Emily Smith
Page Six editor at the New York Post who received a detailed email from former MCC inmate Richard C. Curtiss in May 2021 claiming Jeffrey Epstein was murdered inside the Metropolitan Correctional Center. The email — found in the 2026 Epstein Files DOJ release — is followed by 24 fully redacted pages.
| Field | Details |
|---|---|
| Full Name | Emily Smith |
| Born | United Kingdom (year not publicly confirmed) |
| Status | ALIVE |
| Current Location | New York area |
| Category | Journalist / Investigator |
| Role at Time of Email | Editor, Page Six, New York Post |
| Connection | Received firsthand witness account of Epstein's alleged murder at MCC; 24 pages redacted after the email in Epstein Files |
Assessment: JOURNALIST — RECEIVED WITNESS ACCOUNT
Emily Smith was the named recipient of a May 2021 email from Richard C. Curtiss, a former MCC inmate who claimed firsthand knowledge of how Jeffrey Epstein was killed. The email, which surfaced in the 2026 DOJ Epstein Files release, describes disabled cameras, a "goon squad" that recorded killings, and direct death threats Curtiss received inside the facility. Critically, the email is followed by 24 or more fully redacted pages in the DOJ document set — raising questions about what additional information, threats, or evidence those pages contain.
The Email
On May 13, 2021, Richard C. Curtiss sent the following email to Emily Smith at the New York Post. This email was included in the documents released by the DOJ in 2026 under the Epstein Files Transparency Act. The full text of the email as it appears in the files:
To: Emily Smith'
<esmith@nypost.com>, "tips@nypost.com"<tips@nypost.com>Cc: Subject: Jeffrey Epstein & Ghislaine Maxwell: Date: Thu, 13 May 2021 19:39:50 +0000 Inline-Images: image001.png; image002.png; image003.png; image004.png; image005.png; image006.png; image007.png; image008.png; image009.png; image010.png; image011.png; image019.png; image020.png; image028.png; image029.png; image030.png; image031.png; image037.png; image038.png; image043.png; image044.pngDear Editor Smith: Page Six, NY Post
Are you still going to write a story about Jeffrey Epstein's murder inside the Metropolitan Correctional Center (MCC) In New York City, NY and the Ghislaine Maxwell story, who's inside the Metropolitan Detention Center in New York City, NY (MDC) in Brooklyn, NY? I was inside both for reporting the murder of farmers to the White House, the Congress, the US Department of Justice and the New York Attorney Generals.
Could you respond today if you still want me to keep sending you more information from being in Jeffrey Epstein's cell in the SHU or Seclusion at MCC and MDC on why the cameras and backup cameras were turned off by the guards? As I told you, whenever the cameras are turned off by the "GOON SQUAD" to kill someone they always carry camcorders to record everything.
Also is the NY Post covering FBI Director James Comey's, Attorney General Rod Rosenstein's and the US Attorney for the SDNY Geoffrey Berman's firing from the Department of Justice?
Richard C. Curtiss
"Richard, these people will kill you, you don't go into the warden's office, these people will kill you." "They will come into your room at night when you're sleeping and beat you over the head with a fire extinguisher and kill you and then they will throw the fire extinguisher into one of our rooms and blame one of us for killing you." "You don't go into the warden's office."
The email included over 40 inline image attachments. The contents of these images have not been publicly analyzed or discussed by any news outlet.
The 24 Redacted Pages
In the 2026 DOJ document release under the Epstein Files Transparency Act, the pages immediately following Curtiss's email to Emily Smith are entirely redacted — 24 or more pages completely blacked out. No explanation has been provided for why these pages were redacted, what they contain, or under what exemption they were withheld. The redaction of this volume of material following a witness's claims about Epstein's murder has drawn attention from researchers and commentators examining the files.
