Some US schools cancel class pictures after online claims surrounding Epstein

MALAKOFF, Texas — Some school districts in the U.S. dropped plans for class pictures after widespread social media posts linked a billionaire with ties to Jeffrey Epstein to the photography giant Lifetouch, which on Friday called the claims ''completely false.''

The disruption to school picture plans in Texas and elsewhere began after online posts linked Lifetouch, which photographs millions of students each year, to the investment fund manager 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's death by suicide behind bars as he awaited trial over allegations from federal prosecutors that he sexually abused and trafficked dozens of girls.

Both Lifetouch and Apollo noted that timeline in statements Friday, two days after Lifetouch CEO Ken Murphy said in an Instagram post that neither Black nor any of Apollo's directors or investors ever had any access to Lifetouch photos.

''No Lifetouch executives have ever had any relationship or contact with Epstein and we have never shared student images with any third party, including Apollo,'' Lifetouch said in its statement Friday. ''Apollo and its funds also have no role in Lifetouch's daily operations and have no access to student images.''

The canceled school pictures are another ripple effect over the release of millions of files from the Epstein investigation, including documents showing Epstein's regular contacts with CEOs, journalists, scientists and prominent politicians long after a 2008 conviction on sex crimes charges.

In the small Texas town of Malakoff, the local school district canceled a student picture day after several parents told the district they weren't comfortable with Lifetouch photographing their children, spokesperson Katherine Smith said in a statement e-mailed Friday. Several other schools and districts in Texas also canceled or changed plans, as well as a charter school in Arizona, according to Facebook announcements posted by the schools.

Parents concerned about Lifetouch included MaKallie Gann, whose children attend schools in Howe, about 60 miles (97 kilometers) north of Dallas. She said she was worried about how much information Lifetouch collects on students.

''Whenever you order the pictures, it has their name. It has the age, of course. It has their grade, their teacher, the school that they're in,'' she said.

No evidence of Epstein or anyone in his orbit seeing Lifetouch photos has emerged from news organizations' review of thousands of documents released this month by the U.S. Department of Justice, though there are at least 1.7 million records.

The review shows Black's name appeared 8,200 times, though that figure likely includes some duplicate records. Black stepped down as Apollo's CEO in March 2021, saying he wanted to focus on his family, health, and "many other interests.''

That was two months after a committee of the company's board issued a report concluding that Epstein had advised Black personally on estate planning, tax issues, charitable giving and running his ''family office,'' but provided no services to Apollo or invested in no Apollo funds.