In the thread Zorro Ranch Operations
The SpaceX Lunch
On February 25, 2013, Jeffrey Epstein met Elon Musk for lunch at SpaceX headquarters. Epstein's executive assistant had told the SpaceX team that Epstein would arrive with three non-US-citizen "assistants": two Russian and one South African. Passport clearance was coordinated four days in advance.

- Documents
- 2
- documents
- Citations
- 14
- citations
- People
- 2
- people
- Pages of record
- 5
- pages of record
- Reading time
- 4
- minutes to read
- Source discipline
12 primary, 2 corroborating, 0 tertiary. 14 citations in all.
- T1 Primary
- T2 Corroborating
- T3 Tertiary
- Anchor documents
- People in this piece
- Jeffrey Edward Epstein, Principal, Deceased
- Lesley Groff, Enabler, Immunity recipient
- Reading key
- Miami HeraldSource 14reportingSarah KellenResearch Vault referenceEditorial essayargumentargument or opinion
The invitation started with a ranch visit. On February 21, 2013, Jeffrey Epstein's executive assistant Lesley Groff emailed Mary Beth Brown, a senior staffer at SpaceX, with an invitation on Epstein's behalf:
"Hello Mary Beth...Jeffrey wanted to extend an invitation to Elon to visit him at his ranch this Sat. Feb. 23rd or Sun. Feb. 24th...his ranch is in Sante Fe, New Mexico... Otherwise, he says he will meet him at 1pm for lunch at Space X!" EFTA00395118EE, EFTA00395118 on Epstein Exposed, an alternative host for the same document
Brown replied a few hours later. Musk had LA commitments over that weekend. The Zorro Ranch offer was declined. The SpaceX lunch was confirmed for Monday February 25, 2013 at 1:00 p.m.
The Passport Scans
On February 22, Brown wrote to Groff with the visitor check-in protocol. For US citizens, a government-issued photo ID was sufficient. For non-citizens, the process was different.
Groff's reply is the passage this article turns on:
"Thank you for the specifics below. Jeffrey is a US citizen but he will have assistants with him who are not (2 Russian and 1 South African). They all have passports and proper paper work. I'm pretty sure he will bring them all with him. Will this be ok?" EFTA00395118EE, EFTA00395118 on Epstein Exposed, an alternative host for the same document
Brown's answer: "Yes, I need a scan of everyone's passport asap for security clearance and original passports must be brought onsite for check in."
The record shows Epstein walking into SpaceX on February 25, 2013 with three accompanying personnel, each a non-US citizen whose passports had been scanned for SpaceX security clearance four days in advance. Two Russian. One South African. 4 years and 7 months after Epstein pleaded guilty in Florida to procurement of a minor for prostitution and completed a 13-month work-release sentence under the Non-Prosecution Agreement.
A Fourth Name in the Thread
A fourth person, not counted in the "2 Russian and 1 South African" group, identified themselves separately inside the thread. They wrote to Brown:
"Mary Beth just to let you know my citizenship and the passport I hold my visas in is actual British. Do you need the names of anyone who may accompany Jeffrey? I will be with him on the trip so please contact me at any time if you need any further information." EFTA00395118EE, EFTA00395118 on Epstein Exposed, an alternative host for the same document
The British-passport-holder's name is redacted in the indexed version. Groff's earlier note had described Epstein's party as Epstein plus 3 non-US-citizen "assistants." This fourth person was separately on the trip. Whether they were a fourth "assistant," a staff member traveling with Epstein, or something else is not resolved by the document.
What the Record Does Not Show
Who the three non-US-citizen "assistants" were. Whether they entered the SpaceX building on February 25. What business, if any, they had at the lunch. Whether Musk was aware of their citizenship status before Epstein arrived. Whether the SpaceX security check-in records of February 25, 2013 still exist. None of those questions is answered by the verified primary source.
Several Items Remain Open
The names on the passport scans, if SpaceX preserved them. Any additional Epstein-Musk correspondence in the EFTA corpus across 2013 to 2019. Whether the Zorro Ranch visit Groff initially proposed for February 23 or 24 was ever rescheduled. A complete retrieval is the next step.
Documentary artifact
The 4-day clearance, interactive
4 events.
From invitation to walk-in
The advance coordination between Epstein’s executive assistant and SpaceX. Passports scanned four days before Epstein walked through the door.
“Hello Mary Beth…Jeffrey wanted to extend an invitation to Elon to visit him at his ranch this Sat. Feb. 23rd or Sun. Feb. 24th…his ranch is in Sante Fe, New Mexico… Otherwise, he says he will meet him at 1pm for lunch at Space X!” Brown replies within hours. Musk has LA commitments that weekend. The ranch offer is declined. Monday lunch confirmed for 1:00 PM.
Source, tier 1.EFTA00395118, at justice.govEE, EFTA00395118 on Epstein Exposed, an alternative host for the same document
Brown walks Groff through the visitor check-in protocol. US citizens need a government photo ID. Non-citizens need advance passport scans and on-site original passports for check-in.
Groff confirms the composition of Epstein’s party: two Russian citizens, one South African, all with passports and “proper paper work.” Brown: “Yes, I need a scan of everyone's passport asap for security clearance and original passports must be brought onsite for check in.”
Source, tier 1.EFTA00395118, at justice.govEE, EFTA00395118 on Epstein Exposed, an alternative host for the same document
The fourth party to the thread is a separate accompanying person. Their identity is part of the record; the article lands on what the record does and does not establish about who was at the lunch.
Source, tier 1.EFTA02146170, at justice.govEE, EFTA02146170 on Epstein Exposed, an alternative host for the same document
4 years and 7 months after Epstein pleaded guilty in Florida to procurement of a minor for prostitution, and finished a 13-month work-release sentence under the Non-Prosecution Agreement, he walks into SpaceX for lunch with the then-future CEO of Tesla and a three-person entourage whose passports had been cleared through the SpaceX visitor system in advance.
Source, tier 1.EFTA00395118, at justice.govEE, EFTA00395118 on Epstein Exposed, an alternative host for the same document