A foreign hacker reportedly accessed files connected to the FBI’s investigation of Jeffrey Epstein during a 2023 intrusion at the bureau’s New York Field Office, according to sources familiar with the matter and Justice Department documents reviewed by Reuters.

The FBI described the incident as an “isolated cyber incident” and said it had restricted access to the malicious actor and secured the network. Officials noted the investigation remains ongoing, and no further details could be provided at this time.

The breach appears to have been carried out by a cybercriminal rather than a foreign government, though experts warn that the files’ high intelligence value given Epstein’s ties to prominent figures in politics, finance, academia, and business worldwide. Jon Lindsay, a Georgia Institute of Technology researcher, said, “If foreign intelligence agencies are not thinking seriously about the Epstein files as a target, then I would be shocked.”

Documents indicate the breach occurred after a server at the FBI’s Child Exploitation Forensic Lab in New York was left vulnerable during routine handling of digital evidence. Special Agent Aaron Spivack’s timeline states the intrusion took place on Feb. 12, 2023, and was discovered the following day when a text file indicated the network had been compromised. Investigators found traces of activity on the server, including access to certain files related to the Epstein investigation.

It is unclear which files were accessed, whether any data was downloaded, or the hacker’s identity or country of operation. According to sources, the hacker expressed disgust at finding child abuse material and even threatened to report the server’s owner to the FBI. Bureau officials reportedly persuaded the hacker that they were interacting with law enforcement, including through a video call showing FBI credentials.

Spivack has stated he was being made a “scapegoat” for the breach, blaming conflicting policies and inadequate guidance around IT procedures. The outcome of the FBI’s internal investigation has not been publicly disclosed.

Epstein, a longtime associate of former President Donald Trump, pleaded guilty in 2008 to prostitution charges, including soliciting an underage girl. He was found dead in his jail cell in 2019, a death ruled a suicide, after being arrested again on federal sex trafficking charges.

Many Justice Department documents tied to the Epstein investigation remain heavily redacted or withheld despite a law mandating their release, with officials citing concerns over victim privacy and ongoing investigations.