Convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein allegedly arranged a same-sex marriage between his longtime girlfriend and one of his female assistants to help the Belarusian dental student remain in the United States, newly examined records suggest.
A New York Times investigation reports that Karyna Shuliak married the American woman in 2013 after her student visa had expired and she was facing immigration proceedings.
Documents released by the US Justice Department and examined by congressional investigators indicate that Epstein, his staff and an immigration lawyer were closely involved in organising the marriage and subsequent residency application.
However, US immigration authorities have not challenged Shuliak’s citizenship, and she has not been charged with immigration fraud or any offence connected with the arrangement.
Epstein Suggested an “American Girlfriend”
Shuliak moved from Belarus to New York to continue her dental education and became romantically involved with Epstein after meeting him in 2011.
By early 2013, her immigration status had become uncertain.
“I think its [sic] time you found an American girlfriend,” Epstein reportedly wrote to Shuliak that March.
“Same sex marriage will be the fastes [sic] way to green card. By far.”
Epstein allegedly selected a 30-year-old woman from Minnesota who worked as one of his assistants. The woman’s identity has been withheld from most reporting and redacted in publicly released records.
Emails show Epstein communicating with immigration lawyer Mehmet Arda Beskardes about arranging the marriage. In August 2013, Beskardes wrote that they needed to discuss it “asap”.
Shuliak and the woman married at New York City’s Office of the City Clerk on 9 October 2013.
A report issued by Democrats on the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform said the marriage may have been “illusory” and intended to give Shuliak a legal basis to remain in the country.
Former Assistant Alleges Coercion
The committee’s report cited a personal statement supplied to Epstein’s estate by the woman who married Shuliak.
According to the report, she said Epstein forced her into the marriage and that she was “shocked to learn after the ceremony that Karyna’s deportation hearing was going to happen just a few days later”.
Epstein’s accountant, Richard Kahn, also wrote to immigration authorities in support of the relationship. The congressional report said he later acknowledged that the letter had been “embellished”.
The account does not establish that Shuliak coerced her spouse or knew the full circumstances under which the other woman agreed to marry her.
The records also contain details that could have been presented as evidence of a genuine relationship. The two women were listed as living at the same Manhattan address, maintained a joint bank account and reportedly travelled together.
Those arrangements do not conclusively establish whether the marriage was authentic or created primarily for immigration purposes.
Green Card, Citizenship and Divorce
Shuliak applied for family-based permanent residency in 2014 and announced in January 2015 that she had received her green card.
She became a naturalised US citizen in May 2018. Divorce proceedings reportedly began later that year and were completed in 2019.
The House committee did not recommend that immigration authorities revoke her citizenship, and no public record indicates that the US government has opened proceedings to do so.
Shuliak, now a dentist, did not respond to media requests for comment. Her former spouse and Beskardes also reportedly declined to comment.
Relationship With Epstein Extensively Documented
Shuliak remained closely connected to Epstein for approximately eight years.
Investigative files reportedly show that he provided substantial financial support, helped her obtain admission to Columbia University’s dental programme and paid expenses associated with her education and lifestyle.
She was also the last person known to have spoken with Epstein before he died in a Manhattan jail in August 2019 while awaiting trial on federal sex-trafficking charges.
Documents connected with Epstein’s estate identified Shuliak as a major intended beneficiary. His plans reportedly included millions of dollars, several properties and a diamond ring described as having been purchased “in contemplation of marriage”.
Shuliak has never been publicly identified by federal authorities as a co-conspirator in Epstein’s sex-trafficking crimes.
She has also not publicly identified herself as one of his victims.
Wider Questions About Immigration and Control
The allegations involving Shuliak form part of a broader congressional investigation into how Epstein allegedly used immigration status, education, employment and financial support to control women within his network.
Committee investigators said they identified 55 passports and identity documents belonging to young women from 16 countries among records provided by Epstein’s estate.
The report concluded that Epstein and his associates helped some women obtain visas or arranged allegedly fraudulent marriages, creating relationships of financial and legal dependence.
The marriage involving Shuliak has not been tested in criminal or immigration proceedings. For now, the conclusion that it was fraudulent remains an allegation drawn from emails, financial documents and the former spouse’s account.
