An image shared on Facebook and Twitter allegedly shows President Joe Biden and deceased convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein smiling for a picture together.

Screenshot/Twitter

Verdict: False

The image, which is doctored, combines a picture of Biden with a picture of Epstein.

Fact Check:

The federal sex trafficking trail of Ghislaine Maxwell, the ex-girlfriend and confidant of Epstein, began on Monday, The New York Times reported. Epstein, who had ties to politicians and celebrities, died in prison in August 2019 while awaiting his own trial for federal sex trafficking charges, the outlet reported.

In recent days, a picture allegedly showing the president and the disgraced financier together has been circulating widely online. In the image, Biden dons a dark-colored suit and a striped tie, while Epstein wears a white quarter zip. (RELATED: Did Trump And Jeffrey Epstein Pose For A Picture With A Young Ivanka?)

The image, however, is not a genuine picture of the two together. A photo of Biden was digitally combined with a photo of Epstein to make it look like the men posed together.

In the photo featuring Epstein, he actually stands next to a man wearing a brown suit, as seen in a 2019 Vanity Fair article that credits photographer Patrick McMullan with taking it at a 2005 film release. While the photo’s caption in the Vanity Fair article does not name the man next to Epstein, he is identified in an archived version of McMullan’s website as Pepe Fanjul, a Cuban-born sugar baron.

Meanwhile, the image of Biden smiling comes from a separate photo that was published by the Friedlander Group. In the unaltered picture, he stands between two men, neither of whom are Epstein.

Check Your Fact has previously debunked altered images of former President Donald Trump, Vice President Kamala Harris and CNN anchor Don Lemon in which Epstein had been superimposed.