Who Was Jeffrey Epstein's Girlfriend, Karyna Shuliak? Shocking Details About Their Last Phone Call Before He Died
She says she didn't suspect he was suicidal.
Getty It was newly revealed that Jeffrey Epstein, the late indicted sex-trafficker, had a long-term girlfriend named Karyna Shuliak. A dentist who appears to have been with Epstein willingly, Shuliak was one of the last people to speak to the disgraced financier before his suicide in August.
Epstein had been in a New York jail for several weeks when Shuliak made her final call to him on the night of August 9, 2019. The contents of their call are unknown but she didn't appear to raise any concerns that he was in danger of killing himself. Sources close to her say she was shocked when she learned of his death the next day.
Now authorities want to know more about that phone call and hope Shuliak will share recordings with them. So far she won't cooperate.
Who is Jeffrey Epstein's girlfriend, Karyna Shuliak? Read on for shocking details.
1. Who was Jeffrey Epstein?
Jeffrey Epstein was a billionaire investor and financial advisor. He had a reputation for throwing parties for rich and powerful people that included teenage girls allegedly recruited to provide massages and sexual favors for his friends. Dozens of women have cooperated in the investigation, telling authorities about being recruited and paid for such services. Some women even report recruiting other girls on Epstein's behalf. Donald Trump claimed to be good friends with Epstein, saying in 2002, “I’ve known Jeff for 15 years. Terrific guy. He’s a lot of fun to be with. It is even said that he likes beautiful women as much as I do, and many of them are on the younger side.” Britain's Prince Andrew has been avoiding public appearances after details of his association with Epstein emerged.
2. What happened to Epstein?
Epstein was indicted on sexual assault charges in 2007 but was granted an unprecedented plea deal. He served only 13 months in jail, where he was housed in a cell with an unlocked door and allowed to leave the facility daily to go to his office.
In 2019, he was arrested on charges of sex trafficking and detained without bail at a federal prison in Manhattan. He was found injured on his floor shortly after he was arrested and the media reported at the time it may have been a suicide attempt. A second suicide attempt weeks later was successful and on August 10, he was found dead in his cell. He reportedly hanged himself.
3. Who was Jeffrey Epstein's girlfriend, Karyna Shuliak?
Evidently, Karyna Shuliak was Epstein's girlfriend. We don't know her exact age but reports suggest she is in her 30s and has been with Epstein for several years. She isn't considered one of his victims, though she seems to be entangled with his horrific network of sex trafficking. She also appears to be licensed as a dentist with practices in the U.S. and in the Virgin Islands at an address associated with Epstein. There have been reports Epstein had a dentist chair in a residence, though we can't confirm it belonged to Shuliak.
4. Shuliak married a possible victim of Epstein's.
Shuliak is from Belarus and may have been part of a sham marriage to get citizenship. Reports show she was married to a woman named Jennifer Kalin, who is thought to be a victim of Epstein's. The couple tied the knot in 2013 but divorced in 2019. Fake marriages were something Epstein allegedly arranged to keep women in the country. “Jeffrey Epstein’s international sex trafficking ring harmed an incomprehensible number of girls and these sham same-sex marriages served a basic and important purpose for Epstein’s trafficking operation because they enabled Epstein to get citizenship for girls that he wanted to keep in this country without facing a high level of scrutiny in the citizenship process,” attorney Sigrid McCawley, who represents Epstein victims, has said about his pattern of behavior.
Shuliak was spotted leaving Epstein's New York residence.
5. Shuliak called Epstein the night before he died.
Shuliak was reportedly standing by Epstein despite his arrest. She had allegedly been with him in Paris before his arrest and was there when the authorities nabbed him coming off a private plane and remained in contact with him during his time in jail. She spoke to him the night before he died and now prosecutors want to know more about that conversation. Reportedly, the lawyers for the Southern District of New York want to get recordings of that call to find out what was said but Shuliak isn't cooperating with law enforcement.
6. Shuliak says didn't seem suicidal.
Shuliak hasn't commented directly on the contents of that last phone call but a source close to her says that she was shocked to learn of his death. “When she hung up the phone she was not under the impression Epstein was suicidal,” the source said. This tracks with other reports that say Epstein didn't appear despondent or suicidal in the days leading up to his death. However, it's worth noting suicidal ideation is complicated and sometimes even trained professionals don't always recognize the risk. It's impossible for Shuliak and others to have full knowledge of what was in Epstein's mind at the time.
7. This will feed the conspiracy theories.
Since the day he died, there have been people who think that Epstein's death was part of a plot to protect powerful people with whom he had been associated. For those who believe the idea that "Jeffrey Epstein didn't kill himself" this will just provide further evidence that this is the result of a conspiracy theory.
Even people who believe he did die by suicide may find this to be proof that his death was related to his case and it was his last attempt to shield himself from paying out large settlements in lawsuits his victims have brought against him.
Rebekah Kuschmider has been writing about celebrities, pop culture, entertainment, and politics since 2010. She is the creator of the blog FeminXer and she is a cohost of the weekly podcast The More Perfect Union.