A photograph of Chechen business person and politician Umar Dzhabrailov has been found among the materials recently published by the US Justice Department in the ongoing case of late American financier Jeffrey Epstein, the Russian Telegram channel BAZA reported.
Epstein was the subject of a federal investigation in the US related to allegations of sexual crimes against minors and the exploitation of girls. Recently, the US government began publishing a large volume of materials from the case under a law adopted by Congress on transparency of the Epstein files.
Dzhabrailov confirmed to journalists that he was acquainted with Epstein but said that he did not communicate with him and did not maintain friendly relations. According to him, the photograph found in the published documents, in which he appears next to Epstein, was allegedly taken in 1990 during karate training sessions, and he cannot recall either the exact origin of the photograph or the place where it was taken.
Dzhabrailov was born in Grozny in 1958 and is known in Russia as a businessperson and political figure, a former representative of Chechnya in the Federation Council of the Russian Federal Assembly, as well as a philanthropist and public figure. In 2000, he ran for president of Russia but received only about 0.1% of the vote.
In 2017, Dzhabrailov was involved in a major scandal when he opened indiscriminate fire with a pistol at the walls and ceiling of a luxury room at the Four Seasons hotel near the Kremlin. The shooting was allegedly prompted by Dzhabrailov’s dissatisfaction with the hotel’s service. The businessman had ordered food to his room, but it was brought on a trolley by a cleaner rather than a waiter, which reportedly angered the millionaire. As a result, he began firing shots at the ceiling, demanding that management be summoned. Dzhabrailov was fined ₽500,000 ($6,300).
The Epstein case materials were partially published by the US Department of Justice on 19 December 2025 in accordance with the requirements of a new law adopted in November this year. The law obliges the government to disclose previously classified or restricted materials related to investigations into Epstein and his network. The publication included tens of thousands of files, including court documents, photographs, flight logs, and contact records, but many documents remained withheld or heavily redacted because, according to the authorities, it is necessary to protect the personal data of victims and ensure compliance with legal procedures.
Among the published materials were both archival photographs and records mentioning high-profile figures and celebrities, including former political leaders and cultural figures, such as former US president Bill Clinton, musician Michael Jackson, Rolling Stones singer Mick Jagger, and singer and actress Diana Ross.
At the same time, the presence of particular individuals in the documents is not evidence of their involvement in Epstein’s crimes. In total, the department released more than 600,000 pages of various documents in the financier’s case.
Epstein was convicted in 2008 on charges related to prostitution and, after a subsequent arrest, was accused of organising a human trafficking network in the US. He later died in a federal prison in 2019 under circumstances officially ruled a suicide.
Elizaveta Chukharova
