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Pacific Premier Group, a Portland-based psychiatry and coaching practice run by Dr. Paul Conti, received tens of thousands of dollars from Jeffrey Epstein between late 2015 and 2017, according to financial records released by the U.S. Department of Justice.
The records are included in a trove of millions of documents the feds released in recent weeks at the demand of Congressional lawmakers, airing numerous links—sordid, weird and mundane—between powerful people and the notorious sex offender.
Much of the scrutiny on the matter concerns what people knew about Epstein and when. He was convicted in 2008 of sex crimes with a minor, a matter that was then covered in The New York Times. He was later charged in 2019 with having sexually abused “dozens” of underage girls between 2002 and 2005. Epstein died soon after in a New York City jail.
As WW first reported, email records indicate that Conti, a prominent Portland-based psychiatrist, socialized with Epstein in late 2015 and corresponded with him through at least 2017. “Its no surprise that you are a fascinating guy to talk to,” Conti wrote in one early message, dated Oct. 20, 2015. “If you are interested in meeting again under whatever circumstances you might prefer, please let me know!”
Over this and other emails around that time, the two discussed whether Conti might treat a female friend of Epstein’s. Financial statements in the DOJ files indicate Epstein paid for many things for this friend, including museums, flowers, university tuition, and Netflix. One of the more significant expenses, financial records suggest, was billing from Conti’s Portland-based Pacific Premier Group.
For example, a statement from Epstein’s American Express Centurion card shows a Nov. 11, 2015 payment for $4,050 to “PACIFIC PREMIER GROUP, PC” in “Portland, OR.” The statement lists another $1,000 payment sent a week later, and another $1,200 soon after.
In prior weeks, Conti and the woman had both told Epstein about their initial sessions, emails show. Conti told Epstein his rates: ”$1,500 for 90 minutes during intake, and $800 per hour thereafter.” At one point, an email shows, the woman discussed with Epstein whether her school insurance could offset some of the costs of seeing Conti, though it is unclear how much, if at all, insurance ultimately funded the therapy sessions.
In any event, Epstein’s own financial statements show he was paying Pacific Premier Group through at least June 2017. A WW review of Epstein’s financial statements found that, in more than 20 distinct payments, Epstein had sent Pacific Premier Group more than $30,000 by that point.
It is unclear if the financial statements WW reviewed include all of Epstein’s payments to Pacific Premier Group. Conti did not respond to a phone call, texts, or emailed questions on this and other matters.
But the records shed new light on the extent to which Conti may have benefited from his relationship with Epstein.
In an earlier statement to WW, Conti said he’d “met a woman in high levels of distress through Mr. Epstein,” and that he treated her pro bono across the years after Epstein stopped paying for her care.
Conti has prominent connections outside Portland. In recent years he has appeared on Andrew Huberman’s popular show to discuss mental health. Conti has notable local ties too. In 2009, he co-founded the Beaverton treatment center HealthWorks NW with Dr. Andy Mendenhall, who is now the CEO of Central City Concern and is himself listed as a provider on the Pacific Premier Group website.
In an interview with WW, Mendenhall described Conti as an outstanding psychiatrist, and said that Conti’s ties to Epstein were news to him. Mendenhall said Pacific Premier Group does good work, though he now himself puts in only a few hours of clinical time there per year, caring for a small number of longtime patients.
Conti said in his earlier email to WW that he continues to be the doctor of the woman he met through Epstein. “I ask that her privacy be respected,” he wrote. “I would have welcomed the opportunity to be helpful to others as well.”
The DOJ documents include various correspondences in which the woman told Epstein her treatment with Conti is proving helpful. In other emails, Conti told Epstein in general terms about the woman’s progress in therapy.
Conti seems to have shown support for at least one person’s relationship with Epstein. According to a copy of a March 2016 email, a sender—whose name is redacted—told Epstein of a recent conversation with Conti.
“Conti said that the fact that Jeffrey can have anyone around him and that he chooses me speaks volumes to his character,” the sender wrote, adding some smiley emojis.
The sender adds, “(I thought it was [t]he other way around) ( we are lucky to have each other).”
