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In August 2018, Miami billionaire and Starwood Capital Group CEO Barry Sternlicht attended a dinner with Jeffrey Epstein, Woody Allen, Soon-Yi Previn, and former Obama White House counsel Kathryn Ruemmler. The gathering was scheduled a decade after Epstein’s guilty plea for soliciting prostitution from a minor and registration as a sex offender.
Emails released by the U.S. Department of Justice show that Epstein invited Sternlicht to his Manhattan townhouse on two occasions, including the 2018 dinner with his close associates. (Any spelling or grammatical errors originated in the emails.)
On August 8, 2018, Epstein’s assistant Lesley Groff wrote in an email, “Good Morning Mr. Sternlicht. Reconfirming you will come see Jeffrey this evening for dinner at 7:30 p.m., Jeffrey’s home address is: 9 East 71st Street between 5th and Madison. Woody Allen, Soon Yi and Kathy Ruemmler will also be joining the dinner. Thank you, Lesley Assistant to Jeffrey Epstein.” Groff and Epstein’s girlfriend, Karyna Shuliak, also exchanged emails about the dinner.
In a text exchange about the scheduled dinner, Allen asked Epstein, “Who are these people?” To which Epstein responded, “Kathy former White House counsel, you met before. Barry. Owns Starwood hotels.”
A spokesperson for Sternlicht confirmed that he attended the dinner.
“This was the third attempt that Epstein made to invite Barry to a dinner.” Barry attended at the urging of Peter Attia,” the spokesperson said in a phone call with New Times. “Barry was interested in meeting Woody Allen and Kathy Ruemmler. Barry wanted to meet Woody Allen and was comforted that a respected counsel, Kathy Ruemmler, would be at the small dinner. Barry left early before dessert and never saw or spoke to Epstein again.”
Epstein first asked for an introduction to Sternlicht in 2010. He wrote to billionaire real estate developer Andrew Farkas, who said he would be happy to make the introduction: “I will be in New York, thurs and fri. . are you around.? I would like to meet Sternlicht. sometime.”
A year later, Epstein wrote to Groff, “Ask Andrew if barry sternlicht and he are available that week,, let’s plan a Harvard trip for sunday the 6th. george church rosovsky, novak,minsky,,sussman.”
In a 2013 email, Epstein told Farkas that he met Sternlicht. Sternlicht’s spokesperson denied that the two met in 2013, though he didn’t clarify further.
“Met Sternlicht, not a nice word to say about anyone,” Epstein wrote in the email.
Farkas replied, “That’s just Barry. It’s difficult to be his friend.”
A month before the 2018 dinner, Groff contacted Sternlicht to ask if he would visit Epstein at his New York City residence. Epstein had requested that one of his assistants arrange a meeting with Sternlicht “for wed afternoon or thurs after his board meeting.”
“Good Morning,, circling back to see if Mr. Sternlicht would be available to meet with Jeffrey Epstein tomorrow, Wed. July 11th, in the afternoon sometime or after his board meeting on Thursday, July 12th. Please do let me know!,” an Epstein assistant, whose name was redacted, wrote in an email to Sternlicht. “Jeffrey’s home address is 9 East 71st Street Between 5th and Madison. Thank you and look forward to hearing back.”
Apparently, Sternlicht did not respond to the emails.
“Just FYI, Barry Sternlicht never responded to my 2 emails (one yesterday and one today) re: could he come see you either tomorrow (Wed. afternoon or after his board meeting on Thursday….,” an email sent to Epstein reads.
Sternlicht was later listed as “TBD” on Epstein’s list of meetings in New York City on July 12, 2018. Sternlicht’s spokesperson said that meeting never happened.
“Barry did not meet Epstein in July 2018,” the spokesperson added. “Barry never reached out to Epstein to meet with him. The July 2018 invite from Epstein was one of Epstein’s first invitations to Barry. Epstein was told to reach out by Peter Attia who Barry had met with once or twice. Peter Attia wanted Barry to meet Epstein. Barry left working with Peter Attia shortly after meeting in Epstein in August of 2018.”
In June 2018, Attia, an MD who specializes in longevity, wrote to Epstein, asking if he could introduce him to a patient who “needs a coach on what to do when you’re too rich.” Epstein replied, “Yes, name?” Attia responded, “Barry Sternlicht.” Epstein followed up asking, “What would like me to discuss with him what have you told him?”
Sternlicht’s private investment firm, Starwood Capital Group, which manages more than $125 billion in assets, relocated its headquarters from Greenwich, Connecticut to Miami Beach in 2018. The 65-year-old billionaire and Miami Beach resident owns a 14,000-square-foot waterfront mansion on North Bay Road.
From 1995 to 2005, Sternlicht served as chairman and CEO of Starwood Hotels and Resorts Worldwide, which created W Hotels, acquired the Sheraton and Westin Hotels, and expanded the St. Regis hotel brand. Marriott acquired Starwood Hotels and Resorts Worldwide in 2016 for $13 billion.
He now serves as chairman of Starwood Hotels, formerly known as SH Hotels & Resorts. The company, which rebranded under the Starwood name last year, owns and operates 1 Hotels, Bacarrat Hotels, and Treehouse Hotels.
