Emails: Ex-Tamarac Mayor Kept in Touch with Childhood Classmate Epstein for Years

Former Tamarac mayor Beth Talabisco maintained years of contact with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein during her time in office, according to recently released documents from the United States Department of Justice (DOJ).

The records show that Talabisco — who returned to public office in 2018 as district director for Broward County commissioner Michael Udine after being twice accused by prosecutors of corruption and suspended from her role as mayor of Tamarac — emailed back and forth with the late disgraced financier and serial sex abuser between 2009 and 2013, well after his 2008 arrest and subsequent sex offender registration. The communications, which have not been previously reported, span several years of her tenure as mayor.

On December 7, 2009, just five months after he was released from county jail after serving less than 13 months under a highly controversial plea deal, Epstein emailed the then-mayor with a question.

“could [you] please tell me if you are from coney Island.”

Two days later, on December 9, she responded enthusiastically.

“YES! …we went to school together, starting in the 1st Grade!”

Epstein replied that evening.

“I thought it might have been the nursery school on 31 st. or kindergarten.”

Years later, on May 12, 2013, Epstein emailed Talabisco again — this time, with a photo. Seconds later, he messaged her again.

“[congratulations] on your acquittal,” Epstein wrote to the then-mayor. (Of note: Talabisco was not acquitted at the time; the case against her was just dropped. She was acquitted years later.)

Talabisco emailed Epstein back on May 13, seemingly in response to the photo he sent.

“Amazing!!! I was just talking about you yesterday!!!!!! My private email is [redacted]. Cell is [redacted]. Home is [redacted]. I believe the picture you sent was our engagement picture in kindergarten or first grade- Mrs. Winters class?? Back in the day……”

That evening, Epstein replied to her.

“From the less than totally pleased look on your face, I guess it was the [engagement]. The first and last one for me,” Epstein wrote.

Hours later, Talabisco responded.

“Would be a hoot to catch up. A phone chat – if you’d like – so call when u can.”

While it’s unclear whether they maintained contact after 2013, DOJ records show that Epstein added new contacts for Talabisco to his MacBook’s address book in August 2014 and as recently as November 2017.

Her name also surfaced in an April 2017 Skype conversation between Epstein and an unidentified person whose name is redacted.

In earlier exchanges, Epstein referenced the film Fatal Attraction, actress Shelley Michelle from Pretty Woman, a “dialect coach,” degree requirements at New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts, and — cryptically — the words “monostat,” “cream,” and “diflucan.” Later in the thread, he appears to reference the former Tamarac mayor. It’s unclear whether the two were on a live Skype call while simultaneously messaging.

“[I’m] here,” the unidentified person wrote to Epstein at 12:04 p.m.

“beth flansbaum,” he replied at 12:28 p.m.

In response to New Times’ emailed questions about her relationship with Epstein — including whether she ever met him in person, whether she was aware of the full scope of the allegations against him at the time of their communications, and whether she regrets maintaining contact — Talabisco sent the following statement:

“The last time that I saw [Epstein] was in kindergarten in New York over 6 decades ago,” Talabisco wrote in an email. “I did not recall the emails you referenced and have no further comment.”

In response to a question about why her name might’ve surfaced in the 2017 Skype conversation, Talabisco wrote in an email to New Times: “I have no idea at all.”

Talabisco served as mayor of Tamarac from 2006 to 2014.

In July 2010, as prosecutors began investigating the then-mayor on corruption allegations, Epstein received an email from someone referred to as “drsa.”

“Check out the following story that just came up on the Sun Sentinel website. Must be in Sunday’s paper. Beth is mentioned,” the person writes, linking to the Sun Sentinel article headlined: “Father-son developers are common thread in Tamarac corruption probes.” The subject of the email reads: “1st Love.”

In 2011, Talabisco was arrested and charged with multiple felonies after prosecutors alleged she secretly accepted assistance in her reelection campaign — including $7,000 for a campaign poll and $19,000 for mailers attacking her political opponents. Then-Gov. Rick Scott suspended her from office in March 2011. In 2012, a circuit court judge dismissed the charges, ruling there was no evidence she received any personal benefit. Talabisco returned to her mayoral role but was suspended again in January 2014 after an appeals court reinstated the case.

In 2015, a jury found her not guilty of corruption. But by then, her mayoral term had expired. Talbisco stepped away from politics before returning to public service in 2018 as director of community outreach for Broward County commissioner Michael Udine, who represents parts of Coral Springs, North Lauderdale, Parkland, Sunrise, and Tamarac.