuliak knew whether any unit was being used for criminal purposes.
Travel With Epstein
Travel records and emails document Shuliak accompanying Epstein on domestic and international trips.
In EFTA02477179, pilot Larry Visoski coordinated travel described as involving Epstein and Shuliak alone.
Additional records include airline itineraries, private-aircraft arrangements, shipping records, and communications concerning Epstein’s properties in New York, Palm Beach, New Mexico, Paris, and the United States Virgin Islands.
Travel with Epstein establishes proximity and access. It does not independently establish participation in abuse.
Epstein’s Final Trust
On August 8, 2019, two days before Epstein’s death, he signed a restatement of his estate plan known as the 1953 Trust.
EFTA00099303 identifies Shuliak as the largest intended beneficiary. The plan reportedly provided her with:
- A direct $50 million distribution
- An additional $50 million annuity
- Epstein’s major residences and properties
- A diamond ring exceeding 32 carats
- Provisions suggesting the ring was given in contemplation of marriage
An earlier February 2019 version of the trust had also designated approximately $100 million for Shuliak.
The estate plan demonstrates that Epstein regarded Shuliak as his primary personal beneficiary. It does not mean she ultimately received the designated money or properties. The estate became subject to survivor claims, litigation, taxes, government settlements, and property sales.
Epstein’s Final Telephone Call
On the evening of August 9, 2019, Epstein was permitted to place a telephone call from the Metropolitan Correctional Center.
The Justice Department inspector general’s investigation found that the call was facilitated on an unrecorded line normally used for attorney communications. Epstein reportedly told correctional employees that he was calling his mother, although his mother had died years earlier.
Investigators determined that the call was actually placed to Shuliak. It lasted approximately 20 minutes.
The call violated normal procedures and was not recorded. Consequently, there is no independently verified transcript of what Epstein and Shuliak discussed.
Reports that Shuliak said Epstein did not sound suicidal represent her reported assessment. They do not establish Epstein’s mental state or alter the official findings concerning his death.
The Planned FBI Interview
An FBI situation report dated August 14, 2019, stated that an interview with Shuliak was tentatively scheduled for August 16.
The reference appears in EFTA00165446. It was connected to the investigation of Epstein’s death.
No publicly identified FBI FD-302 interview summary for Shuliak has been located in the released corpus. It is therefore unclear whether:
- The interview occurred
- The interview was canceled
- A report remains withheld
- The record was excluded from the released material
- Shuliak was interviewed through another investigative process
Because she received Epstein’s final telephone call, the absence of a publicly available interview report is a significant evidentiary gap.
Was Shuliak a Co-conspirator?
No publicly available charging document identifies Shuliak as an Epstein co-conspirator.
She was not named in the 2007 non-prosecution agreement because the available timeline places her arrival in Epstein’s circle after that agreement was negotiated.
The released records show that she became closely integrated into Epstein’s life. They do not currently show that she:
- Recruited girls or women for Epstein
- Scheduled sexualized massages
- Participated in sexual abuse
- Threatened survivors
- Knew the purpose of Epstein’s recruitment system
- Knowingly processed payments to victims
- Participated in a trafficking conspiracy
No survivor testimony located for this profile identifies Shuliak as an abuser or recruiter.
Her extensive access makes her a potentially important witness. It does not, without additional evidence, make her criminally responsible for Epstein’s conduct.
Evidence Summary
| Issue | What the records establish | What remains unresolved |
|---|---|---|
| Personal relationship | Shuliak was Epstein’s longtime girlfriend | The full nature of their private relationship |
| Education | Epstein funded and intervened in her Columbia admission | Whether university donations directly determined admission |
| Immigration | Epstein’s network assisted her immigration process | Whether any marriage-related conduct constituted fraud |
| Finances | She was a beneficiary, account holder, and authorized signer | Her knowledge of the purpose of individual transactions |
| Household operations | She managed staff, purchases, and properties | Whether she knew about criminal uses of any property |
| Final trust | Epstein intended to leave her approximately $100 million and major assets | What, if anything, she ultimately received |
| Final telephone call | She was the recipient of Epstein’s last known call | What was said |
| FBI interview | An interview was scheduled | Whether it occurred and where the report is |
Evidence Assessment
Grade A
Shuliak’s financial roles, trust status, transfers, education records, travel, household communications, and designation in Epstein’s final estate plan are supported by documentary evidence.
Grade B
Descriptions of the romantic relationship and Shuliak’s statements regarding Epstein’s final call are supported by reporting and circumstantial records but are not fully documented through public testimony or a recorded call.
Unproven
Claims that Shuliak knowingly participated in Epstein’s trafficking operation, committed immigration fraud, or knowingly facilitated criminal financial transactions remain unproven.
Sources
- Karyna Shuliak entity profile and document index
- Karyna Shuliak evidence report
- 1953 Trust, EFTA00099303
- Butterfly Trust amendment, EFTA01418923
- Deutsche Bank account record, EFTA01421286
- Butterfly Trust transfer and compliance inquiry, EFTA01420385
- Epstein instruction concerning $350,000 transfer, EFTA01739169
- 2019 transfer record, EFTA01421199
- FBI situation report, EFTA00165446
- Justice Department inspector general report concerning Epstein’s detention and death
- ABC News report on Epstein’s trust and intended beneficiaries