Several U.S. school districts have scrapped class photo plans following widespread social media posts connecting a billionaire with ties to Jeffrey Epstein to photography giant Lifetouch—an accusation the company labeled “completely false” on Friday.
Disruptions to school picture schedules in Texas and other states started after online posts tied Lifetouch—which captures photos of millions of students annually—to investment firm Apollo. Apollo’s former chief executive is billionaire Leon Black, who had regular meetings with Epstein and received financial guidance from him.
Black was leading Apollo in 2019 when funds managed by the firm acquired Shutterfly, Lifetouch’s parent company, in a $2.7 billion deal that closed in September 2019—one month after Epstein died by suicide in prison while awaiting trial on federal charges of sexually abusing and trafficking dozens of underage girls.
Both Lifetouch and Apollo referenced this timeline in statements issued Friday—two days after Lifetouch CEO Ken Murphy shared in a post that neither Black nor any Apollo directors or investors had ever accessed Lifetouch’s student 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 Friday statement. “Apollo and its funds also play no role in Lifetouch’s day-to-day operations and have no access to student photos.”
The canceled school picture days are the latest ripple effect from the release of millions of documents tied to the Epstein investigation—including records showing Epstein maintained regular contacts with CEOs, journalists, scientists, and prominent politicians well after his 2008 conviction on sex crimes charges.
In Malakoff, a small Texas town, the local school district canceled a student picture day after multiple parents expressed discomfort with Lifetouch photographing their children, spokesperson Katherine Smith said in an email statement Friday. Several other Texas schools and districts, plus a charter school in Arizona, also canceled or adjusted their plans, according to Facebook announcements from the institutions.
“We determined that keeping all our picture days in-house for the remainder of this year would best serve our students and families, and we are evaluating all options for the 2026-2027 school year,” Smith stated.
Among parents concerned about Lifetouch is MaKallie Gann, whose children attend schools in Howe—about 60 miles (97 kilometers) north of Dallas. She expressed worry over the amount of student information Lifetouch collects.
“When you order the pictures, it includes their name, age (of course), grade, teacher, and the school they attend,” she explained.
News organizations’ review of U.S. Department of Justice records related to Epstein has not uncovered any evidence that Epstein or anyone in his orbit viewed Lifetouch photos—despite there being at least 1.7 million records in total.
The review indicates Black’s name appeared 8,200 times, though this number likely includes duplicate entries. Black stepped down as Apollo’s CEO in March 2021, citing a desire to focus on his family, health, and “many other interests.”
This resignation came two months after a committee of Apollo’s board released a report concluding that Epstein had provided personal advice to Black on estate planning, tax matters, charitable giving, and managing his “family office”—but did not offer any services to Apollo nor invest in any Apollo funds.
The report also noted that the review—requested by Black himself—found “no evidence” that he was involved in Epstein’s alleged criminal activities “in any way” or “at any time.”
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Hanna contributed reporting from Topeka, Kansas. Associated Press writer Jack Dura also contributed from Bismarck, North Dakota.