Malakoff, Texas — Some US school districts have dropped plans for class photos after widespread social media posts linked a billionaire with ties to him. Jeffrey Epstein To photography giant Lifetouch, which on Friday called the allegations “completely false.”
The turmoil in school photo plans in Texas and elsewhere began after online posts linked Lifetouch, which photographs millions of students each year, to investment fund management company Apollo Global Management. Apollo’s former CEO is billionaire investor Leon Black, who met regularly with Epstein and was advised by Epstein on financial matters.
Black led the company in 2019, when funds managed by Apollo bought Lifetouch’s parent company, Shutterfly. The $2.7 billion deal closed in September 2019 — a month after Epstein died by suicide behind bars while awaiting trial over allegations by federal prosecutors that he sexually abused and trafficked dozens of girls.
Both Lifetouch and Apollo referenced that timeline in statements on Friday, two days after Lifetouch CEO Ken Murphy said in an Instagram post that neither Black nor any of Apollo’s managers or investors had any access to Lifetouch’s images.
“No Lifetouch executive had any relationship or contact with Epstein and we never shared images of the students with any third party, including Apollo,” Lifetouch said in its statement on Friday. “Apollo and its funds also play no role in the day-to-day operations of Lifetouch and have no access to student images.”
The canceled school photos are another ripple effect in the release of millions of files from the Epstein investigation, including documents showing Epstein’s regular communications with executives, journalists, scientists and prominent politicians long after his 2008 conviction on sex crimes charges.
In the small Texas town of Malakoff, the local school district canceled a day of photo ops for students after several parents told the district they were uncomfortable with Lifetouch photographing their children, spokeswoman Katherine Smith said in an emailed statement Friday. Several other schools and districts in Texas also canceled or changed their plans, as well as a charter school in Arizona, according to Facebook ads posted by the schools.
“We decided that our students and families would be best served by keeping all of our photos in-house for the remainder of this year, as we consider all of our options for the 2026-2027 school year,” Smith said.
Among the parents concerned about Lifetouch is McCallie Gunn, whose children attend schools in Howe, about 60 miles (97 kilometers) north of Dallas. She said she was concerned about how much information Lifetouch collects about students.
“When you ask for pictures, it has their name on it. It has their age, of course. It has their grades, their teachers, what school they go to,” she said.
No evidence that Epstein or anyone in his orbit saw the Lifetouch photos emerged from the news organizations’ review Thousands of documents were released this month By the US Department of Justice, despite the existence of at least 1.7 million records.
The review shows that Black’s name appeared 8,200 times, although that number likely includes some duplicate records. Black stepped down as CEO of Apollo in March 2021, saying he wanted to focus on his family, health and “many other concerns.”
This was two months after a committee of the company’s board of directors was formed Issue a report It concluded that Epstein personally advised Black on estate planning, tax issues, charitable giving, and management of his “family office,” but did not provide any services to Apollo or invest in Apollo funds.
The report also said the review — requested by Black — found “no evidence” that he was involved in Epstein’s alleged criminal activities “in any way” or “at any time.” ___
Hannah reported from Topeka, Kansas. Associated Press writer Jack Dora in Bismarck, North Dakota, also contributed.