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- 2026-09-25T1902 · [[Thiel Influence Network]]
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- 2026-09-25T1901 · [[Zorro Ranch]]
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- 2026-09-25T1901 · [[Little St. James]]
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- 2026-09-25T1901 · [[Great St. James]]
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- 2026-09-25T1901 · [[9 East 71st Street]]
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- 2026-09-25T1901 · [[358 El Brillo Way]]
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- 2026-09-25T1901 · [[Towers Financial Corporation]]
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- 2026-09-25T1901 · [[Southern Trust Company]]
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- 2026-09-25T1901 · [[MIT Media Lab]]
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- 2026-09-25T1901 · [[LippoBank]]
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- 2026-09-25T1901 · [[Lippo Group]]
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- 2026-09-25T1901 · [[JPMorgan Chase]]
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||||
- 2026-09-25T1901 · [[Hong Kong Chinese Bank]]
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- 2026-09-25T1901 · [[Edge Foundation]]
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- 2026-09-25T1901 · [[Dialog]]
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- 2026-09-25T1901 · [[Deutsche Bank]]
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- 2026-09-25T1901 · [[China Resources]]
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||||
- 2026-09-25T1901 · [[Carbyne]]
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- 2026-09-25T1901 · [[Apollo Global Management]]
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- 2026-09-25T1901 · [[Peter Thiel]]
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- 2026-09-25T1901 · [[Mark Zuckerberg]]
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||||
- 2026-09-25T1901 · [[Leslie Wexner]]
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- 2026-09-25T1901 · [[Donald Trump]]
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- 2026-09-25T1901 · [[Tom Pritzker]]
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- 2026-09-25T1901 · [[Mochtar Riady]]
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- 2026-09-25T1901 · [[Martin Nowak]]
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- 2026-09-25T1901 · [[Jes Staley]]
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- 2026-09-25T1901 · [[James Riady]]
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- 2026-09-25T1901 · [[Steven Hoffenberg]]
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- 2026-09-25T1901 · [[Robert Maxwell]]
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- 2026-09-25T1901 · [[Reid Hoffman]]
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- 2026-09-25T1901 · [[Marvin Minsky]]
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- 2026-09-25T1901 · [[Jonathan Levin]]
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- 2026-09-25T1901 · [[Joi Ito]]
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- 2026-09-25T1901 · [[Ghislaine Maxwell]]
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- 2026-09-25T1901 · [[Elon Musk]]
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- 2026-09-25T1901 · [[Cecile de Jongh]]
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- 2026-09-25T1901 · [[Adnan Khashoggi]]
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- 2026-09-25T1901 · [[William Burns]]
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- 2026-09-25T1901 · [[Virginia Giuffre]]
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- 2026-09-25T1901 · [[Steve Bannon]]
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- 2026-09-25T1901 · [[Prince Andrew]]
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- 2026-09-25T1901 · [[Leon Black]]
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- 2026-09-25T1901 · [[Jonathan Buma]]
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- 2026-09-25T1901 · [[John Brockman]]
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- 2026-09-25T1901 · [[Jeffrey Epstein]]
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- 2026-09-25T1901 · [[Jean-Luc Brunel]]
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- 2026-09-25T1901 · [[Ehud Barak]]
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- 2026-09-25T1901 · [[Denise George]]
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- 2026-09-25T1901 · [[David Grusch]]
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- 2026-09-25T1901 · [[Bill Clinton]]
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- 2026-09-25T1901 · [[Alexander Acosta]]
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- 2026-09-25T1901 · [[Sarah Kellen]]
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- 2026-09-25T1901 · [[Bill Gates]]
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- 2026-09-25T1859 · [[_manifest]]
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- 2026-09-25T1858 · [[Barry Krischer]]
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- 2026-09-25T1858 · [[Metropolitan Correctional Center, New York]]
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- 2026-09-25T1858 · [[Alan Dershowitz]]
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- 2026-09-25T1858 · [[Ric Bradshaw]]
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- 2026-09-25T1858 · [[Nicholas Tartaglione]]
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- 2026-09-25T1855 · [[Douglas Leese]]
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- 2026-09-25T1855 · [[Vitaly Churkin]]
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- 2026-09-25T1855 · [[Peter Mandelson]]
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- 2026-09-25T1855 · [[Terje Rød-Larsen]]
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- 2026-09-25T1854 · [[Epstein non-prosecution agreement]]
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- 2026-09-25T1853 · [[Michael Thomas]]
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- 2026-09-25T1853 · [[Tova Noel]]
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- 2026-09-25T1853 · [[Maurene Comey]]
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- 2026-09-25T1853 · [[Michael Reiter]]
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- 2026-09-25T1853 · [[Boris Nikolic]]
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- 2026-09-25T1853 · [[Leon Botstein]]
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- 2026-09-25T1853 · [[Gratitude America]]
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- 2026-09-25T1851 · [[David Boies]]
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- 2026-09-25T1851 · [[Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem]]
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- 2026-09-25T1849 · [[Richard Kahn]]
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- 2026-09-25T1849 · [[Darren Indyke]]
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- 2026-09-25T1849 · [[Financial Trust Company]]
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- 2026-09-25T1849 · [[Bear Stearns]]
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- 2026-09-25T1849 · [[Mary Erdoes]]
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- 2026-09-25T1849 · [[Jamie Dimon]]
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- 2026-09-25T1849 · [[Stephen Cutler]]
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- 2026-09-25T1838 · [[Kathryn Ruemmler]]
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- 2026-09-25T1837 · [[Noam Chomsky]]
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- 2026-09-25T1837 · [[Howard Lutnick]]
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- 2026-09-25T1837 · [[Larry Summers]]
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- 2026-09-25T1827 · [[_NOTES_EFTA_library2]]
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- 2026-09-25T1811 · [[Mega Group]]
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- 2026-09-25T1811 · [[International Assets Group]]
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- 2026-09-25T1811 · [[J. Epstein & Co.]]
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- 2026-09-25T1807 · [[_DELTA_Epstein_E1_money]]
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- 2026-09-25T1806 · [[Nobody's Girl]]
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- 2026-09-25T1806 · [[MC2 Model Management]]
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- 2026-09-25T1806 · [[Sarah Ransome]]
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- 2026-09-25T1806 · [[Maria Farmer]]
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- 2026-09-25T1806 · [[Annie Farmer]]
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- 2026-09-25T1806 · [[Johanna Sjoberg]]
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- 2026-09-25T1806 · [[Alfredo Rodriguez]]
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- 2026-09-25T1806 · [[Adriana Ross]]
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- 2026-09-25T1806 · [[Nadia Marcinkova]]
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- 2026-09-25T1806 · [[Lesley Groff]]
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- 2026-09-25T2155 · [[_manifest]]
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- 2026-09-25T2155 · [[PROMIS Software Scandal]]
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- 2026-09-25T2155 · [[Hashemi Sting]]
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- 2026-09-25T2155 · [[FARC]]
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- 2026-09-25T2155 · [[William Sargant]]
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- 2026-09-25T2155 · [[358 El Brillo Way]]
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- 2026-09-25T2155 · [[Southern Trust Company]]
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- 2026-09-25T2155 · [[JPMorgan Chase]]
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- 2026-09-25T2155 · [[International Assets Group]]
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- 2026-09-25T2155 · [[Virgin Islands Economic Development Authority]]
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- 2026-09-25T2155 · [[Government of the United States Virgin Islands]]
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- 2026-09-25T2155 · [[Economic Development Commission]]
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- 2026-09-25T2155 · [[Carol Thomas-Jacobs]]
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- 2026-09-25T2155 · [[Marvin Minsky]]
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- 2026-09-25T2155 · [[Howard Lutnick]]
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- 2026-09-25T2155 · [[Darren Indyke]]
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- 2026-09-25T2155 · [[Cecile de Jongh]]
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- 2026-09-25T2155 · [[Vincent Frazer]]
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- 2026-09-25T2155 · [[Great St. James]]
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- 2026-09-25T2155 · [[9 East 71st Street]]
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- 2026-09-25T2155 · [[Lolita Express]]
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- 2026-09-25T2155 · [[Epstein Files]]
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- 2026-09-25T2155 · [[Government of the United States Virgin Islands v. JPMorgan Chase Bank]]
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- 2026-09-25T2155 · [[Epstein non-prosecution agreement]]
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- 2026-09-25T2155 · [[Towers Financial Corporation]]
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- 2026-09-25T2155 · [[U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Florida]]
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- 2026-09-25T2155 · [[Office of Professional Responsibility]]
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- 2026-09-25T2155 · [[Order of Nine Angles]]
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- 2026-09-25T2155 · [[Atomwaffen Division]]
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- 2026-09-25T2155 · [[Richard Thornburgh]]
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- 2026-09-25T2155 · [[Nicholas Tartaglione]]
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- 2026-09-25T2155 · [[Leslie Wexner]]
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- 2026-09-25T2155 · [[Tova Noel]]
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- 2026-09-25T2155 · [[Thomas Stanton]]
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- 2026-09-25T2155 · [[Robert W. Sweet]]
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- 2026-09-25T2155 · [[Michele Sindona]]
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- 2026-09-25T2155 · [[Joseph Recarey]]
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- 2026-09-25T2155 · [[John Newcomer]]
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- 2026-09-25T2155 · [[Jeffrey Sloman]]
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- 2026-09-25T2155 · [[Gilberto Rodriguez Orejuela]]
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- 2026-09-25T2155 · [[Anthony Pasciuto]]
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- 2026-09-25T2155 · [[Alfredo Rodriguez]]
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- 2026-09-25T2155 · [[Steven Hoffenberg]]
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- 2026-09-25T2155 · [[Robert Morgenthau]]
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- 2026-09-25T2155 · [[Peter Mandelson]]
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- 2026-09-25T2155 · [[Lawrence Krauss]]
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- 2026-09-25T2155 · [[Kenneth Marra]]
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- 2026-09-25T2155 · [[Joi Ito]]
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- 2026-09-25T2155 · [[John F. Kennedy]]
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- 2026-09-25T2155 · [[Harry Jones]]
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- 2026-09-25T2155 · [[Ghislaine Maxwell]]
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- 2026-09-25T2155 · [[Gerald Lefcourt]]
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- 2026-09-25T2155 · [[George de Mohrenschildt]]
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- 2026-09-25T2155 · [[Benjamin Hannam]]
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- 2026-09-25T2155 · [[Andrew Lourie]]
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- 2026-09-25T2155 · [[Virginia Giuffre]]
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- 2026-09-25T2155 · [[Sam Bankman-Fried]]
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- 2026-09-25T2155 · [[Monzer Al-Kassar]]
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- 2026-09-25T2155 · [[Maria Farmer]]
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- 2026-09-25T2155 · [[Marc Andreessen]]
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- 2026-09-25T2155 · [[Leon Black]]
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- 2026-09-25T2155 · [[Jeffrey Epstein]]
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- 2026-09-25T2155 · [[Geoffrey Berman]]
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- 2026-09-25T2155 · [[Cornelius Blackshear]]
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- 2026-09-25T2155 · [[Bill Clinton]]
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- 2026-09-25T2155 · [[Ari Ben-Menashe]]
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- 2026-09-25T2155 · [[Alexander Acosta]]
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- 2026-09-25T2155 · [[Alan Dershowitz]]
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- 2026-09-25T2153 · [[Richard M. Berman]]
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- 2026-09-25T2153 · [[Paul Engelmayer]]
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- 2026-09-25T2153 · [[Jed Rakoff]]
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- 2026-09-25T2153 · [[Loretta Preska]]
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- 2026-09-25T2153 · [[United States v. Maxwell]]
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- 2026-09-25T2153 · [[Doe v. United States]]
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- 2026-09-25T2153 · [[Paul Cassell]]
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- 2026-09-25T2153 · [[Lilly Ann Sanchez]]
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- 2026-09-25T2153 · [[Kenneth Starr]]
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- 2026-09-25T2153 · [[Jack Goldberger]]
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- 2026-09-25T2153 · [[Jay Lefkowitz]]
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- 2026-09-25T2144 · [[St. Thomas]]
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- 2026-09-25T2144 · [[U.S. Virgin Islands]]
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- 2026-09-25T2144 · [[Palm Beach, Florida]]
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- 2026-09-25T2144 · [[Mar-a-Lago]]
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- 2026-09-25T2144 · [[Harry Beller]]
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- 2026-09-25T2144 · [[Erika Kellerhals]]
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- 2026-09-25T2144 · [[Kenneth Mapp]]
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- 2026-09-25T2138 · [[Henry Smock]]
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- 2026-09-25T2138 · [[Jay Clayton]]
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- 2026-09-25T2138 · [[Julie K. Brown]]
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- 2026-09-25T2138 · [[Alan Greenberg]]
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- 2026-09-25T2138 · [[Seth Lloyd]]
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- 2026-09-25T2138 · [[Bard College]]
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- 2026-09-25T2138 · [[Wexner Foundation]]
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- 2026-09-25T2138 · [[DP World]]
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- 2026-09-25T2138 · [[Nicole Junkermann]]
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- 2026-09-25T2138 · [[Mark Epstein]]
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- 2026-09-25T2138 · [[Larry Visoski]]
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- 2026-09-25T2136 · [[U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York]]
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- 2026-09-25T2136 · [[Florida Department of Law Enforcement]]
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- 2026-09-25T2136 · [[Florida Science Foundation]]
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@ -50,11 +50,11 @@ Dershowitz was among the lawyers Epstein assembled after the [[Palm Beach Police
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### In the Prosecutors' Record
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The [[Department of Justice|Justice Department]]'s [[Office of Professional Responsibility]] described Dershowitz as "a self-described close friend of Epstein." Palm Beach State Attorney [[Barry Krischer]] told the office that Epstein's local counsel brought Dershowitz to see him and the assistant state attorney on the case, and that Dershowitz was "overly aggressive" and threatened, "We're going to destroy your witnesses; don't go to court because we're going to destroy those girls"; according to Krischer, Dershowitz so "tainted the waters" that Epstein also hired the local attorney [[Jack Goldberger]]. In the federal phase Dershowitz joined [[Gerald Lefcourt]] and Roy Black. He and Black met the line prosecutors on February 20, 2007 to present "witness issues," and on June 26, 2007 he led the defense presentation at a meeting at the Miami U.S. Attorney's Office with First Assistant [[Jeffrey Sloman]], Criminal Division chief [[Matthew Menchel]] and others, arguing that the state should handle the case because these were "traditionally state offenses."[^6]
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The [[Department of Justice|Justice Department]]'s [[Office of Professional Responsibility]] described Dershowitz as "a self-described close friend of Epstein." Palm Beach State Attorney [[Barry Krischer]] told the office that Epstein's local counsel brought Dershowitz to see him and the assistant state attorney on the case, and that Dershowitz was "overly aggressive" and threatened, "We're going to destroy your witnesses; don't go to court because we're going to destroy those girls"; according to Krischer, Dershowitz so "tainted the waters" that Epstein also hired the local attorney [[Jack Goldberger]]. In the federal phase Dershowitz joined [[Gerald Lefcourt]] and Roy Black. He and Black met the line prosecutors on February 20, 2007 to present "witness issues," and on June 26, 2007 he led the defense presentation at a meeting at the [[U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Florida|Miami U.S. Attorney's Office]] with First Assistant [[Jeffrey Sloman]], Criminal Division chief [[Matthew Menchel]] and others, arguing that the state should handle the case because these were "traditionally state offenses."[^6]
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The federal prosecutors' 51-page chronology of the case lists a document from Lefcourt and Dershowitz to Menchel titled "Data that strongly supports the arguments made that no charge can or should be made under 18 U.S.C. § 2422(b)." In September 2007 the lawyer Nathan Z. Dershowitz represented Epstein's employee [[Harry Beller]] and a second Epstein employee when they were subpoenaed to the federal grand jury, and on September 12 he told the prosecutor that Epstein's assistant [[Lesley Groff]], also subpoenaed, would proceed by interview rather than testify. In late November 2007, after the agreement was signed, the chronology records an "Unscheduled meeting between Jay Lefkowitz, Alan Dershowitz and Jeff Sloman," a drop-in by Lefkowitz and Dershowitz. On December 7, 2007 the former federal judge [[Herbert J. Stern]] sent Dershowitz a 27-page letter, and the defense forwarded to the office the "independent ethics opinions" of Stern and the former Justice Department official [[Joe D. Whitley]] on the federal investigation.[^7]
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In May 2008 the U.S. Attorney's Office's Professional Responsibility Officer asked the Department whether Alexander Acosta should recuse himself from the case because he was considering a visiting professorship at [[Harvard Law School]] in 2009, while Dershowitz, a Harvard Law professor, was representing Epstein "as a private, paying client"; the Department found no basis for recusal. In March 2009, while Epstein was on work release, Sloman met Dershowitz in Miami for what Dershowitz called "a relaxed drink and conversation." Dershowitz then thanked him for his "assurance that the feds will not interfere with how the Palm Beach sheriff administers" Epstein's sentence "as long as he is treated like any similarly situated inmate"; Sloman replied that the office would not interfere but would object to alternative custody or home detention if asked. A week later Dershowitz thanked Sloman for his "willingness to call the sheriff and advise him that your office would take no position on how he handled Epstein's sentence," adding, "[L]et's put any call off for a while." In December 2009 Sloman told Dershowitz that the office opposed early termination of Epstein's community control and would object to transferring his supervision to the [[U.S. Virgin Islands]].[^8]
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In May 2008 the U.S. Attorney's Office's Professional Responsibility Officer asked the Department whether Alexander Acosta should recuse himself from the case because he was considering a visiting professorship at [[Harvard Law School]] in 2009, while Dershowitz, a Harvard Law professor, was representing Epstein "as a private, paying client"; the Department found no basis for recusal. In March 2009, while Epstein was on work release, Sloman met Dershowitz in Miami for what Dershowitz called "a relaxed drink and conversation." Dershowitz then thanked him for his "assurance that the feds will not interfere with how the [[Palm Beach, Florida|Palm Beach]] sheriff administers" Epstein's sentence "as long as he is treated like any similarly situated inmate"; Sloman replied that the office would not interfere but would object to alternative custody or home detention if asked. A week later Dershowitz thanked Sloman for his "willingness to call the sheriff and advise him that your office would take no position on how he handled Epstein's sentence," adding, "[L]et's put any call off for a while." In December 2009 Sloman told Dershowitz that the office opposed early termination of Epstein's community control and would object to transferring his supervision to the [[U.S. Virgin Islands]].[^8]
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### The Giuffre Allegation and the Edwards-Cassell Suit
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67
10 - PEOPLE/(A-G)/Alan Greenberg.md
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67
10 - PEOPLE/(A-G)/Alan Greenberg.md
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@ -0,0 +1,67 @@
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---
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category: "Business & Finance"
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tags:
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- Person
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- AlanGreenberg
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- BearStearns
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- JPMorganChase
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- JeffreyEpstein
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- WallStreet
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- DonaldTrump
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alias:
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- Alan "Ace" Greenberg
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- Ace Greenberg
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- Alan C. Greenberg
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- Alan Courtney Greenberg
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summary: "Bear Stearns chief executive from 1978 to 1993 and chairman to 2001 who brought Jeffrey Epstein into the firm and in 2010, at JPMorgan, sought a felony-policy exception to keep doing business with him."
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born: 1927-09-03
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died: 2014-07-25
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location: "New York, New York"
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relations:
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- type: head_of
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with: "[[Bear Stearns]]"
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role: "chairman of the board"
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start: 1985
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end: 2001
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fn: 1
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- type: employed_by
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with: "[[JPMorgan Chase]]"
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role: "vice chairman emeritus"
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start: 2008
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end: 2014-07-25
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fn: 1
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created: 2026-09-25
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updated: 2026-09-25
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---
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Alan Courtney "Ace" Greenberg (September 3, 1927 to July 25, 2014) was an American investment banker who ran [[Bear Stearns]] as chief executive from 1978 to 1993 and was its chairman from the firm's 1985 public offering until 2001. [[Jeffrey Epstein]] came to Bear Stearns in 1976 from the [[Dalton School]] through Greenberg, rose under him and [[James Cayne]] to limited partner, and kept his accounts at the firm until its 2008 collapse into [[JPMorgan Chase]]. After that sale Greenberg became vice chairman emeritus of JPMorgan, and in August 2010, according to the [[Government of the United States Virgin Islands|Virgin Islands]], he asked the bank's general counsel, [[Stephen Cutler]], for an exception to its policy on felon clients so that he could continue doing business with Epstein. Greenberg died five years before these communications became public.[^1][^2][^3]
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### Career
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Greenberg was born in [[Wichita, Kansas]], the grandson of Russian Jewish immigrants, and grew up in [[Oklahoma City]]. He attended the [[University of Oklahoma]] on a football scholarship, transferred to the [[University of Missouri]], and joined Bear Stearns as a clerk in 1949 after it was the only firm of six to offer him a job. He took over the arbitrage desk, became a partner at 31, and succeeded Salim "Cy" Lewis as chief executive on Lewis's death in 1978, when the firm was a private partnership of about 1,000 employees and 46 million dollars in capital; by 1993, when he handed the post to Cayne, it had 6,300 employees and 1.8 billion dollars in shareholders' equity. He said he sought to hire people with "PSD" degrees, "poor, smart and a deep desire to become rich."[^1]
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His discretion made him valuable to corporate raiders. His clients included [[Donald Trump]] and [[Henry Kravis]]'s [[KKR]], and he helped Trump accumulate 9.6 percent of Bally Entertainment in Trump's unsuccessful 1986 takeover attempt. "I put my children's accounts with him," Trump said in 2006. "That should tell you how much I trust him." In 2004 Greenberg appeared on Trump's television program *[[The Apprentice]]*. He was a member of the Society of American Magicians and performed at fundraising dinners for the [[Jerusalem Foundation]], required Bear Stearns executives to give 4 percent of their salaries to charity, and in 1998 gave one million dollars to help poor elderly men buy Viagra.[^1]
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When JPMorgan agreed on March 16, 2008 to buy Bear Stearns for 2 dollars a share, later raised to 10, after a run on the firm, Greenberg stayed on as vice chairman emeritus of JPMorgan. In a 2010 book he blamed Cayne for the firm's collapse. He died of complications from cancer at [[Mount Sinai Hospital (Manhattan)|Mount Sinai Hospital]] in New York on July 25, 2014.[^1]
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### Epstein at Bear Stearns
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|
||||
Epstein, then a teacher of physics and mathematics at Dalton, came to Bear Stearns after tutoring Greenberg's son there, and was friendly with a daughter of Greenberg's. Under Greenberg and Cayne he rose to limited partner, which *[[Fox Business]]*, citing former executives, reported he had reached by 1980.[^2][^4] He left in March 1981 after an internal inquiry that concerned a Regulation D violation. Cayne said, "Jeffrey Epstein left Bear Stearns of his own volition. It was never suggested that he leave by any member of management." Greenberg said he could not recall. Contemporaries told *[[Vanity Fair]]* of rumors that the executive committee asked for Epstein's resignation after his two supporters, Greenberg and Cayne, were outvoted, and a former executive told Fox Business in 2019 that Epstein "left at our invitation ... it was very serious stuff."[^2][^4]
|
||||
|
||||
Epstein's company [[Financial Trust Company]] held a large block of Bear Stearns stock until the firm failed. In a verified complaint of August 5, 2009 against Bear Stearns, filed in the [[U.S. Virgin Islands]], Financial Trust named Cayne, Greenberg, [[Warren Spector]], [[Samuel Molinaro]] and [[Alan Schwartz]] as the officers whose statements Epstein had relied on in holding the shares, which it sold in March 2008 for 34.99 and 3.41 dollars a share.[^5]
|
||||
|
||||
### The Felony Policy Exception
|
||||
|
||||
After the 2008 sale, Epstein's brokerage accounts passed to JPMorgan, where retaining a client with a felony conviction required the general counsel's approval. In June 2023 the Virgin Islands, suing JPMorgan over its Epstein relationship, quoted a bank email stating that Greenberg had gone to Cutler "for an exception to the felony policy" for Epstein; its statement of material facts placed the request in August 2010.[^3][^6] On January 19, 2011, while the bank's anti-money-laundering staff were pressing to end the relationship, a JPMorgan Securities employee wrote to Epstein's office: "Ace would love to speak to Jeffrey. Can you please call Ace at [number], or e-mail him a phone number where Jeffrey can be reached?" JPMorgan had withheld the email as outside the "negotiated scope of search" until the territory asked for it by name.[^3]
|
||||
|
||||
The bank's counsel at [[WilmerHale]] answered that "following Epstein's guilty plea in 2008, people from legacy Bear Stearns, including Mr. Greenberg, in connection with post-acquisition transition of accounts, may have attempted to speak with Stephen Cutler, then JPMC's General Counsel, about application of JPMC's corporate policy requiring approval of its General Counsel ... to retain a brokerage account for a client with a felony conviction," that the decision "was made by Mr. Cutler," and that there was "no evidence that Mr. Greenberg had anything to do with Epstein's accounts at the Private Bank." The territory asked the court to compel production of emails between Greenberg and Epstein and between Greenberg and [[Jamie Dimon]], [[Mary Erdoes]], [[Jes Staley]] or Cutler about Epstein. JPMorgan's internal 2019 review, Project Jeep, had opened with the note that "There is a highbridge angle and one dating back to Bear."[^3][^7] Greenberg had died in 2014 and made no statement on these matters.
|
||||
|
||||
### Footnotes
|
||||
|
||||
[^1]: "Alan 'Ace' Greenberg, who remade Bear Stearns, dies at 86." *Bloomberg News,* via *Portland Press Herald,* July 25, 2014. https://www.pressherald.com/2014/07/25/alan-ace-greenberg-who-remade-bear-stearns-dies-at-86/
|
||||
[^2]: Vicky Ward, "The Talented Mr. Epstein," *Vanity Fair,* March 2003, as republished by the author. https://vickyward.com/article/the-talented-mr-epstein/
|
||||
[^3]: U.S. Department of Justice, Epstein Library, EFTA02808715, Court Records (Government of the United States Virgin Islands v. JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A., No. 1:22-cv-10904), letter motion of Motley Rice to Judge Jed S. Rakoff seeking leave to reopen depositions, ECF No. 191, June 7, 2023 (filed June 20, 2023). https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/Court%20Records/Government%20of%20the%20United%20States%20Virgin%20Islands%20v.%20JPMorgan%20Chase%20Bank%2C%20N.A.%2C%20No.%20122-cv-10904%20(S.D.N.Y.%202022)/EFTA02808715.pdf
|
||||
[^4]: Charles Gasparino and Lydia Moynihan, "The woes of Jeffrey Epstein: How he maintained Wall Street connections while downplaying child sex accusations," *Fox Business,* August 10, 2019. https://www.foxbusiness.com/features/jeffrey-epstein-wall-street-connections-child-sex-trafficking
|
||||
[^5]: Financial Trust Company, Inc. v. The Bear Stearns Companies Inc., Civil No. 2009/106 (D.V.I.), Verified Complaint dated August 5, 2009; reproduced as Exhibit 253, ECF No. 244-8 (filed July 25, 2023), in Government of the United States Virgin Islands v. JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A., No. 1:22-cv-10904-JSR (S.D.N.Y.). https://web.archive.org/web/20260117011822/https://www.justice.gov/multimedia/Court%20Records/Government%20of%20the%20United%20States%20Virgin%20Islands%20v.%20JPMorgan%20Chase%20Bank,%20N.A.,%20No.%20122-cv-10904%20(S.D.N.Y.%202022)/244-08.pdf
|
||||
[^6]: Government of the United States Virgin Islands v. JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A., No. 1:22-cv-10904-JSR (S.D.N.Y.), Plaintiff's Statement of Material Facts, ECF No. 221 (filed July 24, 2023), paras. 123-124, 149, 157-158. https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.nysd.591653/gov.uscourts.nysd.591653.221.0.pdf
|
||||
[^7]: U.S. Department of Justice, Epstein Library, EFTA02808625, Court Records (Government of the United States Virgin Islands v. JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A., No. 1:22-cv-10904), letter of John J. Butts, WilmerHale, opposing the motion to reopen depositions, ECF No. 187, June 9, 2023 (filed June 15, 2023). https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/Court%20Records/Government%20of%20the%20United%20States%20Virgin%20Islands%20v.%20JPMorgan%20Chase%20Bank%2C%20N.A.%2C%20No.%20122-cv-10904%20(S.D.N.Y.%202022)/EFTA02808625.pdf
|
||||
|
|
@ -60,7 +60,7 @@ As U.S. Attorney he oversaw the 2006 prosecution of the [[Cali Drug Cartel]] lea
|
|||
|
||||
### The 2008 Non-Prosecution Agreement
|
||||
|
||||
Federal investigators in the Southern District of Florida identified roughly 30, and ultimately more than 30, minors whom Epstein was alleged to have sexually abused, after the Palm Beach Police Department referred the case to the [[Federal Bureau of Investigation|FBI]] on concerns that the local prosecution would be too lenient. By May 2007 government lawyers had prepared an 82-page prosecution memorandum and a 53-page draft federal indictment charging Epstein with multiple federal sex offenses; the Justice Department later described the draft as a 60-count indictment. Acosta decided in 2007 to negotiate with Epstein's defense team rather than seek that indictment. At a July 31, 2007 meeting with Epstein's lawyers, his office offered to end the investigation if Epstein pleaded guilty to state charges, served at least two years, registered as a sex offender, and agreed to a damages mechanism for victims. Acosta did not sign the agreement but, according to the Justice Department's later review, "participated in its drafting and approved it, with knowledge of its terms."[^1][^6][^7]
|
||||
Federal investigators in the [[U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Florida|Southern District of Florida]] identified roughly 30, and ultimately more than 30, minors whom Epstein was alleged to have sexually abused, after the [[Palm Beach Police Department]] referred the case to the [[Federal Bureau of Investigation|FBI]] on concerns that the local prosecution would be too lenient. By May 2007 government lawyers had prepared an 82-page prosecution memorandum and a 53-page draft federal indictment charging Epstein with multiple federal sex offenses; the Justice Department later described the draft as a 60-count indictment. Acosta decided in 2007 to negotiate with Epstein's defense team rather than seek that indictment. At a July 31, 2007 meeting with Epstein's lawyers, his office offered to end the investigation if Epstein pleaded guilty to state charges, served at least two years, registered as a sex offender, and agreed to a damages mechanism for victims. Acosta did not sign the agreement but, according to the Justice Department's later review, "participated in its drafting and approved it, with knowledge of its terms."[^1][^6][^7]
|
||||
|
||||
The non-prosecution agreement, negotiated through 2007 and executed in stages, required Epstein to plead guilty in Palm Beach County court, which he did in June 2008, to state charges including soliciting prostitution and procuring a person under 18 for prostitution. He was sentenced to 18 months, of which he served roughly 13, under conditions that allowed extensive work release. The Justice Department's review recorded that from October 2008 he spent "12 hours a day purportedly working at the '[[Florida Science Foundation]],' an entity Epstein had recently incorporated that was co-located at the West Palm Beach office of one of Epstein's attorneys"; later reporting on sheriff's records described him leaving the jail for up to 16 hours a day, seven days a week. The foundation paid the [[Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office]] 128,136 dollars during his incarceration. Epstein's defense team included high-profile lawyers such as [[Alan Dershowitz|Alan Dershowitz]], [[Kenneth Starr|Kenneth Starr]], and [[Roy Black|Roy Black]], who pressed the office for concessions.[^1][^6][^7][^8][^9][^10]
|
||||
|
||||
|
|
@ -90,7 +90,7 @@ The Office of Professional Responsibility recorded two recusal questions. In May
|
|||
|
||||
### Crime Victims' Rights Act Ruling
|
||||
|
||||
In the case styled Doe v. United States, No. 08-80736, brought by victims including [[Courtney Wild|Courtney Wild]] and [[Jane Doe 2|Jane Doe 2]] to enforce their rights, United States District Judge [[Kenneth Marra|Kenneth Marra]] ruled on February 21, 2019, that the government had violated the Crime Victims' Rights Act by failing to confer with the victims before entering the non-prosecution agreement. The opinion recorded that "[w]hile the Government spent untold hours negotiating the terms and implications of the NPA with Epstein's attorneys, scant information was shared with victims," and that "[t]he Court is not ruling that the decision not to prosecute was improper." After the ruling the Justice Department recused Acosta's former office from the litigation and assigned the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Georgia to defend it. Marra wrote that "particularly problematic was the government's decision to conceal the existence of the" agreement and to "mislead the victims to believe that federal prosecution was still a possibility," finding that prosecutors had counseled the victims to have "patience" after the deal had been signed.[^7][^14]
|
||||
In the case styled [[Doe v. United States]], No. 08-80736, brought by victims including [[Courtney Wild|Courtney Wild]] and [[Jane Doe 2|Jane Doe 2]] to enforce their rights, United States District Judge [[Kenneth Marra|Kenneth Marra]] ruled on February 21, 2019, that the government had violated the Crime Victims' Rights Act by failing to confer with the victims before entering the non-prosecution agreement. The opinion recorded that "[w]hile the Government spent untold hours negotiating the terms and implications of the NPA with Epstein's attorneys, scant information was shared with victims," and that "[t]he Court is not ruling that the decision not to prosecute was improper." After the ruling the Justice Department recused Acosta's former office from the litigation and assigned the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Georgia to defend it. Marra wrote that "particularly problematic was the government's decision to conceal the existence of the" agreement and to "mislead the victims to believe that federal prosecution was still a possibility," finding that prosecutors had counseled the victims to have "patience" after the deal had been signed.[^7][^14]
|
||||
|
||||
In a later ruling on September 16, 2019, Marra declined to invalidate the non-prosecution agreement itself, noting that Epstein had died and that rescission would not restore the victims' position, and he held that the victims were not entitled to monetary damages from the government under the statute. He refused the victims' request to order Acosta to meet with them, writing: "The Court has no jurisdiction over Alexander Acosta, the former U.S. Attorney, who is now a private citizen." The decisions established the CVRA violation as a finding of fact while leaving the underlying agreement in place.[^19][^20]
|
||||
|
||||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
@ -32,7 +32,7 @@ Critics dispute the seniority he claims. Israel has generally characterized him
|
|||
|
||||
### Arms Case and Acquittal
|
||||
|
||||
Ben-Menashe first drew wide public attention when he was arrested in the United States in November 1989 and charged under the Arms Export Control Act with attempting to broker the sale of three Israeli-owned Lockheed [[C-130 Hercules]] transport aircraft to Iran, a deal valued at about 36 million dollars, using false end-user certificates.[^4] The prosecution was brought in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, where the related rulings carried the caption United States v. Menashe.[^14] He spent nearly a year in custody before a jury acquitted him and a co-defendant on November 28, 1990, after his defense argued, and the jury accepted, that he had been acting under the authority of the Israeli government in a transaction tied to Israel's arms dealings with Iran.[^4]
|
||||
Ben-Menashe first drew wide public attention when he was arrested in the United States in November 1989 and charged under the Arms Export Control Act with attempting to broker the sale of three Israeli-owned Lockheed [[C-130 Hercules]] transport aircraft to Iran, a deal valued at about 36 million dollars, using false end-user certificates.[^4] The prosecution was brought in the United States District Court for the [[U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York|Southern District of New York]], where the related rulings carried the caption United States v. Menashe.[^14] He spent nearly a year in custody before a jury acquitted him and a co-defendant on November 28, 1990, after his defense argued, and the jury accepted, that he had been acting under the authority of the Israeli government in a transaction tied to Israel's arms dealings with Iran.[^4]
|
||||
|
||||
Israel denied that he had been authorized to act for it in the transaction, repeating the position that he had been only a translator.[^4] The acquittal nonetheless rested on the jury's willingness to credit his Israeli-agent defense, and he afterward cited the verdict as vindication of his broader account, even though the bodies that later examined his substantive claims rejected them.[^2][^6] The acquittal gave him a platform from which he expanded a series of claims about secret United States and Israeli arms networks, set out in his 1992 book [[Profits of War]].[^5]
|
||||
|
||||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
@ -41,7 +41,7 @@ Epstein donated 1,000 dollars to Clinton's 1992 presidential campaign and contri
|
|||
|
||||
Flight logs released in civil litigation and later in document tranches list Clinton on flights aboard Epstein's Boeing 727, registration N908JE. Reporting on the logs in 2016 noted Clinton appearing on at least 26 flight "legs," a figure that counts individual segments of multi-stop trips rather than distinct journeys, and noted that he traveled on at least some legs without his [[United States Secret Service|Secret Service]] detail. Maxwell, recorded in the logs by the initials "GM," appears on the trips, as do entries read as the initials of Epstein assistant [[Sarah Kellen]]. The logs record who boarded which aircraft and when; they do not, on their face, establish what occurred at any destination.[^2][^3]
|
||||
|
||||
[[FactCheck.org]], reviewing the manifests, counted six trips comprising the 26 flights between February 2002 and November 2003, the discrepancy between trip and leg counts arising from whether each take-off and landing is tallied separately. The documented segments included a February 2002 Miami-to-Westchester hop, a round trip from New York to London in March 2002, a May 2002 sequence through Japan, [[Hong Kong]], Singapore, and Brunei, a July 2002 stop tied to a wedding in Morocco, the September 2002 Africa tour, and a November 2003 routing through Brussels, Oslo, Hong Kong, and Beijing. President [[Donald Trump]] in 2025 claimed Clinton flew on the plane "27 or 28 times," a characterization FactCheck.org described as conflating the leg total with the number of trips; the same review found no flight log placing Clinton on an aircraft bound for the U.S. Virgin Islands.[^11]
|
||||
[[FactCheck.org]], reviewing the manifests, counted six trips comprising the 26 flights between February 2002 and November 2003, the discrepancy between trip and leg counts arising from whether each take-off and landing is tallied separately. The documented segments included a February 2002 Miami-to-Westchester hop, a round trip from New York to London in March 2002, a May 2002 sequence through Japan, [[Hong Kong]], Singapore, and Brunei, a July 2002 stop tied to a wedding in Morocco, the September 2002 Africa tour, and a November 2003 routing through Brussels, Oslo, Hong Kong, and Beijing. President [[Donald Trump]] in 2025 claimed Clinton flew on the plane "27 or 28 times," a characterization FactCheck.org described as conflating the leg total with the number of trips; the same review found no flight log placing Clinton on an aircraft bound for the [[U.S. Virgin Islands]].[^11]
|
||||
|
||||
Maxwell, deposed in the Giuffre litigation, stated of the island that "just so we are clear, the allegations that Clinton had a meal on Jeffrey's island is 100 percent false." On one of the 2003 legs, from Oslo to the Russian city of Novosibirsk, the manifest listed Clinton, Epstein, the aide [[Doug Band]], and individuals identified by the initials "GM" and "SK." No court, prosecutor, or official investigation has produced a finding that Clinton witnessed or participated in any crime aboard the aircraft.[^12][^2]
|
||||
|
||||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
@ -7,9 +7,9 @@ tags:
|
|||
summary: "Cornelius Blackshear was a U.S."
