Sham Marriages, Student Visas: How Epstein Exploited US Immigration To Control Foreign Women

Last Updated:February 15, 2026, 12:58 IST

A cache of files recently released by the US Department of Justice show how Jeffrey Epstein bypassed federal immigration protocols via financial aid and influential networking

Convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein used a sophisticated network of sham marriages, student visas, and high-profile legal connections to ensure foreign women in his orbit remained under his control within the United States.

According to a cache of files recently released by the US Department of Justice, the documents give a detailed look at Jeffrey Epstein’s pattern of bypassing federal immigration protocols through financial sponsorship and influential networking, effectively keeping these women within his immediate reach.

Central to these revelations is the case of Karyna Shuliak, Epstein’s long-time girlfriend from Belarus. According to an exclusive report in Bloomberg, in early 2013, she was stressed regarding her visa status but her concerns went away after she “married" an American woman named Jennifer later that year.

Bloomberg reported that the so-called marriage – records show a joint bank account and residency at a New York address frequently linked with Epstein’s guests – facilitated Karyna Shuliak’s acquisition of a ‘green card’ in 2015 and US citizenship by 2018. Shortly after, she divorced her spouse. On the day of her naturalisation interview, one of Epstein’s immigration lawyers, Arda Beskardes, joked about throwing a party with “red white and blue balloons" to celebrate her new status.

HOW DID EPSTEIN FACILITATE THIS?

Records show that Epstein’s manipulation of the system often began with educational institutions: case in point, Shuliak’s admission to Columbia University’s dental school as a transfer student from Belarus.

The Bloomberg report said the process involved navigating complex hurdles with Columbia’s international student office. To maintain the legal residency of other associates, Epstein frequently enrolled them in English language courses at midtown Manhattan schools, such as the Spanish American Institute and the now-closed American Language Communication Center. Enrolment allowed the women to obtain the I-20 paperwork necessary for student visas, provided they could demonstrate sufficient funds that were often obtained through Epstein’s direct financial sponsorship.

The report said his efforts to keep women in the US extended to providing educational material in remote locations. Correspondence shows his employees were tasked with purchasing TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) preparation books and mailing them to his private island and his apartment in Paris to ensure the women could prepare for standard entrance exams.

WHAT ABOUT THE IMMIGRATION ROUTE?

When standard visas proved difficult, Epstein reportedly leveraged an elite professional network to navigate federal hurdles. In 2012, seeking to restore Shuliak’s student visa without his own name appearing on the file, he contacted British investor Ian Osborne.

Osborne asked him to involve Greg Craig, a former White House lawyer, who reportedly had connections to “the highest level" of the immigration service, as per Bloomberg. Messages show that Craig’s specialist firm would provide a “heads-up" to Ali Mayorkas, then-head of the US immigration agency but there is no indication that he was ever aware of the outreach.

Beyond student visas, Epstein’s circle frequently exploited the O-1 visa category, reserved for individuals with “extraordinary ability or achievement", the report said. Petitions were filed for different women citing exceptional talents in fashion modelling, art curation, and public relations. To facilitate these entries, he maintained a $1 million credit line for MC2 Model Management, an agency founded by Jean-Luc Brunel.

A former bookkeeper for the agency testified that Epstein funded the visas processed through the firm, it said. Brunel, who died by suicide in 2022, had previously been accused of trafficking young girls to the US for the late financier and his associates.

This is how Epstein ensured that the women remained legally tied to the US and, by extension, to him. One internal message captured the anxiety of this operation, with an associate expressing relief when a woman failed to board a flight, stating that they “felt sick at the thought of her coming back… and something going wrong" with her immigration status.

News india Sham Marriages, Student Visas: How Epstein Exploited US Immigration To Control Foreign Women

Read More