David Blaine was on a mission to conquer his subsequent inconceivable feat, and it required ingesting kerosene.
To prepare for the damaging act, the world-famous magician first practiced with water — plus some goldfish. With filmmaker Woody Allen readily available watching him, Blaine gulped down a glass of water with a pair of fish in it. He then spit out the water in fast bursts into a bathtub; hours of water-spewing later, the 2 goldfish he had swallowed additionally got here again out of Blaine’s abdomen right into a fishbowl, seemingly alive and properly.
The stunt seems to have been a part of ABC’s 2013 particular “David Blaine: Real or Magic.” But what Blaine by no means mentions is that he filmed that section from within Jeffrey Epstein’s New York City townhouse.
That revelation was a part of NCS’s broader examination of Blaine’s look all through the Justice Department’s Epstein information, which show the 2 males exchanged dozens of messages, had quite a few telephone calls and deliberate for in-person conferences. And Blaine wasn’t the one outstanding magician who turned up repeatedly within the information. David Copperfield was featured in quite a few photographs and messages launched by the DOJ, and federal investigators examined his friendship with Epstein.
NCS was in a position to affirm that the water-and-fish-chugging portion of Blaine’s particular was filmed within Epstein’s home by evaluating the footage to pictures from contained in the convicted little one intercourse offender’s dwelling: Distinctive decor photographed subsequent to what appears to be like like a bathtub together with a bronze statue, candle holders and a brown vase, in addition to photographs of Epstein’s kitchen that includes white cupboards match the rooms that Blaine and Allen have been in.
The information show that in April 2013, Epstein emailed Soon-Yi Previn, Allen’s spouse, to inform her that Blaine “wanted to do the goldfish trick tonight for woody and film it.” While it’s not clear precisely when the shoot passed off, later that 12 months in October, Epstein’s assistant Lesley Groff reminded Epstein in a message that Blaine wished to come to Epstein’s home to “finish his woody Allen shoot.”
“He needs to film himself walking up your stairs and going into your bathroom.. he said it would take all of . 30 min tops and it would only be him and his camera man,” Groff wrote.
Epstein wrote back: “not until i am back.”
David Blaine Woody Allen magic trick
The Epstein-Blaine correspondence within the information occurred primarily between 2012 and 2016 — a number of years after Epstein’s 2008 conviction in Florida for soliciting prostitution from a minor — although there was point out of Blaine attending dinner at Epstein’s townhouse going again to 2003. Meanwhile, FBI types show that ladies informed legislation enforcement about assembly Epstein via Blaine or Blaine via Epstein after they have been youthful.
Blaine and Copperfield haven’t been accused of any prison wrongdoing associated to Epstein. Representatives for each males didn’t reply to NCS’s request for remark for this story. ABC additionally didn’t reply to NCS’s request for remark.
Blaine is one in all many celebrities revealed within the Epstein information as having socialized with Epstein after his 2008 responsible plea. Their correspondence suggests that they had a give-and-take friendship, with every seeming to profit from the opposite’s entry to elite people within the worlds of leisure, politics and past.
Epstein steadily invited Blaine to social gatherings alongside Hollywood and tech bigwigs equivalent to Allen and Bill Gates. Included within the Epstein information is a short video of Blaine showing to show Gates a magic trick. As with most movies printed by the DOJ, it didn’t include any context.
Groff, Epstein’s assistant, wrote to a redacted particular person in March 2015 about attending a dinner at Epstein’s home that night. “David Blaine will be here along with another magician and performing some magic tricks!” Groff wrote.
More than as soon as, Epstein appeared keen to join Blaine with political figures.
“Any interest in visiting White House” Epstein texted Blaine in June of 2015. (It’s not clear whether or not Epstein ever visited the White House with Blaine or helped the magician arrange a go to.) A number of months later, in September, Epstein emailed the illusionist to inquire about his whereabouts, saying there can be “lots of world leaders at house week of 28th.” (It’s not clear from the information why Epstein mentioned he can be internet hosting many world leaders at his home at the moment, however the seventieth session of the United Nations General Assembly passed off in New York that month.)
And at instances, Epstein expressed curiosity in getting along with Blaine and “girls.” In the spring of 2013, for instance, Epstein emailed a person for ideas on the place a enjoyable place can be to go along with “jean luc boris, david blaine girls etc.” (Jean-Luc Brunel was a modeling agent and Epstein’s shut affiliate accused of intercourse trafficking who was discovered lifeless in his Paris jail cell in 2022. It is just not clear who “boris” refers to.)
In September 2015, Epstein emailed Blaine: “you misssed some amazing girls last night.” The age of the “girls” that Epstein was referring to in both occasion is just not clear.