|
||||
---
|
||||
|
||||
Cornelius Blackshear was a U.S. Trustee in the Southern District of New York who later became a U.S. Bankruptcy Court Judge for the Southern District of New York. He became a key figure in the allegations surrounding the attempted conversion of [[INSLAW|Inslaw]]'s bankruptcy case and a subsequent alleged cover-up.
|
||||
Cornelius Blackshear was a U.S. Trustee in the [[U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York|Southern District of New York]] who later became a U.S. Bankruptcy Court Judge for the Southern District of New York. He became a key figure in the allegations surrounding the attempted conversion of [[INSLAW|Inslaw]]'s bankruptcy case and a subsequent alleged cover-up.
|
||||
|
||||
Blackshear initially testified in a deposition on March 25, 1987, that [[William White]], the U.S. Trustee for the District of Columbia, had told him that [[Thomas Stanton]], Director of the Executive Office of U.S. Trustees (EOUST), had tried to pressure White to convert [[INSLAW]]'s Chapter 11 reorganization to a Chapter 7 liquidation and to have [[Harry Jones]] assigned to White to effect the conversion. Blackshear also stated that Stanton had never contacted him about detailing Jones, but he thought Stanton might have approached Jones directly. This testimony supported Inslaw's primary allegation of a plot to liquidate the company. However, after speaking with White, Blackshear realized he was mistaken and had confused Inslaw with the UPI case, about which White had told him the IRS had pressured him to join a motion to convert. Blackshear then prepared and signed an affidavit recanting his deposition testimony, stating that he had confused the cases. He also gave a second deposition repeating his new recollections. During the Office of Professional Responsibility (OPR) investigation, Blackshear essentially repeated his recanting statements, maintaining that White had not told him Stanton pressured him to convert Inslaw, and that he had confused Inslaw with UPI. He did, however, disagree with White regarding a conversation about the possible assignment of Harry Jones to Washington, believing White had told him Stanton planned to bring Jones to Washington, while White maintained Blackshear told this to White. Blackshear also denied discussing with [[Anthony Pasciuto]] at a social gathering that he was sorry for his conduct or had given false testimony in his recantation to avoid hurting people.[^1]
|
||||
Blackshear initially testified in a deposition on March 25, 1987, that [[William White]], the U.S. Trustee for the District of Columbia, had told him that [[Thomas Stanton]], Director of the Executive Office of U.S. Trustees (EOUST), had tried to pressure White to convert [[INSLAW]]'s Chapter 11 reorganization to a Chapter 7 liquidation and to have [[Harry Jones]] assigned to White to effect the conversion. Blackshear also stated that Stanton had never contacted him about detailing Jones, but he thought Stanton might have approached Jones directly. This testimony supported Inslaw's primary allegation of a plot to liquidate the company. However, after speaking with White, Blackshear realized he was mistaken and had confused Inslaw with the UPI case, about which White had told him the IRS had pressured him to join a motion to convert. Blackshear then prepared and signed an affidavit recanting his deposition testimony, stating that he had confused the cases. He also gave a second deposition repeating his new recollections. During the [[Office of Professional Responsibility]] (OPR) investigation, Blackshear essentially repeated his recanting statements, maintaining that White had not told him Stanton pressured him to convert Inslaw, and that he had confused Inslaw with UPI. He did, however, disagree with White regarding a conversation about the possible assignment of Harry Jones to Washington, believing White had told him Stanton planned to bring Jones to Washington, while White maintained Blackshear told this to White. Blackshear also denied discussing with [[Anthony Pasciuto]] at a social gathering that he was sorry for his conduct or had given false testimony in his recantation to avoid hurting people.[^1]
|
||||
|
||||
Bankruptcy Judge Bason, in his findings, chose to believe Blackshear's original testimony and found his recantation to be the result of an "honest mistake." However, several years later, in January 1991, Bason filed a complaint against Blackshear with the Judicial Council of the Second Circuit Court of Appeals, stating that he now believed Blackshear recanted not due to an honest mistake but because he made a conscious choice to testify falsely. The OPR, however, credited Blackshear's recantation, noting that he had no apparent motive to lie about the matter. The Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations (PSI) found Blackshear's recantation implausible, noting that he had stated on four occasions prior to his recantation that White told him about pressure from Stanton to convert the Inslaw case. The PSI also found no evidence to support Blackshear's explanation that he had confused Inslaw with the UPI case. The Special Counsel's investigation concluded that there was insufficient evidence to prove that Blackshear lied when he recanted his deposition testimony. The report acknowledged the confusion arising from Blackshear's various statements but attributed it to poor memory rather than intentional misstatements. The Special Counsel found no reason why Blackshear, a sitting bankruptcy judge, would commit perjury and jeopardize his career.[^1]
|
||||
|
||||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
@ -52,7 +52,7 @@ Epstein died in the [[Metropolitan Correctional Center, New York]] on August 10,
|
|||
|
||||
### Removal
|
||||
|
||||
On the night of Friday, June 19, 2020, Barr issued a statement that Berman was "stepping down" and that Trump would nominate [[Jay Clayton]], chairman of the [[Securities and Exchange Commission]], to replace him, with [[Craig Carpenito]], the U.S. Attorney for [[New Jersey]], to serve in the interim. Berman answered that he had learned of his departure from a press release: "I have not resigned, and have no intention of resigning, my position, to which I was appointed by the Judges of the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York." On June 20 Barr wrote to him: "Unfortunately, with your statement of last night, you have chosen public spectacle over public service... Because you have declared that you have no intention of resigning, I have asked the President to remove you as of today, and he has done so." Trump told reporters, "That's his department, not my department... I'm not involved"; a senior administration official told NBC News that Barr had asked Trump for permission to fire Berman and Trump had agreed.[^4][^5]
|
||||
On the night of Friday, June 19, 2020, Barr issued a statement that Berman was "stepping down" and that Trump would nominate [[Jay Clayton]], chairman of the [[Securities and Exchange Commission]], to replace him, with [[Craig Carpenito]], the U.S. Attorney for [[New Jersey]], to serve in the interim. Berman answered that he had learned of his departure from a press release: "I have not resigned, and have no intention of resigning, my position, to which I was appointed by the Judges of the United States District Court for the [[U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York|Southern District of New York]]." On June 20 Barr wrote to him: "Unfortunately, with your statement of last night, you have chosen public spectacle over public service... Because you have declared that you have no intention of resigning, I have asked the President to remove you as of today, and he has done so." Trump told reporters, "That's his department, not my department... I'm not involved"; a senior administration official told NBC News that Barr had asked Trump for permission to fire Berman and Trump had agreed.[^4][^5]
|
||||
|
||||
Berman left that evening after Barr agreed that his deputy, [[Audrey Strauss]], would lead the office as acting U.S. Attorney, a condition Berman said safeguarded the district's "tradition of integrity and independence." On July 2, 2020, twelve days later, the office under Strauss announced the arrest of [[Ghislaine Maxwell]] on charges of conspiring with Epstein.[^4][^5][^8]
|
||||
|
||||
|
|
|
|||
62
10 - PEOPLE/(A-G)/Harry Beller.md
Normal file
62
10 - PEOPLE/(A-G)/Harry Beller.md
Normal file
|
|
@ -0,0 +1,62 @@
|
|||
---
|
||||
category: "Crime & Abuse Networks"
|
||||
tags:
|
||||
- Person
|
||||
- HarryBeller
|
||||
- JeffreyEpstein
|
||||
- Accountant
|
||||
- JPMorganChase
|
||||
- SuspiciousActivityReports
|
||||
- SouthernTrust
|
||||
- RonWyden
|
||||
alias:
|
||||
- Harry Beller
|
||||
summary: "Jeffrey Epstein's in-house accountant, who held power of attorney over his JPMorgan accounts, made the cash withdrawals flagged in the bank's suspicious activity reports, and was never questioned by federal prosecutors."
|
||||
location: "New York, New York"
|
||||
relations:
|
||||
- type: employed_by
|
||||
with: "[[Jeffrey Epstein]]"
|
||||
role: "in-house accountant with power of attorney over his JPMorgan accounts"
|
||||
fn: 1
|
||||
- type: represented
|
||||
with: "[[Nathan Z. Dershowitz]]"
|
||||
reverse: true
|
||||
start: 2007-09
|
||||
role: "counsel on a federal grand jury subpoena"
|
||||
fn: 4
|
||||
created: 2026-09-25
|
||||
updated: 2026-09-25
|
||||
---
|
||||
|
||||
Harry Beller is a New York accountant who worked for [[Jeffrey Epstein]] as his in-house accountant. He held power of attorney and signatory authority over Epstein's accounts at [[JPMorgan Chase]], executed wires for him, and made cash withdrawals that the bank flagged to the [[U.S. Department of the Treasury|Treasury]] in suspicious activity reports. He was subpoenaed to the federal grand jury in [[Florida]] in 2007, directed the 2012 wire that paid the application fee for Epstein's Virgin Islands tax-incentive company, and in 2025 and 2026 was named by the minority staff of the [[Senate Finance Committee]] under Senator [[Ron Wyden]] as a person whose role merited criminal investigation. Wyden's August 2026 report stated that federal prosecutors had never questioned him. He has not been charged with any crime.[^1][^2][^3]
|
||||
|
||||
### The Grand Jury Subpoena
|
||||
|
||||
In the federal investigation that ended with Epstein's [[Epstein non-prosecution agreement|non-prosecution agreement]], the [[U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Florida]] subpoenaed Beller to the grand jury in September 2007, in the same weeks as subpoenas to Epstein's assistant [[Lesley Groff]], the model agent [[Jean-Luc Brunel]] and [[Bear Stearns]]. The lawyer [[Nathan Z. Dershowitz]] represented Beller and a second Epstein employee on their subpoenas, and on September 12, 2007 told the prosecutor that Groff would "proceed by interview." The agreement was signed on September 24, 2007.[^4]
|
||||
|
||||
### JPMorgan Accounts and Cash
|
||||
|
||||
A forensic accountant retained by the Virgin Islands identified 134 JPMorgan accounts owned by Epstein or related people and entities, including accounts for Beller, [[Richard Kahn]], [[Darren Indyke]] and [[Ghislaine Maxwell]].[^2][^5] According to a November 19, 2025 memorandum by a Senate Finance Committee investigator to Wyden, based on JPMorgan records unsealed in the territory's suit against the bank, Beller "had power of attorney over Epstein's bank accounts at JPMC and withdrew massive amounts of cash at Epstein's direction," and suspicious activity reports filed by the bank "documented how Beller had signatory authority over Epstein's accounts and withdrew millions of dollars in cash on Epstein's behalf." A report JPMorgan filed with the Treasury on August 13, 2019, after Epstein's arrest, stated the bank's belief that "both Indyke and Beller controlled movement of Epstein's funds as signers of several Epstein accounts."[^1]
|
||||
|
||||
Internal bank correspondence recorded that Beller cashed 20 checks totaling about 800,000 dollars from January 2007 through 2008. In March 2012, when a risk executive raised 160,000 dollars in cash withdrawals that Epstein said paid for jet fuel, [[John Duffy]], chief executive of JPMorgan's U.S. private bank, answered that "this is a better pattern than I thought...I did ask him to withdraw this cash from his aviation account for these payments," and, according to the memorandum, suggested following up about the withdrawals with Beller, "who we know." In 2013 compliance executives found more than 920,000 dollars in cash withdrawals from his accounts between 2009 and 2013, "all conducted in NY by POA Harry Beller."[^1]
|
||||
|
||||
### The Southern Trust Application Fee
|
||||
|
||||
On September 21, 2012 Beller faxed JPMorgan a memorandum directing it to wire 5,000 dollars from Epstein's account through Pacific Coast Banker's Bank to Merchants Commercial Bank in [[St. Thomas]], "for further credit to Kellerhals Ferguson LLP," the firm of Epstein's territorial lawyer [[Erika Kellerhals]]; Epstein's statement for the month records the debit with the reference "Southern Trust Company Application Fee." Two months later Epstein and Kellerhals presented [[Southern Trust Company]] to the Virgin Islands [[Economic Development Commission]], which granted it a ten-year tax-incentive certificate from February 1, 2013. The territory later estimated that the certificate let Epstein avoid 80,576,236 dollars in taxes.[^6][^7]
|
||||
|
||||
### Congressional Inquiries
|
||||
|
||||
The memorandum recalled that in September 2025 Wyden had pointed out to Treasury Secretary [[Scott Bessent]] that Treasury records documented that Indyke and Beller "had signatory authority over Epstein's bank accounts and were responsible for executing hundreds of millions of dollars in suspicious transactions on Epstein's behalf." Wyden's Produce Epstein Treasury Records Act, S. 2746, introduced on September 9, 2025, would require the Treasury to produce suspicious activity reports relating to a list of people and entities that includes Beller, Kellerhals, Indyke, Kahn and Maxwell. The November 2025 staff memorandum concluded that "Epstein's accountant Harry Beller was an integral part of Epstein's financial operation and his potential links to sex trafficking crimes merits further investigation," and that "Beller and Darren Indyke's roles as financial intermediaries for Epstein, merit further investigation."[^1][^8]
|
||||
|
||||
Wyden's August 4, 2026 report, "Looking the Other Way," called for criminal investigations of Indyke, Kahn and Beller, stating that federal prosecutors had never questioned them. None of the three has been charged with a crime.[^3]
|
||||
|
||||
### Footnotes
|
||||
|
||||
[^1]: U.S. Senate Committee on Finance, Memorandum to Senator Ron Wyden, Ranking Member, "JPMorgan Chase & Co. underreported Epstein's suspicious transactions to the U.S. government and should be the subject of further investigation," November 19, 2025 (redacted), sections V and VII, pp. 12 to 17, citing JPM-SDNYLIT-W-00017206-207 (SAR number 127304700, filed August 13, 2019) and JPM-SDNY-LIT-00269719. https://www.finance.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/memorandum_to_senator_wyden_on_jpmc-epstein_redactedpdf.pdf
|
||||
[^2]: Government of the United States Virgin Islands v. JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A., No. 1:22-cv-10904-JSR (S.D.N.Y.), Expert Report of Jorge Amador, ECF No. 238-31 (filed July 25, 2023), report pp. 6, 16-17, 24, 46. https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.nysd.591653/gov.uscourts.nysd.591653.238.31.pdf
|
||||
[^3]: U.S. Senate Committee on Finance, Ranking Member Ron Wyden, "Looking the Other Way: How Wall Street Banks Enabled Jeffrey Epstein's Sex Trafficking," August 4, 2026, pp. 3-6, 50-61. https://www.finance.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/wyden_wall_street_epstein_report.pdf
|
||||
[^4]: U.S. Department of Justice, Epstein Library, EFTA00224943, DataSet 9, "Epstein Investigation Timeline," Exhibit A-1 (U.S. Attorney's Office, Southern District of Florida), pp. 11, 21. https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/DataSet%209/EFTA00224943.pdf
|
||||
[^5]: U.S. Senate Committee on Finance, Ranking Member Ron Wyden, "Looking the Other Way: How Wall Street Banks Enabled Jeffrey Epstein's Sex Trafficking," August 4, 2026, pp. 5-7, 15-43 (forensic accounting of 134 JPMorgan accounts). https://www.finance.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/wyden_wall_street_epstein_report.pdf
|
||||
[^6]: U.S. Department of Justice, Epstein Library, EFTA01580553, DataSet 10, memorandum from Harry Beller to JPMorgan wire desk, September 21, 2012 (JPM-SDNY-00059908); EFTA01483636, DataSet 10, JPMorgan statement for Jeffrey E. Epstein, September 1-28, 2012 (JPM-SDNY-00004812). https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/DataSet%2010/EFTA01580553.pdf ; https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/DataSet%2010/EFTA01483636.pdf
|
||||
[^7]: Government of the United States Virgin Islands v. Estate of Jeffrey E. Epstein, No. ST-20-CV-14 (V.I. Super. Ct.), Second Amended Complaint, paragraphs 157 to 159 and 175, filed as Exhibit 1 to Government of the United States Virgin Islands v. JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A., No. 1:22-cv-10904-JSR (S.D.N.Y.), ECF No. 1-1 (December 27, 2022). https://web.archive.org/web/20260117011558/https://www.justice.gov/multimedia/Court%20Records/Government%20of%20the%20United%20States%20Virgin%20Islands%20v.%20JPMorgan%20Chase%20Bank,%20N.A.,%20No.%20122-cv-10904%20(S.D.N.Y.%202022)/001-01.pdf
|
||||
[^8]: S. 2746, 119th Congress, "Produce Epstein Treasury Records Act," introduced September 9, 2025, section 2(b)(2). https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/BILLS-119s2746is/html/BILLS-119s2746is.htm
|
||||
68
10 - PEOPLE/(A-G)/Jack Goldberger.md
Normal file
68
10 - PEOPLE/(A-G)/Jack Goldberger.md
Normal file
|
|
@ -0,0 +1,68 @@
|
|||
---
|
||||
category: "Law Enforcement & Legal"
|
||||
tags:
|
||||
- Person
|
||||
- JackGoldberger
|
||||
- Lawyer
|
||||
- CriminalDefense
|
||||
- JeffreyEpstein
|
||||
- PalmBeach
|
||||
- WorkRelease
|
||||
- FloridaScienceFoundation
|
||||
alias:
|
||||
- Jack Alan Goldberger
|
||||
- Jack A. Goldberger
|
||||
- Jack Goldberger
|
||||
summary: "West Palm Beach criminal defense lawyer who handled Jeffrey Epstein's 2008 state plea, whose law office housed the Florida Science Foundation of Epstein's work release, and who defended Epstein in 2009 civil suits."
|
||||
location: "West Palm Beach, Florida"
|
||||
relations:
|
||||
- type: founded
|
||||
with: "[[Goldberger Weiss]]"
|
||||
role: "founding partner"
|
||||
fn: 1
|
||||
- type: participant_in
|
||||
with: "[[Epstein non-prosecution agreement]]"
|
||||
role: "defense counsel for the state plea"
|
||||
start: 2007-09-12
|
||||
end: 2009-06
|
||||
fn: 2
|
||||
created: 2026-09-25
|
||||
updated: 2026-09-25
|
||||
---
|
||||
|
||||
Jack Alan Goldberger is a criminal defense lawyer in [[West Palm Beach, Florida|West Palm Beach]], founding partner of the firm now called [[Goldberger Weiss]], who represented [[Jeffrey Epstein]] before the Palm Beach State Attorney's Office from 2006 and at his June 30, 2008 guilty plea in state court under the [[Epstein non-prosecution agreement]]. The application that won Epstein daytime release from the Palm Beach County Stockade listed his employer, the [[Florida Science Foundation]], at Goldberger's office address and with his firm's telephone number. The line federal prosecutor wrote in December 2008 that "since Day 1, Goldberger and [Krischer] . . . have been scheming to get Epstein out on work release."[^1][^2][^3]
|
||||
|
||||
### Practice
|
||||
|
||||
Goldberger received a B.A. from [[Syracuse University]] in 1974 and a J.D. from the [[University of Miami School of Law]] in 1978, and was admitted to the Florida Bar in 1978. He has been board-certified in criminal law by the Florida Bar since 1996. His firm's biography lists him as a past member of the board of the Florida Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, past president of the Palm Beach County Criminal Defense Association, a past member of the Palm Beach County Criminal Justice Commission and past chairman of its Courts Task Force, and past chairman of the Palm Beach County Bar Association's Criminal Court Advisory Committee, and states that his clients include "corporate executives in both the public and private sector, wall street executives, entertainment figures, and professional sports athletes and executives." The firm was earlier styled Atterbury, Goldberger & Weiss.[^1][^4]
|
||||
|
||||
### The State Case
|
||||
|
||||
Epstein's first local lawyer was a former Palm Beach County assistant state attorney. According to State Attorney [[Barry Krischer]]'s account to the [[Department of Justice|Justice Department]]'s [[Office of Professional Responsibility]], that lawyer brought [[Alan Dershowitz]] to see Krischer, and Dershowitz so "tainted the waters" that Epstein also hired Goldberger, with whom Krischer had "a working relationship." The assistant state attorney handling the case was married to Goldberger's law partner; once Goldberger was retained she was removed and [[Lanna Belohlavek]] took over. "Goldberger, together with Gerald Lefcourt, a nationally known New York criminal defense attorney also representing Epstein, then directed their efforts at Belohlavek and Krischer to dissuade the office from prosecuting Epstein, largely by attacking the credibility of the victim witnesses."[^2]
|
||||
|
||||
On September 12, 2007 Goldberger, [[Jay Lefkowitz]] and [[Gerald Lefcourt]] met the federal prosecutors together with Krischer and Belohlavek, a meeting at which, the Office of Professional Responsibility found, "the USAO made additional concessions." On September 21 the line prosecutor, [[Ann Marie Villafana|A. Marie Villafaña]], summarized the State Attorney's negotiations with Goldberger, including his request that Epstein not have to register as a sex offender. On December 7, 2007 Goldberger filed a notice of hearing setting the plea for January 4, 2008; on January 2 he told Belohlavek that the hearing was postponed because the facts "did not fit the proposed state charge." In the spring of 2008, while Epstein's appeal was pending before the Deputy Attorney General, Krischer told the federal office that he and Goldberger had arrived at a resolution involving a 90-day jail term. Villafaña wrote to her supervisor: "Please tell me that you are joking. Maybe we should throw him [Epstein] a party and tell him we are sorry to have bothered him."[^2][^5]
|
||||
|
||||
### The Plea and the Stockade
|
||||
|
||||
In late June 2008 Villafaña objected that the draft state plea form provided for community control, and reported that Goldberger "'swore' that Epstein would be in custody 24-hours-a-day" but "let it slip that Epstein would not be at the jail, he would be at the stockade." Goldberger agreed to insert the word "imprisoned" after "6 months"; the signed form instead carried "jail sentence." Epstein appeared with Goldberger on June 30, 2008 and pleaded guilty to felony solicitation of prostitution and to procuring a person under 18 for prostitution. When the judge asked whether the plea was tied to promises by other jurisdictions, Goldberger and Belohlavek disclosed the non-prosecution agreement at sidebar, and the court ordered it filed under seal. That afternoon Villafaña gave Goldberger the list of 31 victims to whom the agreement's civil-damages provision applied, and on July 10 she sent him a "Final Notification of Identified Victims" listing 32.[^2]
|
||||
|
||||
The day after the plea a sheriff's official told Villafaña that Epstein "would be eligible for work release and will be placed on work release," contrary to what Goldberger had "specifically told" her days earlier. She noted that the "Florida Science Foundation," where Epstein told the court he had worked "every day" for "a couple of years," did not exist until November 2007, and that the address he gave the court for it "was the office of Epstein's attorney Jack Goldberger." On December 3, 2008 she wrote to her supervisors: "It appears that, since Day 1, Goldberger and [Krischer] . . . have been scheming to get Epstein out on work release. For example, the indictment incorrectly charges Epstein for an offense that would have made him ineligible for work release if it had been charged correctly." On December 11 she wrote to the sheriff's Corrections Division that the telephone number on Epstein's work release application for the foundation was that of Goldberger's law firm. "The Sheriff's Office neither acknowledged nor responded." The foundation paid the [[Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office]] 128,136 dollars during Epstein's incarceration, and deputies' July 2009 overtime reports on the detail read "Provide security for Jeffrey Epstein."[^2][^3][^6]
|
||||
|
||||
On June 12, 2009 Villafaña wrote to Goldberger about a violation of the agreement, and on June 15 to Lefkowitz, [[Roy Black]] and Goldberger on the history of Epstein's performance; no indictment followed.[^5]
|
||||
|
||||
### Civil Suits
|
||||
|
||||
In the 2009 federal suit Jane Doe No. 102 v. Jeffrey Epstein, brought by [[Virginia Giuffre]] before Judge [[Kenneth Marra]] in the [[United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida|Southern District of Florida]], Epstein was represented by Robert D. Critton Jr. of Burman, Critton, Luttier & Coleman and by Goldberger of Atterbury, Goldberger & Weiss. The case ended in a settlement whose agreement and release was filed in 2021 in [[Giuffre v. Prince Andrew]].[^4]
|
||||
|
||||
Goldberger remained Epstein's co-counsel in Epstein v. Rothstein, the Palm Beach County suit Epstein filed in 2009 against [[Scott Rothstein]] and [[Bradley Edwards]], which became Edwards's counterclaim for malicious prosecution. On November 9, 2018 Epstein's counsel, Goldberger among them, moved for in camera inspection of 302 emails withheld on a 1,607-entry privilege log by Edwards and by [[Paul Cassell]], who with [[Jay Howell]] represented three victims as limited intervenors, arguing that most were "e-mails among attorneys and staff" and "with media sources." Epstein settled the counterclaim the next month with a written apology to Edwards.[^7][^8]
|
||||
|
||||
### Footnotes
|
||||
|
||||
[^1]: Goldberger Weiss, P.A., "Attorneys: Jack Goldberger." https://www.goldbergerweiss.com/attorneys/
|
||||
[^2]: U.S. Department of Justice, Epstein Library, EFTA02847284, Prior DOJ Disclosures, Office of Professional Responsibility, report, "Investigation into the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Florida's Resolution of Its 2006-2008 Federal Criminal Investigation of Jeffrey Epstein and Its Interactions with Victims during the Investigation," November 2020, pp. 8, 14-16, 64, 94, 101, 109-112, 114-116, 234-238. https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/Prior%20DOJ%20Disclosures/Memos.%20&%20Correspondence/EFTA02847284.pdf
|
||||
[^3]: U.S. Department of Justice, Epstein Library, EFTA00224943, DataSet 9, "Epstein Investigation Timeline," Exhibit A-1, privileged chronology of the federal investigation, pp. 23, 37 to 39. https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/DataSet%209/EFTA00224943.pdf
|
||||
[^4]: Settlement Agreement and General Release, Jane Doe No. 102 v. Jeffrey Epstein, No. 09-80656-CIV-Marra/Johnson (S.D. Fla.), filed as Exhibit A, ECF No. 32-1, in Giuffre v. Prince Andrew, No. 1:21-cv-06702 (S.D.N.Y.); complaint at ECF No. 35-2. https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.nysd.564713/gov.uscourts.nysd.564713.32.1.pdf
|
||||
[^5]: U.S. Department of Justice, Epstein Library, EFTA00224943, DataSet 9, "Epstein Investigation Timeline," Exhibit A-1, pp. 14, 19 to 20, 45 to 51. https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/DataSet%209/EFTA00224943.pdf
|
||||
[^6]: "Jeffrey Epstein paid Palm Beach Sheriff's Office $128,000 during incarceration for prostitution charges," *WPTV,* 2019. https://www.wptv.com/news/region-c-palm-beach-county/new-jeffrey-epstein-paid-palm-beach-sheriffs-office-128-000-during-incarceration-for-prostitution ; U.S. Department of Justice, Epstein Library, EFTA01308629, DataSet 10, Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office Extra Duty Permits System overtime report forms, Permit No. 7804, "Florida Science Foundation," July 1 to 14, 2009. https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/DataSet%2010/EFTA01308629.pdf
|
||||
[^7]: U.S. Department of Justice, Epstein Library, EFTA02768436, Court Records (Epstein v. Rothstein, No. 50-2009-CA-040800-XXXX-MB (Fla. 15th Cir. Ct. 2009)), Counter-Defendant Jeffrey Epstein's Motion for an In Camera Inspection of E-mails, e-filed November 9, 2018, pp. 1, 3, 17, 21. https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/Court%20Records/Epstein%20v.%20Rothstein%2C%20No.%2050-2009-CA-040800-XXXX-MB%20(Fla.%2015th%20Cir.%20Ct.%202009)/EFTA02768436.pdf
|
||||
[^8]: "Millionaire sex offender Jeffrey Epstein apologizes in settling malicious prosecution suit," *CNN,* December 4, 2018. https://www.cnn.com/2018/12/04/politics/jeffrey-epstein-lawsuit-settled
|
||||
95
10 - PEOPLE/(A-G)/Jay Clayton.md
Normal file
95
10 - PEOPLE/(A-G)/Jay Clayton.md
Normal file
|
|
@ -0,0 +1,95 @@
|
|||
---
|
||||
category: "Intelligence & Government"
|
||||
tags:
|
||||
- Person
|
||||
- JayClayton
|
||||
- SEC
|
||||
- SullivanAndCromwell
|
||||
- ApolloGlobalManagement
|
||||
- SDNY
|
||||
- DirectorOfNationalIntelligence
|
||||
- JeffreyEpstein
|
||||
- EpsteinFiles
|
||||
alias:
|
||||
- Walter J. Clayton III
|
||||
summary: "Sullivan & Cromwell partner whose clients included Deutsche Bank and Reid Hoffman, SEC chairman, Apollo chairman after Leon Black, SDNY U.S. Attorney assigned Epstein matters in 2025, then Director of National Intelligence."
