Jakub Porzycki/NurPhoto via Getty Images/New York State
The latest batch of the Epstein Files produced a number of new revelations that have also managed to spark some conspiracy theories. That includes an online username that was linked to an active Fortnite account that sparked plenty of chatter online before a spokesperson for the video game provided some clarity.
On January 30th, the Department of Justice released more than three million files linked to its investigation of Jeffrey Epstein, the New York financier and convicted sex offender who amassed a sizeable network of billionaires, politicians, and other influential figures before he committed suicide under suspicious circumstances while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges in 2019.
He has been a lightning rod for conspriacy theorist who have pointed to the contents of the so-called “Epstein Files” that link some of the most powerful people on the planet to a criminal enterprise defined by the heinous crimes he committed before his death, and the United States government has slowly but surely released heavily-redacted selections from the overwhelming amount of evidence it collected while building a case against him.
That includes the trove of documents that the Justice Department released last week, which led to some largely unfounded speculation that Epstein could still be alive and playing video games before Fortnite stepped in to debunk the viral theory.
The active Fortnite account that was supposedly linked to Jeffrey Epstein was ended up being a prank
The latest Epstein Files drop included emails that showed the man at the center of them was more online than you may have assumed; he had an Xbox Live account that was permanently banned for unknown reasons, and his email address was linked to a YouTube profile with the username “littlestjeff1.”
The new batch also included an email between two redacted parties concerning a “$25.95 charge for VBucks on Fortnite.” There was no concrete evidence to suggest Epstein was a gamer who played the popular battle royale title, but some online detectives were understandably surprised to come across a Fortnite account with the name “littlestjeff1” that was active as recently as last year before it was made private this week.
That revelation led to some people concluding Epstein was not, in fact, dead but getting his Fortnite on while hiding out somewhere in Israel.
However, we were treated to a slightly more straightforward explanation courtesy of a Fortnite rep who clarified the name of the account in question was changed to “littlestjeff1” earlier this week—and after that moniker came to light in the Epstein Files.
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. These Fortnite trackers…
— Fortnite Status (@FortniteStatus) February 6, 2026
As a result, it would appear this mystery has been solved.