During Jeffrey Epstein’s first jail sentence for soliciting sex from an underage girl, prison records show Nadia Marcinko visited him at least 67 times; Marcinko was Epstein’s main girlfriend for seven years and later became an assistant pilot on his private plane.

A Plea Deal and Potential Co-Conspirator

Marcinko was one of four women named as Epstein’s potential co-conspirators in a 2008 plea deal that granted her immunity from prosecution. Now, two of those women, Epstein’s assistants Sarah Kellen and Lesley Groff, are set to be questioned by US legislators. Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez wants all four women, including Marcinko, to be investigated.

Accusations and Testimonies

Marcinko has never been accused or charged with any crime. Her lawyers argue she is one of Epstein’s victims. However, girls in Palm Beach, Florida, who testified about their abuse during Epstein’s 2008 conviction, told police that Marcinko participated in the abuse. The BBC examined emails between Epstein and Marcinko to understand her role in his life.

The emails reveal Epstein and Marcinko wanted to start a family together. The BBC also found evidence suggesting Epstein asked her to recruit other women to satisfy his sexual desires, and she complied. However, the emails also show Epstein’s coercive tendencies. Marcinko later told investigators that Epstein was physically violent, choking her and throwing her down a flight of stairs.

The US Department of Justice released a heavily redacted document in January containing Marcinko’s testimony, which matched details the BBC knew about her. The BBC contacted Marcinko for comment, but she did not reply. Since Epstein’s death in 2019, she has disappeared from public view.

Background and Relationship

Marcinko was born Nadia Marcinkova into a respected family in Slovakia. She told federal investigators she first met Epstein in New York in 2003 at a party for Jean-Luc Brunel, a close friend of Epstein. Brunel arranged her visa and brought her to the US. Marcinko and Epstein celebrated 17 September as their anniversary for many years.

Marcinko was an unlikely international model, described by a classmate as shy but beautiful. She began modelling as a teenager and worked in Japan and Taiwan. After meeting Epstein, she was invited to his mansion in Palm Beach and later to his private Caribbean island, Little St James.

Epstein was 50 when they met, 32 years her senior. Marcinko felt Epstein could have her deported with a single phone call to Brunel, as Brunel sponsored her visa and Epstein funded Brunel’s agency. She travelled with Epstein constantly, and emails suggest they became a couple. Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein’s close friend, was finding other women for him, but their relationship was ending, according to the BBC’s research.

Emails between Epstein and Marcinko show his domineering nature. In one email from 2009, he wrote, “I want you to learn how to cook eggs. scrambled poached over easy… I want you to learn how to run a house. I want no arguments during the Monday to Friday week… I want you to read one of the hundred great books every month… I want beautiful things only in the house. You cannot put anything in, without letting me see it first.”

After Epstein’s death, Marcinko told investigators he controlled every aspect of her life, including her weight and clothing. She said he forced her to have multiple plastic surgeries and physically abused her. There is no direct mention of these incidents in their email exchanges, but she accused him of “abusive partner behaviour” in one email.

There are repeated references to Epstein’s expectation that Marcinko would scout for other women or girls for him. In 2006, she wrote: “What do you imagine is a fun sex thing? I will do what I can, even though if this is simply about you having sex with someone else, I don’t know how it makes our relationship better. I will try to find girls whenever we are in New York.”

Marcinko’s role as a scout is evident in the files. In one email from 2006, she asked Epstein’s opinion of a specific woman who had offered to come from Eastern Europe. Despite being uncomfortable with her dependency on Epstein, she was invited to join Brunel’s new modelling agency, MC2, with a $50,000 salary. It is unclear what she was expected to do.

By 2009, Marcinko began to lessen her financial dependence on Epstein by taking flying lessons. Epstein paid tens of thousands of dollars for her training, which she apparently did with great enthusiasm, promoting herself on social media as “Global Girl.” Aviation journalist Christine Negroni met Marcinko in 2013 and noted her hard work in obtaining flight certifications.

Despite her new independence, Marcinko’s relationship with Epstein continued after his release from prison in July 2009 and even intensified. By October of that year, they were trying to have a baby together. She maintained her role as a scout, asking Epstein’s opinion of a specific woman in one email from 2009. However, their relationship eventually ended in 2010 after a particularly violent incident.