New York Mets owner Steve Cohen has denied knowing or meeting Jeffrey Epstein despite being pictured in the Department of Justice's files on the late [child predataor]. The Mets Newsletter was first to publish the photo of Cohen, 69, released by the DOJ from the Epstein files on Tuesday, which shows him posing with a redacted person. It has also circulated widely on social media this week.

The billionaire hedge fund manager is wearing a quarter-zip sweater, collared shirt and glasses while smiling alongside the person, who is sporting a black button-down and has their hand resting on his left shoulder. The Epstein Files Transparency Act allows the DOJ to redact faces and names of victims and minors, although some redactions have been unjustified, while there have also been cases of unredacted material that exposed information about victims. The person posing with Cohen has their face covered by a black box. It is currently unclear where or when the photo was taken. 

In a statement provided to Daily Mail, a spokesperson for Point72 - Cohen's hedge fund - insists he never met or spent time with Epstein. 'There was no relationship between Steve and Jeffrey Epstein, they never spent time together, and Steve doesn't recall ever even meeting Epstein,' the statement said. Point 72 is also unable to identify the photo or its validity, the spokesperson added. Daily Mail has also approached the New York Mets for comment. While the files do not show any personal interactions between them, Epstein reportedly mentions Cohen repeatedly in the released documents. The MLB tycoon's name appears in email conversations which suggest he was interested in buying Epstein's New York City townhouse.

A spokesperson for Cohen has denied that he or any representative ever visited or had interest in the property, per Front Office Sports . In the documents released by the DOJ, he was also discussed by Epstein and others in financial conversations and about his insider trading case. However, the disgraced [sexual] trafficker also interacted with a different Steve Cohen who lived in New Rochelle, New York. Cohen has spent six years as owner of the Mets after buying the team for $2.4billion back in 2020, eight years after first acquiring a minority stake. Epstein, who was arrested in 2019 on child [sexual] trafficking charges, died in federal custody in August of that year.