Federal agents picked up a man out of Manatee County, Florida last Friday. The charge isn’t subtle. He allegedly posted public threats to kill people named on what’s been called the “Epstein client list.” That list, according to the DOJ and FBI, does not officially exist. But the arrest papers treat it as a real point of reference. That’s where the trouble starts.
The defendant is 31-year-old Terrell Bailey-Corsey. The affidavit from the FBI notes Bailey-Corsey tagged Grok, the chatbot system built into X, in several graphic public posts. One message stated he would “KILL EVERYONE ON THE LIST” and described using a machete in plain view. The language wasn’t vague. It was explicit. Grok responded, but the threat stood. Prosecutors say the posts continued for three days.
Court filings mention the “list” multiple times. FBI Agent Justin Tennyson wrote that he believes Bailey-Corsey was referring to a client file linked to Epstein’s past investigations. The same court memo repeats that this list doesn’t exist under federal record. But the DOJ still went forward with the arrest and cited that list as a motive in the criminal case.
There’s more. One of Bailey-Corsey’s posts allegedly threatened three government officials by title. No names revealed. The post included violent detail and expletives in all caps. Officials traced the IP back to Bailey-Corsey’s home. He admitted to making the posts and confirmed he had access to a machete and other weapons. That admission is recorded in a local interview transcript filed with the federal complaint.
The specific charge is transmitting interstate threats. He hasn’t entered a plea. A formal hearing has not been set. The case was filed in the U.S. Middle District of Florida.
On the side, federal memos released earlier this month stated there is no Epstein client list available to the public or in official custody. But in that same memo, the DOJ confirms more than 1,000 individuals were named in victim reports and sealed records. That number contradicts previous estimates from civil suits and state-level statements, including Florida’s own Attorney General who flagged fewer than 300. The gap remains unexplained.
Local voices in Miami and Tampa say the case is drawing quiet attention but no media traction. CourtWatch was first to report the story. State officials declined comment. Press outlets mostly passed. Outside the headlines, the federal charge acknowledges the existence of a motive tied to a denied record. That contradiction is now baked into the legal process.
This isn’t about conspiracy. It’s about what prosecutors are willing to cite and how they justify the arrest. The defendant didn’t mail threats. He posted them publicly and tagged the platform’s own AI. That made it traceable. But if the list doesn’t exist, the question remains why the court filing points to it more than once.
Sources
https://www.politifact.com/article/2025/jul/15/Donald-Trump-Jeffrey-Epstein-files-investigation/