|
||||
location: "New York, New York"
|
||||
relations:
|
||||
- type: employed_by
|
||||
with: "[[Sullivan & Cromwell]]"
|
||||
role: "partner"
|
||||
end: 2017
|
||||
fn: 1
|
||||
- type: represented
|
||||
with: "[[Deutsche Bank]]"
|
||||
role: "client of Clayton at Sullivan & Cromwell, disclosed to the Office of Government Ethics"
|
||||
end: 2017
|
||||
fn: 2
|
||||
- type: represented
|
||||
with: "[[Reid Hoffman]]"
|
||||
role: "client of Clayton at Sullivan & Cromwell, disclosed to the Office of Government Ethics"
|
||||
end: 2017
|
||||
fn: 2
|
||||
- type: head_of
|
||||
with: "[[Securities and Exchange Commission]]"
|
||||
role: "chairman"
|
||||
start: 2017-05-04
|
||||
end: 2020-12
|
||||
fn: 1
|
||||
- type: head_of
|
||||
with: "[[Apollo Global Management]]"
|
||||
role: "non-executive chairman of the board, succeeding Leon Black"
|
||||
start: 2021-03-22
|
||||
fn: 7
|
||||
- type: investigated
|
||||
with: "[[Jeffrey Epstein]]"
|
||||
role: "assigned by the Attorney General to investigate Epstein's dealings with Clinton, Summers, Hoffman and JPMorgan Chase"
|
||||
start: 2025-11-14
|
||||
fn: 3
|
||||
created: 2026-09-25
|
||||
updated: 2026-09-25
|
||||
---
|
||||
|
||||
Walter J. "Jay" Clayton III is an American lawyer who was a partner of [[Sullivan & Cromwell]], chairman of the [[Securities and Exchange Commission]] from 2017 to 2020, non-executive chairman of [[Apollo Global Management]] in succession to its founder [[Leon Black]], and from 2025 [[United States]] Attorney for the [[U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York|Southern District of New York]]. In November 2025 Attorney General [[Pam Bondi]] assigned him to investigate [[Jeffrey Epstein]]'s dealings with [[Bill Clinton]], [[Larry Summers]], [[Reid Hoffman]] and [[JPMorgan Chase]]; Hoffman and [[Deutsche Bank]] had been among the clients Clayton disclosed on his 2017 government ethics filing. He was sworn in as the ninth [[Director of National Intelligence]] on August 3, 2026.[^1][^2][^3][^4]
|
||||
|
||||
### Sullivan & Cromwell
|
||||
|
||||
Clayton was born at Fort Eustis in [[Newport News, Virginia|Newport News]], [[Virginia]], and grew up mostly in central and southeastern [[Pennsylvania]]. He holds an engineering degree from the [[University of Pennsylvania]], degrees in economics from the [[University of Cambridge]], where he was a Thouron Scholar, and a law degree from the University of Pennsylvania Law School. After clerking for Judge Marvin Katz of the [[U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania]], he joined Sullivan & Cromwell, became a partner, sat on its management committee and co-headed its corporate practice; from 2009 to 2017 he also taught at Penn Law.[^1]
|
||||
|
||||
On his nomination to the SEC, Clayton filed a financial disclosure with the [[Office of Government Ethics]] listing clients from which he had earned more than 5,000 dollars in a year. They included Deutsche Bank AG, [[Goldman Sachs|The Goldman Sachs Group]] and the Goldman Sachs Philanthropy Fund, [[Barclays]], UBS Securities, [[Brown Brothers Harriman]], [[Bessemer Trust]], [[SoftBank]], the [[Royal Bank of Canada]], [[Pershing Square Capital Management|Pershing Square]], [[Paul Tudor Jones]], [[Valeant Pharmaceuticals]], [[Volkswagen]], [[TeliaSonera]], Suning Commerce Group, [[The Weinstein Company]] and Reid Hoffman. Four individual and five corporate clients were withheld "because the disclosure of the representations are the subject of attorney-client privilege and other confidentiality obligations," two of them because they were "the subject of a pending non-public investigation." He reported 7.6 million dollars in income from the firm in the preceding year.[^2][^5]
|
||||
|
||||
### SEC and Apollo
|
||||
|
||||
Nominated by President [[Donald Trump]] on January 20, 2017, Clayton was sworn in as SEC chairman on May 4, 2017 and served until December 2020, sitting also on the President's Working Group on Financial Markets, the [[Financial Stability Oversight Council]] and the [[Financial Stability Board]].[^1] On the night of June 19, 2020, while still at the SEC, he was named by Attorney General [[William Barr]] as Trump's choice to replace [[Geoffrey Berman]] as U.S. Attorney in Manhattan; Berman refused to step down, saying, "I have not resigned, and have no intention of resigning, my position, to which I was appointed by the Judges of the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York," and was removed the next day.[^6]
|
||||
|
||||
Apollo appointed Clayton its lead independent director from March 1, 2021. On March 22, 2021 it announced that he had been named non-executive chairman and that he and [[Marc Rowan]], as chief executive, succeeded Black, who stepped down citing "my wife Debra's and my health issues." Clayton said, "It is an honor to serve Apollo's investors as Chairman and further the founders' commitment to leading, shareholder-oriented governance."[^7]
|
||||
|
||||
### U.S. Attorney in Manhattan
|
||||
|
||||
Clayton was sworn in as interim U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York in April 2025, on appointment by the Attorney General.[^8] On August 18, 2025, as his interim term was about to expire, the judges of the district appointed "Walter J. Clayton III" United States Attorney under 28 U.S.C. § 546(d), effective August 20, "to serve until a United States Attorney, nominated by the President and appointed with the advice and consent of the United States Senate, takes office."[^9]
|
||||
|
||||
On July 16, 2025 the office dismissed [[Maurene Comey]], a prosecutor on the Epstein and [[Ghislaine Maxwell]] cases, by an email citing "Article II of the United States Constitution." According to her lawsuit against the department, when she asked Clayton for an explanation he told her: "All I can say is it came from Washington. I can't tell you anything else."[^10]
|
||||
|
||||
On November 14, 2025, at Trump's public request, Bondi assigned Clayton to investigate Epstein's dealings with Clinton, Summers, Hoffman and JPMorgan Chase. Five days later Trump signed the [[Epstein Files Transparency Act]], which permits the withholding of records that would jeopardize "an active federal investigation."[^3] Letters on the department's review of files under the Act were filed over Clayton's name in [[United States v. Maxwell]] on January 15 and January 31, 2026 (ECF Nos. 839 and 847).[^11]
|
||||
|
||||
### Director of National Intelligence
|
||||
|
||||
Trump nominated Clayton for Director of National Intelligence to fill the post vacated in June 2026 by [[Tulsi Gabbard]].[^4] At his confirmation hearing before the [[Senate Select Committee on Intelligence]] on July 15, 2026, he said, "Senator, I'm not an election denier. Joe Biden was certified as the president of the United States," but declined when pressed by Senator [[Jon Ossoff]] to say that [[Joe Biden]] had won the 2020 election. The committee chairman, [[Tom Cotton]], cited his office's cases, "including the indictment of Venezuelan dictator [[Nicolás Maduro]]." Senator [[Ron Wyden]] cited the office's "recent role in issuing subpoenas for records of [[New York Times]] journalists." The Senate confirmed him 51 to 47 on July 28, 2026.[^4][^12] He was sworn in on August 3, 2026 to oversee the eighteen agencies of the [[United States Intelligence Community|intelligence community]], saying the community's work must be "never weaponized for political motives."[^4]
|
||||
|
||||
He was succeeded in Manhattan by Jamie McDonald, who had served as director of enforcement at the [[Commodity Futures Trading Commission]] from 2017 to 2020 and then as a partner of Sullivan & Cromwell.[^13]
|
||||
|
||||
### Footnotes
|
||||
|
||||
[^1]: U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, "Jay Clayton," SEC Historical Summary of Chairmen and Commissioners. https://www.sec.gov/about/sec-commissioners/sec-historical-summary-chairmen-commissioners/jay-clayton
|
||||
[^2]: ProPublica, "Jay Clayton," *Trump Town,* from his OGE Form 278e financial disclosure (database updated October 2019). https://projects.propublica.org/trump-town/staffers/jay-clayton
|
||||
[^3]: "Bondi taps acting U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton to probe Democrats' ties to Epstein," *The Washington Times,* November 14, 2025. https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2025/nov/14/bondi-taps-acting-us-attorney-jay-clayton-probe-democrats-ties/ ; Epstein Files Transparency Act, Pub. L. No. 119-38, § 2(c)(1)(C), 139 Stat. 656. https://www.congress.gov/119/plaws/publ38/PLAW-119publ38.pdf
|
||||
[^4]: "Jay Clayton sworn in as U.S. director of national intelligence." *Reuters,* via *CNBC,* August 3, 2026. https://www.cnbc.com/2026/08/03/jay-clayton-sworn-in-as-us-director-of-national-intelligence.html
|
||||
[^5]: Egan, Matt. "Jay Clayton: Trump's SEC nominee to face questions over deep ties to Wall Street." *CNN Money,* March 22, 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/2017/http://money.cnn.com/2017/03/22/investing/jay-clayton-sec-hearing-wall-street-defender/index.html
|
||||
[^6]: "Geoffrey Berman, U.S. Attorney Who Prosecuted Trump Allies, Says He Won't Quit." *NPR,* June 20, 2020. https://www.npr.org/2020/06/20/881148365/geoffrey-berman-u-s-attorney-who-prosecuted-trump-allies-says-he-wont-quit ; Kimball, Spencer. "Attorney General Barr tells top Manhattan prosecutor Berman he is fired amid power struggle." *CNBC,* June 20, 2020. https://www.cnbc.com/2020/06/20/attorney-general-barr-tells-manhattan-us-attorney-berman-he-is-fired-amid-power-struggle.html
|
||||
[^7]: Apollo Global Management, "Marc Rowan Assumes Role of CEO of Apollo; Jay Clayton Named Non-Executive Chair of Board," press release, March 22, 2021. https://ir.apollo.com/news-events/press-releases/detail/105/marc-rowan-assumes-role-of-ceo-of-apollo
|
||||
[^8]: "Jay Clayton Appointed US Attorney for SDNY." *Yonkers Times,* April 28, 2025. https://yonkerstimes.com/jay-clayton-appointed-us-attorney-for-sdny/
|
||||
[^9]: United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, Office of the District Court Executive, Press Advisory, August 18, 2025. https://www.nysd.uscourts.gov/sites/default/files/2025-08/Press%20Advisory.pdf
|
||||
[^10]: Atkins, Chloe. "Former federal prosecutor Maurene Comey sues Trump administration over her firing." *NBC News,* September 2025. https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/justice-department/former-federal-prosecutor-maurene-comey-sues-trump-admin-firing-rcna231406 ; Breuninger, Kevin. "Trump DOJ sued by Epstein prosecutor Maurene Comey over 'illegal' firing." *CNBC,* September 15, 2025. https://www.cnbc.com/2025/09/15/trump-comey-epstein-fired.html
|
||||
[^11]: United States v. Maxwell, No. 1:20-cr-00330 (S.D.N.Y.), letters re Epstein Files Transparency Act review, ECF No. 839 (Jan. 15, 2026) and ECF No. 847 (Jan. 31, 2026). https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/17318376/united-states-v-maxwell/
|
||||
[^12]: McLaughlin, Jenna. "Senate confirms Jay Clayton as director of national intelligence." *NPR,* July 29, 2026. https://www.npr.org/2026/07/29/nx-s1-5910749/senate-confirms-jay-clayton-as-director-of-national-intelligence
|
||||
[^13]: U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York, "Meet the U.S. Attorney," accessed September 25, 2026. https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdny/meet-us-attorney
|
||||
|
|
@ -236,7 +236,7 @@ The operation recruited girls, some as young as 14, to give Epstein "massages" t
|
|||
|
||||
A March 2011 JPMorgan report quoted in later shareholder litigation stated that "MC2 Model Management and Jeffrey Epstein engaged in racketeering that involved luring in minor children for sexual play for money," that Brunel "often visited Epstein in jail," and that Epstein had paid MC2 one million dollars in 2005, "unknown if the money was given as a secret investment or payment for services as a procurer." A 2011 compliance summary recorded that "the banker said today we extended Epstein a loan in relation to this modeling agency," a JPMorgan letter of credit to MC2. Epstein's JPMorgan accounts paid nearly 1.5 million dollars to known recruiters, including MC2.[^21]
|
||||
|
||||
The Palm Beach Police Department opened an investigation in 2005 after a parent reported that her teenage daughter had been molested, and detectives identified dozens of victims and a network of recruiters. The most prominent victim-witnesses overall include [[Virginia Giuffre]] (recruited at age 16 or 17 while working at [[Mar-a-Lago]]), Maria Farmer and her sister [[Annie Farmer]], who was abused at the New Mexico ranch in 1996, [[Courtney Wild]], and [[Sarah Ransome]]. Their accounts, depositions, and civil suits, many unsealed from the [[Giuffre v. Maxwell]] record between 2019 and 2024, provided much of the public record of the operation.[^17][^22][^23]
|
||||
The [[Palm Beach Police Department]] opened an investigation in 2005 after a parent reported that her teenage daughter had been molested, and detectives identified dozens of victims and a network of recruiters. The most prominent victim-witnesses overall include [[Virginia Giuffre]] (recruited at age 16 or 17 while working at [[Mar-a-Lago]]), Maria Farmer and her sister [[Annie Farmer]], who was abused at the New Mexico ranch in 1996, [[Courtney Wild]], and [[Sarah Ransome]]. Their accounts, depositions, and civil suits, many unsealed from the [[Giuffre v. Maxwell]] record between 2019 and 2024, provided much of the public record of the operation.[^17][^22][^23]
|
||||
|
||||
### The Flight Logs and the Black Book
|
||||
|
||||
|
|
@ -264,7 +264,7 @@ Lefkowitz and co-counsel [[Kenneth Starr]] were partners at [[Kirkland & Ellis]]
|
|||
|
||||
The prosecution team kept working on the federal case after the signing. On February 14, 2008 Villafana wrote to the FBI case agents that she had not yet sent the indictment and "was just asking for input on who to include and who to exclude." On May 16, 2008 Sloman wrote to her, "We got approved," explaining: "Alex called to tell me. He said the ltr needs to be tweaked which we'll do on Monday. I wouldn't call the FBI yet." In March 2011, JPMorgan's investment bank general counsel reported to the bank's general counsel, [[Stephen Cutler]], a former Director of Enforcement at the SEC, that Lefkowitz, who "represented Epstein in state plea/fed NPA process," believed "any pre-plea conduct is subsumed within plea/NPA"; Cutler later testified that the bank "would have seen the non-pros agreement" sometime before 2011.[^39][^40][^41]
|
||||
|
||||
A 51-page "Epstein Investigation Timeline," marked privileged and as containing grand jury material and stamped Exhibit A-1, records the negotiation from the prosecutors' side. Palm Beach Police Chief Michael Reiter had written to Krischer in May 2006 urging him to proceed on the probable cause affidavits or to recuse himself. In September 2007 Acosta, [[Drew Oosterbaan]], Sloman, Villafana and John McMillan met Starr, Lefkowitz and [[Lilly Ann Sanchez]]; on September 20 an internal email reported that Lefkowitz wanted to remove the registration requirement, and on September 23 Acosta told Lefkowitz to deal directly with Lourie and Villafana. On November 29, 2007 a forwarded exchange between Sloman and [[Andrew Lourie]] recorded that the defense "originally agreed to plead to the state felony that they thought was unregisterable (but did not tell us knowing we thought it was), but then discovered they were wrong and tried to get out of it. They tried several times to knock down the jail time after agreeing to the time." According to the chronology, in a telephone call in early January 2008 Lefkowitz admitted to Acosta that he had never intended Epstein to plead guilty to an offense requiring sex offender registration. After the Criminal Division rejected Epstein's appeal in May 2008, Villafana asked to indict, and Sloman and Acosta advised that Epstein would be given the chance to perform. On June 9, 2009, with Epstein on work release, she sent a memorandum titled "Request to Provide Notification of Breach," an indictment package was signed again for presentation on June 16, and on June 12 she wrote to Jack Goldberger about a violation of the agreement. The chronology ends with the formal office-wide recusal of the Southern District of Florida in July and August 2011.[^42]
|
||||
A 51-page "Epstein Investigation Timeline," marked privileged and as containing grand jury material and stamped Exhibit A-1, records the negotiation from the prosecutors' side. Palm Beach Police Chief Michael Reiter had written to Krischer in May 2006 urging him to proceed on the probable cause affidavits or to recuse himself. In September 2007 Acosta, [[Drew Oosterbaan]], Sloman, Villafana and John McMillan met Starr, Lefkowitz and [[Lilly Ann Sanchez]]; on September 20 an internal email reported that Lefkowitz wanted to remove the registration requirement, and on September 23 Acosta told Lefkowitz to deal directly with Lourie and Villafana. On November 29, 2007 a forwarded exchange between Sloman and [[Andrew Lourie]] recorded that the defense "originally agreed to plead to the state felony that they thought was unregisterable (but did not tell us knowing we thought it was), but then discovered they were wrong and tried to get out of it. They tried several times to knock down the jail time after agreeing to the time." According to the chronology, in a telephone call in early January 2008 Lefkowitz admitted to Acosta that he had never intended Epstein to plead guilty to an offense requiring sex offender registration. After the Criminal Division rejected Epstein's appeal in May 2008, Villafana asked to indict, and Sloman and Acosta advised that Epstein would be given the chance to perform. On June 9, 2009, with Epstein on work release, she sent a memorandum titled "Request to Provide Notification of Breach," an indictment package was signed again for presentation on June 16, and on June 12 she wrote to Jack Goldberger about a violation of the agreement. The chronology ends with the formal office-wide recusal of the [[U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Florida|Southern District of Florida]] in July and August 2011.[^42]
|
||||
|
||||
Epstein served his sentence in the custody of the [[Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office]] under Sheriff [[Ric Bradshaw]], who approved him for work release. From October 2008 he spent "12 hours a day purportedly working at the '[[Florida Science Foundation]],' an entity Epstein had recently incorporated that was co-located at the West Palm Beach office of one of Epstein's attorneys." The foundation paid the sheriff's office 128,136 dollars during his incarceration, money reported to have paid off-duty deputies assigned to him while he was there; later reporting on sheriff's records described him leaving the jail up to 16 hours a day, seven days a week. In August 2019, after a letter from Bradshaw, Governor [[Ron DeSantis]] ordered the [[Florida Department of Law Enforcement]] to investigate; its May 2021 reports found no evidence that Krischer or Belohlavek "committed any crimes, accepted any bribes or gifts, or did anything improper," and found that Epstein "received differential treatment" in sheriff's custody that was not criminal.[^33][^43][^44]
|
||||
|
||||
|
|
@ -282,7 +282,7 @@ Before the report was final, the Chief of the Public Corruption Unit of the U.S.
|
|||
|
||||
Menchel had left the office in August 2007, weeks before the signing, for [[Kobre & Kim]]; according to reporting on the full report, he had offered the 2007 plea terms to an Epstein lawyer he had formerly dated. Epstein estate records released by the House Oversight Committee in October 2025 show appointments, calls, and dinners between Menchel and Epstein in 2011, 2013, and 2017. Menchel has said he had no business relationship with Epstein "at any point, not before, during or after my tenure," and has denied skiing with him.[^33][^52]
|
||||
|
||||
When Ghislaine Maxwell invoked the co-conspirator clause, the [[United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit|Second Circuit]] held in 2024 that under United States v. Annabi it bound only the Southern District of Florida, noting that the circuits "have been split on this issue for decades" and that the Assistant Attorney General for the Criminal Division had told the Office of Professional Responsibility she "played no role" in the agreement; the Supreme Court denied certiorari on October 6, 2025. None of the four named women has been charged by any district. Among the files released in 2026 is a May 6, 2020 email in which a Southern District of New York prosecutor listed the office's internal memoranda, including a co-conspirator memo delivered in the week after Epstein's death, an 86-page "co-conspirator update memo" and a 13-page "corporate prosecution memo" described as "never discussed." Groff's lawyer said she was never told she was considered a co-conspirator.[^13][^34][^53][^54]
|
||||
When Ghislaine Maxwell invoked the co-conspirator clause, the [[United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit|Second Circuit]] held in 2024 that under United States v. Annabi it bound only the Southern District of Florida, noting that the circuits "have been split on this issue for decades" and that the Assistant Attorney General for the Criminal Division had told the Office of Professional Responsibility she "played no role" in the agreement; the Supreme Court denied certiorari on October 6, 2025. None of the four named women has been charged by any district. Among the files released in 2026 is a May 6, 2020 email in which a [[U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York|Southern District of New York]] prosecutor listed the office's internal memoranda, including a co-conspirator memo delivered in the week after Epstein's death, an 86-page "co-conspirator update memo" and a 13-page "corporate prosecution memo" described as "never discussed." Groff's lawyer said she was never told she was considered a co-conspirator.[^13][^34][^53][^54]
|
||||
|
||||
### The Science Network and the Eugenics Ambition
|
||||
|
||||
|
|
@ -362,7 +362,7 @@ The post-death litigation produced large settlements. In 2022 Epstein's estate a
|
|||
|
||||
According to JPMorgan's 2023 filings in the territory's suit against the bank, Epstein's local affairs were managed by [[Cecile de Jongh]], the office manager of Southern Trust and the wife of Governor [[John de Jongh]] (in office 2007 to 2015), who helped Epstein shape legislation affecting sex-offender monitoring and the Economic Development Commission benefits while Epstein-linked entities paid family expenses. On the day the commission's certificate for Southern Trust was dated, January 24, 2014, Cecile de Jongh asked Epstein to match 15,000 dollars for her husband's final State of the Territory reception and asked Richard Kahn to make out a check to the "Governor's Special Events Fund." The commission's general counsel from 2007 to 2014 was [[Stacey Plaskett]], later the territory's delegate to Congress, who acknowledged receiving about 30,000 dollars in campaign contributions from Epstein and his employees. Epstein's office also handled requests from the Mapp-Potter inaugural committee (10,000 dollars from Southern Trust, December 2014), a Mapp super PAC (75,000 dollars, September 2016), and the Bryan/Roach inaugural committee (25,000 dollars requested, December 2018; payment not shown).[^11][^104][^105]
|
||||
|
||||
The territory's later Attorney General, [[Denise George]], filed the 2020 suit against the estate and a 2022 suit against JPMorgan, and was removed by Governor Albert Bryan days after the bank suit was filed. According to FBI notes of an October 2, 2023 interview released in January 2026, George said Bryan asked her in 2019 to grant Epstein a waiver of the 21-day travel-notice rule, told her after Epstein's death "He's dead go for it," later pressed her to settle with the estate for 80 million dollars with the attorney [[Henry Smock]] as mediator, and said the estate "just wanted to clear people." Smock had assisted Epstein in the 1998 purchase of Little St. James and was counsel to the Economic Development Authority board; he later represented Bryan in a sealed 2023 divorce. Bryan's chief legal counsel, [[David Bornn]], a former employee of Epstein's attorney [[Erika Kellerhals]], called George to relay Kellerhals's question about what she was investigating. Bryan has said Epstein received no special privilege from his administration. The territory recovered about 180 million dollars after legal fees and, as of January 2026, had not filed the accounting of the money that a 2024 law requires.[^20][^106][^107]
|
||||
The territory's later Attorney General, [[Denise George]], filed the 2020 suit against the estate and a 2022 suit against JPMorgan, and was removed by Governor Albert Bryan days after the bank suit was filed. According to FBI notes of an October 2, 2023 interview released in January 2026, George said Bryan asked her in 2019 to grant Epstein a waiver of the 21-day travel-notice rule, told her after Epstein's death "He's dead go for it," later pressed her to settle with the estate for 80 million dollars with the attorney [[Henry Smock]] as mediator, and said the estate "just wanted to clear people." Smock had assisted Epstein in the 1998 purchase of Little St. James and was counsel to the [[Virgin Islands Economic Development Authority|Economic Development Authority]] board; he later represented Bryan in a sealed 2023 divorce. Bryan's chief legal counsel, [[David Bornn]], a former employee of Epstein's attorney [[Erika Kellerhals]], called George to relay Kellerhals's question about what she was investigating. Bryan has said Epstein received no special privilege from his administration. The territory recovered about 180 million dollars after legal fees and, as of January 2026, had not filed the accounting of the money that a 2024 law requires.[^20][^106][^107]
|
||||
|
||||
### The 2019 Federal Charges
|
||||
|
||||
|
|
|
|||
60
10 - PEOPLE/(A-G)/Julie K. Brown.md
Normal file
60
10 - PEOPLE/(A-G)/Julie K. Brown.md
Normal file
|
|
@ -0,0 +1,60 @@
|
|||
---
|
||||
category: "Authors & Journalists"
|
||||
tags:
|
||||
- Person
|
||||
- JulieKBrown
|
||||
- MiamiHerald
|
||||
- Journalism
|
||||
- JeffreyEpstein
|
||||
- NonProsecutionAgreement
|
||||
- GiuffreVMaxwell
|
||||
- Unsealing
|
||||
alias:
|
||||
- Julie Brown
|
||||
summary: "Miami Herald investigative reporter whose 2018 series Perversion of Justice prompted a Justice Department misconduct review of Epstein's plea deal and who intervened to unseal the Giuffre v. Maxwell record."
|
||||
location: "Miami, Florida"
|
||||
relations:
|
||||
- type: employed_by
|
||||
with: "[[Miami Herald]]"
|
||||
role: "investigative reporter"
|
||||
fn: 1
|
||||
- type: investigated
|
||||
with: "[[Epstein non-prosecution agreement]]"
|
||||
role: "Perversion of Justice series"
|
||||
start: 2018-11-28
|
||||
fn: 1
|
||||
created: 2026-09-25
|
||||
updated: 2026-09-25
|
||||
---
|
||||
|
||||
Julie K. Brown is an American investigative reporter for the *[[Miami Herald]]* whose series "Perversion of Justice," published on November 28, 2018, examined the 2007 [[Epstein non-prosecution agreement|non-prosecution agreement]] between [[Jeffrey Epstein]] and the [[U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Florida]] under [[Alexander Acosta]]. The series led a [[United States]] senator to ask the [[Office of Professional Responsibility]] of the [[Department of Justice|Justice Department]] to investigate, and the office opened a review in February 2019. Brown and the Herald were also the intervenors who asked the courts to unseal the record of [[Giuffre v. Maxwell]]; the [[Second Circuit]] ruled in their favor in Brown v. Maxwell on July 3, 2019, three days before Epstein's arrest in New York.[^1][^2]
|
||||
|
||||
### Perversion of Justice
|
||||
|
||||
The Office of Professional Responsibility summarized the series in its November 2020 report: "The Miami Herald reported that in 2007, Acosta entered into an 'extraordinary' deal with Epstein in the form of the NPA, which permitted Epstein to avoid federal prosecution and a potentially lengthy prison sentence by pleading guilty in state court to 'two prostitution charges.' According to the Miami Herald, the government also immunized from prosecution Epstein's co-conspirators and concealed from Epstein's victims the terms of the NPA. Through its reporting, which included interviews of eight victims and information from publicly available documents, the newspaper painted a portrait of federal and state prosecutors who had ignored serious criminal conduct by a wealthy man with powerful and politically connected friends by granting him a 'deal of a lifetime.'" The report also cited a follow-up by Brown and colleagues of December 6, 2018, "Lawmakers issue call for investigation of serial sex abuser Jeffrey Epstein's plea deal."[^1]
|
||||
|
||||
On December 3, 2018, five days after the series ran, Senator [[Ben Sasse]], chairman of the Senate Judiciary subcommittee on oversight, wrote to the Office of Professional Responsibility citing the Herald's report and asking it to "open an investigation into the instances identified in this reporting of possible misconduct by Department of Justice attorneys." The department's Office of Legislative Affairs told Sasse on February 6, 2019 that the investigation had been opened. Its November 2020 report found no professional misconduct by Acosta or four subordinates but concluded that the agreement "was a flawed mechanism for satisfying the federal interest" and that Acosta's decision "constitutes poor judgment."[^1][^3]
|
||||
|
||||
When the [[U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York]] announced Epstein's indictment on July 8, 2019, U.S. Attorney [[Geoffrey Berman]] said the office had been "assisted by some excellent investigative journalism." Acosta, by then [[United States Secretary of Labor|Secretary of Labor]], resigned on July 12, 2019.[^1][^4]
|
||||
|
||||
### The Unsealing Litigation
|
||||
|
||||
Giuffre v. Maxwell, the defamation suit brought in 2015 by [[Virginia Giuffre]] against [[Ghislaine Maxwell]] before Judge [[Robert W. Sweet]], settled on May 24, 2017 with much of its record under seal. On April 6, 2018 the Miami Herald and Brown moved to intervene and unseal the entire docket; [[Alan Dershowitz]] and the writer [[Mike Cernovich]] had earlier sought parts of the record. Sweet denied the requests.[^2]
|
||||
|
||||
On March 11, 2019 a Second Circuit panel of Judges [[José A. Cabranes]], [[Rosemary S. Pooler]] and [[Christopher F. Droney]] issued an order to show cause, listing "Julie Brown, Miami Herald Company" among the intervenors, which stated: "Our precedent clearly establishes that 'documents submitted to a court for its consideration in a summary judgment motion are, as a matter of law, judicial documents to which a strong presumption of access attaches, under both the common law and the First Amendment.'" It ordered the parties to "show good cause why the Court should not unseal the summary judgment motion, including any materials filed in connection with this motion, and the District Court's summary judgment decision"; Pooler dissented in part. A printout of the order from [[Bloomberg Law]], time-stamped "3/11/19, 5:28 PM," is among Epstein's files released by the Justice Department.[^5]
|
||||
|
||||
The panel ruled on July 3, 2019, in Brown v. Maxwell, that the summary judgment materials must be unsealed and that the remaining sealed filings required individualized review by the district court.[^2] About 2,000 pages were unsealed on August 9, 2019, including a 2016 deposition in which Epstein invoked his Fifth Amendment privilege; Epstein was found dead in his cell at the [[Metropolitan Correctional Center, New York|Metropolitan Correctional Center]] the next morning.[^6] On July 23, 2025, on appeals brought by Giuffre's side and by the Herald, the Second Circuit vacated the district court's December 2019 and January 2020 unsealing orders and remanded for further individualized review.[^6]
|
||||
|
||||
### Wild v. Brown
|
||||
|
||||
On February 3, 2022 [[Courtney Wild]] and [[Haley Robson]] sued Brown for defamation in Miami-Dade County circuit court over her 2021 book *Perversion of Justice: The Jeffrey Epstein Story*. The complaint alleged that the book falsely described Wild as having had intercourse with Epstein after he raped her, and that Brown had minimized Wild's role in exposing the agreement and in Epstein's arrest while crediting herself; Robson alleged that after she declined an interview Brown told her she was "making the biggest mistake of your life." Brown told the *Florida Bulldog* on the day of filing that she had not yet seen the suit and had called her lawyer.[^7]
|
||||
|
||||
### Footnotes
|
||||
|
||||
[^1]: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Professional Responsibility, "Investigation into the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Florida's Resolution of Its 2006-2008 Federal Criminal Investigation of Jeffrey Epstein and Its Interactions with Victims during the Investigation," Executive Summary, November 2020, pp. i-xi and n. 3. https://www.justice.gov/opr/page/file/1336471/dl
|
||||
[^2]: Brown v. Maxwell; Dershowitz v. Giuffre, 929 F.3d 41 (2d Cir. 2019), Nos. 18-2868, 16-3945-cv(L) (July 3, 2019). https://www.courtlistener.com/opinion/4636340/brown-v-maxwell-dershowitz-v-giuffre/
|
||||
[^3]: Brown, Julie K. "Perversion of Justice." *Miami Herald,* November 28, 2018. https://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/article220097825.html
|
||||
[^4]: "Jeffrey Epstein operated a vast sex-trafficking network of underage girls who recruited other victims, prosecutors say." *CNN,* July 8, 2019. https://edition.cnn.com/2019/07/08/us/jeffrey-epstein-monday-court-appearance
|
||||
[^5]: U.S. Department of Justice, Epstein Library, EFTA00802958, DataSet 9, Bloomberg Law printout of Giuffre v. Maxwell, No. 18-2868 (2d Cir.), Order to Show Cause, March 11, 2019. https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/DataSet%209/EFTA00802958.pdf
|
||||
[^6]: Giuffre v. Maxwell, 146 F.4th 165 (2d Cir. 2025) (per curiam), Nos. 24-182-cv(L), 24-203-cv(con) (July 23, 2025). https://caselaw.findlaw.com/court/us-2nd-circuit/117500106.html
|
||||
[^7]: Complaint, *Wild and Robson v. Brown* (Fla. 11th Jud. Cir., Miami-Dade County, filed Feb. 3, 2022), paragraphs 5-13 and prayer for relief. https://www.courthousenews.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/wild-brown-complaint.pdf ; "Two victims of Jeffrey Epstein sue reporter/author Julie Brown for defamation," *Florida Bulldog,* February 2022. https://www.floridabulldog.org/2022/02/two-victims-jeffrey-epstein-sue-reporter-author-julie-brown-defamation/
|
||||
70
10 - PEOPLE/(A-G)/Lanna Belohlavek.md
Normal file
70
10 - PEOPLE/(A-G)/Lanna Belohlavek.md
Normal file
|
|
@ -0,0 +1,70 @@
|
|||
---
|
||||
category: "Law Enforcement & Legal"
|
||||
tags:
|
||||
- Person
|
||||
- JeffreyEpstein
|
||||
- Prosecutor
|
||||
- PalmBeach
|
||||
- GrandJury
|
||||
- NonProsecutionAgreement
|
||||
alias:
|
||||
- Lanna Belohlavek
|
||||
summary: "Palm Beach County assistant state attorney and Crimes Against Children Unit chief who presented the 2006 Epstein case to the grand jury that returned one solicitation count, later cleared by state investigators."
