NEW YORK - A US federal judge on Wednesday released a suicide note purportedly written by convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein prior to his death in a New York jail cell.

Epstein's cellmate stated that he discovered the note in a book after the financier's failed suicide attempt, several weeks before his eventual death in August 2019.

"They investigated me for month -- Found NOTHING!!!" the note reads. "It is a treat to be able to choose one's time to say goodbye."

"Watcha want me to do -- Bust out cryin!! No fun -- NOT WORTH IT!!" it continues.

The handwritten letter, undated and unsigned, has not yet been authenticated and was not included in the millions of pages of Epstein-related documents released earlier this year by the US Justice Department.

US District Judge Kenneth Karas ordered the note's release following a request by The New York Times, which reported its existence last week and argued that there was no basis for keeping the document sealed.

Epstein pleaded guilty in 2008 to a state charge of soliciting a minor for prostitution. He was arrested again in July 2019 on federal sex trafficking charges and was found dead in his jail cell the following month.

Although federal authorities ruled his death a suicide, questions about the official account have persisted for years.