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40 - EVENTS/United States v. Epstein.md
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@ -20,7 +20,7 @@ start: 2019-07-02
end: 2019-08-29
location: "New York, New York"
created: 2026-09-25
updated: 2026-09-25
updated: 2026-10-15
relations:
- type: participant_in
with: "[[Jeffrey Epstein]]"
@ -48,13 +48,13 @@ relations:
role: "U.S. Attorney"
start: 2019-07-02
end: 2019-08-29
fn: 5
fn: 6
- type: participant_in
with: "[[Todd Blanche]]"
reverse: true
role: "counsel for the United States"
start: 2025-07-18
fn: 7
fn: 8
---
United States v. Epstein (No. 1:19-cr-00490) was the federal criminal prosecution of [[Jeffrey Epstein]] in the [[U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York]] on charges of sex trafficking of minors and conspiracy. A grand jury returned the indictment under seal on July 2, 2019; Epstein was arrested on July 6 and ordered detained on July 18 by Judge [[Richard M. Berman]], and on August 10, 2019 he was found dead in the [[Metropolitan Correctional Center, New York|Metropolitan Correctional Center]]. Berman heard his accusers in open court before signing the government's nolle prosequi on August 29, 2019. No ruling on the validity of the 2007 [[Epstein non-prosecution agreement]] was ever made in the case. In 2025 the case reopened on the government's motions to unseal its grand jury record, which Berman denied in August and granted in December after the [[Epstein Files Transparency Act]] became law.[^1][^2]
@ -67,15 +67,15 @@ On July 16 Moe filed a supplement to the government's detention memorandum discl
### Death and Dismissal
On July 23, 2019 Epstein was found in his cell with a cloth around his neck. On August 9 the [[Second Circuit]] unsealed about 2,000 pages of the [[Giuffre v. Maxwell]] record. He was found dead the next morning. On August 14 the court docketed a letter from the jail's warden, [[Lamine N'Diaye]], reporting that Epstein "passed away Saturday, August 10, 2019, at around 7:37 a.m." Berman's reply of the same date asked: "One open question, among others, is whether the investigations referenced in your letter will include the incident at MCC involving Mr. Epstein on or about July 23, 2019. To my knowledge, it has never been definitively explained what the BOP concluded about that incident."[^1][^4]
On July 23, 2019 Epstein was found in his cell with a cloth around his neck. On July 3 the [[Second Circuit]] had ordered the unsealing of the summary judgment record in [[Giuffre v. Maxwell]], and on August 9 about 2,000 pages of it were released.[^4] He was found dead the next morning. On August 14 the court docketed a letter from the jail's warden, [[Lamine N'Diaye]], reporting that Epstein "passed away Saturday, August 10, 2019, at around 7:37 a.m." Berman's reply of the same date asked: "One open question, among others, is whether the investigations referenced in your letter will include the incident at MCC involving Mr. Epstein on or about July 23, 2019. To my knowledge, it has never been definitively explained what the BOP concluded about that incident."[^1][^5]
The government moved for an order of nolle prosequi on August 19. Instead of granting it on the papers, Berman scheduled a public hearing, reasoning that "where, as here, a defendant has died before any judgment has been entered against him, the public may still have an informational interest in the process by which the prosecutor seeks dismissal of an indictment," and invited victims and their counsel to be heard. On August 12 his chambers had sent a letter that the [[U.S. Marshals Service]] routed to the U.S. Attorney's Office leadership; on August 26 Geoffrey Berman wrote to a colleague, "M, let me know if you have a report for today. We may have 30 victims tomorrow."[^1][^5]