|
||||
location: "West Palm Beach, Florida"
|
||||
relations:
|
||||
- type: employed_by
|
||||
with: "[[Palm Beach County State Attorney's Office]]"
|
||||
role: "Assistant State Attorney; Chief, Crimes Against Children Unit"
|
||||
fn: 1
|
||||
- type: prosecuted
|
||||
with: "[[Jeffrey Epstein]]"
|
||||
role: "lead state prosecutor"
|
||||
start: 2006
|
||||
fn: 2
|
||||
- type: investigated
|
||||
with: "[[Florida Department of Law Enforcement]]"
|
||||
reverse: true
|
||||
start: 2019-08
|
||||
end: 2021-05
|
||||
fn: 3
|
||||
created: 2026-09-25
|
||||
updated: 2026-09-25
|
||||
---
|
||||
|
||||
Lanna Belohlavek is a Florida prosecutor who, as an Assistant State Attorney and chief of the Crimes Against Children Unit of the [[Palm Beach County State Attorney's Office]] under [[Barry Krischer]], handled the 2005 to 2006 state case against [[Jeffrey Epstein]]. She declined to file the felony charges sought by the [[Palm Beach Police Department]], offered Epstein a probationary plea that he rejected, and on July 19, 2006 presented the case to a [[Palm Beach County]] grand jury that returned a single count of felony solicitation of prostitution. In September 2007 she sat with Krischer in the joint meeting with federal prosecutors and Epstein's lawyers that preceded the [[Epstein non-prosecution agreement]]. The [[Department of Justice|Justice Department]]'s [[Office of Professional Responsibility]] interviewed her in its 2019 to 2020 review but had no jurisdiction over state officials, and the [[Florida Department of Law Enforcement]] reported in May 2021 that it had found no evidence that she or Krischer committed any crime or acted improperly.[^1][^2][^3]
|
||||
|
||||
### The State Case
|
||||
|
||||
The police brought the Epstein case to the State Attorney's Office in 2005 without having made an arrest, and it was assigned to the Crimes Against Children Unit. Belohlavek told OPR that she and an experienced Assistant State Attorney who first worked the case with her "were at a disagreement" with the police department "over what the state . . . could ethically charge." She did not believe the evidence would satisfy the elements of the two felonies the police wanted filed, unlawful sexual activity with a minor under Florida Statute 794.05(1) and lewd and lascivious molestation under 800.04(5), and "the police were not happy with that." Victims had given contradictory statements and the original complainant had recanted her allegation of sexual contact. In April 2006 the office offered Epstein a plea to third-degree felony aggravated assault with intent to commit a felony, with adjudication withheld and five years' probation with no unsupervised contact with minors, which he rejected. She told OPR that she never considered charging procurement of a minor for prostitution, the offense Epstein later pleaded to under the federal agreement, because "the police had not presented it," and that prostitution was a misdemeanor charge and "she did not handle misdemeanors."[^2]
|
||||
|
||||
Krischer told OPR that Epstein's local counsel brought [[Alan Dershowitz]] to see him and the Assistant State Attorney, and that Dershowitz threatened, "We're going to destroy your witnesses; don't go to court because we're going to destroy those girls." Epstein then hired [[Jack Goldberger]], with whom Krischer had "a working relationship." Because the husband of Belohlavek's colleague on the case was Goldberger's law partner, Belohlavek recused that prosecutor to remove "even the appearance of any kind of conflict" and took over the case herself. The lead police detective described the same episode to federal prosecutors in May 2006 as the defense having "orchestrated the removal of the Assistant State Attorney initially assigned to handle the matter, who was viewed as an aggressive prosecutor, by hiring a defense attorney whose relationship with the Assistant State Attorney created a conflict of interest for the prosecutor." Goldberger and the New York lawyer [[Gerald Lefcourt]] then directed their efforts at Belohlavek and Krischer, "largely by attacking the credibility of the victim witnesses."[^2][^4]
|
||||
|
||||
Belohlavek told OPR that her office took the allegations "seriously, because . . . it was an organized scheme to involve young girls by offering them money. And I wouldn't say that we ... thought they were prostitutes ... [but] I think there was solicitation," and that although Epstein's "behavior was reprehensible, . . . I'm limited by . . . the state statutes as to what I can charge."[^2]
|
||||
|
||||
### The Grand Jury
|
||||
|
||||
The grand jury heard the case on July 19, 2006 in a session of under four hours, taking testimony from two police officers, an investigator from the State Attorney's Office and two of the girls. Belohlavek presented the case. When the transcript was released on July 1, 2024 by Circuit Judge [[Luis Delgado]], it showed her asking one of the teenage witnesses, "You aware that you committed a crime?" The girl answered, "Now I am. I didn't know it was a crime when I was doing it." A grand juror separately asked the girl whether she had "any idea deep down inside of you that...what you're doing is wrong?" [[Spencer Kuvin]], who represented one of the girls who testified, said after reading the transcript: "It was just atrocious the way they handled it. . . . They basically tanked their own case," and "It just reaffirmed what we always knew was happening is that the state attorney was afraid to prosecute him." The grand jury returned one count of felony solicitation of prostitution under Florida Statute 796.07, and the police department took the case to the [[Federal Bureau of Investigation]].[^5][^6][^7]
|
||||
|
||||
### Coordination with the Federal Office
|
||||
|
||||
Belohlavek and Krischer attended a joint meeting on September 13, 2007 with federal prosecutors [[Andrew Lourie]], [[Rolando Garcia]] and [[Ann Marie Villafana|A. Marie Villafaña]] and Epstein's lawyers [[Jay Lefkowitz]], Lefcourt and Goldberger, and from September 19 to 25, 2007 they exchanged emails with the [[U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Florida]] about a further meeting with Epstein's attorneys. The federal agreement signed on September 24 required Epstein to plead guilty in state court to her office's solicitation indictment and to a new information for procurement of minors for prostitution. On September 27 Villafaña wrote to Krischer and Belohlavek asking when and before which judge Epstein would plead, adding that "the agents and I would really like to be there, 'incognito.'"[^8][^9][^10]
|
||||
|
||||
On November 16, 2007 the FBI case agents met Belohlavek and asked whether her office would oppose a request that Epstein be granted work release. According to OPR, "Belohlavek was noncommittal," and when the agents asked her to include language in the state plea agreement barring work release, she answered that she would have to discuss it with the State Attorney. Krischer later told OPR that work release was "within the control of the Sheriff's Office, not my office." The state plea agreement did not address work release, and the [[Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office]] placed Epstein on work release in October 2008.[^11]
|
||||
|
||||
### Reviews
|
||||
|
||||
OPR interviewed Belohlavek and Krischer among more than 60 witnesses, but stated that "because OPR does not have jurisdiction over state officials, OPR did not investigate, or reach conclusions about, their conduct regarding the state investigation." In August 2019, after a letter from Sheriff [[Ric Bradshaw]], Governor [[Ron DeSantis]] directed the Florida Department of Law Enforcement to take over the investigation of the state's handling of the case. Its May 2021 summary found no evidence that Krischer or Belohlavek "committed any crimes, accepted any bribes or gifts, or did anything improper in their handling of the case."[^1][^3]
|
||||
|
||||
### Footnotes
|
||||
|
||||
[^1]: U.S. Department of Justice, Epstein Library, EFTA02847284, Prior DOJ Disclosures, report, Office of Professional Responsibility, "Investigation into the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Florida's Resolution of Its 2006-2008 Federal Criminal Investigation of Jeffrey Epstein and Its Interactions with Victims during the Investigation," November 2020, Executive Summary pp. vi to vii, and p. 4 (EFTA02847291 to EFTA02847292, EFTA02847313). https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/Prior%20DOJ%20Disclosures/Memos.%20&%20Correspondence/EFTA02847284.pdf
|
||||
[^2]: U.S. Department of Justice, Epstein Library, EFTA02847284 (see note 1), pp. 14 to 15 and nn. 8 to 11 (EFTA02847323 to EFTA02847324).
|
||||
[^3]: Sabrina Lolo, "FDLE clears PBSO, prosecutors in connection to Epstein's work release privileges," *CBS12,* May 10, 2021. https://cbs12.com/news/local/fdle-clears-pbso-prosecutors-in-connection-to-epsteins-work-release-privileges
|
||||
[^4]: U.S. Department of Justice, Epstein Library, EFTA02847284 (see note 1), p. 17 (EFTA02847326).
|
||||
[^5]: James Hill, "Newly released grand jury documents in Epstein case reveal alleged victims accused of prostitution," *ABC News,* July 2, 2024. https://abcnews.com/US/newly-released-grand-jury-documents-epstein-case-reveal/story?id=111599027
|
||||
[^6]: Holly Baltz and Hannah Phillips, "Jeffrey Epstein secret transcripts: Victim was asked, Do you know 'you committed a crime?'," *Palm Beach Post* via *Yahoo News,* July 3, 2024. https://www.yahoo.com/news/jeffrey-epstein-secret-documents-just-184451449.html
|
||||
[^7]: "Judge releases Jeffrey Epstein grand jury investigation transcripts," *WUSF / Associated Press,* July 1, 2024. https://www.wusf.org/courts-law/2024-07-01/florida-judge-releases-transcripts-2006-grand-jury-investigation-jeffrey-epstein-sex-trafficking
|
||||
[^8]: U.S. Department of Justice, Epstein Library, EFTA00224943, DataSet 9, "Epstein Investigation Timeline," Exhibit A-1, privileged chronology of the federal investigation, May 2006 to August 2011, entry for September 13, 2007. https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/DataSet%209/EFTA00224943.pdf
|
||||
[^9]: U.S. Department of Justice, Epstein Library, EFTA00215188, DataSet 9, emails among Barry Krischer, Lanna Belohlavek and the U.S. Attorney's Office, "RE: Meeting with Epstein's attorneys," September 19 to 25, 2007. https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/DataSet%209/EFTA00215188.pdf
|
||||
[^10]: Opinion and Order, *Jane Doe 1 and Jane Doe 2 v. United States*, No. 9:08-cv-80736-KAM (S.D. Fla. Feb. 21, 2019), ECF No. 435 (Marra, J.), reported at 359 F. Supp. 3d 1201, quoting ECF No. 407. https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.flsd.317867/gov.uscourts.flsd.317867.435.0.pdf
|
||||
[^11]: U.S. Department of Justice, Epstein Library, EFTA02847284 (see note 1), p. 114 and n. 180 (EFTA02847423).
|
||||
|
|
@ -123,7 +123,7 @@ A separate federal lawsuit, Doe v. Black, No. 1:23-cv-06418 in the [[Southern Di
|
|||
|
||||
### The Virgin Islands Settlement
|
||||
|
||||
On January 20, 2023 Black signed a settlement agreement with the Government of the United States Virgin Islands, countersigned by Acting Attorney General [[Carol Thomas-Jacobs]], under which he paid 62.5 million dollars within sixty days to end the territory's claims against him arising from Epstein, without any admission of liability or any criminal charge. Governor [[Albert Bryan]] had removed Attorney General [[Denise George]] at the end of December 2022, days after she filed the territory's December 27, 2022 suit against JPMorgan, and appointed Thomas-Jacobs, already assigned as an attorney on the JPMorgan case, as acting attorney general effective January 1, 2023; Bryan's office gave no reason and said reports tying the removal to the suit were "not entirely accurate."[^25] The payment came shortly after the estate's own 105 million dollar settlement, while the territory's suit against JPMorgan Chase and victims' suits against JPMorgan and Deutsche Bank were pending.[^26][^27]
|
||||
On January 20, 2023 Black signed a settlement agreement with the Government of the [[U.S. Virgin Islands|United States Virgin Islands]], countersigned by Acting Attorney General [[Carol Thomas-Jacobs]], under which he paid 62.5 million dollars within sixty days to end the territory's claims against him arising from Epstein, without any admission of liability or any criminal charge. Governor [[Albert Bryan]] had removed Attorney General [[Denise George]] at the end of December 2022, days after she filed the territory's December 27, 2022 suit against JPMorgan, and appointed Thomas-Jacobs, already assigned as an attorney on the JPMorgan case, as acting attorney general effective January 1, 2023; Bryan's office gave no reason and said reports tying the removal to the suit were "not entirely accurate."[^25] The payment came shortly after the estate's own 105 million dollar settlement, while the territory's suit against JPMorgan Chase and victims' suits against JPMorgan and Deutsche Bank were pending.[^26][^27]
|
||||
|
||||
The agreement's recitals state that "according to public reports, Black paid $158 million over approximately five years to Jeffrey Epstein's Virgin Islands company, Southern Trust," and, as a separate recital, "WHEREAS, Jeffrey Epstein used the money Black paid him to partially fund his operations in the Virgin Islands." Section III.2 provides that nothing in the agreement is an admission of liability, which Black expressly denies, and that its terms "shall not be cited by any person as evidence of wrongdoing by Black." Wyden later described the recital as an admission that Black's money funded sex trafficking. The territory directed 15 million dollars of the payment to a trust fund for counseling, mental-health and other services for Virgin Islands residents. The release covers "Leon Black, and all of his attorneys and other agents acting within the scope of their authority," and entities he owns or controls, and excludes "JP Morgan Chase or any other financial institution used by Black or Jeffrey Epstein or any current or former employees" of those institutions, and Epstein and his estate. Black agreed not to claim that his payment resolved any individual victim's claims.[^5][^9][^27]
|
||||
|
||||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
@ -33,7 +33,7 @@ The manifesto closed with a list of "patron saints of techno-optimism" that incl
|
|||
|
||||
Andreessen and Ben Horowitz announced their endorsement of [[Donald Trump]] on their podcast on July 16, 2024, framing the shift around what they called the "Little Tech" agenda and opposition to the Biden administration's cryptocurrency and AI policy. Andreessen named the administration's proposed tax on unrealized capital gains as "the final straw," and the two each gave 2.5 million dollars to the pro-Trump super PAC Right for America, while a16z contributed tens of millions of dollars to the crypto-industry PAC Fairshake.[^4][^8]
|
||||
|
||||
On Joe Rogan's podcast in late 2024 Andreessen claimed that more than thirty technology founders had been quietly cut off by their banks in what he called "Operation Choke Point 2.0," an assertion that Fortune and other outlets reported they could not substantiate. After the election he served as an unpaid adviser recruiting personnel for the Department of Government Efficiency run by [[Elon Musk]] and Vivek Ramaswamy, said he was spending much of his time at Mar-a-Lago, and his a16z partner Scott Kupor was named to lead the Office of Personnel Management, placing the firm alongside Thiel and [[David Sacks]] in the network that staffed the second Trump administration.[^9][^10]
|
||||
On Joe Rogan's podcast in late 2024 Andreessen claimed that more than thirty technology founders had been quietly cut off by their banks in what he called "Operation Choke Point 2.0," an assertion that Fortune and other outlets reported they could not substantiate. After the election he served as an unpaid adviser recruiting personnel for the Department of Government Efficiency run by [[Elon Musk]] and Vivek Ramaswamy, said he was spending much of his time at [[Mar-a-Lago]], and his a16z partner Scott Kupor was named to lead the Office of Personnel Management, placing the firm alongside Thiel and [[David Sacks]] in the network that staffed the second Trump administration.[^9][^10]
|
||||
|
||||
### Footnotes
|
||||
|
||||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
@ -52,7 +52,7 @@ In the summer of 1996 Epstein invited Farmer to spend the summer as an "artist-i
|
|||
|
||||
NYPD complaint report No. 1996-0067241, dated August 29, 1996, records that Epstein "did call her and stated he was going to burn victim's painting" and that he "has keys to victim's apartment." The precinct told her it could address only the threat and referred her to the FBI. Farmer alleges that she then called at least two FBI offices and reported the assault, her fear that one of her minor sisters had been abused, the stolen photographs, Epstein's recording equipment, and the binder in his safe, and that the FBI hung up on her mid-sentence and did not follow up. That year Epstein had also met her younger sister [[Annie Farmer]], then sixteen, and flown her to his [[New Mexico]] ranch, where Annie later testified that Maxwell and Epstein abused her.[^1][^4]
|
||||
|
||||
In 2006, FBI agents working the Palm Beach case arrived unannounced at Farmer's home in [[North Carolina]], acknowledged her 1996 report, and told her they needed her for the Florida investigation, promising they would "get him" this time. FBI field notes of that meeting record her earlier report to the NYPD Sixth Precinct. Farmer repeated her 1996 account. In September 2007 the [[U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Florida]] had signed the non-prosecution agreement, which immunized Epstein's "potential co-conspirators."[^1][^5]
|
||||
In 2006, FBI agents working the [[Palm Beach, Florida|Palm Beach]] case arrived unannounced at Farmer's home in [[North Carolina]], acknowledged her 1996 report, and told her they needed her for the Florida investigation, promising they would "get him" this time. FBI field notes of that meeting record her earlier report to the NYPD Sixth Precinct. Farmer repeated her 1996 account. In September 2007 the [[U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Florida]] had signed the non-prosecution agreement, which immunized Epstein's "potential co-conspirators."[^1][^5]
|
||||
|
||||
### Farmer v. United States
|
||||
|
||||
|
|
|
|||
55
10 - PEOPLE/(A-G)/Mark Epstein.md
Normal file
55
10 - PEOPLE/(A-G)/Mark Epstein.md
Normal file
|
|
@ -0,0 +1,55 @@
|
|||
---
|
||||
category: "Crime & Abuse Networks"
|
||||
tags:
|
||||
- Person
|
||||
- MarkEpstein
|
||||
- JeffreyEpstein
|
||||
- RealEstate
|
||||
- LeslieWexner
|
||||
- EpsteinDeath
|
||||
- Autopsy
|
||||
alias:
|
||||
- Mark Epstein (brother of Jeffrey Epstein)
|
||||
summary: "New York property owner and younger brother of Jeffrey Epstein, informant on his death certificate, who bought 301 East 66th Street from Leslie Wexner and hired Michael Baden to observe the autopsy."
|
||||
location: "New York, New York"
|
||||
relations:
|
||||
- type: relative_of
|
||||
with: "[[Jeffrey Epstein]]"
|
||||
role: "brother"
|
||||
fn: 1
|
||||
- type: head_of
|
||||
with: "[[Ossa Properties]]"
|
||||
role: "listed as president"
|
||||
fn: 2
|
||||
created: 2026-09-25
|
||||
updated: 2026-09-25
|
||||
---
|
||||
|
||||
Mark Epstein is a New York property owner and the younger brother of [[Jeffrey Epstein]]. He is named as the informant, with the relationship "Brother," on the [[New York City]] death certificate issued after Jeffrey Epstein died in federal custody on August 10, 2019. Through Ossa Properties, a company once affiliated with Jeffrey Epstein's [[J. Epstein & Co.]], he owns the building at [[301 East 66th Street]] on the [[Upper East Side]] of [[Manhattan]], which he bought from [[Leslie Wexner]] in the early 1990s and in which his brother kept apartments. He retained the forensic pathologist [[Michael Baden]] to observe the autopsy.[^1][^2][^3]
|
||||
|
||||
### 301 East 66th Street
|
||||
|
||||
Wexner, the retail executive whose fortune Jeffrey Epstein managed, sold the 16-story building at 301 East 66th Street to Mark Epstein in the early 1990s. Mark Epstein told *[[Crain's New York Business|Crain's]]* in July 2019 that he had bought it on a tip from his brother. The buyer was Ossa Properties, a former affiliate of J. Epstein & Co., of which Mark Epstein was once listed as president; its ownership changed from a partnership to a corporation by 2010. Records showed that the entity that owned Jeffrey Epstein's Manhattan townhouse, [[9 East 71st Street]], used a unit in the 66th Street building as its mailing address.[^2]
|
||||
|
||||
Mark Epstein wrote to *[[The Wall Street Journal]]* in 2019: "Other than the obvious relationship of being brothers, the only other relationship between Jeffrey and I is as landlord/tenant." The *[[Miami Herald]]* had reported that Jeffrey Epstein housed some of his victims in individual apartments in the building, charging them 1,000 dollars a month through [[Jean-Luc Brunel]], owner of the modeling agency [[MC2 Model Management|MC2]].[^2] The interior-design firm SLK Designs of [[Sarah Kellen]], Jeffrey Epstein's former assistant, operated for a time from a Midtown Manhattan building owned by Mark Epstein.[^4]
|
||||
|
||||
When Jeffrey Epstein sought bail after his July 2019 arrest in the [[U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York|Southern District of New York]], which was denied, Mark Epstein offered to put up a Florida condominium valued at 100,000 dollars. He had launched businesses ranging from a silk-screen T-shirt company to a modeling agency and is a donor to [[Cooper Union]], from which he graduated.[^2]
|
||||
|
||||
### The Death Certificate
|
||||
|
||||
On August 20, 2019, ten days after the death, [[Sigrid McCawley|Sigrid S. McCawley]] of [[Boies Schiller Flexner]] wrote to the [[Freedom of Information Act|FOIA]] Public Liaison of the [[Executive Office for United States Attorneys]] to renew eight requests, made on behalf of a client, for records on Jeffrey Epstein held by the U.S. Attorney's Offices for the District of [[New Mexico]], the Southern District of New York, the District of the Virgin Islands, the [[U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Florida|Southern District of Florida]] and the Northern District of Georgia. "As Jeffrey Epstein is now deceased, any privacy concerns are extinguished," she wrote, offering to "obtain a formal death certificate to proceed." The file released by the [[Department of Justice|Justice Department]] in 2026 ends with the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene death transcript, certificate number 156-19-032838, which lists "Mark Epstein" as informant and his relationship to the decedent as "Brother."[^1]
|
||||
|
||||
### The Autopsy and Baden
|
||||
|
||||
Dr. [[Kristin Roman]] of the New York City [[Office of Chief Medical Examiner of the City of New York|Office of Chief Medical Examiner]] performed the autopsy on August 11, 2019 with Baden, retained by Mark Epstein, present. Chief Medical Examiner [[Barbara Sampson]] ruled the death a suicide by hanging. On October 30, 2019 Baden said that the three fractures found in Epstein's neck, two of the thyroid cartilage and one of the hyoid bone, were "extremely unusual in suicidal hangings and could occur much more commonly in homicidal strangulation"; the medical examiner's office said it stood "firmly" behind its finding.[^3][^5] Baden repeated his findings on *[[60 Minutes]]* on January 5, 2020, in a broadcast that reported Mark Epstein as the family member who had hired him.[^3]
|
||||
|
||||
In 2025 Mark Epstein sought access to about 15 hours of unaired video interviews of his brother recorded by [[Steve Bannon]]; iMessage logs released in the [[Epstein Files|Epstein files]] record exchanges between Jeffrey Epstein and a contact named "Steve Bannon" in August 2018.[^6]
|
||||
|
||||
### Footnotes
|
||||
|
||||
[^1]: U.S. Department of Justice, Epstein Library, EFTA00032431, DataSet 8, letter of Sigrid S. McCawley, Boies Schiller Flexner LLP, to FOIA Public Liaison, Executive Office for United States Attorneys, August 20, 2019, with City of New York Department of Health and Mental Hygiene death transcript, Certificate No. 156-19-032838 (EFTA00032431 to EFTA00032437); duplicate EFTA02751207, Court Records, Doe v. Indyke, No. 1:19-cv-08673 (S.D.N.Y.). https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/DataSet%208/EFTA00032431.pdf
|
||||
[^2]: Kallergis, Katherine. "These are Jeffrey Epstein's real estate ties to his brother Mark." *The Real Deal,* August 12, 2019, summarizing *The Wall Street Journal* and *Crain's New York Business.* https://therealdeal.com/national/2019/08/12/these-are-jeffrey-epsteins-real-estate-ties-to-his-brother-mark/
|
||||
[^3]: "Jeffrey Epstein's autopsy: A closer look." *CBS News, 60 Minutes,* January 5, 2020. https://www.cbsnews.com/news/jeffrey-epstein-autopsy-a-closer-look-60-minutes-2020-01-05/
|
||||
[^4]: "Jeffrey Epstein's Alleged Accomplices: Where Are Sarah Kellen, Nadia Marcinkova, Adriana Ross and Lesley Groff?," *The Daily Beast.* https://www.thedailybeast.com/jeffrey-epsteins-alleged-accomplices-where-are-sarah-kellen-nadia-marcinkova-adriana-ross-and-lesley-groff/
|
||||
[^5]: "NYC medical examiner rejects claim that Jeffrey Epstein's death was a homicide." *CNN,* October 30, 2019. https://www.cnn.com/2019/10/30/us/jeffrey-epstein-autopsy-fox ; "Jeffrey Epstein autopsy finds broken bones in his neck." *CNN,* August 15, 2019. https://edition.cnn.com/2019/08/15/us/jeffrey-epstein-autopsy-broken-neck
|
||||
[^6]: "'Let me see the videotapes': Mark Epstein wants Steve Bannon's 15 hours of unseen footage of his brother," *NBC News,* 2025. https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/trump-administration/mark-epstein-steve-bannon-15-hours-brother-jeffrey-epstein-rcna219630 ; U.S. Department of Justice, Epstein Library, EFTA01615267, DataSet 10, iMessage log with the contact "Steve Bannon," August 23, 2018. https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/DataSet%2010/EFTA01615267.pdf
|
||||
|
|
@ -38,7 +38,7 @@ Following the December 21, 1988, bombing of [[Pan Am Flight 103]] over [[Lockerb
|
|||
|
||||
### 2008 Conviction
|
||||
|
||||
In 2007, the US [[DEA|Drug Enforcement Administration]] conducted a sting operation in which undercover agents posed as representatives of the [[FARC|Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC)]] seeking weapons to kill Americans in Colombia. Al-Kassar and a co-conspirator agreed to provide weapons including anti-aircraft missiles. He was arrested in Spain in June 2007 on a US warrant and extradited. Tried in the Southern District of New York before Judge Jed Rakoff, al-Kassar was convicted in November 2008 on charges of conspiracy to provide material support to a designated terrorist organization and conspiracy to kill Americans. He was sentenced to 30 years in prison. The conviction was the result of straightforward recorded evidence from the [[DEA]]'s sting, with al-Kassar's own statements providing the primary evidence against him.[^4]
|
||||
In 2007, the US [[DEA|Drug Enforcement Administration]] conducted a sting operation in which undercover agents posed as representatives of the [[FARC|Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC)]] seeking weapons to kill Americans in Colombia. Al-Kassar and a co-conspirator agreed to provide weapons including anti-aircraft missiles. He was arrested in Spain in June 2007 on a US warrant and extradited. Tried in the [[U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York|Southern District of New York]] before [[Jed Rakoff|Judge Jed Rakoff]], al-Kassar was convicted in November 2008 on charges of conspiracy to provide material support to a designated terrorist organization and conspiracy to kill Americans. He was sentenced to 30 years in prison. The conviction was the result of straightforward recorded evidence from the [[DEA]]'s sting, with al-Kassar's own statements providing the primary evidence against him.[^4]
|
||||
|
||||
### Footnotes
|
||||
|
||||
|
|
|
|||
85
10 - PEOPLE/(A-G)/Paul Cassell.md
Normal file
85
10 - PEOPLE/(A-G)/Paul Cassell.md
Normal file
|
|
@ -0,0 +1,85 @@
|
|||
---
|
||||
category: "Law Enforcement & Legal"
|
||||
tags:
|
||||
- Person
|
||||
- PaulCassell
|
||||
- Lawyer
|
||||
- FederalJudge
|
||||
- VictimsRights
|
||||
- CrimeVictimsRightsAct
|
||||
- JeffreyEpstein
|
||||
- UniversityOfUtah
|
||||
alias:
|
||||
- Paul G. Cassell
|
||||
- Paul George Cassell
|
||||
- Judge Paul Cassell
|
||||
- Paul Cassell
|
||||
summary: "Utah law professor, former Reagan Justice Department official and former federal judge who, after leaving the bench in 2007, represented Epstein's victims in the Crime Victims' Rights Act case against the United States."
