In testimony before Congress, Bondi implicated the Obama administration for its refusal to address the Epstein sex trafficking scandal.
Widespread concern that school photography company Lifetouch appears in the Department of Justice's files on Jeffrey Epstein have sparked viral social media posts and school districts around the country responding to upset parents. But the company is refuting the claims.
"Lifetouch is not named in the Epstein files. The documents contain no allegations that Lifetouch itself was involved in, or that student photos were used in, any illicit activities," Lifetouch said in a statement on its website and posted on social media Feb. 10.
Still, worries about Lifetouch being named in the Epstein files have spread rampantly on social media.
One content creator posted an Instagram Reel on Feb. 12 warning parents about schools that use the company and advising them to opt out their kids from the photos. It has 39,000 views to date.
On X, in a post with more than 100,000 views as of Feb. 13, a user reiterated the claim that the company is in the files and wrote, "They keep a database of all the digital photos of kids and their personal info."
The discussion appears to stem from the ownership of Lifetouch's parent company, Shutterfly, which is owned by private equity firm Apollo Global Management. Leon Black, the former CEO of Apollo Global Management, is named in the Epstein files.
Is Lifetouch in the Epstein files? Ties to billionaire Leon Black, explained
Lifetouch said it is not named in the Epstein files. The company has emphasized student privacy amid rumors about its ties to the convicted sex offender.
"When Lifetouch photographers take your student's picture, that image is safeguarded for families and schools, only, with no exceptions," Lifetouch said in a statement addressed from current CEO Ken Murphy.
The connection between Lifetouch and the Epstein files ties back to Black, a billionaire and former CEO of Apollo Global Management, which owns Lifetouch's parent company, Shutterfly.
Emails show Epstein's associates arranging meetings between him and Black from 2010 to 2017. Black is also mentioned in an email thread between FBI employees. The email says someone "stated Epstein told her to give Black a massage while Black was naked and that someone stated another female gave Black a massage and he made her perform oral sex." The names of the accuser or accusers are redacted.
Susan Estrich, Black's lawyer, previously denied any wrongdoing in a statement to USA TODAY.
"Mr. Black asked for an independent investigation of his relationship with Epstein. The Dechert law firm investigated and reviewed more than 60,000 documents, interviewed more than 20 people and concluded that Mr. Black paid Epstein for estate planning and tax advice and that he had no awareness of Epstein's criminal activities," the statement said.
Black left Apollo Global Management in March 2021 amid increased scrutiny about his relationship with Epstein, The New York Times reported.
USA TODAY has reached out to Apollo Global Management for comment.
School districts address Lifetouch, Epstein reports
As parents raised concerns about Lifetouch's possible connection to Epstein, several school districts around the country responded to the rumors.
Prescott Valley Charter School in Arizona announced on Feb. 10 that it was canceling upcoming picture days "out of an abundance of caution," citing "recent media coverage and online discussion related to the photography company Lifetouch."
"While we do not have any information indicating a direct impact on our school or our students, our highest responsibility is always the safety, security, and trust of our families," the school said.
In Salinas, California, Mónica Anzo, the superintendent of Alisal Union School District, addressed unfounded rumors that Lifetouch "has shared photos with unauthorized third parties without consent, for nefarious purposes" in a letter to parents on Feb. 11.
"The safety and security of our children is the District's most important concern, and we want to reassure you we verify our third party vendors adhere to the same safety standards," said Anzo, who also shared a copy of Lifetouch's statement.
Anna M. Cutaia, the superintendent of Milford Public Schools in Milford, Connecticut, also issued a letter sharing Lifetouch's statement.
"We are writing to address recent media reports regarding the release of the Epstein investigation files and separate allegations involving the leadership of Lifetouch, a photography company commonly used for school pictures," Cutaia said. "We understand these headlines are concerning and want to provide clarity for our families."
What is Lifetouch?
Lifetouch is an 80-year-old photography company headquartered out of Eden Prairie, Minnesota, its website says. The company is well-known for its footprint across the country in capturing school photos from preschool through high school, as well as for other school-related activities.
According to the company's timeline history, Shutterfly purchased Lifetouch in 2018.
In the statement addressing student privacy, Lifetouch wrote:
- Lifetouch images are shared only for the purposes of school records and to allow parents or guardians to purchase them. Additionally, as part of our decades long relationship with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, Lifetouch prints SmileSafe cards free of charge for each student we photograph that families can use with law enforcement if a child goes missing.
- Lifetouch follows all applicable federal, state, and local data privacy laws, including the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA). In fact, Lifetouch was the first school photography company to sign a voluntary and enforceable privacy pledge -- reaffirming our deep commitment to protecting school communities.
- Lifetouch never shares, sells, or licenses student images to train AI models, including large language models, or facial recognition technology. Lifetouch has never provided images for such purposes to any other third party.
- Funds managed by subsidiaries of Apollo Global Management are investors in Shutterfly, the parent company of Lifetouch. Neither Apollo nor its funds are involved in the day-to-day operations of Lifetouch and therefore no one employed by Apollo has ever had access to any student images.
- Lifetouch is not named in the Epstein files. The documents contain no allegations that Lifetouch itself was involved in, or that student photos were used in, any illicit activities.
Contributing: Erin Mansfield, Kathryn Palmer and Jayme Fraser, USA TODAY
Melina Khan is a national trending reporter for USA TODAY.