Background
Emily Smith is a British editor and journalist who served as editor of Page Six — the New York Post's influential gossip and celebrity news section — from approximately 2012 until June 2022, when she became editorial director. Before joining the Post in 2009 as deputy editor, she was the television editor for The Sun in the UK.
With nearly 69 million page views from her personal byline in 2018, she was named the New York Post's highest-rated reporter. She was also a contributor on Page Six TV's two seasons on Fox from 2017 to 2019.
At the time Curtiss emailed her in May 2021, Smith was serving as editor of Page Six. The email's subject line ("Jeffrey Epstein & Ghislaine Maxwell:") and opening line ("Are you still going to write a story...") indicate this was not the first communication between Curtiss and Smith or the NY Post about this topic.
Why This Matters
- Journalist received firsthand witness claims: Curtiss's email to Smith described specific mechanisms of how killings allegedly occurred inside MCC — disabled cameras, a "goon squad," and camcorder recordings.
- "Are you still going to write a story": The phrasing suggests prior communications between Curtiss and the NY Post, meaning the paper had been receiving this information over a period of time.
- No story was published: Despite receiving these claims — which align with documented camera failures and guard misconduct confirmed by the DOJ Inspector General — no story based on Curtiss's account was published by the New York Post.
- 24 fully redacted pages: The complete redaction of 24+ pages following this email in the DOJ files raises the question of what additional information was transmitted, and why the DOJ considered it necessary to withhold it entirely.
- The email contains a death threat: The quote at the end of Curtiss's email describes a specific threat he received — that he would be beaten to death with a fire extinguisher in his sleep and the murder blamed on another inmate.
- Pattern of suppressed reporting: Multiple journalists and investigators connected to the Epstein case have faced obstacles, threats, or death. The fact that this email and its associated pages sat in DOJ files for years before being released — heavily redacted — fits a broader pattern of information suppression around the Epstein case.
The Counterargument
- Emily Smith was primarily a gossip and celebrity news editor, not an investigative crime reporter. It is possible the NY Post did not pursue the story because Page Six was not the appropriate outlet for this type of claim.
- Richard C. Curtiss has a documented history of prolific pro se litigation and communications to government agencies, and some commentators on X have characterized him as "attention-seeking." The Post may have assessed his credibility and declined to publish.
- The 24 redacted pages may contain personal information, ongoing investigation details, or material covered by legitimate law enforcement exemptions — not necessarily evidence of a cover-up.
- No major news outlet published a story based on Curtiss's claims, which could indicate that multiple newsrooms independently assessed the claims as not meeting their editorial standards.
See Also
- Richard C. Curtiss — Former MCC inmate who sent this email; claims firsthand knowledge of Epstein's death
- Jeffrey Epstein — Died at MCC under disputed circumstances
- Ghislaine Maxwell — Held at MDC Brooklyn, referenced in the email
- Jenny Moore — Journalist investigating child trafficking who was found dead in a DC hotel
Other Shocking Stories
- Richard C. Curtiss: Former MCC inmate who described a "goon squad" that recorded killings inside the prison where Epstein died.
- Virginia Giuffre: Top Epstein accuser who posted she was "not suicidal" — then died by reported suicide in 2024.
- Danny Casolaro: Investigating the PROMIS/Maxwell intel operation. Found with wrists slashed in a hotel. Briefcase missing.
- Karen Mulder: Named Epstein's recruiter on French TV. Footage destroyed. Hospitalized for five months — paid for by her accused rapist.
Sources
- Mario Nawfal on X — Former MCC Inmate Emailed NY Post About Epstein's "Murder" and a "Goon Squad"
- Emily Smith (editor) — Wikipedia
- Page Six Gossip Queen Emily Smith Dethroned After Internal Probe — The Daily Beast
- DOJ Epstein Files Transparency Act Disclosures
- DOJ OIG Report on BOP's Custody, Care, and Supervision of Jeffrey Epstein at MCC
- What's Redacted in the New Epstein Files and What Isn't — TIME
This information was built by Grok and Claude AI research.