Jeffrey Epstein amassed clout in powerful circles like few have ever done.
The late sex trafficker was successful in cozying up to some of the most powerful people in politics, entertainment, finance and business.
Epstein also wanted into the automotive industry.
A review of the latest email dump in January from the U.S. Department of Justice, under orders to release troves of Epstein’s communications from over the years that it used to investigate him, unveils Epstein’s forays into the automotive industry — particularly with men who held or would hold high-powered positions in the corporations affiliated with Stellantis.
One executive rebuffed him in emails. Epstein discussed contacting another executive but apparently never reached him. A third, a scion of the Fiat-founding Agnelli family and former board member of Maserati and Stellantis’ largest investor, maintained a yearslong friendship with Epstein that came with perks for both of them. That man, Eduardo Teodorani-Fabbri, is no longer affiliated with Fiat.
The files show Epstein got a sweet deal on a Maserati and leveraged his connection to the powerful family as he built his network of influential overseas leaders. And Teodorani-Fabbri — who regularly referred to Epstein as “master” in his written communications — vacationed at his properties and sent messages describing things like a meeting that would be “full of p—y,” and encounters with women, including “Russian spy girls.”
The two future Stellantis leaders, though — John Elkann and Axel Dumas — in the emails either declined Epstein’s overtures or proved impossible for him to reach.
In the emails, some of Epstein’s associates probed him for information about Elkann, the chairman then of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles and eventually Stellantis. Elkann’s family controls a large stake of the automaker via their holding company, Exor (as well as Ferrari, The Economist magazine, Juventus Football Club and more). Dumas, the CEO of French fashion house Hermès, is also director of the board of Exor and was approached several times by Epstein and his assistant.
Dumas has said he politely rebuffed Epstein’s invitations, telling news outlets in February he thought he “was a target,” adding, “I was a young CEO. … He was a financial predator.”
Similarly, in the released emails, Elkann does not appear to have ever communicated with Epstein.
Teodorani-Fabbri, however, maintained a relationship with Epstein while Teodorani-Fabbri was a member of the board of directors of both Exor and Maserati, a brand that is now under the Stellantis portfolio.
Teodorani-Fabbri, who is related to Elkann, held those positions at various points throughout the last 15 years, including stints on the board of Maserati from at least 2011 to 2019. A request for Maserati to disclose his full term of leadership was not returned.
Epstein’s interactions with these rich and powerful executives show instances in which he was unsuccessful in his fervent pursuit of elite company and circles of influence — and the disturbing details of what could happen when he was. The billionaire financier had connections to some of the most powerful people in the world, including Presidents Donald Trump and Bill Clinton, and was a convicted sex offender who allegedly operated a large-scale sex trafficking operation, often preying on young girls.
Epstein died by suicide in 2019, two years before FCA merged with Peugeot to form Stellantis. His efforts to worm his way into the good graces of the men in this article had started years earlier.
‘Master’ and Eduardo
Teodorani-Fabbri’s emails to Epstein ooze fondness and reverence for the man he often referred to in writing as “master.”
Over the years, the emails paint a relationship that began as chummy — with Teodorani-Fabbri sending cases of wine to Epstein and arranging visits through their respective personal assistants — and developed into a friendship where their communications included photos, contacts and crude descriptions of encounters with women.
Teodorani-Fabbri’s name appears over 1,000 times in the files. Communication between the two appears to have begun in 2009, one year after Epstein pleaded guilty to one count of soliciting prostitution and one count of soliciting prostitution from someone under the age of 18 in Florida, becoming a registered sex offender.
According to the BBC, in 2010, Teodorani-Fabbri met with a 26-year-old Russian woman who consulted with Epstein about her travel plans around the globe. Around the same time in which she encountered Teodorani-Fabbri, Epstein also arranged for the woman to meet with Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor (formerly Prince Andrew). Mountbatten-Windsor later was stripped of his royal title, and was arrested this year in Great Britain, where he remains under criminal investigation for his relationship with Epstein.
In a March 2019 message, Teodorani-Fabbri addressed Epstein as “master” and talked about a specific “bambina with another good friend of your choice” and an apparent reference to a party at the Peninsula Hotel in New York City. The term bambina is Italian for a young girl.
Teodorani-Fabbri, who is Italian, sent messages in English that indicated a limited use of the language.
