Former Governor of New York and former New York Attorney General. In September 2006, Epstein made two contributions totaling $50,000 to the Spitzer-Paterson gubernatorial campaign ($33,800 and $16,200). After Epstein's crimes became public, Spitzer returned the donations.
As New York Attorney General (1999-2006), Spitzer's office did not prosecute Epstein despite crimes occurring partly in New York. Spitzer resigned as governor in 2008 over his own unrelated prostitution scandal. Named on the DOJ's February 2026 list of 305 politically exposed persons.