Epstein files: Football, Formula 1 and NFL bosses maintain links after sex conviction

The files show that Crystal Palace investor Josh Harris remained in contact with Epstein via email and phone calls for many years after his conviction, including joining him at a breakfast meeting in 2013, after which he sent an email saying “thank you for inviting me”.

Harris — whose private equity firm Apollo Global Management also owns the Philadelphia 76ers, the NHL team New Jersey Devils, and the NFL team Washington Commanders — also contacted Epstein in 2016, saying he was “happy to catch up” at some point in the future.

A spokesperson for Harris said: “Josh Harris never had an independent relationship with Jeffrey Epstein. Harris sought to block Epstein’s attempts to develop a corporate relationship with Apollo. As these emails indicate, Harris sought to avoid meeting with Epstein, canceled meetings and had others return his calls.”

Emails sent to Epstein also appear to show that he had two meetings with Todd Buhle – co-owner and now Chelsea chairman – in 2011, three years after Epstein’s conviction.

The emails indicate that Epstein wanted to get to know Buhle, who at the time was co-owner of the Los Angeles Dodgers baseball team and a managing partner at global asset management firm Guggenheim Partners.

Neither Buhle nor Chelsea have made a public comment.

Celtic owner Dermot Desmond was mentioned twice in emails sent to Epstein in 2010 on behalf of golf resort developer Gerald J. Barton.

In the letters, one of the people writing on behalf of Barton told Epstein that Irish billionaire Desmond – the owner of the golf resort – was prepared to provide millions of dollars to help finance the development of golf.

BBC Sport has contacted Celtic for a response from Desmond.