In another instance, he messaged Epstein to tell him about appointments he had in various countries that would feature women, whom he referred to by a crude term for the female anatomy. At times, Teodorani-Fabbri sent images of women, asking whether Epstein remembered them.
Throughout it all, the friendship served to build relationships between powerful people in Europe and the United States.
In 2018, Teodorani-Fabbri eagerly accepted an invitation from Epstein to set up a meeting with Steve Bannon, the high-powered politico and right-wing media personality who briefly served as Trump’s chief strategist in 2017.
“I would like very much to see him,” Teodorani-Fabbri said of Bannon. Bannon, who interviewed Epstein for a planned documentary that has not been published, told the New York Times their relationship was strictly professional.
Epstein discussed Teodorani-Fabbri and his family with politicians across Europe, too.
British politician Peter Mandelson, for example, talked about the Agnelli family with Epstein. Mandelson was a longtime Epstein acquaintance who resigned this year from the British House of Lords before being arrested in connection to his relationship with Epstein.
In a 2010 email, Epstein wrote Mandelson to tell him that Teodorani-Fabbri and Annabelle Nielson, a British socialite, were visiting Epstein’s ranch in New Mexico.
Mandelson wrote back to say he did not recall who Teodorani-Fabbri is, to which Epstein responded: “angnelli, ferrarri fiat etc.”
Mandelson then asked: “Get his views on john elkann and luca di montezemolo, both of whom I have been talking to today.”
Montezemolo was the former chairman of Ferrari, another company under the oversight of Exor. Epstein does not appear to have responded to the message. An effort by the Detroit Free Press to reach Montezemolo was unsuccessful.
Teodorani-Fabbri last served on the board of both Maserati and Giovanni Agnelli BV — the private company that controls Exor — in 2019. He last served on Exor’s board of directors in 2014, according to SEC filings from the Stellantis precursor, FCA. The reason for his departure from Stellantis-affiliated operations is unclear.
A spokesperson for Exor and Elkann declined to comment when contacted by the Free Press.
Teodorani-Fabbri served as a vice president of the Italian Chamber of Commerce and Industry for the United Kingdom. According to United Kingdom public records, Teodorani-Fabbri resigned in February, 10 days after the Department of Justice released the latest batch of Epstein’s records. The same records show Teodorani-Fabbri was a director of Case New Holland Industrial, an agricultural equipment company headquartered in the United Kingdom that is also owned by Exor, until at least 2015. Case New Holland and the Italian Chamber did not respond to requests for comment. Messages left with Teodorani-Fabbri’s personal assistant were not returned.
‘Maserati for Jeffrey Epstein’
When Epstein wanted a new Maserati in 2011, he asked his people to work out a deal with Teodorani-Fabbri, who then sat on the board of directors of Maserati.
Teodorani-Fabbri’s assistant sent a message on Nov. 17, 2011, to Epstein’s assistant under the subject line “Maserati for Jeffrey Epstein.”
“I had a message from Maserati HQ in Modena (Italy) yesterday, stating that this was going to be dealt with by the President’s office,” she said.
In the same time period, Epstein received emails from his pilot, who appears to have been brokering the purchase of a vehicle from Maserati of Manhattan.
Over the next few days, the pilot forwarded emails to Epstein, which had been sent by Michael Bellina, the general manager of Maserati of Manhattan.
Bellina said in the emails that the president of Maserati would be setting the price for Epstein, saying that the largest discount the brand could usually offer on a 2012 model year car — the newest batch of vehicles at the time — was $5,000.
“I have a feeling you are going to get a much larger discount than that,” Bellina wrote, adding that the “president of Maserati is going to give me your price once we pick a car.”
Four days later, Bellina returned with the details of the bargain, according to an email forwarded to Epstein.
“Maserati will sell any in stock car for you at invoice,” Bellina wrote, offering a discount of over $15,000.
Bellina, who is now the general manager at a different Maserati dealership, told the Free Press recently in an email he does not recall the transaction.
“I honestly don’t recall selling a car to Mr. Epstein or doing a deal on his behalf and up until recent news I had no idea who he was,” Bellina said, adding that “there is nothing specific that I remember about a transa(c)tion.”
Bellina said it was not uncommon at the time to dole out referral deals and discounted prices for special clients at Maserati of Manhattan.
“We were never given instructions on pricing but invoice pricing for a referral or previous clients was not uncommon,” Bellina said.
A spokesperson for Stellantis and Maserati declined to comment.
