Who was Roy Black? Kyle Becker calls the timing of Epstein’s high-profile lawyer's death “unfortunate”

News commentator and podcaster Kyle Becker recently shared his reaction to the death of Roy Black, the attorney who represented Jeffrey Epstein. Notably, Black, 80, passed away earlier this week on July 21, 2025, and he represented popular clients over the years, including Justin Bieber and William Kennedy Smith, as per the New York Post.

Kyle Becker shared a lengthy statement through his official handle on X (formerly Twitter) on Wednesday, July 23, recalling Black’s work over the years. Becker referred to Roy representing Jeffrey Epstein and wrote:

“Roy Black would certainly know a lot about Jeffrey Epstein’s clients. The timing of his death is… unfortunate.”

Becker’s words seemingly addressed the review of the Epstein files by the FBI and the Department of Justice that emerged earlier this month. The review led to a lot of criticism on social media as it claimed that the authorities could not find any evidence of Epstein’s client list, as reported by NPR on July 7, 2025.

Becker wrote on X that Roy Black was the criminal defense attorney for Epstein when federal sex trafficking charges were imposed on the financier. Kyle noted that Epstein was “allowed” to plead guilty to the charges of misdemeanor by Palm Beach County State Attorney Barry Krischer. Becker continued speaking about Black and wrote:

“Black was critical in negotiations on the infamous 2008 non-prosecution agreement, which allowed Epstein to plead guilty to lesser state charges. The lawyer also filed a response to a case that the NPA was a violation of the Crime Victims’ Rights Act. A Florida federal judge ruled that prosecutors had failed to consult victims while cutting the deal.”

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Roy Black represented popular personalities and companies: Career and other details explained

Apart from being active as an attorney, the New York City native was also a teacher of criminal evidence at the University of Miami School of Law. The official website of law firm Black Srebnick says that he was a founding partner for the company and defended cases of murder, money laundering, tax evasion, and more.

Roy Black also appeared on the covers of various publications and was featured on shows such as Good Morning America. One of his clients was also Helio Castroneves, who was featured on Dancing with the Stars. He was accused of income tax evasion and had to face a trial of almost six weeks.

Black Srebnick’s website stated that his clients included popular news website BuzzFeed. Apart from that, Roy Black represented a South Florida gastroenterologist, who was accused of fraud for underpaying federal income taxes for five years of around $5 million. In addition, he represented the CEO of a finance company and the CEO of an affordable housing developer.

Black had defended the father of an infant child who was supposed to be taken into custody, with his children being sent to the DCF. Notably, the situation emerged from an incident where the infant child suffered brain injury after reportedly falling backward onto the floor from the bed.

Roy also managed to launch an investigation into a vending machine company that was involved in a multi-agency operation against business opportunities. Black even helped to acquit a defendant who was supposed to go to trial in the Varsity Blues scandal.

Roy Black was previously a public defender and won many awards for his work in the field of law. He was included in the list of the Top 100 lawyers in Florida and selected to be a part of the Super Lawyer Advisory Board in 2010.

He was a lifetime member of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers and associated with other groups such as American College of Trial Lawyers, American Bar Association, Miami-Dade County Bar Association, and International Academy of Trial Lawyers.

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Roy Black’s survivors include his wife Lea Black alongside their two children, RJ and Nora.

Edited by Arunava Dutta