|
||||
born: 1959
|
||||
location: "Salt Lake City, Utah"
|
||||
relations:
|
||||
- type: employed_by
|
||||
with: "[[Department of Justice]]"
|
||||
role: "Associate Deputy Attorney General"
|
||||
start: 1986
|
||||
end: 1988
|
||||
fn: 1
|
||||
- type: employed_by
|
||||
with: "[[U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Virginia]]"
|
||||
role: "Assistant U.S. Attorney"
|
||||
start: 1988
|
||||
end: 1991
|
||||
fn: 1
|
||||
- type: appointed
|
||||
with: "[[George W. Bush]]"
|
||||
reverse: true
|
||||
role: "U.S. District Judge, District of Utah"
|
||||
start: 2002-05-15
|
||||
end: 2007-11-05
|
||||
fn: 1
|
||||
- type: employed_by
|
||||
with: "[[University of Utah College of Law]]"
|
||||
role: "professor of law"
|
||||
start: 1992
|
||||
fn: 1
|
||||
created: 2026-09-25
|
||||
updated: 2026-09-25
|
||||
---
|
||||
|
||||
Paul G. Cassell (born 1959, in [[Orange, California]]) is an American law professor at the [[University of Utah College of Law]], a former Associate Deputy Attorney General in the [[Ronald Reagan|Reagan]] [[Department of Justice]], and a former judge of the [[United States District Court for the District of Utah]], appointed by [[George W. Bush]], who resigned from the bench in November 2007. He then became co-counsel with [[Bradley Edwards]] for victims of [[Jeffrey Epstein]] in [[Doe v. United States]], the [[Crime Victims' Rights Act]] case over the [[Epstein non-prosecution agreement]], and in related civil litigation, and was sued for defamation by [[Alan Dershowitz]] after a December 2014 filing in that case.[^1][^2][^3]
|
||||
|
||||
### Career
|
||||
|
||||
Cassell graduated from [[Stanford University]] in 1979 and from [[Stanford Law School]] in 1984. He clerked for Judge [[Antonin Scalia]] on the [[United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit|D.C. Circuit]] from 1984 to 1985 and for Chief Justice [[Warren E. Burger]] from 1985 to 1986. He was an Associate Deputy Attorney General from 1986 to 1988 and an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the [[Eastern District of Virginia]] from 1988 to 1991, and taught at the University of Utah from 1992 to 2002. Bush nominated him to the federal bench on June 19, 2001, without Senate action, and again on September 4, 2001, to the seat vacated by David Sam; he was confirmed on May 13, 2002 and commissioned on May 15, 2002. His service ended by resignation on November 5, 2007, and he returned to the Utah faculty.[^1]
|
||||
|
||||
### Doe v. United States
|
||||
|
||||
On July 7, 2008 Edwards filed the emergency petition of the victim then known as Jane Doe 1, later identified as [[Courtney Wild]], to enforce her rights under 18 U.S.C. 3771, before Judge [[Kenneth Marra]] in [[West Palm Beach, Florida|West Palm Beach]]. On July 28, 2008, three weeks after the filing and less than nine months after leaving the bench, Cassell moved for a limited appearance for the petitioners, which Marra granted the next day; the Jacksonville lawyer [[Jay Howell]] followed on August 8. Edwards litigated the case without fee for more than ten years. Marra held in 2011 that the Act's rights attach before formal charges and in 2013 that it authorizes rescission of a prosecutorial agreement reached in violation of the conferral right. On February 21, 2019 he granted partial summary judgment, finding that "[p]articularly problematic was the Government's decision to conceal the existence of the NPA and mislead the victims to believe that federal prosecution was still a possibility," and on September 16, 2019, after Epstein's death, he denied every remedy the petitioners sought. On April 15, 2021 the en banc [[United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit|Eleventh Circuit]] held seven to four that the Act gave Wild no freestanding pre-charge action, and on February 22, 2022 the [[Supreme Court of the United States|Supreme Court]] denied certiorari.[^2][^4][^5]
|
||||
|
||||
### The Jane Doe 3 Filing and the Dershowitz Litigation
|
||||
|
||||
In December 2014 Edwards and Cassell moved in the Crime Victims' Rights Act case to add a client identified as Jane Doe 3, later publicly identified as [[Virginia Giuffre]], alleging that Epstein had trafficked her as a minor to Dershowitz, among others. Dershowitz said he had never met her, called the accusation fabricated, and said the two lawyers should be disbarred. In April 2015 Marra struck the allegations as "immaterial and impertinent" to the case without ruling on their truth. Edwards and Cassell sued Dershowitz for defamation, and he countersued.[^3][^6]
|
||||
|
||||
The suits settled on April 8, 2016. In a joint statement issued through the mediator, "Edwards and Cassell acknowledge that it was a mistake to have filed sexual misconduct accusations against Dershowitz," and Dershowitz withdrew his accusations that they had acted unethically. The statement said the dispute concerned the lawyers' due diligence and "not whether the acts of alleged misconduct in fact occurred," and that the withdrawal was not an acknowledgment that Giuffre's allegations were mistaken; Giuffre, not a party, stood by them at the time. Dershowitz required that the financial terms remain confidential. Giuffre withdrew her allegation against Dershowitz in a separate 2022 settlement, saying she "may have made a mistake."[^3][^6]
|
||||
|
||||
### Epstein v. Rothstein
|
||||
|
||||
In the [[Palm Beach County]] suit Epstein brought in 2009 against [[Scott Rothstein]] and Edwards, which became Edwards's counterclaim for malicious prosecution, Cassell and Howell appeared as limited intervenor co-counsel for three of Epstein's victims. On November 9, 2018 Epstein, through counsel including [[Jack Goldberger]], moved for in camera inspection of 302 emails that the other side had withheld on a 1,607-entry, 159-page privilege log. The motion argued that only 19 entries were communications with a client, that "the majority of the documents are e-mails among attorneys and staff" and "with media sources," and that Cassell and his co-counsel had "very significant personal and professional reas[ons]" for not wanting the emails "to see the light of the courtroom," quoting the line that sunlight "is said to be the best of disinfectants; electric light the most efficient policeman." Epstein settled the counterclaim in December 2018 with a written apology to Edwards.[^7][^8]
|
||||
|
||||
On May 2, 2023 Judge [[Jed Rakoff]] admitted Cassell pro hac vice in Jane Doe 1's class suit against [[JPMorgan Chase]] in the [[U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York|Southern District of New York]], consolidated for pretrial purposes with [[Government of the United States Virgin Islands v. JPMorgan Chase Bank]]; JPMorgan settled the class claims in June 2023 for 290 million dollars.[^9][^10]
|
||||
|
||||
On February 25, 2018 Epstein had written to [[Kathryn Ruemmler]], the former [[White House]] Counsel, about an "email trail" involving Rothstein's lawyer and prosecutors: "now the issue is how to use, it, CVRA? marie? Bar. USA[?]. . . . Judge marra, cvra.? press? move f[o]r sanctions? strategy time." Ruemmler replied the next morning: "How did you discover it? Let's discuss in the a.m."[^11]
|
||||
|
||||
### Footnotes
|
||||
|
||||
[^1]: Federal Judicial Center, "Cassell, Paul G.," Biographical Directory of Article III Federal Judges. https://www.fjc.gov/history/judges/cassell-paul-g
|
||||
[^2]: Opinion and Order, *Jane Doe 1 and Jane Doe 2 v. United States*, No. 9:08-cv-80736-KAM (S.D. Fla. Feb. 21, 2019), ECF No. 435 (Marra, J.), reported at 359 F. Supp. 3d 1201, at 17-21, 26-33, citing *Does v. United States*, 817 F. Supp. 2d 1337 (S.D. Fla. 2011), and *Doe v. United States*, 950 F. Supp. 2d 1262 (S.D. Fla. 2013). https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.flsd.317867/gov.uscourts.flsd.317867.435.0.pdf ; docket, ECF Nos. 16, 18, 20, 21: https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/4502088/doe-v-united-states/
|
||||
[^3]: "Lawyers Call Sexual Misconduct Case Against Dershowitz 'A Mistake,'" *The Harvard Crimson,* April 11, 2016. https://www.thecrimson.com/article/2016/4/11/lawyers-drop-dershowitz-case/ ; "Settlement Reached In Litigation Between Alan Dershowitz, Paul Cassell, And Bradley Edwards," *Above the Law,* April 2016. https://abovethelaw.com/2016/04/settlement-reached-in-litigation-between-alan-dershowitz-paul-cassell-and-bradley-edwards/
|
||||
[^4]: Opinion and Order, *Doe v. United States*, No. 9:08-cv-80736-KAM (S.D. Fla. Sept. 16, 2019), ECF No. 478 (Marra, J.). https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/USCOURTS-flsd-9_08-cv-80736/pdf/USCOURTS-flsd-9_08-cv-80736-2.pdf
|
||||
[^5]: *In re Wild*, No. 19-13843, 994 F.3d 1244 (11th Cir. Apr. 15, 2021) (en banc). https://media.ca11.uscourts.gov/opinions/pub/files/201913843.enb.pdf ; Supreme Court of the United States, docket No. 21-351, order of February 22, 2022 denying certiorari. https://www.supremecourt.gov/search.aspx?filename=/docket/docketfiles/html/public/21-351.html
|
||||
[^6]: "Virginia Giuffre drops allegations against Alan Dershowitz, saying she 'may have made a mistake,'" *CNN,* November 8, 2022. https://www.cnn.com/2022/11/08/us/alan-dershowitz-virginia-giuffre-allegations-dropped
|
||||
[^7]: U.S. Department of Justice, Epstein Library, EFTA02768436, Court Records (Epstein v. Rothstein, No. 50-2009-CA-040800-XXXX-MB (Fla. 15th Cir. Ct. 2009)), Counter-Defendant Jeffrey Epstein's Motion for an In Camera Inspection of E-mails, e-filed November 9, 2018, pp. 1, 3, 17, 21, with privilege log. https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/Court%20Records/Epstein%20v.%20Rothstein%2C%20No.%2050-2009-CA-040800-XXXX-MB%20(Fla.%2015th%20Cir.%20Ct.%202009)/EFTA02768436.pdf
|
||||
[^8]: "Millionaire sex offender Jeffrey Epstein apologizes in settling malicious prosecution suit," *CNN,* December 4, 2018. https://www.cnn.com/2018/12/04/politics/jeffrey-epstein-lawsuit-settled
|
||||
[^9]: Docket, Government of the United States Virgin Islands v. JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A., No. 1:22-cv-10904-JSR (S.D.N.Y.), ECF No. 131 (May 2, 2023), order granting motion of Paul G. Cassell to appear pro hac vice in No. 1:22-cv-10019-JSR, CourtListener docket 66683865. https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/66683865/government-of-the-united-states-virgin-islands-v-jpmorgan-chase-bank-na/
|
||||
[^10]: "JPMorgan Chase and Epstein survivor Jane Doe 1 reach $290 million settlement," *NPR,* June 12, 2023. https://www.npr.org/2023/06/12/1181675580/epstein-jane-doe-1-290-million-settlement-jpmorgan-chase
|
||||
[^11]: U.S. Department of Justice, Epstein Library, EFTA02522534, DataSet 11, email chain, Jeffrey Epstein and Kathy Ruemmler, "Re: this email trail was discovered today," February 25 to 26, 2018. https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/DataSet%2011/EFTA02522534.pdf
|
||||
72
10 - PEOPLE/(A-G)/Paul Engelmayer.md
Normal file
72
10 - PEOPLE/(A-G)/Paul Engelmayer.md
Normal file
|
|
@ -0,0 +1,72 @@
|
|||
---
|
||||
category: "Law Enforcement & Legal"
|
||||
tags:
|
||||
- Person
|
||||
- PaulEngelmayer
|
||||
- FederalJudge
|
||||
- SouthernDistrictOfNewYork
|
||||
- GhislaineMaxwell
|
||||
- EpsteinFilesTransparencyAct
|
||||
- GrandJury
|
||||
- TreasuryDepartment
|
||||
alias:
|
||||
- Paul A. Engelmayer
|
||||
- Paul Adam Engelmayer
|
||||
- Judge Engelmayer
|
||||
- Paul Engelmayer
|
||||
summary: "Manhattan federal judge and former Thurgood Marshall clerk and Major Crimes chief who inherited Ghislaine Maxwell's closed criminal case and ruled on its grand jury record under the Epstein Files Transparency Act."
|
||||
born: 1961
|
||||
location: "New York, New York"
|
||||
relations:
|
||||
- type: appointed
|
||||
with: "[[Barack Obama]]"
|
||||
reverse: true
|
||||
role: "U.S. District Judge, Southern District of New York"
|
||||
start: 2011-07-27
|
||||
fn: 1
|
||||
- type: employed_by
|
||||
with: "[[U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York]]"
|
||||
role: "Assistant U.S. Attorney; chief, Major Crimes Unit"
|
||||
start: 1989
|
||||
end: 1999
|
||||
fn: 1
|
||||
- type: employed_by
|
||||
with: "[[Office of the Solicitor General]]"
|
||||
role: "Assistant to the Solicitor General"
|
||||
start: 1994
|
||||
end: 1996
|
||||
fn: 1
|
||||
created: 2026-09-25
|
||||
updated: 2026-09-25
|
||||
---
|
||||
|
||||
Paul A. Engelmayer (born 1961, in [[New York City]]) is a judge of the [[U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York]], appointed by [[Barack Obama]] in 2011, who earlier clerked for Justice [[Thurgood Marshall]], served in the [[Office of the Solicitor General]] and headed the Major Crimes Unit of the [[U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York|Manhattan U.S. Attorney's Office]]. He took over [[United States v. Maxwell]], the criminal case of [[Ghislaine Maxwell]], after Judge [[Alison Nathan]] was elevated to the [[Second Circuit]], and in 2025 and 2026 ruled on the unsealing of its grand jury record, first refusing the request of Deputy Attorney General [[Todd Blanche]] and then granting it under the [[Epstein Files Transparency Act]]. In February 2025, sitting in emergency Part I, he barred political appointees and special government employees from Treasury payment systems.[^1][^2][^3]
|
||||
|
||||
### Career
|
||||
|
||||
Engelmayer graduated from [[Harvard College]] in 1983 and [[Harvard Law School]] in 1987, after working as a reporter for the [[Wall Street Journal]] in New York in 1983 and 1984. He clerked for Judge [[Patricia Wald|Patricia M. Wald]] of the [[United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit|D.C. Circuit]] from 1987 to 1988 and for Justice Marshall from 1988 to 1989. He was an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the Southern District of New York from 1989 to 1994 and 1996 to 1999, as deputy chief appellate attorney in 1994 and chief of the Major Crimes Unit from 1996 to 1999, and Assistant to the Solicitor General from 1994 to 1996. He was in private practice in New York from 2000 to 2011. Obama nominated him on February 2, 2011 to the seat vacated by [[Gerard E. Lynch]]; he was confirmed on July 26 and commissioned on July 27, 2011.[^1]
|
||||
|
||||
### Leon Black's Racketeering Suit
|
||||
|
||||
In 2022 Engelmayer dismissed with prejudice a racketeering suit by the financier [[Leon Black]], who had left [[Apollo Global Management]] after the disclosure of his payments to [[Jeffrey Epstein]], against his Apollo co-founder Josh Harris, [[Guzel Ganieva]] and others, calling the claims "glaringly deficient in fundamental respects."[^4]
|
||||
|
||||
### The Maxwell Grand Jury Record
|
||||
|
||||
On July 18, 2025 Blanche, formerly [[Donald Trump]]'s personal criminal defense lawyer, entered an appearance for the [[United States]] in Maxwell's closed case and moved to unseal the grand jury transcripts (ECF Nos. 784, 785); he questioned Maxwell under limited immunity on July 24 and 25. On August 11, 2025 Engelmayer denied the motion (ECF No. 809, 794 F. Supp. 3d 215), holding that Federal Rule of Criminal Procedure 6(e) barred disclosure and that "[t]he Government's invocation of special circumstances . . . fails at the threshold." Judge [[Richard M. Berman]] relied on the ruling nine days later in denying the government's parallel motion in [[United States v. Epstein]].[^2][^5]
|
||||
|
||||
After the Epstein Files Transparency Act became law on November 19, 2025, the government renewed the motion (ECF No. 810). Engelmayer ordered victim submissions through a dedicated [[Department of Justice|Justice Department]] mailbox, docketed three redacted victim letters, and on December 9, 2025 granted the motion and modified the 2020 protective order, subject to the Act's protection of victims' identities (ECF No. 820). Berman granted the matching motion in the Epstein docket the next day.[^2][^5]
|
||||
|
||||
On January 13, 2026 Representatives [[Thomas Massie]] and [[Ro Khanna]], the Act's sponsors, asked Engelmayer to appoint "a special master or independent monitor" over the Justice Department's compliance, reporting that as of January 5 it had "publicly released only 12,285 documents" of "more than 2 million documents potentially responsive to the Act," and that "DOJ cannot be trusted with making mandatory disclosures under the Act." Victim letters, including one from [[Haley Robson]] transmitted by the government, were cited in support. He denied the motion on January 21, 2026 (ECF No. 844): "This federal criminal case does not give the Court jurisdiction over, or authority to supervise, DOJ's compliance with the EFTA, a civil records-disclosure statute." Amici, he held, may not raise issues no party has pursued; his December ruling had removed the protective order as an obstacle, but "[i]t was the EFTA that" required release. He described the case as "effectively closed," with Maxwell's pro se motion under 28 U.S.C. 2255 "the only outstanding item." Status letters on the Department's review followed over the name of U.S. Attorney [[Jay Clayton]].[^6]
|
||||
|
||||
### The Treasury Order
|
||||
|
||||
On the evening of February 8, 2025, "sitting in its Part I capacity," Engelmayer received the application of the attorneys general of 19 states, led by New York, for a temporary restraining order against a Treasury policy that expanded access to the payment systems of the [[Bureau of the Fiscal Service]] to political appointees and "special government employees." Finding that the states faced irreparable harm from "the risk that the new policy presents of the disclosure of sensitive and confidential information and the heightened risk that the systems in question will be more vulnerable than before to hacking," and that their statutory claims presented "as particularly strong," he restrained the defendants from granting access to Treasury payment records and systems except to civil servants who had passed background checks and security clearances, and ordered anyone else given access since January 20 "to immediately destroy any and all copies of material downloaded from the Treasury Department's records and systems, if any." The case was assigned the same evening to Judge Jeannette A. Vargas.[^3]
|
||||
|
||||
### Footnotes
|
||||
|
||||
[^1]: Federal Judicial Center, "Engelmayer, Paul Adam," Biographical Directory of Article III Federal Judges. https://www.fjc.gov/history/judges/engelmayer-paul-adam
|
||||
[^2]: United States v. Maxwell, No. 1:20-cr-00330 (S.D.N.Y.), ECF Nos. 784, 785 (July 18, 2025); Opinion and Order, ECF No. 809 (Aug. 11, 2025), reported at 794 F. Supp. 3d 215, 225-29; ECF Nos. 810, 811, 818; Opinion and Order, ECF No. 820 (Dec. 9, 2025), 2025 WL 3522378. https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/17318376/united-states-v-maxwell/
|
||||
[^3]: Order, State of New York et al. v. Trump et al., No. 25 Civ. 1144 (JAV) (S.D.N.Y. Feb. 8, 2025), ECF No. 6 (Engelmayer, J., sitting in Part I). https://nysd.uscourts.gov/sites/default/files/2025-02/25cv1144%20Order%20on%20TRO%202%208%2025_0.pdf
|
||||
[^4]: "Leon Black's Lawsuit Against Josh Harris, Guzel Ganieva Dismissed by Judge," *Bloomberg,* June 30, 2022. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-06-30/leon-black-suit-against-josh-harris-guzel-ganieva-thrown-out
|
||||
[^5]: United States v. Epstein, No. 1:19-cr-00490 (S.D.N.Y.), Decision and Order, ECF No. 77 (Aug. 20, 2025), quoting United States v. Maxwell, 2025 WL 2301281, at *9 (S.D.N.Y. Aug. 11, 2025); Decision and Order, ECF No. 92 (Dec. 10, 2025), CourtListener docket 15887848. https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/15887848/united-states-v-epstein/
|
||||
[^6]: United States v. Maxwell, No. 20 Cr. 330 (PAE) (S.D.N.Y. Jan. 21, 2026), Opinion and Order, ECF No. 844, denying motion of Reps. Massie and Khanna (ECF Nos. 837, 838). https://www.nysd.uscourts.gov/sites/default/files/2026-01/Maxwell%2020cr330%20-%20Opinion%20%26%20Order%201.21.26.pdf ; United States v. Maxwell, No. 1:20-cr-00330 (S.D.N.Y.), ECF Nos. 839, 843, 847. https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/17318376/united-states-v-maxwell/
|
||||
92
10 - PEOPLE/(A-G)/Richard M. Berman.md
Normal file
92
10 - PEOPLE/(A-G)/Richard M. Berman.md
Normal file
|
|
@ -0,0 +1,92 @@
|
|||
---
|
||||
category: "Law Enforcement & Legal"
|
||||
tags:
|
||||
- Person
|
||||
- RichardMBerman
|
||||
- FederalJudge
|
||||
- SouthernDistrictOfNewYork
|
||||
- JeffreyEpstein
|
||||
- Halkbank
|
||||
- EpsteinFilesTransparencyAct
|
||||
alias:
|
||||
- Richard Berman
|
||||
- Judge Richard M. Berman
|
||||
- Judge Berman
|
||||
- Richard M. Berman
|
||||
summary: "Manhattan federal judge, a former Javits aide and Warner Cable general counsel, who ordered Jeffrey Epstein detained in 2019, let victims speak before dismissing his indictment, and later unsealed its grand jury record."
|
||||
born: 1943
|
||||
location: "New York, New York"
|
||||
relations:
|
||||
- type: appointed
|
||||
with: "[[Bill Clinton]]"
|
||||
reverse: true
|
||||
role: "U.S. District Judge, Southern District of New York"
|
||||
start: 1998-10-22
|
||||
fn: 1
|
||||
- type: employed_by
|
||||
with: "[[Jacob Javits]]"
|
||||
role: "executive assistant to the senator"
|
||||
start: 1974
|
||||
end: 1977
|
||||
fn: 1
|
||||
- type: employed_by
|
||||
with: "[[Warner Cable]]"
|
||||
role: "general counsel and executive vice president"
|
||||
start: 1978
|
||||
end: 1986
|
||||
fn: 1
|
||||
- type: participant_in
|
||||
with: "[[United States v. Epstein]]"
|
||||
role: "presiding judge"
|
||||
start: 2019-07-02
|
||||
fn: 2
|
||||
- type: participant_in
|
||||
with: "[[United States v. Halkbank]]"
|
||||
role: "presiding judge"
|
||||
start: 2019
|
||||
fn: 9
|
||||
created: 2026-09-25
|
||||
updated: 2026-09-25
|
||||
---
|
||||
|
||||
Richard M. Berman (born 1943, in [[New York City]]) is a senior judge of the [[U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York]], appointed by [[Bill Clinton]] in 1998. He presided over [[United States v. Epstein]], the 2019 sex-trafficking indictment of [[Jeffrey Epstein]], ordering Epstein detained on July 18, 2019 and, after Epstein's death in federal custody, holding a public hearing on August 27, 2019 at which victims spoke before he dismissed the indictment. In 2025 he first refused and then, after the [[Epstein Files Transparency Act]], granted the government's motions to unseal the case's grand jury record. He also presided over the Iran-sanctions prosecution of the Turkish state-owned bank [[Halkbank]]. He is not related to [[Geoffrey Berman]], the U.S. Attorney whose office brought the Epstein case.[^1][^2][^3]
|
||||
|
||||
### Career
|
||||
|
||||
Berman graduated from [[Cornell University]] in 1964 and the [[New York University School of Law]] in 1967, and in 1996, while in private practice, earned a master's degree in social work from the [[Fordham University]] Graduate School of Social Services. He practiced in New York from 1970 to 1974, was executive assistant to Senator [[Jacob Javits]] of New York from 1974 to 1977, executive director of the New York State Alliance to Save Energy from 1977 to 1978, and general counsel and executive vice president of [[Warner Cable]] from 1978 to 1986. After further private practice he sat as a judge of the Queens County Family Court from 1995 to 1998. Clinton nominated him on May 21, 1998 to the seat vacated by [[Kevin Thomas Duffy]]; he was confirmed on October 21 and commissioned on October 22, 1998, and took senior status on September 11, 2011.[^1]
|
||||
|
||||
In 2001 Berman warned [[Steven Hoffenberg]], the former chief executive of [[Towers Financial Corporation]], that "he may not assert baseless claims or abuse the judicial process through the instigation of frivolous or duplicative suits"; a 2018 draft memorandum by Epstein's lawyers at [[Troutman Sanders]] quoted the warning under the heading "Multiple SDNY Judges Warned the Person Driving This Action Against Such Frivolous Lawsuits."[^4]
|
||||
|
||||
### United States v. Epstein
|
||||
|
||||
A grand jury in the Southern District returned a sealed two-count indictment on July 2, 2019, unsealed on July 8 after Epstein's arrest at [[Teterboro Airport]]. On July 16 Assistant U.S. Attorney Alison Moe filed a supplement to the government's detention memorandum disclosing that in late 2018, days after the [[Miami Herald]] began its series on the case, Epstein had wired 100,000 dollars and 250,000 dollars to two individuals named as potential co-conspirators in the 2007 [[Epstein non-prosecution agreement]], identified only as Individual-1 and Individual-2. On July 18, 2019 Berman granted the government's motion for remand and denied release (ECF No. 32), finding Epstein a danger to the community and a flight risk.[^2][^5]
|
||||
|
||||
Epstein was found dead in the [[Metropolitan Correctional Center, New York|Metropolitan Correctional Center]] on August 10, 2019, and on August 19 the U.S. Attorney asked the court to approve an order of nolle prosequi. Berman convened a public hearing on August 27. Appearing were Assistant U.S. Attorneys [[Maurene Comey]] and Alison Moe, defense counsel Reid Weingarten and [[Martin Weinberg]], 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," and answered a [[New York Law Journal]] opinion article by two professors arguing against such a hearing: "I respectfully disagree with the Law Journal[.] . . . [P]ublic hearings promote transparency and they provide the court with insights and information which the court may not otherwise be aware of." He described Rule 48(a) as "clearly directed toward an independent judicial assessment of the public interest in dismissing the indictment," and said it was "required that the court consider the views of the victims in the case at the hearing." He observed that "one of the authors of that article is himself counsel in one of the Epstein-related cases" and that he was surprised this was not disclosed. More than a dozen victims spoke, some through their lawyers. On August 29, 2019 Berman signed the order of nolle prosequi (ECF No. 52). On August 30 Professor Bruce A. Green of [[Fordham University School of Law]] wrote to Berman to "clarify the record" after reading a partial transcript, and Berman thanked him on September 4.[^2][^6]
|
||||
|
||||
In June 2023 an expert report for the [[Government of the United States Virgin Islands]] in its suit against [[JPMorgan Chase]] cited the transcript of the August 27 hearing among its sources.[^7]
|
||||
|
||||
### Criticism of the Justice Department
|
||||
|
||||
On May 6, 2020 staff of the [[U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York]] circulated among themselves a news report of "Judge Berman commenting, in the middle of a random fraud sentencing, on his objections to DOJ policies and investigations post-Epstein," linking a New York Daily News story on Berman, Attorney General [[William Barr]] and the [[Federal Bureau of Prisons|Bureau of Prisons]]; an earlier message in the chain forwarded a New York Law Journal article on [[Prince Andrew]]'s non-cooperation with prosecutors "for awareness given that this is an ongoing issue."[^8]
|
||||
|
||||
### The Grand Jury Record
|
||||
|
||||
On July 18, 2025 Deputy Attorney General [[Todd Blanche]] entered an appearance in the closed Epstein case and moved to unseal its grand jury transcripts (ECF Nos. 60, 61), the same day he filed the matching motion in [[United States v. Maxwell]]. After reviewing the 70 pages of transcripts of June 18 and July 2, 2019, the exhibits (a PowerPoint presentation and four pages of call logs), letters from victims and their lawyers and a letter from the executors of Epstein's estate, Berman denied the motion on August 20, 2025 (ECF No. 77). He held that Rule 6(e) governed, that "there is clear precedent and sound purpose for grand jury sealing," and that the government "fails to demonstrate any 'special circumstance[]' which might justify unsealing," quoting Judge [[Paul Engelmayer]]'s ruling of August 11 in the Maxwell case and the Second Circuit's statement that grand jury secrecy is a tradition "older than our Nation itself." On September 16, 2025 he denied an application by NBC News to unseal the names of Individual-1 and Individual-2 (ECF No. 82).[^2][^3]
|
||||
|
||||
After the Epstein Files Transparency Act became law, the government renewed its motion on November 24, 2025, and on December 10, one day after Engelmayer's parallel ruling, Berman granted it (ECF No. 92): "The recently enacted 'Epstein Files Transparency Act,' Pub. L. No. 119-38, 139 Stat. 656 (2025) . . . compels the US [[Department of Justice]] . . . to make public by December 19, 2025 certain evidentiary files. The Court hereby grants the Government's motion in accordance with the Epstein Files Transparency Act and with the un[e]qivocal right of Epstein victims to have their identity and privacy protected." From January 15 to February 5, 2026 U.S. Attorney [[Jay Clayton]] sent him a series of letters on the Department's review and compliance. On January 23 Berman answered a letter from [[Haley Robson]], transmitted by the government, that there was "no relevant case on my docket at this time." On February 1 the victims' lawyer [[Brittany Henderson]] sent Berman and Engelmayer an emergency request for judicial intervention under the Act; Berman set a conference, which he cancelled on February 3 after the parties resolved the privacy issues.[^3]
|
||||
|
||||
### Halkbank
|
||||
|
||||
In 2019 the [[United States]] indicted Türkiye Halk Bankası, a bank majority-owned through the Turkish Wealth Fund by the Republic of [[Turkey]], for a multi-year conspiracy to evade sanctions on [[Iran]]; the indictment alleged that the bank, "with the assistance of high-ranking Turkish government officials, laundered billions of dollars of Iranian oil and gas proceeds through the global financial system." The prosecution proceeded before Berman in the case captioned United States v. Zarrab. On October 1, 2020 he denied Halkbank's motion to dismiss, reasoning that the [[Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act]] "does not appear to grant immunity in criminal proceedings." The Second Circuit affirmed on October 22, 2021 (16 F.4th 336), and on April 19, 2023 the [[Supreme Court of the United States|Supreme Court]] held that the Act does not apply to criminal cases but remanded on common-law immunity, Justice [[Neil Gorsuch]] writing in partial dissent that the decision "overcomplicates the law for no good reason." The Second Circuit ruled again on October 22, 2024 (120 F.4th 41).[^9]
|
||||
|
||||
### Footnotes
|
||||
|
||||
[^1]: Federal Judicial Center, "Berman, Richard M.," Biographical Directory of Article III Federal Judges. https://www.fjc.gov/history/judges/berman-richard-m
|
||||
[^2]: United States v. Epstein, No. 1:19-cr-00490-RMB (S.D.N.Y.), ECF Nos. 2, 3, 32 (July 18, 2019), 52 (Aug. 29, 2019), 55, 56, 77 (Aug. 20, 2025), 82 (Sept. 16, 2025), 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 Nos. 60, 61, 75, 77, 85, 92 (Dec. 10, 2025), 94-105 (Jan. 15 to Feb. 5, 2026), CourtListener docket 15887848. https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/15887848/united-states-v-epstein/
|
||||
[^4]: U.S. Department of Justice, Epstein Library, EFTA00802452, DataSet 9, draft memorandum of law, Defendants' Memorandum of Law in Support of Their Motion to Dismiss, Gerber v. The Financial Trust Company, No. 1:18-cv-07580-JPO (S.D.N.Y.), Troutman Sanders LLP, September 2018. https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/DataSet%209/EFTA00802452.pdf
|
||||
[^5]: 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. 1-3. https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.nysd.518649/gov.uscourts.nysd.518649.23.0_2.pdf ; U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the Inspector General, Report 23-085, June 2023, pp. iii to iv. https://oig.justice.gov/sites/default/files/reports/23-085.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), beginning at EFTA02733613. 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]: U.S. Department of Justice, Epstein Library, EFTA02810827, Court Records (Government of the United States Virgin Islands v. JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A., No. 1:22-cv-10904), Expert Report of Jorge Amador, June 16, 2023, Document 238-31, n. 53. https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/Court%20Records/Government%20of%20the%20United%20States%20Virgin%20Islands%20v.%20JPMorgan%20Chase%20Bank%2C%20N.A.%2C%20No.%20122-cv-10904%20(S.D.N.Y.%202022)/EFTA02810827.pdf
|
||||
[^8]: U.S. Department of Justice, Epstein Library, EFTA00030338, DataSet 8, internal U.S. Attorney's Office email chain, "RE: The Prince and the Proffer | New York Law Journal," May 6, 2020. https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/DataSet%208/EFTA00030338.pdf ; duplicate at EFTA00018735. https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/DataSet%208/EFTA00018735.pdf
|
||||
[^9]: Turkiye Halk Bankasi A.S. v. United States, No. 21-1450, 598 U.S. 264 (April 19, 2023), slip op. at 1-3, and Gorsuch, J., concurring in part and dissenting in part. https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/22pdf/21-1450_5468.pdf ; United States v. Turkiye Halk Bankasi A.S., No. 20-3499, 16 F.4th 336 (2d Cir. Oct. 22, 2021), on appeal from the Decision and Order of Oct. 1, 2020 (Berman, J.). https://www.courtlistener.com/opinion/5291813/united-states-v-bankasi/ ; United States v. Zarrab (Turkiye Halk Bankasi), No. 20-3499, 120 F.4th 41 (2d Cir. Oct. 22, 2024). https://www.courtlistener.com/opinion/10152619/united-states-v-zarrab-turkiye-halk-bankasi/
|
||||
|
|
@ -26,7 +26,7 @@ The Future Fund launched in February 2022, run by [[Nick Beckstead]], [[Leopold
|
|||
|
||||
### The Collapse and Conviction
|
||||
|
||||
FTX collapsed in November 2022 when it could not meet customer withdrawals, revealing that roughly eight billion dollars in customer deposits had been diverted to Alameda Research. Bankman-Fried was arrested, extradited, and tried in the Southern District of New York, where a jury convicted him on November 2, 2023; he was sentenced in March 2024 to twenty-five years in prison. The fraud destroyed the effective-altruism movement's largest funding source and discredited its public standing, accelerating the distancing from the label by figures including Anthropic's [[Dario Amodei]] and contributing to the climate in which the Future of Humanity Institute was closed.[^1][^4]
|
||||
FTX collapsed in November 2022 when it could not meet customer withdrawals, revealing that roughly eight billion dollars in customer deposits had been diverted to Alameda Research. Bankman-Fried was arrested, extradited, and tried in the [[U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York|Southern District of New York]], where a jury convicted him on November 2, 2023; he was sentenced in March 2024 to twenty-five years in prison. The fraud destroyed the effective-altruism movement's largest funding source and discredited its public standing, accelerating the distancing from the label by figures including Anthropic's [[Dario Amodei]] and contributing to the climate in which the Future of Humanity Institute was closed.[^1][^4]
|
||||
|
||||
Judge Lewis Kaplan handed down the sentence on March 28, 2024 and ordered forfeiture of 11.02 billion dollars; prosecutors had sought 40 to 50 years against a statutory maximum of 110, while the defense had argued for about six and a half. Several of his closest associates pleaded guilty and testified against him, including Alameda chief [[Caroline Ellison]], FTX cofounder [[Gary Wang]], and engineering head [[Nishad Singh]]. The bankruptcy estate, led by restructuring executive [[John J. Ray III]], recovered enough through asset sales (including the Anthropic stake and a rebound in crypto prices) to plan repayment of creditors at full claim value plus interest, while pursuing clawbacks against grant recipients; the effective-altruism umbrella body [[Effective Ventures]] returned 26,786,503 dollars to the estate in 2024, the full sum it had received from FTX.[^7][^8]
|
||||
|
||||
|
|
|
|||
67
10 - PEOPLE/(A-G)/Vincent Frazer.md
Normal file
67
10 - PEOPLE/(A-G)/Vincent Frazer.md
Normal file
|
|
@ -0,0 +1,67 @@
|
|||
---
|
||||
category: "Law Enforcement & Legal"
|
||||
tags:
|
||||
- Person
|
||||
- VincentFrazer
|
||||
- VirginIslands
|
||||
- AttorneyGeneral
|
||||
- JeffreyEpstein
|
||||
- SexOffenderRegistration
|
||||
- GovernmentCapture
|
||||
alias:
|
||||
- Vincent F. Frazer
|
||||
- Vincent Franklin Frazer
|
||||
- Attorney General Vincent Frazer
|
||||
summary: "Attorney General of the U.S. Virgin Islands from 2006 to 2015 who in 2012 cut Jeffrey Epstein's required notice of travel from 21 days to 24 hours at the request of Epstein's lawyers."