The government moved for an order of nolle prosequi on August 19. Instead of granting it on the papers, Berman scheduled a public hearing, reasoning that "where, as here, a defendant has died before any judgment has been entered against him, the public may still have an informational interest in the process by which the prosecutor seeks dismissal of an indictment," and invited victims and their counsel to be heard. On August 12 his chambers had sent a letter that the [[U.S. Marshals Service]] routed to the U.S. Attorney's Office leadership; on August 26 Geoffrey Berman wrote to a colleague, "M, let me know if you have a report for today. We may have 30 victims tomorrow."[^1][^6]
At the hearing on August 27, 2019, Comey and Moe appeared for the government and Weingarten, Weinberg and Miller for the dead defendant, with an [[Federal Bureau of Investigation|FBI]] special agent and an NYPD detective. Berman said that "Mr. Epstein's death obviously means that a trial in which he is a defendant cannot take place." The lawyer Gloria Allred read statements from three Jane Does, and other accusers spoke. Berman signed the nolle prosequi on August 29, 2019 (ECF No. 52).[^1][^6]
At the hearing on August 27, 2019, Comey and Moe appeared for the government and Weingarten, Weinberg and Miller for the dead defendant, with an [[Federal Bureau of Investigation|FBI]] special agent and an NYPD detective. Berman said that "Mr. Epstein's death obviously means that a trial in which he is a defendant cannot take place." The lawyer Gloria Allred read statements from three Jane Does, and other accusers spoke. Berman signed the nolle prosequi on August 29, 2019 (ECF No. 52).[^1][^7]
### The 2025 Unsealing Motions
On July 18, 2025 Deputy Attorney General [[Todd Blanche]] entered an appearance for the government in the closed case and moved to unseal the grand jury transcripts, "subject to appropriate redactions of victim-related and other personal identifying information" (ECF Nos. 60, 61), the same day he filed a matching motion in [[United States v. Maxwell]]. Berman required further submissions, including an analysis of "how the Nolle Prosequi (ECF No. 52) filed in this case impacts proposed disclosure, with legal authorities." The estate's executors, through Daniel H. Weiner and Daniel Ruzumna (ECF No. 71), [[Annie Farmer]]'s counsel Sigrid McCawley (ECF No. 72) and [[Bradley Edwards]] on [[Crime Victims' Rights Act]] grounds (ECF No. 73) filed positions.[^1][^7]
On July 18, 2025 Deputy Attorney General [[Todd Blanche]] entered an appearance for the government in the closed case and moved to unseal the grand jury transcripts, "subject to appropriate redactions of victim-related and other personal identifying information" (ECF Nos. 60, 61), the same day he filed a matching motion in [[United States v. Maxwell]]. Berman required further submissions, including an analysis of "how the Nolle Prosequi (ECF No. 52) filed in this case impacts proposed disclosure, with legal authorities." The estate's executors, through Daniel H. Weiner and Daniel Ruzumna (ECF No. 71), [[Annie Farmer]]'s counsel Sigrid McCawley (ECF No. 72) and [[Bradley Edwards]] on [[Crime Victims' Rights Act]] grounds (ECF No. 73) filed positions.[^1][^8]
On August 20, 2025 Berman denied the motion (ECF No. 77). The record consisted of 70 pages of transcripts of June 18 and July 2, 2019 and exhibits comprising a PowerPoint presentation and four pages of call logs. He held that "the Government concedes that no Rule 6(e)(3) 'exceptions' to grand jury secrecy apply in this case" and that it "fails to demonstrate any 'special circumstance[]' which might justify unsealing." On August 26 he ordered briefing on an NBC News reporter's request to unseal two names redacted from Moe's July 2019 supplement.[^1]
@ -86,7 +86,8 @@ After the Epstein Files Transparency Act became law on November 19, 2025, the go
[^1]: United States v. Epstein, No. 1:19-cr-00490-RMB (S.D.N.Y.), ECF Nos. 2, 3, 23, 32, 34, 41, 44, 45, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51, 52, 60, 61, 63, 67, 71, 72, 73, 74, 77 (Aug. 20, 2025), 78, CourtListener docket 15887848. https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/15887848/united-states-v-epstein/
