Epstein is alive and playing Fortnite from Israel? Here’s the truth

In early February 2026, social media users claimed the federal case files for sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and a specific Fortnite account handle confirmed he played the popular video game both before and long after his death by suicide on Aug. 10, 2019 — implying he wasn’t actually dead. The rumor circulated in the days after the U.S. Department of Justice released a fresh trove of Epstein files.

Users shared the claim on Facebook (archived), Instagram, TikTok (archived) and X (archived). Former Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., reposted one user’s post (archived) laying out the alleged evidence.

The user Greene reposted previously posted (archived) three authentic pieces of data as evidence: 

• An Epstein files email (archived) from May 7, 2019, about someone purchasing $25.95 in the Fortnite currency known as V-Bucks.
• A document (archived) identifying one of Epstein’s YouTube handles as littlestjeff1.
• An active Fortnite player stats page using the handle littlestjeff1, purportedly with Israel displaying as the user’s location. (The account-holder switched the visibility status from public to private on either Feb. 5 or 6, according to archived page captures.)

The user’s post began, “BREAKING – There are reports of Epstein’s Fortnite account active in Israel, the username ‘littlestjeff1’ that is in recently released Epstein Files, where the account bought $25.95 V-Bucks on May 7, 2019. The account is infact linked to Jeffrey Epstein himself through receipts ,in the recently unsealed Epstein files.”

(@Truthpole/X)

In short, this rumor was false.

The official @FortniteStatus X account, responding to another user, posted (archived) on Feb. 6 that a user changed their name to littlestjeff1 after the name surfaced in the Epstein files, saying in part, “Hey Official Fortnite here – this was a ruse by a Fortnite player. A few days ago, an existing Fortnite account owner changed their username from something totally unrelated to littlestjeff1, following the revelation of littlestjeff1 as a name on YouTube.”

The post also said none of Epstein’s email addresses listed in the public-facing case files exist in the game’s account system.

Cat McCormack, a spokesperson for Fortnite developer Epic Games, confirmed via email to Snopes that the player behind the newly changed account name set their account’s status to private and that the company did not make the user’s stats private.

Explaining the $25.95 V-Bucks purchase

The @FortniteStatus statement did not offer an explanation for the Epstein files email (archived) documenting a $25.95 purchase of the Fortnite currency V-Bucks. The email’s recipient and sender both were redacted, with only the trailing line for a lowercase “y” bleeding out of the underside of the black lines. Other emails (archived) in the files confirmed the purchase pertained to a mother and her child, whose names both appeared in the poorly redacted messages. The mother’s name matched the placement of the lowercase “y” in the redacted email.

At least one email showed the mother discussing buying the child a new Xbox gaming system in 2013. Additional emails confirmed her purchase of a new Xbox in 2016 and a parental-monitoring device for the gaming system in 2017. A 2018 email included the child’s unredacted name and a mention of the child playing Fortnite.

At least one email mentioned Epstein either owned or had in his possession an Xbox gaming system in 2014, after Xbox Live notified him by email in December 2013 of his account’s permanent ban due to his status as a registered sex offender.

For further reading, we previously debunked an Epstein files rumor claiming a Wayfair receipt for $8,453 confirmed the company participated in child sex trafficking.