|
||||
location: "St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands"
|
||||
relations:
|
||||
- type: head_of
|
||||
with: "[[Virgin Islands Department of Justice]]"
|
||||
start: 2006
|
||||
end: 2015
|
||||
role: "Attorney General"
|
||||
fn: 1
|
||||
- type: employed_by
|
||||
with: "[[Virgin Islands Port Authority]]"
|
||||
role: "senior counsel"
|
||||
fn: 7
|
||||
created: 2026-09-25
|
||||
updated: 2026-09-25
|
||||
---
|
||||
|
||||
Vincent F. Frazer is a [[U.S. Virgin Islands]] lawyer who was Attorney General of the territory from 2006 to 2015, through both terms of Governor [[John de Jongh]]. As head of the [[Virgin Islands Department of Justice]], which kept the territorial sex-offender registry, he received a 2009 request from [[Jeffrey Epstein|Jeffrey Epstein's]] lawyers to take over supervision of Epstein's [[Florida]] sentence, and in July and August 2012, after meeting Epstein's lawyers, he waived the 21-day advance notice of travel required by a newly passed sex-offender law and allowed Epstein to give 24 hours' notice by email. The arrangement stood until March 2019. He was later senior counsel at the [[Virgin Islands Port Authority]], and was named in a federal trafficking suit that was dismissed in 2025.[^1][^2][^3]
|
||||
|
||||
### The 2009 Supervision Request
|
||||
|
||||
In 2009, before the start of the year of community control that followed his Florida jail sentence, Epstein's counsel wrote to "The Honorable Vincent F. Frazer, Attorney General of the United States Virgin Islands," asking for help in transferring Epstein's supervision from Florida to the Virgin Islands. The letter described Epstein as "a full-time resident of the Virgin Islands, who maintains his home at [[Little St. James]]," and stated that "his place of employment was, and still is, [[Financial Trust Company|Financial Trust Company, Inc.]], located at Red Hook Quarter in [[St. Thomas]]." It acknowledged that Epstein "is required, at least under Florida law, to register as a sex offender," but argued that "as his state charge was a non-violent offense, i.e., procuring a minor for prostitution, Virgin Islands law would govern as to Mr. Epstein's registration requirements." It named the interstate compact coordinators for Florida and the Virgin Islands and Epstein's Florida probation officer, and gave July 22, 2009 as the start of his supervision.[^2]
|
||||
|
||||
### The 2012 Travel Waivers
|
||||
|
||||
In 2012 the [[Legislature of the Virgin Islands]] passed Bill 29-0239, enacted as Act No. 7372, which amended chapter 86 of title 14 of the Virgin Islands Code to expand the monitoring of sex offenders and set a 21-day advance notice requirement for travel, with discretion for the Attorney General to reduce it. The Rules and Judiciary Committee held a hearing on the bill on June 21, 2012. On July 13, 2012, before the governor signed it, Frazer met the St. Thomas attorney [[Maria Tankenson Hodge]] and Epstein's lawyer [[Darren Indyke]] to discuss its implementation. Hodge wrote to Frazer on July 16 asking that Epstein be allowed to continue his practice of notifying the department by email or fax "immediately prior to Mr. Epstein's departure," giving only "the general geographic areas of his travel," and that his existing practice be "deemed compliance with the new law" until Frazer ruled.[^3]
|
||||
|
||||
On July 25, 2012 Frazer accepted the letter as a request "for the Attorney General to waive the 21 day prior notice requirement," and wrote: "Based upon your representation and that of Attorney Darren Indyke, we will grant the waiver of the (21) twenty one day notice requirement to the Department of Justice when Mr. Epstein is traveling out of the Territory." He set conditions, including 72 hours' notice and the addresses of temporary lodging, and added: "I do recognize that these conditions vary from the former conditions. However in light of the discretion given to the Attorney General by Act No.7372, we are forced to take a closer look at the waiver conditions."[^3]
|
||||
|
||||
Hodge replied on July 30 that the 72-hour rule and the address requirement were "unduly restrictive," and wrote that "both you and Senator Russell stated during the hearing on the Act before the Rules and Judiciary Committee on June 21, 2012, that the travel notification requirements of this Act were specifically not intended to be penal in nature." On August 14, 2012 Frazer wrote that "in light of the justification set out in your letter of July 30, 2012, I have decided to shorten the notice period": Epstein would "be allowed to notify the Department of Justice of his intention to travel out of the Territory twenty four (24) hours prior to his departure," could continue to notify the department when staying at one of his "stateside homes," and when staying with "an associate" needed to give only the city and state or country. Frazer required copies of Epstein's driver's licenses, identification cards and passports, and closed: "I trust that the foregoing conditions will be workable for your client, in light of his frequent trips out of the Territory on business."[^3]
|
||||
|
||||
### Revocation
|
||||
|
||||
Acting Attorney General [[Carol Thomas-Jacobs]] revoked the arrangement by letter of March 14, 2019, after Epstein was detained and refused entry in the [[Dominican Republic]] in February 2019, and required 21 days' notice in person for travel outside the United States. On April 30, 2019 the firm of Epstein's territorial counsel, [[Erika Kellerhals]], asked the incoming Attorney General, [[Denise George]], to reinstate "the proven travel notification procedures," attaching the Frazer correspondence. George answered on June 2, 2019: "While my predecessors have apparently had differing interpretations of Title 14, Section 1724(b)(4) of the Virgin Islands Code, it is my understanding that the 21-day in-person notification for international travel can only be waived upon a showing of 'reasonable and reliable proof satisfactory to the Department of Justice'... In this particular case, I have not been presented with any documentation of such proof, nor does the VIDOJ have any record of such documentation ever having been submitted to the VIDOJ." She asked for "the documentation that was originally submitted to Attorney General Frazer that validated such a waiver."[^3]
|
||||
|
||||
In an October 2, 2023 interview with the [[Federal Bureau of Investigation]], released by the [[Department of Justice|Justice Department]] in January 2026, George said she "believed that Frazer was pressured by then Governor John De Jongh" to grant the waiver. De Jongh's wife, [[Cecile de Jongh]], was the office manager of Epstein's territorial companies throughout her husband's two terms. Frazer was deposed in the territory's suit against [[JPMorgan Chase]], and, like the other officials deposed, said he had no knowledge of Epstein's crimes.[^4][^5]
|
||||
|
||||
### Litigation and Later Career
|
||||
|
||||
On November 22, 2023 six women identified as Jane Does named Frazer, with the territorial government, the de Jonghs, Governor [[Kenneth Mapp]], [[Celestino White]], [[Carlton Dowe]] and [[Stacey Plaskett]], in a suit in the [[U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York]] alleging that the defendants made the territory a "safe haven" for Epstein's trafficking; the complaint alleged among other things that Epstein had been labeled a Tier 1 sex offender when he should have been Tier 2. On March 21, 2025 Judge [[Arun Subramanian]] dismissed the claims against Frazer and the other defendants except Plaskett for lack of personal jurisdiction in New York. The court's mailing receipt for its September 2025 dismissal order was addressed to "Attorney General Vincent Frazer" at a post office box on St. Thomas.[^1][^6]
|
||||
|
||||
In October 2022 the Supreme Court of the Virgin Islands publicly reprimanded Frazer, then senior counsel at the Virgin Islands Port Authority, after a complaint that, while representing the seller of a business, he had unilaterally disbursed a disputed good-faith deposit held in escrow to his client and deducted his fees. He consented to the reprimand, the return of the funds to escrow and six additional hours of continuing legal education, on pain of a six-month suspension. The Port Authority's executive director, Carlton Dowe, was a co-defendant in the 2023 trafficking suit.[^1][^7][^8]
|
||||
|
||||
### Footnotes
|
||||
|
||||
[^1]: Doe 1 v. Government of the United States Virgin Islands, No. 1:23-cv-10301-AS (S.D.N.Y.), Opinion and Order, ECF No. 202 (March 21, 2025), pp. 1 to 2, 7 to 8, 16 to 17 (Frazer as Attorney General from 2006 to 2015). https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.nysd.610915/gov.uscourts.nysd.610915.202.0.pdf
|
||||
[^2]: U.S. Department of Justice, Epstein Library, EFTA00727487, DataSet 9, letter from counsel for Jeffrey Epstein to Attorney General Vincent F. Frazer requesting transfer of Epstein's supervision from Florida to the Virgin Islands, 2009 (duplicate EFTA00727485). https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/DataSet%209/EFTA00727487.pdf
|
||||
[^3]: Government of the United States Virgin Islands v. JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A., No. 1:22-cv-10904-JSR (S.D.N.Y.), Exhibit 83, ECF No. 194-24 (filed June 20, 2023), pp. 2 to 7 (Kellerhals Ferguson Kroblin letter to Denise George, April 30, 2019), 36 to 47 (Hodge letters of July 16 and July 30, 2012; Frazer letters of July 25 and August 14, 2012), 56 to 58 (George email of June 2, 2019). https://web.archive.org/web/20260117011719/https://www.justice.gov/multimedia/Court%20Records/Government%20of%20the%20United%20States%20Virgin%20Islands%20v.%20JPMorgan%20Chase%20Bank,%20N.A.,%20No.%20122-cv-10904%20(S.D.N.Y.%202022)/194-24.pdf
|
||||
[^4]: Carlson, Suzanne. "Docs confirm Bryan pressed for special treatment of sex offender." *Virgin Islands Daily News,* February 2, 2026. https://www.virginislandsdailynews.com/news/docs-confirm-bryan-pressed-for-special-treatment-of-sex-offender/article_5e9483c9-38d2-406c-8bb0-e5757ce287f2.html (George's FBI interview; Frazer waiver; Cecile de Jongh's employment).
|
||||
[^5]: Carlson, Suzanne. "Files reveal Epstein's efforts to influence V.I. officials; emails with Mapp." *Virgin Islands Daily News,* February 2, 2026. https://www.virginislandsdailynews.com/news/files-reveal-epstein-s-efforts-to-influence-v-i-officials-emails-with-mapp/article_2dd4fe69-4daf-4dc2-b3b8-37a929002bb6.html
|
||||
[^6]: Doe 1 v. Government of the United States Virgin Islands, No. 1:23-cv-10301-AS (S.D.N.Y.), docket, including Stipulation and Order of Dismissal, ECF No. 224 (September 23, 2025), and mailing receipt to "Attorney General Vincent Frazer," St. Thomas (September 24, 2025). https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/68031620/doe-1-v-government-of-the-united-states-virgin-islands/
|
||||
[^7]: "V.I. Supreme Court Reprimands Former Attorney General for Issuing Good Faith Deposit for Potential Sale of Business to Client While a Dispute Was Ongoing." *The Virgin Islands Consortium,* October 31, 2022. https://viconsortium.com/vi-government/virgin-islands-v-i-supreme-court-reprimands-former-attorney-general-for-issuing-good-faith-deposit-for-potential-sale-of-business-to-client-while-a-dispute-was-ongoing
|
||||
[^8]: "Former Gov. Kenneth Mapp Visited Epstein's Island, Sought $50,000 for Final Election Push, DOJ Records Show." *The Virgin Islands Consortium,* January 31, 2026 (Port Authority Executive Director Carlton Dowe). https://viconsortium.com/vi-federal/virgin-islands-former-gov--kenneth-mapp-visited-epstein-s-island--sought--50-000-for--final-push---doj-records-show
|
||||
|
|
@ -60,7 +60,7 @@ In the summer of 2000 Giuffre took a job as a locker-room attendant at the Mar-a
|
|||
|
||||
### Recruitment and Trafficking Allegations
|
||||
|
||||
Giuffre said that Ghislaine Maxwell approached her while she was working at the Mar-a-Lago spa, reading a book on massage therapy, and recruited her ostensibly to train as a masseuse for Epstein, taking her that evening to Epstein's nearby Palm Beach house. She said she was then drawn into sexual abuse by Epstein and trafficked to other men over a period of years, traveling among Epstein's residences in New York, Palm Beach, [[New Mexico|New Mexico]], and the U.S. Virgin Islands, and abroad. She described Maxwell as central to Epstein's operation and said she was presented to Epstein's associates as available for sexual purposes.[^1][^2]
|
||||
Giuffre said that Ghislaine Maxwell approached her while she was working at the Mar-a-Lago spa, reading a book on massage therapy, and recruited her ostensibly to train as a masseuse for Epstein, taking her that evening to Epstein's nearby [[Palm Beach, Florida|Palm Beach]] house. She said she was then drawn into sexual abuse by Epstein and trafficked to other men over a period of years, traveling among Epstein's residences in New York, Palm Beach, [[New Mexico|New Mexico]], and the [[U.S. Virgin Islands]], and abroad. She described Maxwell as central to Epstein's operation and said she was presented to Epstein's associates as available for sexual purposes.[^1][^2]
|
||||
|
||||
Among the men Giuffre said Epstein directed her to was Prince Andrew, whom she said she was made to have sex with on three occasions beginning in London in March 2001 when she was 17, around the time she was photographed with him at Maxwell's Belgravia home. Andrew has denied the allegations and settled her civil suit without admitting liability. Giuffre also named other men in her filings and interviews, including the financier [[Jean-Luc Brunel|Jean-Luc Brunel]] and the attorney [[Alan Dershowitz|Alan Dershowitz]]; those named denied her accounts. Her allegations against individuals other than Epstein and Maxwell were not adjudicated as criminal findings.[^1][^2]
|
||||
|
||||
|
|
@ -112,7 +112,7 @@ Her memoir [[Nobody's Girl|Nobody's Girl]], co-written with the author [[Amy Wal
|
|||
|
||||
Giuffre died without a valid will. In June 2025 two of her sons applied to the Supreme Court of Western Australia to be appointed administrators of the estate, which includes property in Western Australia, what remained of the settlement with Andrew (reported at 12 million pounds), and revenue from her memoir. Their application was opposed by her former carer, Cheryl Myers, and her former Perth lawyer, Karrie Louden, who sought appointment themselves; her estranged husband Robert Giuffre had agreed to the sons' writ, and the court registrar noted that he should be joined as a party.[^18]
|
||||
|
||||
In late November 2025 the court appointed a Western Australian lawyer, Ian Torrington Blatchford, as interim administrator, at 400 Australian dollars an hour. The court's orders listed existing legal proceedings the administrator would conduct, among them the 2015 case against Maxwell and "an arbitration" involving Alan Dershowitz, three years after the 2022 settlement of their litigation. They also included a defamation suit for 10 million dollars filed in the Southern District of New York in October 2021 by [[Rina Oh]], who alleged that Giuffre had portrayed her "as an accomplice to Epstein rather than a victim"; an appeals court had ruled that Oh's claim survived Giuffre's death.[^18][^19]
|
||||
In late November 2025 the court appointed a Western Australian lawyer, Ian Torrington Blatchford, as interim administrator, at 400 Australian dollars an hour. The court's orders listed existing legal proceedings the administrator would conduct, among them the 2015 case against Maxwell and "an arbitration" involving Alan Dershowitz, three years after the 2022 settlement of their litigation. They also included a defamation suit for 10 million dollars filed in the [[U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York|Southern District of New York]] in October 2021 by [[Rina Oh]], who alleged that Giuffre had portrayed her "as an accomplice to Epstein rather than a victim"; an appeals court had ruled that Oh's claim survived Giuffre's death.[^18][^19]
|
||||
|
||||
|
||||
|
||||
|
|
|
|||
112
10 - PEOPLE/(H-M)/Andrew Lourie.md
Normal file
112
10 - PEOPLE/(H-M)/Andrew Lourie.md
Normal file
|
|
@ -0,0 +1,112 @@
|
|||
---
|
||||
category: "Law Enforcement & Legal"
|
||||
tags:
|
||||
- Person
|
||||
- JeffreyEpstein
|
||||
- NonProsecutionAgreement
|
||||
- Prosecutor
|
||||
- DepartmentOfJustice
|
||||
- PublicIntegritySection
|
||||
- RevolvingDoor
|
||||
alias:
|
||||
- Andrew Lourie
|
||||
- Andrew C. Lourie
|
||||
- Andy Lourie
|
||||
summary: "Federal prosecutor who managed the West Palm Beach office during the Epstein investigation, twice acted as chief of the Public Integrity Section, and left for Criminal Division leadership while the non-prosecution agreement was negotiated."
|
||||
location: "West Palm Beach, Florida"
|
||||
relations:
|
||||
- type: employed_by
|
||||
with: "[[U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of New Jersey]]"
|
||||
role: "Assistant U.S. Attorney"
|
||||
start: 1991
|
||||
end: 1994
|
||||
fn: 1
|
||||
- type: employed_by
|
||||
with: "[[U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Florida]]"
|
||||
role: "Assistant U.S. Attorney; Deputy Chief, Criminal Division; Managing AUSA, West Palm Beach"
|
||||
start: 1994
|
||||
end: 2007-09
|
||||
fn: 1
|
||||
- type: head_of
|
||||
with: "[[Public Integrity Section]]"
|
||||
role: "Acting Chief, on detail"
|
||||
start: 2001-09
|
||||
end: 2002-09
|
||||
fn: 1
|
||||
- type: head_of
|
||||
with: "[[Public Integrity Section]]"
|
||||
role: "Acting Chief, on detail"
|
||||
start: 2006-02
|
||||
end: 2006-07
|
||||
fn: 1
|
||||
- type: reported_to
|
||||
with: "[[Alice Fisher]]"
|
||||
role: "Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General and Chief of Staff, Criminal Division"
|
||||
start: 2007-09
|
||||
end: 2008-02
|
||||
fn: 1
|
||||
- type: employed_by
|
||||
with: "[[Kobre & Kim]]"
|
||||
role: "partner"
|
||||
fn: 12
|
||||
- type: employed_by
|
||||
with: "[[Tein Malone]]"
|
||||
role: "of counsel"
|
||||
fn: 4
|
||||
- type: investigated
|
||||
with: "[[Office of Professional Responsibility]]"
|
||||
reverse: true
|
||||
start: 2019-02-06
|
||||
end: 2020-11
|
||||
fn: 2
|
||||
created: 2026-09-25
|
||||
updated: 2026-09-25
|
||||
---
|
||||
|
||||
Andrew C. Lourie is an American lawyer and former federal prosecutor who, as a deputy chief of the Criminal Division of the [[U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Florida]] and managing attorney of its [[West Palm Beach, Florida|West Palm Beach]] branch, supervised the 2006 to 2007 investigation of [[Jeffrey Epstein]] and took part in negotiating the [[Epstein non-prosecution agreement]]. Twice detailed to Washington as acting chief of the [[Department of Justice|Justice Department]]'s [[Public Integrity Section]], he left the Miami office in September 2007, while the agreement was being negotiated, to become Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General and chief of staff to [[Alice Fisher]], head of the department's Criminal Division, and left the department in February 2008. He later practiced government enforcement defense at [[Kobre & Kim]] and [[Tein Malone]] in [[Miami]]. The [[Office of Professional Responsibility]] named him one of five subjects of its Epstein investigation and found no professional misconduct.[^1][^2]
|
||||
|
||||
### Career
|
||||
|
||||
According to his current firm biography, Lourie practiced at [[Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher]] in New York and then served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in [[New Jersey]], focusing on public corruption. He joined the Southern District of Florida office in 1994 after three years in New Jersey, and during a thirteen-year tenure there headed the Major Crimes unit and the West Palm Beach office. He served two details as acting chief of the Public Integrity Section, from September 2001 to September 2002 and from February to July 2006. Kobre & Kim's biography of him states that as chief of the section he supervised public corruption prosecutions including investigations of bribery in [[United States Congress|Congress]] and the executive branch arising from the prosecution of the lobbyist [[Jack Abramoff]], and that as Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General he ran the day-to-day operations of the 438-lawyer Criminal Division.[^1][^3][^4]
|
||||
|
||||
### Supervising the Epstein Case
|
||||
|
||||
Lourie returned to West Palm Beach in July 2006 as the managing attorney over the line prosecutor [[Ann Marie Villafana|A. Marie Villafaña]], who had briefed [[Alexander Acosta]] and [[Jeffrey Sloman]] on the new case that month without first telling him. On July 24, 2006 Sloman emailed Lourie that Operation Leap Year was "a highly sensitive case involving some [[Palm Beach, Florida|Palm Beach]] rich guy." When Villafaña kept sending updates directly to Miami, Lourie asked Sloman in August, "Do you and Alex [Acosta] want her updating you on the case?" Sloman answered, "At this point, I don't really care." The Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section chief, [[Drew Oosterbaan|Andrew Oosterbaan]], reviewed her prosecution memorandum favorably, but Lourie told OPR the case was "a bit of uncharted territory." After explaining to the [[Federal Bureau of Investigation|FBI]] squad supervisor on May 9, 2007 that charges would not be quickly approved, he reported to [[Matthew Menchel]] that the FBI was "not happy," adding: "I did not even tell them I think we should bring [Epstein] in, once we decide to charge him, and offer a pre-indictment deal, figuring a judge might never agree to such a deal post indictment. That would have sent them thru the roof."[^5][^6]
|
||||
|
||||
On May 10, 2007 he wrote to Villafaña: "I believe that Epstein's att[orneys] are scared of the victims they don't know. Epstein has no doubt told them that there were many. Thus I believe the f[ir]st indictment should contain only the victims they have nothing on at all. We can add in the other ones that have myspace [sic] pages and prior testimony in a [superseding indictment]. I think for the first strike we should make all their nightmare[]s come true." The next day he recommended to Acosta and Menchel: "My current thoughts are that we should charge him," proposing to "start with a complaint, arrest him, detain him . . . and then try to see if he wants a pre-indictment resolution." He told OPR that he "was not in favor of walking away, which is what the defense wanted," but "didn't think the odds were nearly as good as you want in a criminal case."[^6]
|
||||
|
||||
### The September 2007 Negotiations
|
||||
|
||||
Lourie was on the federal side of the September 13, 2007 joint meeting with [[Rolando Garcia]] and Villafaña, facing Epstein's lawyers [[Jay Lefkowitz]], [[Gerald Lefcourt]] and [[Jack Goldberger]], with State Attorney [[Barry Krischer]] and [[Lanna Belohlavek]] for the state. When Villafaña proposed that Epstein plead to a federal assault charge, Lourie told her it "sounds like a stretch and factually [is] sort of silly," and told Sloman and Acosta that he did not "like the assault charge" because it would not "go smooth with every judge"; Acosta answered, "If we need[,] let's find a different charge." Villafaña then relayed his advice to Lefkowitz: "Andy recommended that some of the timing issues be addressed only in the state agreement, so that it isn't obvious to the judge that we are trying to create federal jurisdiction for prison purposes." On September 23, the day before the agreement was signed, Acosta told Lefkowitz to deal directly with Lourie and Villafaña.[^7][^8][^9]
|
||||
|
||||
That month Lourie moved to Washington as Fisher's chief of staff. OPR found that the three supervisors under Acosta "left the USAO, were transitioning to other jobs, or were absent at critical junctures." From Washington, on November 29, 2007, he was party to an exchange that Sloman forwarded, recording that the defense "originally agreed to plead to the state felony that they thought was unregisterable (but did not tell us knowing we thought it was), but then discovered they were wrong and tried to get out of it."[^1][^2][^9]
|
||||
|
||||
### Ties to the Defense
|
||||
|
||||
One of Epstein's Miami lawyers, identified in OPR's report by the first name Guy, was a former career Assistant U.S. Attorney who had been U.S. Attorney for the district from 2000 to 2002 and then for two years Director of the [[Executive Office for United States Attorneys]]; he telephoned Villafaña with an overture on Epstein's behalf in early November 2006, a call Sloman joined. OPR found that "Villafaña and Lourie had worked for [him] and Lourie was close friends with one of [his] law partners," also a former Assistant U.S. Attorney representing Epstein. A December 2018 account of Epstein's early defense team listed "former U.S. Attorney [[Guy Lewis]]" among its members.[^10][^11]
|
||||
|
||||
Early in the investigation Lourie voluntarily asked the office's Professional Responsibility Officer whether the two friendships created "either a conflict of interest or an appearance of impropriety mandating recusal." The officer answered that they were not "covered" relationships under the conflict guidelines and deferred to Sloman or Menchel "to make the call," and Sloman authorized Lourie to continue supervising the case. OPR treated the inquiry as "an indication that he was alert to his ethical responsibilities." Lourie told OPR that his "preexisting associations with Epstein's attorneys" did not influence "anything."[^10]
|
||||
|
||||
### After the Justice Department
|
||||
|
||||
Lourie left the department in February 2008 for private practice and became a partner at Kobre & Kim, where his practice covered government enforcement defense in commodities manipulation, spoofing, insider trading and [[Foreign Corrupt Practices Act]] matters, and international judgment enforcement and asset recovery. In 2015 the firm quoted the Chambers guide that his "skills are extraordinary, and his judgment is first-rate." Menchel, his former Criminal Division chief on the Epstein matter, is a partner at the same firm. Lourie is now of counsel at the Miami firm Tein Malone, whose attorneys include [[Michael Tein]].[^1][^3][^4][^12]
|
||||
|
||||
### OPR and Villafaña
|
||||
|
||||
Questioned by OPR about Villafaña's September 2007 emails, which the district court had quoted in 2019 in [[Doe v. United States]], Lourie said he was "surprised to see how nice she was to them. And she winds up taking it on the chin for being so nice to them. When I know the whole time she was the one who wanted to go after him the most." OPR found no professional misconduct by Lourie or the other four subjects.[^2][^13]
|
||||
|
||||
### Footnotes
|
||||
|
||||
[^1]: U.S. Department of Justice, Epstein Library, EFTA02847284, Prior DOJ Disclosures, report, Office of Professional Responsibility, "Investigation into the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Florida's Resolution of Its 2006-2008 Federal Criminal Investigation of Jeffrey Epstein and Its Interactions with Victims during the Investigation," November 2020, pp. 5 to 6 (EFTA02847314 to EFTA02847315). https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/Prior%20DOJ%20Disclosures/Memos.%20&%20Correspondence/EFTA02847284.pdf
|
||||
[^2]: U.S. Department of Justice, Epstein Library, EFTA02847284 (see note 1), Executive Summary, pp. vi, ix to x (EFTA02847291, EFTA02847294 to EFTA02847295).
|
||||
[^3]: Kobre & Kim, "Andrew C. Lourie" (firm biography, Chinese-language edition). https://kobrekim.com/zh_cmn/people-cn/andrew-c-lourie-cn
|
||||
[^4]: Tein Malone, "Andrew Lourie" (firm biography). https://www.teinmalone.com/andrewlourie
|
||||
[^5]: U.S. Department of Justice, Epstein Library, EFTA02847284 (see note 1), pp. 18, 21 and nn. 28, 30 (EFTA02847327, EFTA02847330).
|
||||
[^6]: U.S. Department of Justice, Epstein Library, EFTA02847284 (see note 1), pp. 28 to 29 and nn. 41 to 43 (EFTA02847337 to EFTA02847338).
|
||||
[^7]: U.S. Department of Justice, Epstein Library, EFTA00224943, DataSet 9, "Epstein Investigation Timeline," Exhibit A-1, privileged chronology of the federal investigation, May 2006 to August 2011, entries for September 13 and 23, 2007. https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/DataSet%209/EFTA00224943.pdf
|
||||
[^8]: U.S. Department of Justice, Epstein Library, EFTA02847284 (see note 1), pp. 68 to 70 (EFTA02847377 to EFTA02847379).
|
||||
[^9]: U.S. Department of Justice, Epstein Library, EFTA00224943 (see note 4), pp. 23 to 29.
|
||||
[^10]: U.S. Department of Justice, Epstein Library, EFTA02847284 (see note 1), pp. 22, 150 to 152 and n. 34 (EFTA02847331, EFTA02847459 to EFTA02847461).
|
||||
[^11]: "Daily Dicta: Why Jeffrey Epstein's All-Star Defense Team May Be the Victim of Its Own Success," *ALM Media* via *Yahoo Finance,* December 5, 2018. https://finance.yahoo.com/news/daily-dicta-why-jeffrey-epstein-062720798.html
|
||||
[^12]: Kobre & Kim, "Kobre & Kim Receives Top Rankings in the 2015 Edition of Chambers & Partners," May 19, 2015. https://kobrekim.com/news/accolades/kobre-and-kim-receives-top-rankings-in-the-2015-edition-of-chambers-and-partners
|
||||
[^13]: U.S. Department of Justice, Epstein Library, EFTA02847284 (see note 1), p. 165 (EFTA02847474).