[^2]: United States v. Epstein, No. 1:19-cr-00490-RMB (S.D.N.Y.), ECF Nos. 85, 92 (Dec. 10, 2025), 94 to 105 (Jan. 15 to Feb. 5, 2026), CourtListener docket 15887848. https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/15887848/united-states-v-epstein/
[^3]: United States v. Epstein, No. 1:19-cr-00490-RMB (S.D.N.Y.), ECF No. 23, Letter from AUSA Alison Moe to Judge Richard M. Berman (Supplement to Detention Memorandum), July 16, 2019, pp. 1 to 3. https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.nysd.518649/gov.uscourts.nysd.518649.23.0_2.pdf
[^4]: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the Inspector General, "Investigation and Review of the Federal Bureau of Prisons' Custody, Care, and Supervision of Jeffrey Epstein at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in New York, New York," Report 23-085, June 2023, pp. 14 to 20. https://oig.justice.gov/sites/default/files/reports/23-085.pdf
[^5]: U.S. Department of Justice, Epstein Library, EFTA00149487, DataSet 9, email chain, U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York, forwarding the August 12, 2019 letter of Judge Richard M. Berman, August 26, 2019. https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/DataSet%209/EFTA00149487.pdf
[^6]: U.S. Department of Justice, Epstein Library, EFTA02733081, Court Records (CA Florida Holdings, LLC, Publisher of the Palm Beach Post v. Aronberg, No. 50-2019-CA-014681-XXXX-MB (Fla. 15th Cir. Ct. 2019)), appendix item 11, transcript of hearing, United States v. Jeffrey Epstein, 19 Cr. 490 (RMB) (S.D.N.Y. Aug. 27, 2019). https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/Court%20Records/CA%20Florida%20Holdings%2C%20LLC%2C%20Publisher%20of%20the%20Palm%20Beach%20Post%20v.%20Aronberg%2C%20No.%2050-2019-CA-014681-XXXX-MB%20(Fla.%2015th%20Cir.%20Ct.%202019)/EFTA02733081.pdf
[^7]: United States v. Maxwell, No. 1:20-cr-00330 (S.D.N.Y.), ECF Nos. 784, 785 (July 18, 2025), CourtListener docket 17318376. https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/17318376/united-states-v-maxwell/
[^4]: *Brown v. Maxwell*, 929 F.3d 41 (2d Cir. July 3, 2019) ("we VACATE the District Court's orders entered on November 2, 2016, May 3, 2017, and August 27, 2018, ORDER the unsealing of the summary judgment record as described further herein, and REMAND"). https://static.case.law/f3d/929/cases/0041-01.json
[^5]: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the Inspector General, "Investigation and Review of the Federal Bureau of Prisons' Custody, Care, and Supervision of Jeffrey Epstein at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in New York, New York," Report 23-085, June 2023, pp. 14 to 20. https://oig.justice.gov/sites/default/files/reports/23-085.pdf
[^6]: U.S. Department of Justice, Epstein Library, EFTA00149487, DataSet 9, email chain, U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York, forwarding the August 12, 2019 letter of Judge Richard M. Berman, August 26, 2019. https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/DataSet%209/EFTA00149487.pdf
[^7]: U.S. Department of Justice, Epstein Library, EFTA02733081, Court Records (CA Florida Holdings, LLC, Publisher of the Palm Beach Post v. Aronberg, No. 50-2019-CA-014681-XXXX-MB (Fla. 15th Cir. Ct. 2019)), appendix item 11, transcript of hearing, United States v. Jeffrey Epstein, 19 Cr. 490 (RMB) (S.D.N.Y. Aug. 27, 2019). https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/Court%20Records/CA%20Florida%20Holdings%2C%20LLC%2C%20Publisher%20of%20the%20Palm%20Beach%20Post%20v.%20Aronberg%2C%20No.%2050-2019-CA-014681-XXXX-MB%20(Fla.%2015th%20Cir.%20Ct.%202019)/EFTA02733081.pdf
[^8]: United States v. Maxwell, No. 1:20-cr-00330 (S.D.N.Y.), ECF Nos. 784, 785 (July 18, 2025), CourtListener docket 17318376. https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/17318376/united-states-v-maxwell/