MALAKOFF, Texas: Numerous social media posts linking a billionaire with ties to Jeffrey Epstein to the photography giant Lifetouch led several schools to drop plans for class pictures.

The company issued a press release calling all such claims "false."

Problems began in Texas and elsewhere after social media posts linked the school photography company Lifetouch to the investment firm Apollo Global Management. Apollo's former CEO, billionaire Leon Black, had met Jeffrey Epstein many times and had received financial advice from him.

Leon Black was leading Apollo in 2019 when funds managed by the company bought Lifetouch's parent company, Shutterfly, in a US$2.7 billion deal. The purchase was completed in September 2019, about a month after Epstein died by suicide in jail while waiting for trial on federal charges that he had sexually abused and trafficked many underage girls.

Lifetouch and Apollo both pointed out this timeline in statements. Two days earlier, Lifetouch CEO Ken Murphy had written on Instagram that neither Leon Black nor any Apollo directors or investors ever had access to Lifetouch's student photos.

Lifetouch also said that none of its executives had any relationship or contact with Epstein and that it has never shared student images with any outside party, including Apollo. The company added that Apollo and its funds do not run Lifetouch's daily business and cannot access student photos.

The cancellation of school picture days is another effect of the recent release of millions of files from the Epstein investigation. These documents showed that Epstein stayed in regular contact with many powerful people — including CEOs, journalists, scientists, and politicians — even after his 2008 sex-crime conviction.

In the small town of Malakoff, Texas, the local school district canceled a student picture day after several parents said they were uncomfortable letting Lifetouch photograph their children. Other schools and districts in Texas, as well as a charter school in Arizona, also canceled or changed their plans, according to Facebook posts from the schools.

A school spokesperson said the district decided to handle all school photos itself for the rest of the year and would review options for the 2026–2027 school year.

Some parents, like MaKallie Gann from Howe, Texas, were worried about how much personal information Lifetouch collects. She said that when parents order photos, the forms include the child's name, age, grade, teacher, and school.

So far, news organizations reviewing thousands of newly released Justice Department documents have found no evidence that Epstein or his associates ever saw Lifetouch photos, even though at least 1.7 million records were released.

Leon Black's name appeared about 8,200 times in those records, though many may be duplicates. He stepped down as Apollo's CEO in March 2021, saying he wanted to focus on his family, his health, and other interests.

Two months earlier, a committee of Apollo's board had released a report saying that Epstein had advised Black only personally on matters such as estate planning, taxes, charity, and managing his family office. The report said Epstein did not work for Apollo and did not invest in its funds. It also stated that a review requested by Black found no evidence that he was involved in Epstein's alleged crimes in any way.