|
||||
|
|
@ -104,7 +104,7 @@ Hannam's case is not a documented instance of O9A insight roles in law enforceme
|
|||
|
||||
What Hannam's case does document is the structural fact that a member of a proscribed terrorist organisation successfully passed police vetting and served as a constable for two years. Whether the mechanism was insight-role doctrine, opportunistic careerism, or a combination is not established in the trial record.
|
||||
|
||||
The documented cases of O9A adherents who joined military or law enforcement institutions as a direct expression of insight role doctrine include [[Ethan Phelan Melzer]], the U.S. Army private in the [[173rd Airborne Brigade]] who was convicted in the Southern District of New York after transmitting classified unit deployment information to O9A members on [[Telegram]], conspiring to arrange a mass-casualty attack on his own soldiers. Melzer's prosecution memo stated explicitly that he "joined the Army in 2018 as part of what O9A referred to as an 'insight role.'" He was sentenced to 45 years in March 2023.[^20]
|
||||
The documented cases of O9A adherents who joined military or law enforcement institutions as a direct expression of insight role doctrine include [[Ethan Phelan Melzer]], the U.S. Army private in the [[173rd Airborne Brigade]] who was convicted in the [[U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York|Southern District of New York]] after transmitting classified unit deployment information to O9A members on [[Telegram]], conspiring to arrange a mass-casualty attack on his own soldiers. Melzer's prosecution memo stated explicitly that he "joined the Army in 2018 as part of what O9A referred to as an 'insight role.'" He was sentenced to 45 years in March 2023.[^20]
|
||||
|
||||
[[Nicholas Welker]], the [[Feuerkrieg Division]] leader convicted in the Eastern District of New York of conspiring to make interstate death threats, joined FKD explicitly as an O9A insight role, as documented in his prosecution records. He was sentenced to 44 months in April 2024.[^21]
|
||||
|
||||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
@ -38,7 +38,7 @@ Cecile de Jongh (born Cecile Galiber) was the office manager of [[Jeffrey Epstei
|
|||
|
||||
De Jongh worked as the office manager of Epstein's Virgin Islands companies from 2007, the year her husband took office, through 2015, the year his term ended. JPMorgan's filings stated that she earned more than 200,000 dollars in compensation in 2007 alone for the role. The companies that employed her, Financial Trust Company and later Southern Trust Company, were the entities through which Epstein held his territorial tax benefits under the [[Economic Development Commission]] program and through which his Virgin Islands operations were funded.[^1][^2]
|
||||
|
||||
The same filings alleged that Epstein paid tuition for de Jongh's children, that she forwarded her children's tuition bills to him for payment, and that she requested he help fund her husband's re-election campaign. In her May 2023 deposition, taken at the Ritz-Carlton on St. Thomas over roughly five and a half hours, de Jongh described confronting Epstein after his 2006 Florida arrest, saying she looked him in the eye and asked what was going on, and was assured it was a one-time mistake that would not recur. The arrangement continued after Epstein registered as a sex offender following his 2008 Florida plea.[^2][^3]
|
||||
The same filings alleged that Epstein paid tuition for de Jongh's children, that she forwarded her children's tuition bills to him for payment, and that she requested he help fund her husband's re-election campaign. In her May 2023 deposition, taken at the Ritz-Carlton on [[St. Thomas]] over roughly five and a half hours, de Jongh described confronting Epstein after his 2006 Florida arrest, saying she looked him in the eye and asked what was going on, and was assured it was a one-time mistake that would not recur. The arrangement continued after Epstein registered as a sex offender following his 2008 Florida plea.[^2][^3]
|
||||
|
||||
The employment overlapped entirely with her public role. While serving as First Lady from 2007 to 2015, she simultaneously drew her salary from Epstein's companies, an overlap that was reported contemporaneously and that became the foundation of the later allegations. No charges were brought against de Jongh, and she was not a defendant in the territory's case against the estate, whose November 2022 settlement resolved only the claims against the estate and the named co-defendants. The phrase "shield its participants from liability" in that litigation comes from the territory's 2020 objection to the estate's proposed victim compensation program, which required claimants to release claims against "any person or entity arising from or related to Mr. Epstein's conduct." Denise George later told the [[Federal Bureau of Investigation|FBI]] that Governor Albert Bryan, urging her to settle for 80 million dollars, said "that the Epstein estate just wanted to clear people."[^2][^4][^5][^6][^7]
|
||||
|
||||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
@ -65,7 +65,7 @@ Darren K. Indyke is a New York lawyer who was [[Jeffrey Epstein]]'s longtime per
|
|||
|
||||
According to the Virgin Islands government's Second Amended Complaint, filed in November 2022, Indyke or Kahn, "frequently both," were officers or directors of the Butterfly Trust, of the companies holding Epstein's real property, and of Financial Strategy Group, Ltd.; Financial Trust, Inc.; FT Real Estate Inc.; [[Gratitude America]], Inc.; Hyperion Air, Inc.; the J. Epstein Virgin Islands Foundation, Inc.; Jeepers, Inc.; Mort, Inc.; Nautilus, Inc.; and Zorro Development Corporation, and had "signatory authority over virtually all of the accounts held by the Epstein Enterprise entities." The territory alleged that the two men "organized, controlled, and directed almost every aspect of the Epstein Enterprise," that with Epstein they "held and managed at least 140 different bank accounts for Epstein and Epstein-owned entities, many of which existed only to transfer payments to other entities and accounts," and that "in many instances, Kahn and/or Indyke structured these transactions in order to evade the bank's reporting requirements."[^2]
|
||||
|
||||
Indyke sat with Epstein and Kahn on the board of [[Southern Trust Company]], the St. Thomas company that obtained a Virgin Islands tax-incentive certificate on the representation that it ran a "biomedical and financial informatics" business. He was signatory on its primary bank account, into which funds were wired "primarily from a single source," and authorized a majority of the wire transfers out of it to Epstein's other entities and personal accounts. The territory estimated that the certificate let Epstein avoid 80,576,236 dollars in taxes. When Epstein formed [[Cypress Inc.|Cypress, Inc.]], [[Maple Inc.|Maple, Inc.]] and [[Laurel Inc.|Laurel, Inc.]] as Virgin Islands corporations in November 2011 and moved title to the [[Zorro Ranch]], the [[9 East 71st Street]] townhouse and his [[Palm Beach, Florida|Palm Beach]] house into them, Indyke became vice president, secretary and director of each. The territory alleged that these transfers "were made for the sole purpose of sheltering these assets from collection."[^2]
|
||||
Indyke sat with Epstein and Kahn on the board of [[Southern Trust Company]], the [[St. Thomas]] company that obtained a Virgin Islands tax-incentive certificate on the representation that it ran a "biomedical and financial informatics" business. He was signatory on its primary bank account, into which funds were wired "primarily from a single source," and authorized a majority of the wire transfers out of it to Epstein's other entities and personal accounts. The territory estimated that the certificate let Epstein avoid 80,576,236 dollars in taxes. When Epstein formed [[Cypress Inc.|Cypress, Inc.]], [[Maple Inc.|Maple, Inc.]] and [[Laurel Inc.|Laurel, Inc.]] as Virgin Islands corporations in November 2011 and moved title to the [[Zorro Ranch]], the [[9 East 71st Street]] townhouse and his [[Palm Beach, Florida|Palm Beach]] house into them, Indyke became vice president, secretary and director of each. The territory alleged that these transfers "were made for the sole purpose of sheltering these assets from collection."[^2]
|
||||
|
||||
Indyke was listed as president of the J. Epstein Virgin Islands Foundation, a tax-exempt private foundation, as of October 23, 2007. Between September 2015 and June 2019 he signed foundation checks for more than 400,000 dollars payable to young female models and actresses, including more than 380,000 dollars in monthly payments of 8,333 dollars to a former Russian model; in November 2017 he signed a foundation check to a New York immigration lawyer whose memo line referenced that model's surname. Earlier in 2017 he signed a foundation check for 160,000 dollars to resolve an environmental fine Epstein had incurred for construction on [[Great St. James]], which the estate later repaid to the foundation after questions were raised about it. The territory called the payments "inconsistent with the charitable purpose of the Foundation."[^2]
|
||||
|
||||
|
|
|
|||
98
10 - PEOPLE/(H-M)/Erika Kellerhals.md
Normal file
98
10 - PEOPLE/(H-M)/Erika Kellerhals.md
Normal file
|
|
@ -0,0 +1,98 @@
|
|||
---
|
||||
category: "Crime & Abuse Networks"
|
||||
tags:
|
||||
- Person
|
||||
- ErikaKellerhals
|
||||
- JeffreyEpstein
|
||||
- VirginIslands
|
||||
- TaxIncentives
|
||||
- SouthernTrust
|
||||
- ButterflyTrust
|
||||
- Lawyer
|
||||
alias:
|
||||
- Ericka Kellerhals
|
||||
- Erica Kellerhals
|
||||
- Erika A. Kellerhals
|
||||
- Attorney Kellerhals
|
||||
summary: "St. Thomas tax lawyer who represented Jeffrey Epstein before the Virgin Islands tax-incentive board and justice department, served as a trustee of his Butterfly Trust, and received his foundation's mail."
|
||||
location: "St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands"
|
||||
relations:
|
||||
- type: founded
|
||||
with: "[[Kellerhals Ferguson Kroblin]]"
|
||||
start: 2011
|
||||
role: "co-founder of Kellerhals Ferguson LLP"
|
||||
fn: 1
|
||||
- type: represented
|
||||
with: "[[Jeffrey Epstein]]"
|
||||
start: 2012
|
||||
end: 2019
|
||||
role: "territorial counsel before the Economic Development Commission, Planning and Natural Resources, and the Department of Justice"
|
||||
fn: 4
|
||||
- type: represented
|
||||
with: "[[Southern Trust Company]]"
|
||||
start: 2012-11-15
|
||||
role: "counsel at the Economic Development Commission hearing"
|
||||
fn: 4
|
||||
- type: director_of
|
||||
with: "[[Butterfly Trust]]"
|
||||
role: "trustee"
|
||||
fn: 8
|
||||
- type: employed_by
|
||||
with: "[[Stacey Plaskett]]"
|
||||
reverse: true
|
||||
fn: 2
|
||||
- type: partner_of
|
||||
with: "[[David Bornn]]"
|
||||
start: 2017-01
|
||||
role: "law partners at Kellerhals Ferguson Kroblin"
|
||||
fn: 6
|
||||
created: 2026-09-25
|
||||
updated: 2026-09-25
|
||||
---
|
||||
|
||||
Erika A. Kellerhals is a tax and business lawyer on [[St. Thomas]], [[U.S. Virgin Islands]], and a founder of Kellerhals Ferguson LLP, later styled [[Kellerhals Ferguson Kroblin|Kellerhals Ferguson Kroblin PLLC]]. She represented [[Jeffrey Epstein]] in the territory from at least 2012 until his death: she appeared with him at the November 2012 [[Economic Development Commission]] hearing that led to the tax-incentive certificate of [[Southern Trust Company]], received the wire for its application fee, drafted a 2017 suit against the territory over his construction on [[Great St. James]], sought to restore his 24-hour travel notice in 2019, and filed the petition to probate his estate. She was a trustee of his Butterfly Trust and the care-of addressee of his foundation, [[Gratitude America]]. The future congressional delegate [[Stacey Plaskett]] and the future chief legal counsel to Governor [[Albert Bryan]], [[David Bornn]], both worked with her firm.[^1][^2][^3][^4]
|
||||
|
||||
### Career
|
||||
|
||||
Kellerhals holds an LL.M. in taxation from [[New York University]]. She practiced at a boutique New York firm giving tax advice to individuals and closely held corporations, relocated to the Virgin Islands in 2003, and worked at the Law Offices of Marjorie Rawls Roberts, P.C. before opening her own practice in 2008 and forming Kellerhals Ferguson, LLP in 2011 with a former co-worker. Her firm biography describes a practice "rooted in her years of practice in the Virgin Islands and in depth knowledge of the U.S. Virgin Islands incentive programs," advising clients "on obtaining economic development incentives from the U.S. Virgin Islands Economic Development Commission and the University of the Virgin Islands Research & Technology Park," and representing taxpayers before the [[Internal Revenue Service]] and the Virgin Islands Bureau of Internal Revenue. By 2019 the firm, Kellerhals Ferguson Kroblin PLLC, was at 9053 Estate Thomas, Suite 101, in the Royal Palms Professional Building on St. Thomas.[^1][^5]
|
||||
|
||||
Plaskett, who was general counsel of the Economic Development Commission from 2007 to 2014, had worked for Kellerhals. In August 2014 the firm congratulated "our colleague and friend Stacey Plaskett" on her Democratic primary victory for delegate to Congress. On January 4, 2017 the firm announced that "David A. Bornn, Esq. has become a Partner of the Firm," operating a branch from the Bornn Building on Norre Gade in [[Charlotte Amalie]]; Bornn later became Bryan's chief legal counsel. The journalist [[Lee Fang]] published in 2025 a territorial campaign-finance record showing a check from Kellerhals to Bryan's 2018 campaign.[^2][^6][^7]
|
||||
|
||||
### Southern Trust and the Tax-Incentive Board
|
||||
|
||||
On September 21, 2012 Epstein's bookkeeper [[Harry Beller]] faxed [[JPMorgan Chase]] a memorandum directing a wire of 5,000 dollars from Epstein's account through Pacific Coast Banker's Bank to Merchants Commercial Bank in St. Thomas, "for further credit to Kellerhals Ferguson LLP," and Epstein's September 2012 statement records the debit with the reference "Southern Trust Company Application Fee." At a public hearing of the Economic Development Commission on November 15, 2012, "Epstein and his attorney Ericka Kellerhals described the company as providing 'cutting edge consulting services' in 'biomedical and financial informatics,'" according to the territory's later complaint; no one asked about his 2008 conviction or his registration as a sex offender. The commission granted Southern Trust a ten-year package from February 1, 2013 with a 90 percent income-tax exemption, and the territory later estimated that the certificate let Epstein avoid 80,576,236 dollars in taxes.[^3][^4]
|
||||
|
||||
### Trusts and the Foundation
|
||||
|
||||
A [[Deutsche Bank]] know-your-customer page headed "The 2013 Butterfly Trust," produced to a federal grand jury in the [[Southern District of New York]], lists Kellerhals as a current trustee with the note "(Deutsche Bank already has on file)," and names among the trust's "Current Potential Beneficiaries" Epstein's assistant [[Lesley Groff]], his pilot [[Larry Visoski|Lawrence Paul Visoski Jr.]] and his lawyer [[Darren Indyke]]. The Internal Revenue Service record of Gratitude America Ltd, recognized as a private foundation in September 2012, gives its address as 9053 Estate Thomas, Suite 101, St. Thomas, "in care of Erika Kellerhals." It reported revenue and assets of one dollar for 2012 through 2014 and gross contributions of 10,003,000 dollars for 2015.[^5][^8]
|
||||
|
||||
In September 2025 Senator [[Ron Wyden]] introduced the Produce Epstein Treasury Records Act, S. 2746, which would require the Treasury to produce suspicious activity reports relating to Epstein and a list of individuals and entities that includes "Erika Kellerhals," alongside Indyke, [[Richard Kahn]], Beller, Southern Trust Company, the Butterfly Trust and Gratitude America Ltd.[^9]
|
||||
|
||||
### Great St. James
|
||||
|
||||
Epstein bought Great St. James in January 2016, and the [[Virgin Islands Department of Planning and Natural Resources|Department of Planning and Natural Resources]] issued a cease-and-desist order over unpermitted construction there on October 28, 2016. After text exchanges in which Governor [[Kenneth Mapp]] told Epstein he was "a bit disappointed" at an "end run around the VI code," Kellerhals drafted a lawsuit in March 2017 alleging "unauthorized entry" by the government. The dispute was settled with the original 280,000 dollar fine reduced to 160,000 dollars.[^10][^11]
|
||||
|
||||
### The 2019 Travel Notice
|
||||
|
||||
On March 14, 2019 acting Attorney General [[Carol Thomas-Jacobs]] revoked the arrangement, granted by Attorney General [[Vincent Frazer]] in 2012, under which Epstein gave 24 hours' notice of travel by email, and required 21 days' notice in person for travel abroad. On April 30, 2019 Kellerhals's firm wrote to the Attorney General nominee, [[Denise George]], "We represent Mr. Jeffrey Epstein, who is registered on the U.S. Virgin Islands Sexual Offender Registry," asking the department to "reinstate the proven travel notification procedures that have been in effect since Mr. Epstein's initial registration." It blamed Epstein's February 2019 detention in the [[Dominican Republic]] "solely" on the department's failure to notify that country, and stated that the department "has been aware of Mr. Epstein's location every single day of his life without exception for the past ten (10) years." On May 1 Kellerhals apologized "profusely for incorrectly addressing my prior correspondence" and sent a corrected letter.[^12]
|
||||
|
||||
George asked on June 2, 2019 whether Kellerhals was "still representing Mr. Epstein in this matter" or whether to write to the attorney [[Clive Rivers]]; Kellerhals asked that correspondence go to both. George then wrote that the department had no record that "reasonable and reliable proof" of frequent travel had ever been submitted to Frazer, and asked for it. On June 17 Kellerhals asked what information would satisfy that standard, and on June 20 Rivers wrote that "Erika and I would like to meet with you." In July 2019 Kellerhals asked George for a meeting about the waiver; Epstein was arrested on July 6.[^2][^12]
|
||||
|
||||
### After Epstein's Death
|
||||
|
||||
After Epstein died in August 2019, Kellerhals filed a petition to probate his estate in the Superior Court of the Virgin Islands. When George investigated the estate, she found that its employees "had nondisclosure agreements and were informed if questioned by law enforcement to say nothing and alert Kellerhals," according to the notes of her October 2, 2023 interview with the [[Federal Bureau of Investigation]]. After the territory's outside counsel, [[Motley Rice]], began interviewing employees, George received a call from Bornn, then Bryan's chief legal counsel, relaying that Kellerhals wanted to know what George was investigating; George told him it was "none of Kellerhals's business."[^2]
|
||||
|
||||
### Footnotes
|
||||
|
||||
[^1]: Kellerhals Ferguson Kroblin PLLC, "Erika Kellerhals," attorney biography, captured August 10, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190810121434/https://www.kellfer.com/attorneys/erika-kellerhals/
|
||||
[^2]: Carlson, Suzanne. "Docs confirm Bryan pressed for special treatment of sex offender." *Virgin Islands Daily News,* February 2, 2026. https://www.virginislandsdailynews.com/news/docs-confirm-bryan-pressed-for-special-treatment-of-sex-offender/article_5e9483c9-38d2-406c-8bb0-e5757ce287f2.html (Plaskett's employment with Kellerhals; Bornn; probate petition; George's FBI interview; July 2019 meeting request).
|
||||
[^3]: U.S. Department of Justice, Epstein Library, EFTA01580553, DataSet 10, memorandum from Harry Beller to JPMorgan wire desk, September 21, 2012 (JPM-SDNY-00059908); EFTA01483636, DataSet 10, JPMorgan statement for Jeffrey E. Epstein, September 1-28, 2012 (JPM-SDNY-00004812). https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/DataSet%2010/EFTA01580553.pdf ; https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/DataSet%2010/EFTA01483636.pdf
|
||||
[^4]: Government of the United States Virgin Islands v. Estate of Jeffrey E. Epstein, No. ST-20-CV-14 (V.I. Super. Ct.), Second Amended Complaint, paragraphs 157 to 159 and 175, filed as Exhibit 1 to Government of the United States Virgin Islands v. JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A., No. 1:22-cv-10904-JSR (S.D.N.Y.), ECF No. 1-1 (December 27, 2022). https://web.archive.org/web/20260117011558/https://www.justice.gov/multimedia/Court%20Records/Government%20of%20the%20United%20States%20Virgin%20Islands%20v.%20JPMorgan%20Chase%20Bank,%20N.A.,%20No.%20122-cv-10904%20(S.D.N.Y.%202022)/001-01.pdf
|
||||
[^5]: Internal Revenue Service, Form 990-PF data for Gratitude America Ltd, EIN 66-0789697, tax years 2012 to 2022, and IRS Business Master File record (ruling date September 2012; in care of Erika Kellerhals, 9053 Estate Thomas Suite 101, St. Thomas), as indexed by ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/660789697
|
||||
[^6]: Kellerhals Ferguson Kroblin PLLC, "Attorney Stacey Plaskett Wins Democratic Primary for VI Delegate to Congress," August 11, 2014, captured May 14, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190514002952/https://www.kellfer.com/blog/2014/08/11/attorney-stacey-plaskett-wins-democratic-primary-vi-delegate-congress/ ; Kellerhals Ferguson Kroblin PLLC, "Welcome David Bornn," January 4, 2017, captured August 20, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190820054157/https://www.kellfer.com/blog/2017/01/04/welcome-david-bornn/
|
||||
[^7]: Fang, Lee. "Jeffrey Epstein Exploited the U.S. Virgin Islands for a Reason." *Lee Fang* (Substack), May 26, 2025. https://www.leefang.com/p/jeffrey-epstein-exploited-the-us (image of a Kellerhals check to Bryan's 2018 campaign).
|
||||
[^8]: U.S. Department of Justice, Epstein Library, EFTA01364303, DataSet 10, Deutsche Bank know-your-customer page "The 2013 Butterfly Trust" (DB-SDNY-0054829); EFTA01372887, DataSet 10, Deutsche Bank "KYC Print," July 15, 2019 (DB-SDNY-0066790). https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/DataSet%2010/EFTA01364303.pdf ; https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/DataSet%2010/EFTA01372887.pdf
|
||||
[^9]: S. 2746, 119th Congress, "Produce Epstein Treasury Records Act," introduced September 9, 2025, section 2(b)(2). https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/BILLS-119s2746is/html/BILLS-119s2746is.htm
|
||||
[^10]: Carlson, Suzanne. "Files reveal Epstein's efforts to influence V.I. officials; emails with Mapp." *Virgin Islands Daily News,* February 2, 2026. https://www.virginislandsdailynews.com/news/files-reveal-epstein-s-efforts-to-influence-v-i-officials-emails-with-mapp/article_2dd4fe69-4daf-4dc2-b3b8-37a929002bb6.html (spelling the name "Erica Kellerhals").
|
||||
[^11]: "DPNR Orders Cease and Desist for Unauthorized Development on Great St. James." *St. Thomas Source,* November 1, 2016. https://stthomassource.com/content/2016/11/01/dpnr-orders-cease-and-desist-for-unauthorized-development-on-great-st-james/
|
||||
[^12]: Government of the United States Virgin Islands v. JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A., No. 1:22-cv-10904-JSR (S.D.N.Y.), Exhibit 83, ECF No. 194-24 (filed June 20, 2023), pp. 2 to 7 (Kellerhals Ferguson Kroblin letter to Denise George, April 30, 2019), 56 to 60 (emails of May 1 to June 20, 2019). https://web.archive.org/web/20260117011719/https://www.justice.gov/multimedia/Court%20Records/Government%20of%20the%20United%20States%20Virgin%20Islands%20v.%20JPMorgan%20Chase%20Bank,%20N.A.,%20No.%20122-cv-10904%20(S.D.N.Y.%202022)/194-24.pdf
|
||||
|
|
@ -48,9 +48,9 @@ In March 1963 - immediately after the period of his closest contact with Oswald
|
|||
|
||||
During the HSCA investigation period of 1976-1979, de Mohrenschildt was in deteriorating psychological condition. He had been briefly committed to a Dallas psychiatric facility in 1976. In fall 1976, while fragile, he wrote an unpublished memoir titled "I Am a Patsy! I Am a Patsy!" - its title a reference to what he claimed were Oswald's final public words before being shot by [[Jack Ruby]]. The 28-chapter manuscript covered his friendship with the Oswalds and the assassination's effects on his life, maintaining throughout that Oswald was innocent of killing Kennedy. The HSCA received a copy from his widow Jeanne on April 1, 1977 - three days after de Mohrenschildt's death - and published it as HSCA Volume XII.
|
||||
|
||||
On March 29, 1977, de Mohrenschildt was found dead of a shotgun wound to the head at his daughter Alexandra's home in Manalapan, [[Florida]]. The Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office ruled the death a suicide. De Mohrenschildt was 65 years old.
|
||||
On March 29, 1977, de Mohrenschildt was found dead of a shotgun wound to the head at his daughter Alexandra's home in Manalapan, [[Florida]]. The [[Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office]] ruled the death a suicide. De Mohrenschildt was 65 years old.
|
||||
|
||||
Two events had occurred on the same day: HSCA investigator [[Gaeton Fonzi]] visited the house that morning and left his business card when de Mohrenschildt was not home; journalist [[Edward Jay Epstein]] concluded an extensive interview with de Mohrenschildt at The Breakers Hotel in Palm Beach for a Reader's Digest-commissioned article on the Kennedy assassination. De Mohrenschildt reportedly found Fonzi's business card in his shirt pocket upon returning home. He died approximately three hours after the Epstein interview ended. The suicide ruling was not challenged through any formal proceeding.[^1]
|
||||
Two events had occurred on the same day: HSCA investigator [[Gaeton Fonzi]] visited the house that morning and left his business card when de Mohrenschildt was not home; journalist [[Edward Jay Epstein]] concluded an extensive interview with de Mohrenschildt at The Breakers Hotel in [[Palm Beach, Florida|Palm Beach]] for a Reader's Digest-commissioned article on the Kennedy assassination. De Mohrenschildt reportedly found Fonzi's business card in his shirt pocket upon returning home. He died approximately three hours after the Epstein interview ended. The suicide ruling was not challenged through any formal proceeding.[^1]
|
||||
|
||||
### Footnotes
|
||||
|
||||
|
|
|
|||
65
10 - PEOPLE/(H-M)/Gerald Lefcourt.md
Normal file
65
10 - PEOPLE/(H-M)/Gerald Lefcourt.md
Normal file
|
|
@ -0,0 +1,65 @@
|
|||
---
|
||||
category: "Law Enforcement & Legal"
|
||||
tags:
|
||||
- Person
|
||||
- GeraldLefcourt
|
||||
- Lawyer
|
||||
- CriminalDefense
|
||||
- JeffreyEpstein
|
||||
- NonProsecutionAgreement
|
||||
- NACDL
|
||||
alias:
|
||||
- Gerald B. Lefcourt
|
||||
- Gerry Lefcourt
|
||||
- Gerald Lefcourt
|
||||
summary: "New York criminal defense lawyer and former NACDL president who represented Jeffrey Epstein from 2006 and signed the September 2007 non-prosecution agreement and its October addendum for the defense."
