The Jeffrey Epstein-Ghislaine Maxwell Lawyer Overlap: Who Is Bobbi Sternheim, the Attorney Tied to Both?

When Jeffrey Epstein died in a Manhattan jail cell in August 2019, the questions didn't end with his death. Now that the US Department of Justice has been releasing Epstein-related documents consecutively, many wild theories about him still being alive have also gotten attention.

However, one detail, distinct from these theories, that has been largely overlooked is that the same defence attorney appeared in cases related to both Epstein's final days and the trial of his longtime associate, Ghislaine Maxwell.

Who is this veteran lawyer, and how is she connected to both?

How the Overlap Happened

The connection centres on two separate representations. In August 2019, the veteran lawyer Bobbi C. Sternheim was appointed by a federal judge to represent Nicholas Tartaglione, Epstein's former cellmate at the Metropolitan Correctional Centre in New York.

Just over a year later, she became lead defence counsel for Ghislaine Maxwell, who would go on to face trial for sex trafficking and related charges. The overlap was first noted publicly in a 2021 New Republic report and later discussed on The Hill's 'Rising' program, where journalists cited federal court dockets confirming Sternheim's role in both cases.

Importantly, the appointments were not simultaneous in purpose or scope, and there is no evidence suggesting coordination between the two matters.

When she was confronted about representing Tartaglione, Sternheim said, 'I am a special attorney in the case,' adding that the court assigned her to him.

Who Is Bobbi Sternheim?

Bobbi Sternheim is a New York–based criminal defence attorney with more than four decades of experience handling complex federal cases. According to her professional biography and court records, she has represented defendants charged with terrorism, racketeering, organised crime, and death-eligible offences.

She earned her law degree from Cardozo School of Law and holds advanced degrees in forensic psychology and trial advocacy.

Sternheim is widely recognised within the legal profession as she holds the highest peer-review rating from Martindale-Hubbell, is a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers, and has served in leadership roles within New York's criminal defence bar.

Federal courts frequently appoint her under the Criminal Justice Act (CJA), a program that provides experienced counsel to defendants who cannot retain private attorneys in serious cases. In 2024, according to reports, Diddy hired her to defend him in the federal lawsuit from a woman who says he raped her in 2003 when she was 17.

Representing Epstein's Former Cellmate

Nicholas Tartaglione, a former police officer, shared a jail unit with Epstein for several weeks in the summer of 2019. After Epstein was found injured in his cell on 23 July, investigators initially looked into Tartaglione, but he was later cleared of any involvement.

Following Epstein's death on 10 August 2019, Sternheim was appointed to Tartaglione's case for a Curcio hearing, a confidential legal process used to examine potential conflicts of interest among defence lawyers.

Court records show she was appointed on 21 August 2019, and remained listed as counsel as Tartaglione's unrelated murder case proceeded. Tartaglione was ultimately convicted in 2024 on four counts of murder and sentenced to life in prison. He was not present at the time of Epstein's death and was never charged in connection with it

Taking on Ghislaine Maxwell's Defence

In October 2020, Sternheim joined Ghislaine Maxwell's legal team and later served as lead trial attorney during Maxwell's 2021 federal trial in New York.

During opening statements, Sternheim argued that Maxwell was being used as a stand-in for Epstein, who could no longer face justice himself. After Maxwell's conviction on five counts, Sternheim publicly vowed to appeal, filing motions related to juror disclosures and challenging the verdict.

According to reports, she also handled post-trial matters, including disputes over Maxwell's detention conditions and health concerns, often speaking to the press on her client's behalf.

Furthermore, the shared presence of Bobbi Sternheim in cases connected to Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell has drawn attention largely because of the gravity surrounding those names.

On paper, there is no evidence suggesting that the overlap signals anything beyond that, but the angle has been a point of interest for many conspiracy theorists and remains so since Maxwell's case is active again.