Navy Secretary John Phelan Listed on Epstein Flight Manifest

Documents have revealed that Navy Secretary John Phelan was included on a passenger manifest for convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein’s private jet. According to a flight manifest, Phelan traveled from London to New York City on March 3, 2006, aboard Epstein’s aircraft. This information was reported by CNN on March 15, 2024.

Epstein, who was awaiting trial for child sex-trafficking charges at the time, was found dead in his jail cell at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in New York City on August 10, 2019. His death was ruled a suicide by medical examiners.

A close associate of Phelan confirmed to CNN that he was indeed on the flight but maintained that this was the only occasion on which Phelan interacted with Epstein. At that time, Phelan was working in the financial sector and was invited to join the flight by Jimmy Cayne, then CEO of Bear Stearns. The source, whose identity was not disclosed by CNN, stated that Phelan had no prior knowledge that they would be traveling on Epstein’s plane and had no further contact with Epstein thereafter.

The source added that there is no evidence to suggest that Phelan was aware of any illicit activities associated with Epstein or his network during the flight. The flight manifest indicated that Phelan was one of 13 passengers, which included individuals such as Jean-Luc Brunel, a French modeling agent linked to Epstein, who was found dead in his jail cell in 2022 while facing charges of sexual assault and rape of a minor. Brunel’s name appeared to be misspelled as “Jean Luke Brunnel” on the manifest, and six of the thirteen names were redacted.

The flight manifest is part of a larger document release by the House Oversight Committee last year, with the Department of Justice having disclosed 3.5 million documents related to Epstein just last week.

Phelan was appointed as Navy Secretary by former President Donald Trump on November 26, 2024, and he took the oath of office four months later. When approached for comment, the Navy Secretary’s office did not provide a response.

The implications of this revelation raise questions about the connections and interactions that prominent individuals have had with Epstein, a figure whose influence and network have come under intense scrutiny since his criminal activities were exposed.