The Epstein Library additionally incorporates at the least two FBI “302” types mentioning Blaine that element interviews that legislation enforcement performed in the summertime of 2019, quickly after Epstein died in jail. The first redacted topic said that she was a teen when she met Epstein and that she traveled with Epstein and his interior circle steadily in subsequent years. The lady mentioned she ultimately met Blaine at a celebration hosted by Epstein in New York.
The second redacted particular person informed the FBI that she was 18 when she met Blaine at a New York evening membership. “At some point, BLAINE introduced (redacted) to JEFFREY EPSTEIN,” the 302 says. “BLAINE took (redacted) to EPSTEIN’S New York mansion.” Following that assembly, this witness mentioned she was contacted about going to Epstein’s personal island for New Year’s, and that when she requested Blaine for permission, he mentioned sure. That was the catalyst, she informed legislation enforcement, for “dozens of interactions” with Epstein that will comply with.
The Epstein information additionally show that Blaine wrote a reference letter for a girl’s visa to the US in May 2015 at Epstein’s request. (That lady’s identify, in addition to the individual Epstein was discussing the matter with, are redacted within the information.)
By 2017, Blaine was dealing with a critical allegation of his personal. A former mannequin mentioned Blaine had raped her at his London dwelling in 2004, prompting an investigation by British authorities that was later dropped. Blaine denied these allegations on the time. Richard Kahn, Epstein’s longtime accountant, forwarded a Page Six story detailing the allegations to Epstein, writing: “Crazy world…”
Less than two weeks later, Epstein would attain out to his magician buddy, saying in an electronic mail: “I’m there if you need anything.” It’s not clear whether or not Blaine wrote again to that message.
David Copperfield and intertwined investigations
Copperfield, steadily described as one of many highest-paid magicians on the planet, additionally seems quite a few instances within the Epstein information.
There are multiple photos of Copperfield within the information, together with one through which he’s carrying a bathrobe and standing with 4 girls. Copperfield can also be featured in a number of photographs with Epstein co-conspirator Ghislaine Maxwell, each carrying white robes. The photographs have been among the many photographs that have been taken on Epstein’s personal Caribbean island, Little Saint James.
There are additionally several pages of largely redacted photographs within the Epstein information labeled as having been taken at “Musha Cay” — Copperfield’s personal group of personal islands within the Bahamas.
Meanwhile, a number of mentions of Copperfield in FBI 302 types associated to Epstein point out that the 2 males’s social lives have been carefully intertwined — and garnered consideration from legislation enforcement.
In one from 2007, a redacted particular person mentioned that she was supplied tickets to a Copperfield show and that Epstein as soon as let her converse to Copperfield on the telephone when she was at Epstein’s dwelling. In one other, a girl whose identify is redacted says she was in New York with out Epstein, and that she was requested to be Copperfield’s assistant in a show and invited backstage. The redacted individual “knew what was going to happen” and took her boyfriend together with her. Epstein gave one other underage lady tickets to a Copperfield show, in accordance to one other witness assertion.
It’s not clear from the information when the 2 males’s relationship began, however there are a number of messages within the Epstein information that Copperfield left for Epstein courting to 2005.
By 2007, each males had hassle brewing. While Epstein was dealing with a intercourse trafficking investigation in Florida, Copperfield was being probed by the FBI for a sexual assault allegation in Washington state — and officers have been analyzing their friendship. Copperfield denied the allegations on the time, and no costs have been ever filed.
An internal FBI document from the Seattle subject workplace to the Miami subject workplace in 2007 says legislation enforcement wished to interview witnesses to see if Copperfield and Epstein’s relationship “included illegal activities.” There was proof from the Copperfield investigation of a “connection” between the 2 males, and investigators wished “to determine if they both shared a predilection for minors,” the doc says.
The doc additionally reveals the Seattle workplace wished to interview two girls who have been already witnesses in a case about Epstein’s sexual misconduct. They have been described as having been on Copperfield’s “business list,” which in accordance to the memo appeared to be “a compilation of females that he targeted for sexual conquest.”
In 2008, after Epstein acquired a controversial plea deal in Florida, somebody from the US Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Washington inquired with the US Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida about whether or not Epstein may be prepared to discuss Copperfield. The Epstein information show that Washington investigators have been steadily contacted by one in all Epstein’s attorneys asking about Copperfield’s case.
The lady who accused Copperfield in 2007 was charged in 2010 with prostitution and making a false accusation in one other case, and the federal probe of Copperfield was closed that year. In 2024, The Guardian printed an expose through which 16 individuals accused Copperfield of assault or misconduct. A spokesperson told NCS on the time that “most of these historic accusations have been made before, and all of them are as false now as they were then.”
Last month, the illusionist introduced he would finish his Las Vegas residency after 25 years. Copperfield’s ultimate show is April 30 on the MGM Grand. A spokesperson for the resort declined to remark.