Newly released Department of Justice files reveal that Jeffrey Epstein, the late convicted sex offender, banked his sperm years before his 2019 death.

Epstein deposited his sperm with California Cryobank before October 2012 and renewed the contract in May 2016, ensuring the samples would remain under the control of his estate or a legal representative after his death.

The current location of the samples is unknown, and the company that acquired the bank in 2021 stated it does not currently store any of Epstein's samples.

Reports suggest Epstein aimed to spread his DNA widely, particularly through women at his New Mexico ranch, and medical records indicate he was treated for low testosterone and prescribed fertility-enhancing drugs.Legal experts note that jurisdiction over the samples may fall under U.S.Virgin Islands law, but Epstein's trust documents do not mention the sperm, leaving its legal fate unclear.Bioethicists are debating whether sperm banks should have accepted samples from a convicted sex offender in the first place.Epstein died by suicide in a Manhattan jail in 2019 while awaiting trial for federal sex-trafficking charges.These revelations raise new ethical, legal, and public safety concerns surrounding his posthumous genetic legacy.