NEW YORK — Long before Peter Attia became a household name in the longevity space, commanding six-figure fees from wealthy clients and millions of social media followers, he was a doctor building a practice. And according to thousands of pages of emails released by the Justice Department, he turned to an unlikely source for help: convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
New details emerging from the Epstein files reveal a relationship far more extensive than Attia has previously acknowledged, including introductions to potential job candidates, housing arrangements, and a steady exchange of medical advice—all years after Epstein’s 2008 conviction for child prostitution required him to register as a sex offender.
The Model Introduction
In April 2017, Attia was hiring for a head of patient experience at his fledgling New York City clinic. The job description, preserved in an archived webpage, prioritized one qualification above all others: “Be. Fucking. Awesome.”
That month, Epstein invited Attia to his Upper East Side mansion, where he introduced him to a foreign-born model who had been scheduled to see Epstein shortly before Attia’s arrival, according to schedules and emails in the DOJ release. Attia later emailed the model a link to the job posting, writing “great to meet you today.”
Days later, the model was invited to join Attia and “several friends” for drinks at the five-star Baccarat Hotel in Midtown Manhattan, alongside “two additional top candidates,” according to an email she forwarded to Epstein.
“I think she will be loyal,” Epstein told Attia in an email about the candidate.
Brittany Henderson, an attorney for the model, confirmed her client is a victim of Epstein’s abuse and declined to comment further.
David Vermillion, a spokesperson for Attia, told POLITICO the model was never offered a position and that “any interaction or introduction that may or may not have occurred” at Epstein’s mansion was not the purpose of Attia’s visit.
A Relationship Under Scrutiny
The meeting adds to a growing portrait of Attia’s engagement with Epstein that spans several years and multiple contexts. Records show Attia asked Epstein for patient referrals in 2015, stayed in an empty Upper East Side apartment Epstein owned in 2016, and discussed the 2017 job opening with him extensively.
Throughout this period, Attia provided Epstein with health advice, blood testing, and gait analysis—services he offered at no charge while seeking to build his practice.
Attia addressed his Epstein connections last month in a 1,000-word statement posted on X, acknowledging he met with Epstein on “approximately seven or eight occasions at his New York City home” to discuss research and meet other scientists, doctors, and business leaders.
“To be clear, I never witnessed illegal behavior and never saw anyone who appeared underage in his presence,” Attia wrote.
Vermillion now says Attia’s initial estimate was based on memory and that records suggest they actually met 11 times over four years. He emphasized that Epstein never invested in Attia’s practice, never referred patients, and never provided any financial support.
‘A Valuable Friend and Resource’
The correspondence reveals a strikingly familiar relationship. In February 2016, Attia told Epstein he would love to add “5 years or more to your life … even if the only reason to do so is to have more sex.” Days later, he asked Epstein: “Have you decided if you’re interested in living longer (solely for the ladies, of course)?”
Epstein responded by calling Attia “a valuable friend and resource” and offering to pay to become a client.
Nearly two years later, in December 2017—after Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell had been publicly accused of running a sex trafficking ring involving underage girls—Attia wrote: “I want to make 2018 the year we get serious about your health. Heart, brain, insulin resistance, body. If for no other reason, at least you can keep up with the 23-year=old [sic] beauties.”
Vermillion said Attia advises all “middle-aged clients — male and female — on lifestyle changes that could improve sexual health” and that Epstein never formally became a patient.
The Visa Question
As Attia considered the model for the patient experience role, his primary concern was her work authorization.
“We’ve got it down to 3 candidates for the role (and she is one of them). My biggest concern is her visa,” he wrote to Epstein on April 24, 2017—the same day the model was scheduled to join Attia and two other candidates at the Baccarat Hotel.
Epstein assured Attia that “O visas” like hers were easily renewed and that she would be “loyal,” but told Attia to make his “own cold decision,” writing, “no favor to me one way or other.”
“Of course, but the fact that you know her says a lot, as I know you demand loyal people in your life. This is huge,” Attia replied. “I’m just nervous the modeling firm says ‘fuck it’ and doesn’t renew her O because they are pissed she stopped working for them.”
Vermillion said multiple candidates were evaluated at the event and a young man was ultimately hired.
Medical Ethics Under Fire
The revelations have sparked renewed scrutiny of doctors who associated with Epstein after his 2008 conviction. Jocalyn Clark, a doctor of public health and international editor for the BMJ medical journal, argued in a recent article that Epstein’s association with prominent physicians helped burnish his reputation, enabling continued abuse.
“With doctors, there is a higher standard of behavior and of judgment because professional requirements mean physicians agree to do no harm,” Clark told POLITICO. “Doctors are given huge responsibility and status in our society for patient care and for guiding what could be life and death decisions.”
She said health leaders named in the Epstein files need to be fully investigated, adding: “All of this undermines trust in the medical profession as a whole.”
The Fallout
Since the files began circulating publicly, Attia has faced significant professional consequences. He resigned from a contributor position at CBS News last month, with a spokesperson saying he did not want to be a “distraction.” He parted ways with protein bar company David and supplement maker AG1, formerly known as Athletic Greens.
Weight-loss startup Virta Health confirmed Attia served as an adviser and said the company has ended its relationship with him. Other companies associated with Attia did not respond to requests for comment.
Vermillion pushed back against what he called a “malicious narrative in desperate search of supporting facts,” stating that POLITICO’s reporting “continues to rest on mischaracterizations contradicted in several instances by the documents you yourself have provided.”
For now, the Epstein files continue to yield new details about the convicted sex offender’s extensive network—and the people who remained in his orbit long after his crimes were a matter of public record.
