John Castrucci** ran the day-to-day finances of Jeffrey Epstein's private management firm — and **325 documents** seized by federal investigators show exactly how deep that involvement ran.
Castrucci served as Chief Operating Officer of Elysium Management, LLC, the Park Avenue firm that handled Epstein's tax filings, asset sales, and private aircraft. Emails obtained from the DOJ archive place him in direct contact with Epstein, handling arrangements that went well beyond ordinary bookkeeping.
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The Tax Return Chain
In September 2015, Epstein was traveling in Europe when a set of tax returns needed to reach him. Documents show Castrucci personally coordinated the transfer, writing to Epstein: "Terrific, we may have more to add to the pile. Shall I make arrangements to drop off the additional returns at your house?"
Epstein replied directly from his personal Gmail address — jeevacation@gmail.com — instructing Castrucci to "coordinate with Lesley and Karyna." Those were Lesley Groff, Epstein's executive assistant, and Karyna Shuliak, his personal assistant, who handled the physical delivery.
Document EFTA02072765 shows the back-and-forth included a set of returns routed through Alan Dulgash — a financial adviser in Epstein's inner circle. Castrucci's office at 445 Park Avenue served as the clearinghouse for Epstein's most sensitive financial paperwork.
Leading the Phaidon Asset Sale
By November 2015, Castrucci had taken on a larger role. Ada Clapp, Chief Legal Officer of Elysium Management, wrote in an internal email that "John Castrucci is the lead on the potential Phaidon sale."
Phaidon Press was a high-end arts publisher with equity held through Epstein's network. The sale involved Leon Black — the Apollo Global Management co-founder who would later acknowledge paying Epstein more than $158 million — and required coordination with the Paul Weiss law firm on disclosure requirements.
Document EFTA00710625 shows Castrucci writing to Epstein directly about the equity sale structure, with Brad Wechsler, Elysium's senior financial figure, directing him to "nail down any corp, tax or other filing requirements if Leon were to sell his Phaidon equity." Castrucci responded: "On it."
The Phaidon closing books were delivered to Epstein's Manhattan townhouse at 9 East 71st Street in January 2016.
The Aircraft Restructuring
Of the documents reviewed, perhaps the most revealing concerns Epstein's private aircraft. In November 2015 — seven years after Epstein's 2008 sex-offender conviction — Castrucci emailed Epstein directly about restructuring the plane's ownership.
"We are scheduled to have a call at 1pm today to review proposed action steps towards simplifying the plane structure."
Epstein replied the same morning from jeevacation@gmail.com, proposing that Elysium itself take ownership and revert the aircraft to Part 91 status — private, non-commercial aviation — writing: *"Let's also explore having Elysium own it, back to a part 91."
Document EFTA00835679 captures this exchange. A Part 91 registration would have shifted the plane away from any charter or commercial framework, reducing external reporting requirements on who flew aboard.
IRS Scrutiny and the 2012 Returns
By 2017, Epstein's financial structure was drawing IRS attention. A series of emails show Castrucci included in a team — alongside Brad Wechsler, Richard Joslin, and Barry J. Cohen (Elysium's President and Special Counsel) — discussing a 2012 tax reconciliation inquiry.
Document EFTA01048557 shows Epstein advising his team directly on how to approach an IRS agent: "Don't waste your time before a call with the IRS agent — find out exactly what she wants." The inquiry concerned BRH, an entity linked to the Black family partners, and whether Form 8865 filings for foreign partnerships were sufficient.
Castrucci's name appears throughout the thread, part of the coordinating layer between Epstein and his legal and financial advisers.
325 Documents in the Archive
Federal investigators seized the Elysium Management records as part of the broader Epstein case. The 325 mentions of Castrucci across the DOJ archive reflect years of active involvement in Epstein's most sensitive financial operations — from tax filings to asset dispositions to aircraft ownership.
Castrucci was not charged in connection with the Epstein case. Elysium Management appears to have operated as a legitimate financial firm, though its client list and the nature of Epstein's instructions — coordinated through personal Gmail accounts and handled by a small inner circle — are documented in the seized records.
The documents are now public as part of the DOJ's ongoing disclosure of the Epstein archive.
All individuals mentioned are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law.
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This analysis references publicly released documents from the Epstein case archive. All individuals mentioned are presumed innocent unless convicted in a court of law. Language such as “documents indicate” reflects what appears in source materials, not conclusions of guilt. Readers are encouraged to review the cited source documents directly.