Peter Simel, known online as Palm Beach Pete, says he has returned from Israel after undergoing a DNA test intended to address speculation about his resemblance to Jeffrey Epstein. He insists Florida has no jurisdiction over the test, adding that the state 'can't manipulate the results'.

While Simel's social media post did not disclose the results, he said that the state cannot 'silence me this time'.

Letter Sparks Fight Over Testing

Simel posted a letter purporting to be from the Florida Division of Elections and advising him to withdraw from the Palm Beach mayoral race. The division told The Washington Times that the letter was not authentic.

The purported letter claimed that the state would take over further analysis rather than rely on independent laboratory results.

It added that the process may require 'additional DNA collection'. The findings, it said, 'call into question key aspects of your campaign' and directly affect the integrity of the electoral process.

Simel said he would not suspend his campaign and would involve his lawyers. 'I'll make the best mayor Palm Beach ever had,' he added, vowing to fight 'tooth and nail'.

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A Pledge To Prove Identity

Simel pledged in May to take a DNA test to prove he is not the late financier and convicted sex offender. He made the pledge two weeks before announcing his plans to run, insisting he had 'nothing to hide'.

Epstein was found dead in his Manhattan jail cell in August 2019 while awaiting trial. An official autopsy determined that he took his own life, and Simel has denied any relation to him.

In his social media post, Simel claimed Israeli technology is decades ahead of what is available in the United States. He also alleged the political establishment is desperate to derail his campaign and knows what will happen if the truth finally comes out.

Viral Resemblance Fuels Speculation

Epstein owned a mansion in Palm Beach. Simel went viral after a video filmed on I-95 showed him driving a convertible in South Florida, with someone nearby saying 'Epstein is alive!'

He was heading out to play tennis, he said, and did not realise the video was going viral. 'I have nothing to do with Jeffrey Epstein,' he added in a follow-up video. He is reportedly a former Division I tennis player and former real estate executive.

Some beachgoers on Palm Beach Island voiced conspiracy theories about the resemblance. One woman called it 'creepy', while a parent downplayed it, saying everybody has a lookalike. One man said it was 'not something to joke about'.

Separate Tel Aviv Claim Debunked

A separate claim has linked Epstein to Tel Aviv. Posts shared online in early February, before Simel's pledge, claimed an image showed him alive there, flanked by two men crossing a busy road.

Google's SynthID technology detected a digital watermark indicating that the image was generated or edited using Google's AI tools. The image's creator said he used Gemini, and an uncropped version carries a Gemini watermark.

One road sign in the image names a place that cannot be found in Tel Aviv. A version was posted to a Reddit thread for AI-generated visuals on 1 February.

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