‘Track down Axel Dumas’
Epstein expressed interest in forming a relationship with Exor CEO and Stellantis chairman Elkann in 2015, a couple of years after he first targeted Dumas, a member of Exor’s board of directors.
As chairman of Stellantis, Elkann stepped in to lead a small committee of executives while Stellantis sought a new chief executive after the resignation of former CEO Carlos Tavares in 2024. Elkann is the man credited with appointing legendary CEO of Fiat Sergio Marchionne in 2004.
Elkann currently holds a handful of high-profile positions spanning industries and countries. In addition to his work with Stellantis and Exor, he also sits on the board of directors for the Museum of Modern Art and Meta, the company that owns Facebook. He is also the executive chair of Ferrari.
Elkann’s name first appears in the files in 2010, during Epstein’s communication with Mandelson, when the politician asked Epstein to gather information about the Agnelli heir.
Elkann was mentioned again in another email correspondence and referred to as a “target” five years later.
In a message sent to Epstein dated April 19, 2015, the sender, whose identity is redacted, wrote: “John Elkann – (Name redacted) has heard great things about him from a friend; I know he is Lapo/s brother ..what do you (t)hink?”
The sender appears to be referencing Lapo Elkann, John Elkann’s brother, who also serves in several prominent business roles in Europe.
Epstein responded to the message about John Elkann, saying simply: “great great great.”
The sender responds, “I think he is the new target. How do w= meet him? Not through Edu for sure.”
That email does not use Teodorani-Fabbri’s full name, but he sometimes signed his emails as “Edu.”
Dumas has described himself similarly to reporters as a target of Epstein’s.
In 2013, Epstein told his personal assistant to “Track down Axel Dumas” in Paris.
Those attempts do not seem to have worked, based on the emails. In several instances, Dumas’ personal assistant declines Epstein’s invitations to dinner and meetings.
The files indicate Dumas and Epstein met at least once, though a spokesperson for Dumas told the Free Press in an emailed statement that Dumas did not wish to be associated with him, even back in 2013.
“Mr. Epstein targeted Hermès with a number of requests that the company declined. Axel Dumas had only one, strictly circumstantial contact with Jeffrey Epstein. This took place in March 2013 during a visit to the Hermès workshops in Pantin, Paris. Jeffrey Epstein was not included on the guest list and joined the group mid-visit without prior notice,” Hermès said.
In 2012, a year before Epstein’s meeting with Dumas, Epstein put in a special order with the fashion house to have Hermès design the interior of his private jet. The company refused it.
Later, in 2016, Epstein won an auction to receive an internship with Hermès. The company refused to grant the award and donated the proceeds to CharityBuzz, the company running the auction, Hermès said.
Hermès insisted Epstein and Dumas had no relationship.
“Subsequent requests for meetings were systematically rejected by Mr. Dumas’ office. There were never any business dealings or personal connection between them,” the company said.
For example, Epstein invited Dumas to dinner in Paris with Ehud Barak, the former prime minister of Israel, and Ariane de Rothschild, a high-powered French banker, on Jan. 30, 2014. (Barak earlier this year told journalists in Israel he regretted knowing Epstein. The Edmund de Rothschild Group, of which Ariane de Rothschild is the CEO, in February acknowledged the relationship but said she had no knowledge of his behavior and condemned his crimes.)
At first, Dumas’ assistant wrote, “Mr Axel Dumas will be delighted to meet Mr Epstein and Mrs de Rotschild.”
Three days later, she issued an apology and said Dumas was too busy for dinner, citing a board meeting.
“Mr Dumas really wanted to thank Mr Epstein for this kind invitation,” she said. “Unfortunately, it is a very busy period, and due to a very tight agenda (Mr Dumas will have a board meeting at 06:30 pm), Mr Dumas regrets not to be able to meet Mr Epstein at Ariane de Rothschild’s home.”
Despite the rejection, Dumas’ assistant maintained a cordial tone and left the door open for a meeting.
“Mr Dumas hopes that they shall have the opportunity to speak during the next stay of Mr Epstein in Paris.”
Free Press staff writer Jenna Prestininzi contributed to this report.
Liam Rappleye covers Stellantis and the UAW for the Detroit Free Press. Contact him: LRappleye@freepress.com.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Epstein sought access to Stellantis chairman, other leaders, files show
Reporting by Liam Rappleye, Detroit Free Press / Detroit Free Press
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