Jeffrey Epstein allegedly arranged a sham same-sex marriage for his Belarusian dentist girlfriend to help her remain in the United States after her student visa expired, according to a trove of emails released by the Department of Justice and reported by The New York Times.
Epstein reportedly facilitated the marriage for Karyna Shuliak, who was the last woman to speak with him before his 2019 suicide, to prevent her deportation. At the time of her application to Columbia University’s prestigious dental program in 2013, Shuliak, now 37, had overstayed the student visa she used to come to the U.S. in 2010.
"I think its [sic] time you found an American girlfriend," Epstein wrote to Shuliak in a March 2013 email, according to The Times. "Same sex marriage will be the fastes [sic] way to green card. By far."
Epstein is reported to have selected a 30-year-old assistant from Minnesota for Shuliak to marry. The two legally married at the Office of the City Clerk in New York on October 9, 2013. Same-sex marriage had been legal in New York City since July 2011.
Shuliak's green card application was processed, and she became a U.S. citizen in May 2018. She and her wife divorced the following year. A report from the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform claimed the spouse was "forced" into the marriage by Epstein and was "shocked to learn after the ceremony that Karyna’s deportation hearing was going to happen just a few days later."
The marriage was described as "illusory," with the committee concluding it was arranged to provide Shuliak a legal basis to continue residing in the United States. However, the committee's report did not recommend any legal challenge to her citizenship.
Shuliak, who graduated from Columbia in 2015, was Epstein's last-known girlfriend. His will, signed two days before his death, reportedly designated her to inherit $100 million, a 32-carat engagement ring, and properties, including his "Pedo Island." Shuliak first met Epstein in New York in 2011 and was among at least 44 beneficiaries he planned to leave an estimated $288 million fortune. Other beneficiaries, including Ghislaine Maxwell and Epstein's brother Mark, were slated to receive $10 million each.
Shuliak has not been accused of any wrongdoing and has not been identified as an Epstein victim. The day before his death, Epstein reportedly told Shuliak that the federal sex crimes he was accused of would take longer to resolve and advised her "to be strong," according to her lawyer.