Ex-Miami Beach Mayor Had Close Ties to Epstein, DOJ Files Show
Philip Levine called Jeffrey Epstein his 'friend' in 2003 emails and congratulated him after 2008 plea deal, contradicting mayor's previous denials.
Title: Ex-Miami Beach Mayor Had Close Ties to Epstein, DOJ Files Show
Former Miami Beach Mayor Philip Levine’s relationship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein was closer than previously disclosed, according to newly released Department of Justice documents.
When Levine’s name appeared in Epstein’s contact book in 2019 alongside 13 different phone numbers, the former mayor maintained he did not have a “friendship or business relationship” with the disgraced financier.
However, the DOJ’s latest Epstein file release of 3.5 million pages reveals a different picture. New Times identified more than 600 mentions of “Phillip Levine” in the DOJ files, showing a relationship that dates back to at least 2003.
Levine served as Miami Beach mayor from 2013 to 2017. In August 2019, following Epstein’s death by apparent suicide in a Manhattan jail, Levine told New Times: “Think I met him possibly one, two, or three times, but briefly, maybe over 15 years ago at events. Don’t remember ever giving him my full contact info, but possibly did give him my contact card.”
In a July 2025 DOJ interview, Epstein’s co-conspirator Ghislaine Maxwell referred to Levine as her “very good friend.” Maxwell told Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche she met Clinton after he left the White House in 2001 and became friendly with him through Philip Levine.
When asked about Maxwell’s statement in December 2025, Levine responded: “The precise nature of our relationship was that of a friend to my wife and I, nothing more and nothing less.” He denied Maxwell’s allegations about facilitating her relationship with Clinton, telling New Times: “This is simply untrue.”
In a 2003 email to Antonio Belloni, former managing director of LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton SE, Levine described Epstein as his friend, though the full content of this email was not available.
Levine did not respond to New Times’ recent requests for comment. A Miami Beach spokesperson declined to comment. The DOJ’s Office of Public Affairs had not responded to media inquiries by publication time.