A retired man has been forced to deny he is Jeffrey Epstein after a video of him driving around Florida went viral.
The American, who has identified himself as ‘Palm Beach Pete’, was filmed driving on a road in Florida by an influencer, who claimed ‘Epstein is alive’ during the clip.
Pete then set up an Instagram social media accounts, under the handle @NotEpstein, and posted a video outlining who he is.
The account has now been removed. However, in a previous post, he’ said: ‘Hey everybody, this is Palm Beach Pete and my video went viral because some dude randomly filmed me while I was driving on I-95, unbeknownst to me. And the next thing I know, I’m a viral sensation.’
Pete said that his life had gotten ‘pretty crazy’ after the video was posted, having gotten tons of comments on his appearance.
A person can then be heard off camera asking: ‘So, you’re not Jeffrey Epstein?’
Pete replied: ‘I’m not Jeffrey Epstein. I’m Palm Beach Pete.’
Celebrity news website TMZ later interviewed him, he said he had gone viral a few times in the past – most notably at a hockey game with his children and when he was featured in the background of reality show The Real Housewives of New York City, where he was spotted greeting Sonja Morgan.
‘Back in the day, when I was living in the city, I went to a couple of parties and Epstein was there,’ he said.
Pete described Epstein as ‘kinda’ creepy, staying to himself and he wasn’t the magnitude that he is or was, he wasn’t a big deal.’
He also stated that he never really met the pedophile financier, nor did he have a conversation with him.
Epstein was ‘mysterious’ according to Pete, who stated what many others have, that ‘people didn’t know where he made his money or what his story was.
While awaiting trial for sex trafficking charges in police custody in New York, Epstein took his own life in 2019.
Following Epstein’s death, conspiracy theories have swirled that he was killed or that he is still alive.
Pete said that while he had never had someone aggressively confront him over in person over Epstein’s convictions and charges, but has received negative comments online.
He added that he is refusing to change his look despite his likeness to the disgraced financier, stating: ‘I’m me, I’m Palm Beach Pete.
‘I’m a regular guy, I’m retired, I’ve lived in the city for a long time. I worked in commercial real estate.
‘I love to play tennis, I’m very social, I’m not going to change.
‘This guy is dead. He was a really bad person. I can hold my head high – I didn’t do anything. I’m just a better looking version than Jeffrey.’
Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@usnewsrank.com.
For more stories like this, check our news page.
Discover more from USNewsRank
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.