|
||||
location: "New York, New York"
|
||||
relations:
|
||||
- type: head_of
|
||||
with: "[[National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers]]"
|
||||
role: "president"
|
||||
start: 1997
|
||||
end: 1998
|
||||
fn: 1
|
||||
- type: member_of
|
||||
with: "[[New York State Commission on Judicial Nomination]]"
|
||||
role: "designee of the Speaker of the New York State Assembly"
|
||||
fn: 1
|
||||
created: 2026-09-25
|
||||
updated: 2026-09-25
|
||||
---
|
||||
|
||||
Gerald B. Lefcourt is a New York criminal defense lawyer, a past president of the [[National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers]] and for more than twenty years the [[New York State Assembly]] Speaker's designee to the state Commission on Judicial Nomination, who represented [[Jeffrey Epstein]] in the [[Palm Beach, Florida|Palm Beach]] state investigation and the federal investigation that ended in the [[Epstein non-prosecution agreement]]. He opened the defense's contact with the federal prosecutor in August 2006, co-signed the July 2007 letter that put the [[Steven Pinker]] opinion before the [[U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Florida]], and was one of the two defense lawyers who signed the agreement on September 24, 2007.[^1][^2][^3]
|
||||
|
||||
### Practice and Bar Positions
|
||||
|
||||
Lefcourt holds a B.A. in political science from [[New York University]], a J.D. from [[Brooklyn Law School]] and an LL.M. in taxation from the [[New York University School of Law]]. His clients have included the [[Yippie]] founder [[Abbie Hoffman]] and leaders of the [[Black Panther Party]], the [[Drexel Burnham Lambert]] securities trader Bruce Newberg, the real estate owner [[Harry Helmsley]], the actor [[Russell Crowe]], the New York Assembly Speaker [[Mel Miller]], the Brooklyn Democratic leader [[Vito Lopez]], the [[Murder Inc. Records]] head [[Irv Gotti]], and the campaign treasurer of the New York mayoral candidate [[John Liu]].[^1]
|
||||
|
||||
He was president of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers in 1997 and 1998 and later of its Foundation for Criminal Justice, has co-chaired its annual White Collar Crime Conference since 2004, and founded both the [[New York State Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers]] and the New York Criminal Bar Association. He served for more than twenty years as the Assembly Speaker's designee to the statewide [[New York State Commission on Judicial Nomination|Commission on Judicial Nomination]], which recommends to the Governor the candidates for the [[New York Court of Appeals]], and he sits on the Magistrate Selection Committee of the [[U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York|Southern District of New York]].[^1]
|
||||
|
||||
### The State Investigation
|
||||
|
||||
Lefcourt began representing Epstein during the state investigation, which the Justice Department's [[Office of Professional Responsibility]] later reviewed. After Epstein hired the West Palm Beach lawyer [[Jack Goldberger]], whose law partner was married to the assistant state attorney on the case, that prosecutor was removed and [[Lanna Belohlavek]] took over; "Goldberger, together with Gerald Lefcourt, a nationally known New York criminal defense attorney also representing Epstein, then directed their efforts at Belohlavek and [State Attorney Barry] Krischer to dissuade the office from prosecuting Epstein, largely by attacking the credibility of the victim witnesses." A 2006 letter from Lefcourt to the State Attorney's Office showed that "the defense team had thoroughly researched the details and ramifications of Florida's sexual offender registration requirement"; the office "did not find evidence indicating similar research and consideration by the USAO." The plea eventually entered rested on conduct involving a victim who was at least 16, which, because the age of consent in [[New Mexico]] was 16, exempted Epstein from registration there.[^2]
|
||||
|
||||
### The Federal Investigation
|
||||
|
||||
Lefcourt made the first defense contact with the line prosecutor, [[Ann Marie Villafana|A. Marie Villafaña]], in August 2006. On November 15, 2006 [[Lilly Ann Sanchez]], a former Deputy Chief of the office's Major Crimes Section, wrote to Villafaña that she and Lefcourt represented Epstein and asked that all contact be directed to them. When Villafaña insisted on documents before any meeting, Sanchez telephoned the West Palm Beach manager, [[Andrew Lourie]], a former colleague, who granted one. At the February 1, 2007 meeting Sanchez and Lefcourt presented a 25-page letter arguing that there was no federal jurisdiction, that the [[Petite policy]] barred a second prosecution, and that the state's two principal victims had "damaging histories of lies, illegal drug use, and crime."[^2]
|
||||
|
||||
The federal investigation's subpoenas of May 31, 2007 to [[Financial Trust Company]], the J. Epstein Virgin Islands Foundation, J. Epstein & Company and "Epstein Interests" listed Lefcourt as the correspondent. On May 22, 2007 he wrote to Lourie to "confirm" that the defense would be heard before any charging decision; Villafaña wrote to First Assistant [[Jeffrey Sloman]] and Criminal Division chief [[Matthew Menchel]]: "I just want to again voice my disagreement with promising to have a meeting or having a meeting with Lefcourt or any other of Epstein's attorneys. . . . This is a case where the defendant is facing the possibility of dozens of years of prison time."[^2][^4]
|
||||
|
||||
On June 25, 2007 Lefcourt sent a 19-page letter arguing that voluntary sexual activity with "young adults, 16 or 17 years of age" was "strictly a state concern" and that 18 U.S.C. 2422(b) was aimed at "internet trolling." [[Alan Dershowitz]] led the defense presentation at the Miami office the next day. On July 6, 2007 Lefcourt and Dershowitz wrote on Lefcourt's letterhead to Sloman, Menchel, Lourie and Villafaña that the Harvard psychologist Steven Pinker had found their narrow reading of the statute "the sole rational reading," annexing Pinker's opinion. The office's investigative chronology lists a further submission from Lefcourt and Dershowitz to Menchel titled "Data that strongly supports the arguments made that no charge can or should be made under 18 U.S.C. 2422(b)."[^2][^5][^6]
|
||||
|
||||
### The Agreement
|
||||
|
||||
After the office presented its term sheet at a July 31, 2007 meeting with Lefcourt, Sanchez and [[Roy Black]], Epstein added [[Kenneth Starr]] and [[Jay Lefkowitz]] of [[Kirkland & Ellis]]. Shortly after Acosta's September 7 meeting with Starr and Lefkowitz, which Lefcourt did not attend, he spoke with both [[Alexander Acosta]] and Lourie and proposed that Epstein serve 15 months in jail followed by 15 months of home confinement; Villafaña called it "a reasonable counteroffer in light of our starting position of 24 months," but "a really low sentence." On September 11 she sent Lefcourt a revised draft with Acosta's edits, and on September 12 he, Lefkowitz and Goldberger met the federal prosecutors together with Krischer and Belohlavek.[^2][^6]
|
||||
|
||||
The agreement was signed on September 24, 2007 by Epstein and, for the defense, by Lefcourt and Sanchez. A December 11, 2007 letter from the office to Lefkowitz, written by the line prosecutor over Acosta's name, stated: "The agreement itself was signed by Mr. Epstein, Ms. Sanchez, and Mr. Lefcourt, whose experience speaks for itself." Lefcourt and Sanchez also signed the addendum of October 29, 2007, which governed the selection of an attorney representative for victims' civil claims. Lefcourt attended the December 14, 2007 meeting with Acosta in Miami with Starr, Dershowitz and [[Martin Weinberg]], and a January 7, 2008 meeting at which the defense presented "federal jurisdiction issues, legal issues, and [a] request for de novo review."[^2][^3]
|
||||
|
||||
### Footnotes
|
||||
|
||||
[^1]: National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, "Gerald Lefcourt, NACDL Past Presidents, Past President, 1997-98." https://www.nacdl.org/People/GeraldLefcourt ; Gerald B. Lefcourt, P.C., attorney biography. https://www.lefcourtlaw.com/attorney/gerald-b-lefcourt/index.html
|
||||
[^2]: U.S. Department of Justice, Epstein Library, EFTA02847284, Prior DOJ Disclosures, Office of Professional Responsibility, report, "Investigation into the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Florida's Resolution of Its 2006-2008 Federal Criminal Investigation of Jeffrey Epstein and Its Interactions with Victims during the Investigation," November 2020, pp. 8, 15, 22-24, 31-35, 54, 59, 63-64, 85, 93, 99, 156, 174. https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/Prior%20DOJ%20Disclosures/Memos.%20&%20Correspondence/EFTA02847284.pdf
|
||||
[^3]: U.S. Department of Justice, Epstein Library, EFTA00013538, DataSet 8, letter, U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Florida to Jay P. Lefkowitz, Kirkland & Ellis LLP, "Re: Jeffrey Epstein," December 11, 2007, p. 3, signed over the block "R. Alexander Acosta, United States Attorney, By:" and written in the first person by the line Assistant U.S. Attorney. https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/DataSet%208/EFTA00013538.pdf
|
||||
[^4]: U.S. Department of Justice, Epstein Library, EFTA00224943, DataSet 9, "Epstein Investigation Timeline," Exhibit A-1, privileged chronology of the federal investigation, pp. 1, 4 to 7, 9, 11. https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/DataSet%209/EFTA00224943.pdf
|
||||
[^5]: Letter from Gerald B. Lefcourt and Alan M. Dershowitz to Jeffrey Sloman, Matthew Menchel, Andrew Lourie and A. Marie Villafaña, July 6, 2007, filed as Exhibit 46, *Doe v. United States*, No. 9:08-cv-80736-KAM (S.D. Fla.), ECF No. 361-46 (entered February 10, 2016). https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.flsd.317867/gov.uscourts.flsd.317867.361.46.pdf
|
||||
[^6]: U.S. Department of Justice, Epstein Library, EFTA00224943, DataSet 9, "Epstein Investigation Timeline," Exhibit A-1, pp. 9, 12 to 14, 19 to 20. https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/DataSet%209/EFTA00224943.pdf
|
||||
|
|
@ -54,7 +54,7 @@ After Robert Maxwell drowned in November 1991 and his empire was found to have l
|
|||
|
||||
### Arrest, Indictment, and the Non-Prosecution Agreement Defense
|
||||
|
||||
A grand jury in the Southern District of New York returned a sealed indictment against Maxwell on June 29, 2020. It was unsealed on July 2, 2020, the day agents of the [[Federal Bureau of Investigation]] arrested her at a property in [[New Hampshire]]. The original six counts charged her with facilitating Epstein's sexual abuse of minor victims "from around 1994 to 1997." A first superseding indictment, filed July 10, 2020, added two counts of perjury arising from her 2016 deposition testimony in [[Giuffre v. Maxwell]]. A second superseding indictment, filed March 29, 2021, added a sex trafficking conspiracy count and a count of sex trafficking of a minor, extended the charged conduct into the early 2000s, and renumbered the perjury counts as Counts Seven and Eight. On July 30, 2020, Judge [[Alison Nathan|Alison J. Nathan]] entered the protective order (ECF No. 36) that governed discovery in the case and that the government moved to modify five years later.[^5][^6]
|
||||
A grand jury in the [[U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York|Southern District of New York]] returned a sealed indictment against Maxwell on June 29, 2020. It was unsealed on July 2, 2020, the day agents of the [[Federal Bureau of Investigation]] arrested her at a property in [[New Hampshire]]. The original six counts charged her with facilitating Epstein's sexual abuse of minor victims "from around 1994 to 1997." A first superseding indictment, filed July 10, 2020, added two counts of perjury arising from her 2016 deposition testimony in [[Giuffre v. Maxwell]]. A second superseding indictment, filed March 29, 2021, added a sex trafficking conspiracy count and a count of sex trafficking of a minor, extended the charged conduct into the early 2000s, and renumbered the perjury counts as Counts Seven and Eight. On July 30, 2020, Judge [[Alison Nathan|Alison J. Nathan]] entered the protective order (ECF No. 36) that governed discovery in the case and that the government moved to modify five years later.[^5][^6]
|
||||
|
||||
Maxwell's lead pretrial motion, filed over the signatures of Mark S. Cohen of [[Cohen & Gresser]], Jeffrey S. Pagliuca and [[Laura Menninger|Laura A. Menninger]] of [[Haddon, Morgan and Foreman]], and Bobbi C. Sternheim, sought dismissal of the superseding indictment for breach of Epstein's September 2007 [[Epstein non-prosecution agreement|non-prosecution agreement]] with the [[U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Florida]]. In consideration of Epstein's state guilty pleas, that agreement provided that "the [[United States]] also agrees that it will not institute any criminal charges against any potential co-conspirators of Epstein, including but not limited to [[Sarah Kellen]], [[Adriana Ross]], [[Lesley Groff]], or [[Nadia Marcinkova]]." Maxwell argued that she was a third-party beneficiary of the clause. Nathan denied the motion with the other pretrial motions in an opinion and order of April 16, 2021 (ECF No. 207).[^6][^7]
|
||||
|
||||
|
|
@ -118,7 +118,7 @@ An FBI Guardian complaint form dated April 23, 2021 and filed under the Epstein
|
|||
|
||||
### Collateral Attack
|
||||
|
||||
On December 17, 2025, Maxwell filed a pro se motion to vacate her sentence under 28 U.S.C. section 2255 (ECF No. 830), opened as the companion civil matters Maxwell v. United States, Nos. 1:25-cv-10464 and 1:25-cv-10468. Engelmayer's January 2026 opinion described the criminal case as "effectively closed," with the section 2255 motion "the only outstanding item." The government's letters of February 12 and April 21, 2026 (ECF Nos. 852, 856) concerned the briefing schedule for its response, and the docket remained active in July 2026 (ECF No. 866).[^23][^27]
|
||||
On December 17, 2025, Maxwell filed a pro se motion to vacate her sentence under 28 U.S.C. section 2255 (ECF No. 830), opened as the companion civil matters [[United States v. Maxwell|Maxwell v. United States]], Nos. 1:25-cv-10464 and 1:25-cv-10468. Engelmayer's January 2026 opinion described the criminal case as "effectively closed," with the section 2255 motion "the only outstanding item." The government's letters of February 12 and April 21, 2026 (ECF Nos. 852, 856) concerned the briefing schedule for its response, and the docket remained active in July 2026 (ECF No. 866).[^23][^27]
|
||||
|
||||
|
||||
|
||||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
@ -6,7 +6,7 @@ tags:
|
|||
summary: "Harry Jones was an Assistant U.S."
|
||||
---
|
||||
|
||||
Harry Jones was an Assistant U.S. Trustee in the Southern District of New York. He became involved in the [[PROMIS Software Scandal]] allegations concerning the attempted conversion of [[INSLAW|Inslaw]]'s bankruptcy case.
|
||||
Harry Jones was an Assistant U.S. Trustee in the [[U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York|Southern District of New York]]. He became involved in the [[PROMIS Software Scandal]] allegations concerning the attempted conversion of [[INSLAW|Inslaw]]'s bankruptcy case.
|
||||
|
||||
[[Anthony Pasciuto]] alleged that [[Thomas Stanton]], Director of the Executive Office of U.S. Trustees (EOUST), tried to detail Jones to [[William White]]'s office in Washington D.C. to work on converting the Inslaw case from Chapter 11 reorganization to Chapter 7 liquidation. [[Cornelius Blackshear]] initially testified that White had told him of Stanton's pressure to have Jones assigned to the case. Bankruptcy Judge Bason, in his findings, concluded that Stanton sought to have Jones detailed to accomplish the conversion when White resisted Stanton's pressure. The Special Counsel's investigation found that Stanton did consider transferring Jones to assist in the Inslaw matter, but denied that Jones was to be assigned to effect a conversion. Stanton testified he wanted Jones to set up the creditors' committee and conduct the first meeting of creditors due to the matter's likely publicity, and that Blackshear had told him his office was too busy to spare Jones. Jones himself testified that he was never requested by anyone, including Stanton, to go to Washington to work on the [[INSLAW]] case. The Special Counsel's investigation found no evidence to the contrary and concluded that the inference that Jones was to be used to file a baseless motion to convert was unreasonable, given Jones's reputation for integrity and expertise in bankruptcy matters.[^1]
|
||||
|
||||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
@ -62,7 +62,7 @@ In October 2025 Lutnick told the [[New York Post]] that he and his wife, Allison
|
|||
|
||||
### The Correspondence After 2005
|
||||
|
||||
The released emails show Lutnick and Epstein arranging calls and planning drinks in 2011.[^1] On April 4, 2011, Epstein's assistant [[Lesley Groff]] told him, "Howard Lutnick returned your call." On April 27 she wrote that Lutnick "will come see you at 5pm on Sunday May 1st," and Epstein's calendar for May 1, 2011 reads "5:00 Drinks w/Howard Lutnick."[^4] On November 20, 2012, Groff wrote to Lutnick: "Jeffrey Epstein understands you will be down in St. Thomas some over the holidays," passing on Epstein's telephone numbers and naming as contacts the staff of his St. Thomas office, "FTC," the [[Financial Trust Company]]. Calendar alerts of December 20 and 21, 2012 read "can Howard Lutnick do lunch Sat or Sun on JE's island?" and "can Howard Lutnick do lunch on Sat. 22nd or Sun. 23rd?"[^5] In December 2012 Lutnick, his wife, and their four children planned a visit to Little St. James, and Lutnick was invited to lunch there on December 24, 2012; afterward Epstein's assistant wrote to Lutnick on Epstein's behalf, "it was nice seeing you."[^1]
|
||||
The released emails show Lutnick and Epstein arranging calls and planning drinks in 2011.[^1] On April 4, 2011, Epstein's assistant [[Lesley Groff]] told him, "Howard Lutnick returned your call." On April 27 she wrote that Lutnick "will come see you at 5pm on Sunday May 1st," and Epstein's calendar for May 1, 2011 reads "5:00 Drinks w/Howard Lutnick."[^4] On November 20, 2012, Groff wrote to Lutnick: "Jeffrey Epstein understands you will be down in [[St. Thomas]] some over the holidays," passing on Epstein's telephone numbers and naming as contacts the staff of his St. Thomas office, "FTC," the [[Financial Trust Company]]. Calendar alerts of December 20 and 21, 2012 read "can Howard Lutnick do lunch Sat or Sun on JE's island?" and "can Howard Lutnick do lunch on Sat. 22nd or Sun. 23rd?"[^5] In December 2012 Lutnick, his wife, and their four children planned a visit to Little St. James, and Lutnick was invited to lunch there on December 24, 2012; afterward Epstein's assistant wrote to Lutnick on Epstein's behalf, "it was nice seeing you."[^1]
|
||||
|
||||
On December 28, 2012, four days after the lunch, Lutnick and Epstein each signed, on behalf of limited liability companies, a contract to acquire stakes in Adfin, an advertising-technology company since shut down. Epstein signed for [[Southern Trust Company]], Inc., the [[U.S. Virgin Islands]] entity through which he conducted much of his business; Lutnick signed for an LLC named CVAFH I. Their signatures appear on neighboring pages, and the document lists nine shareholders.[^1] A person close to Lutnick told CBS News that "Cantor was a small minority investor in Adfin" and that Lutnick "would not have any knowledge of who the other investors were."[^1] Adfin correspondence continued into 2014, when the shareholder David Mitchell wrote to Epstein about further fundraising involving Cantor Ventures.[^1]
|
||||
|
||||
|
|
|
|||
100
10 - PEOPLE/(H-M)/Jay Lefkowitz.md
Normal file
100
10 - PEOPLE/(H-M)/Jay Lefkowitz.md
Normal file
|
|
@ -0,0 +1,100 @@
|
|||
---
|
||||
category: "Law Enforcement & Legal"
|
||||
tags:
|
||||
- Person
|
||||
- JayLefkowitz
|
||||
- Lawyer
|
||||
- KirklandAndEllis
|
||||
- JeffreyEpstein
|
||||
- NonProsecutionAgreement
|
||||
- GeorgeWBushAdministration
|
||||
- NorthKorea
|
||||
alias:
|
||||
- Jay P. Lefkowitz
|
||||
- Jay Lefkowitz
|
||||
- Lefkowitz
|
||||
summary: "Kirkland & Ellis litigation partner and veteran of both Bush White Houses who led Jeffrey Epstein's 2007 non-prosecution negotiations while serving as special envoy for human rights in North Korea."
|
||||
location: "New York, New York"
|
||||
relations:
|
||||
- type: employed_by
|
||||
with: "[[Kirkland & Ellis]]"
|
||||
role: "partner"
|
||||
end: 2026-03
|
||||
fn: 1
|
||||
- type: employed_by
|
||||
with: "[[Domestic Policy Council]]"
|
||||
role: "deputy executive secretary, then director of cabinet affairs"
|
||||
start: 1991
|
||||
end: 1993
|
||||
fn: 1
|
||||
- type: employed_by
|
||||
with: "[[Office of Management and Budget]]"
|
||||
role: "general counsel"
|
||||
start: 2001-03
|
||||
end: 2002-01
|
||||
fn: 1
|
||||
- type: appointed
|
||||
with: "[[George W. Bush]]"
|
||||
reverse: true
|
||||
role: "Deputy Assistant to the President for Domestic Policy"
|
||||
start: 2002-01-31
|
||||
end: 2003
|
||||
fn: 1
|
||||
- type: appointed
|
||||
with: "[[George W. Bush]]"
|
||||
reverse: true
|
||||
role: "Special Envoy for Human Rights in North Korea"
|
||||
start: 2005-08-19
|
||||
end: 2009-01
|
||||
fn: 2
|
||||
created: 2026-09-25
|
||||
updated: 2026-09-25
|
||||
---
|
||||
|
||||
Jay P. Lefkowitz is an American lawyer, a litigation partner at [[Kirkland & Ellis]] and a former official in the administrations of [[George H.W. Bush]] and [[George W. Bush]], who was the principal defense negotiator of the September 2007 [[Epstein non-prosecution agreement]] between [[Jeffrey Epstein]] and the [[U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Florida]]. From August 2005 to January 2009 he was also the part-time Special Envoy for Human Rights in [[North Korea]], appointed by the second Bush. He retired from Kirkland in March 2026, saying that he would not have taken the Epstein matter "knowing what we all know now."[^1][^2][^3]
|
||||
|
||||
### Government Career
|
||||
|
||||
Lefkowitz took both his undergraduate degree in history and his law degree at [[Columbia University]]. From 1991 to 1993 he served in the [[White House]] under George H.W. Bush as deputy executive secretary of the [[Domestic Policy Council]] and then as director of cabinet affairs, and in 1990 he was a public member of the United States delegation to the [[United Nations Commission on Human Rights|United Nations Human Rights Commission]] in [[Geneva]]. Before joining the second Bush administration he was a partner in the Washington office of Kirkland & Ellis. He became general counsel of the [[Office of Management and Budget]] in March 2001, and on January 31, 2002 the White House announced his appointment as Deputy Assistant to the President for Domestic Policy, to "advise the President on a wide range of domestic policy issues and advise the domestic policy council."[^1]
|
||||
|
||||
On August 19, 2005 President Bush appointed him Special Envoy for Human Rights in North Korea under the [[North Korean Human Rights Act of 2004]]. The [[State Department]]'s 2006 biography described him in that post as "also a senior partner at Kirkland & Ellis, LLP, where he serves clients in trial and appellate litigation," and noted his 2004 membership of the United States delegation to the [[Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe]] conference on anti-Semitism in [[Berlin]]. He filed his final report as envoy in January 2009. A 2013 Kirkland profile dated his government service as 2001 to 2003 in the White House and at the Office of Management and Budget and 2005 to 2009 as envoy, and described his 2011 Supreme Court victory for generic drug manufacturers in [[Pliva v. Mensing]].[^1][^2]
|
||||
|
||||
### Entry into the Epstein Defense
|
||||
|
||||
Epstein's defense had been conducted since 2006 by [[Roy Black]], [[Alan Dershowitz]], [[Gerald Lefcourt]], [[Lilly Ann Sanchez]] and others. In early August 2007, immediately after the federal office presented a term sheet requiring a state guilty plea, jail time, sex offender registration and civil damages, Epstein added Lefkowitz and [[Kenneth Starr]], then of counsel to Kirkland & Ellis while dean of the [[Pepperdine University School of Law]]. U.S. Attorney [[Alexander Acosta]] had been an associate at Kirkland a decade earlier and had worked on at least one matter with each of them. On the evening of August 6, 2007, First Assistant U.S. Attorney [[Jeffrey Sloman]] emailed Acosta: "Just saw Menchel. I didn't know Kirkland made a call into you. You were right. Unbelievable." Acosta answered that the Kirkland lawyers "are likely to go to DC. We should strategize a bit. We are not changing positions, and that should be made clear."[^4]
|
||||
|
||||
Lefkowitz and Starr met Acosta, Sloman, the line prosecutor [[Ann Marie Villafana|A. Marie Villafaña]] and [[Drew Oosterbaan]], chief of the [[Department of Justice|Justice Department]]'s [[Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section]], on September 7, 2007, Acosta's first meeting with the defense. On September 12 Lefkowitz, Lefcourt and [[Jack Goldberger]] met federal prosecutors with State Attorney [[Barry Krischer]] and Assistant State Attorney [[Lanna Belohlavek]], a session at which, the Justice Department's [[Office of Professional Responsibility]] later found, "the USAO made additional concessions." On September 19 Villafaña forwarded to her supervisors a defense redline that restored provisions she had already rejected, writing: "This is NOT good faith negotiations."[^4][^5]
|
||||
|
||||
The final terms were settled in email between Lefkowitz and Villafaña. On September 13 she wrote that she had been "spending some quality time with Title 18 looking for misdemeanors," and he answered that he was "[a]lready thinking about the same statutes." On September 20 an internal email reported that he wanted the registration requirement removed; on September 23 he wrote that the defense had agreed to plead to Florida Statute 796.03 on a "mistaken assumption," and Acosta told him to deal directly with [[Andrew Lourie]] and Villafaña. On September 24, as the agreement was executed, Lefkowitz wrote: "Please do whatever you can to keep this from becoming public." It was signed for the defense by Epstein, Sanchez and Lefcourt.[^5][^6][^7]
|
||||
|
||||
### After the Signing
|
||||
|
||||
On October 10, 2007 Lefkowitz wrote to Acosta that "[n]either federal agents nor anyone from your Office should contact the identified individuals." Acosta met him for breakfast on October 12, and Lefkowitz's follow-up letter thanked him "for the commitment you made to me during our October 12 meeting in which you . . . assured me that your Office would not . . . contact any of the identified individuals, potential witnesses, or potential civil claimants." The Office of Professional Responsibility found no evidence that the breakfast "led to the NPA, which had been signed weeks earlier, or to any other significant decision that benefited Epstein." When Sloman moved in late November 2007 to notify victims under the [[Justice for All Act of 2004]], Lefkowitz objected on November 29 that victims should not be invited to the state sentencing or "encouraged to contact law enforcement officials."[^6][^8]
|
||||
|
||||
On December 11, 2007 Starr transmitted to Acosta two submissions written by Lefkowitz, one of them a 20-page attack on the "improper involvement" of federal authorities that accused Villafaña of "unprecedented federal overreaching" and of forcing a registrable plea. The same day the office answered Lefkowitz in a five-page letter issued over Acosta's name and written by the line prosecutor, who described herself as "a simple line AUSA" who had "handled the primary negotiations for the Office." It stated that she had continued to deal with him professionally "even after I learned that you had been proceeding in bad faith for several weeks," thinking she had wrongly treated solicitation of minors as registrable "and that you would 'fool' our Office into letting Mr. Epstein plead to a non-registrable offense," that "neither you nor your client ever intended to abide by the terms of the agreement that he signed," and that "you repeatedly went over my head, involving Messrs [redacted] and Acosta in the negotiations at various times." The letter stated that he and his co-counsel had contacted a federal judge in an attempt to "lobby" him over the choice of the victims' attorney representative, a selection the agreement reserved to the office.[^4][^9]
|
||||
|
||||
Starr and Lefkowitz sent Acosta a 110-page letter on December 17, 2007. On January 3, 2008 Acosta recorded a telephone statement from Lefkowitz: "I may have made a mistake 6 months ago. [Belohlavek] told us solicitation [is] not registrable. It turns out that the actual offense charged is." Through the spring Lefkowitz pressed the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, telling Oosterbaan its role should be "review only," and he and Starr then sought review by the [[Criminal Division]] and the Office of the Deputy Attorney General. On June 23, 2008 Senior Associate Deputy Attorney General John Roth wrote to both men that intervention was not warranted and that "[e]ven if we were to substitute our judgment for that of the U.S. Attorney, we believe that federal prosecution of this case is appropriate." Epstein pleaded guilty in state court a week later.[^4][^7]
|
||||
|
||||
In late 2008, while considering employment at Kirkland & Ellis, Acosta stopped receiving email on the Epstein matter and obtained formal Department approval of his recusal because he had "begun to discuss possible employment" with the firm. On June 15, 2009, with Epstein on work release, Villafaña wrote to Lefkowitz, Black and Goldberger on the history of Epstein's performance under the agreement. In March 2011 the victims in [[Doe v. United States]], the [[Crime Victims' Rights Act]] case, moved to use the plea correspondence as evidence and to unseal it; on April 7, 2011 Lefkowitz, Black and [[Martin Weinberg]] moved to intervene in their own names, and Lefkowitz was admitted pro hac vice on April 18. Epstein moved for limited intervention on September 2, 2011.[^4][^7][^10]
|
||||
|
||||
### Later Contacts
|
||||
|
||||
In March 2011 the general counsel of [[JPMorgan Chase|JPMorgan]]'s investment bank reported to the bank's general counsel, [[Stephen Cutler]], a conversation with Lefkowitz, who "represented Epstein in state plea/fed NPA process" and believed that "any pre-plea conduct is subsumed within plea/NPA." The exchange was entered in 2023 in the [[Government of the United States Virgin Islands v. JPMorgan Chase Bank|Virgin Islands' suit against JPMorgan]].[^11]
|
||||
|
||||
The Office of Professional Responsibility's November 2020 report found that Epstein had hired Starr and Lefkowitz "when Epstein was seeking Acosta's personal involvement in the case," attorneys "with whom Acosta was acquainted from his previous employment with that firm," and concluded that the evidence did not establish that Acosta extended any improper benefit because of those relationships. Villafaña told the office that "the ability of Alan Dershowitz and Ken Starr and Jay Lefkowitz to convince Alex Acosta that I didn't know what I was talking [about] also, all came into play."[^4]
|
||||
|
||||
On his retirement from Kirkland in March 2026 after three decades at the firm, Lefkowitz said: "Although I believe everyone is entitled to representation no matter how heinous their crimes, knowing what we all know now, I would not have taken on the Epstein matter." A Kirkland spokesperson said: "To say the least, we deeply regret the firm's 2007 representation of Jeffrey Epstein."[^3]
|
||||
|
||||
### Footnotes
|
||||
|
||||
[^1]: The White House (George W. Bush archives), "Personnel Announcement," January 31, 2002. https://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/news/releases/2002/01/20020131-10.html ; Kirkland & Ellis LLP, "Q&A With Kirkland's Jay Lefkowitz" (Law360), February 27, 2013. https://www.kirkland.com/news/in-the-news/2013/02/qa-with-kirklands-jay-lefkowitz
|
||||
[^2]: U.S. Department of State, "Jay Lefkowitz, Special Envoy, Human Rights in North Korea," biography, released May 25, 2006 (term of appointment from August 19, 2005). https://2001-2009.state.gov/r/pa/ei/biog/66929.htm ; "Final Report of Jay Lefkowitz, U.S. Special Envoy for Human Rights in North Korea," January 2009. https://2009-2017.state.gov/s/senk/115268.htm
|
||||
[^3]: "Jeffrey Epstein's Disgraced Lawyer Jay Lefkowitz Who Secured Sweetheart Deal Leaves Firm," *The Daily Beast,* March 2026, quoting Lefkowitz's retirement statement and a Kirkland & Ellis spokesperson. https://www.thedailybeast.com/jeffrey-epsteins-disgraced-lawyer-jay-lefkowitz-who-secured-sweetheart-deal-leaves-firm/
|
||||
[^4]: U.S. Department of Justice, Epstein Library, EFTA02847284, Prior DOJ Disclosures, Office of Professional Responsibility, report, "Investigation into the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Florida's Resolution of Its 2006-2008 Federal Criminal Investigation of Jeffrey Epstein and Its Interactions with Victims during the Investigation," November 2020, pp. 9, 59, 62-64, 76, 97-99, 101, 105, 109-110, 150-152. https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/Prior%20DOJ%20Disclosures/Memos.%20&%20Correspondence/EFTA02847284.pdf
|
||||
[^5]: U.S. Department of Justice, Epstein Library, EFTA00224943, DataSet 9, "Epstein Investigation Timeline," Exhibit A-1, privileged chronology of the federal investigation, pp. 12 to 14, 19 to 20, 24 to 29. https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/DataSet%209/EFTA00224943.pdf
|
||||
[^6]: Opinion and Order, *Jane Doe 1 and Jane Doe 2 v. United States*, No. 9:08-cv-80736-KAM (S.D. Fla. Feb. 21, 2019), ECF No. 435 (Marra, J.), reported at 359 F. Supp. 3d 1201, quoting ECF No. 407 at paragraphs 33, 37, 52, 61, 63, 82. https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.flsd.317867/gov.uscourts.flsd.317867.435.0.pdf
|
||||
[^7]: U.S. Department of Justice, Epstein Library, EFTA00224943, DataSet 9, "Epstein Investigation Timeline," Exhibit A-1, pp. 34 to 38, 45 to 51. https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/DataSet%209/EFTA00224943.pdf ; U.S. Department of Justice, Epstein Library, EFTA02847284 (note 4), p. 85 (signatories of the agreement).
|
||||
[^8]: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Professional Responsibility, Executive Summary of the November 2020 report, pp. i-xi. https://www.justice.gov/opr/page/file/1336471/dl
|
||||
[^9]: U.S. Department of Justice, Epstein Library, EFTA00013538, DataSet 8, letter, U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Florida to Jay P. Lefkowitz, Kirkland & Ellis LLP, "Re: Jeffrey Epstein," December 11, 2007, EFTA00013538 to EFTA00013542, signed over the block "R. Alexander Acosta, United States Attorney, By:" with Acosta copied, and written in the first person by the line Assistant U.S. Attorney. https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/DataSet%208/EFTA00013538.pdf
|
||||
[^10]: Docket, *Doe v. United States*, No. 9:08-cv-80736-KAM (S.D. Fla.), ECF Nos. 48, 51, 56, 68, 70, 93 (March to September 2011), CourtListener. https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/4502088/doe-v-united-states/
|
||||
[^11]: Government of the United States Virgin Islands v. JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A., No. 1:22-cv-10904-JSR (S.D.N.Y.), Plaintiff's Statement of Material Facts, ECF No. 221 (filed July 24, 2023), paras. 123-124, 374. https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.nysd.591653/gov.uscourts.nysd.591653.221.0.pdf
|
||||
|
|
@ -14,7 +14,7 @@ John F. Kennedy was the 35th President of the [[United States]], serving from 19
|
|||
|
||||
Kennedy's presidency was marked by a struggle with [[Israel]] over its nuclear ambitions, particularly concerning the [[Dimona]] reactor. He established himself as firmly opposed to the Israeli bomb, and his administration insisted on American inspection teams being permitted full and unfettered access to [[Dimona]]. This stance was met with resistance from [[David Ben-Gurion]] and [[Shimon Peres]], who sought to protect the secret.[^1]
|
||||
|
||||
Kennedy continued to pressure [[David Ben-Gurion]] throughout 1962 about international inspection, receiving bland and irritating assurances that [[Israel]] had no intention of becoming an atomic power. He angrily told his friend [[Charles L. Bartlett]] that the Israelis "lie to me constantly about their nuclear capability." In what amounted to a direct move against Ben-Gurion's leadership, Kennedy invited Foreign Minister [[Golda Meir]], one of Ben-Gurion's leading critics, to his Palm Beach, Florida, home for a private talk in late December 1962. During this meeting, Kennedy made an extraordinary private commitment to [[Israel]]'s defense, stating that in case of an invasion, the [[United States]] would come to [[Israel]]'s support.[^2]
|
||||
Kennedy continued to pressure [[David Ben-Gurion]] throughout 1962 about international inspection, receiving bland and irritating assurances that [[Israel]] had no intention of becoming an atomic power. He angrily told his friend [[Charles L. Bartlett]] that the Israelis "lie to me constantly about their nuclear capability." In what amounted to a direct move against Ben-Gurion's leadership, Kennedy invited Foreign Minister [[Golda Meir]], one of Ben-Gurion's leading critics, to his [[Palm Beach, Florida]], home for a private talk in late December 1962. During this meeting, Kennedy made an extraordinary private commitment to [[Israel]]'s defense, stating that in case of an invasion, the [[United States]] would come to [[Israel]]'s support.[^2]
|
||||
|
||||
Despite his tough stance, Kennedy's political needs, particularly the significant Jewish vote that contributed to his narrow victory in 1960, complicated his approach to Israeli issues. He appointed [[Myer Feldman]] as his presidential point man for Jewish and Israeli affairs, a position that created bureaucratic chaos due to Feldman's strong pro-Israel bias.[^1]
|
||||
|
||||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
@ -40,7 +40,7 @@ Epstein's donations to the Media Lab were directed through intermediaries and th
|
|||
|
||||
### The Resignation and the Aftermath
|
||||
|
||||
Ito resigned from the MIT Media Lab on September 7, 2019, one day after the *New Yorker* reporting. MIT initiated an independent investigation conducted by the law firm [[Goodwin Procter|Goodwin Procter]], which produced a report documenting the extent of the Media Lab's Epstein relationship and the institutional failures that permitted it. The Goodwin Procter investigation found that Epstein made ten donations to MIT totaling 850,000 dollars between 2002 and 2017, nine of them, 750,000 dollars, after his 2008 conviction and 525,000 dollars of those to the Media Lab; that the post-conviction gifts were driven by Ito or by Professor Seth Lloyd; that three members of MIT's senior team approved them in 2013 knowing of Epstein's record; and that President L. Rafael Reif "was not contemporaneously aware of Epstein's donations."[^4]
|
||||
Ito resigned from the MIT Media Lab on September 7, 2019, one day after the *New Yorker* reporting. MIT initiated an independent investigation conducted by the law firm [[Goodwin Procter|Goodwin Procter]], which produced a report documenting the extent of the Media Lab's Epstein relationship and the institutional failures that permitted it. The Goodwin Procter investigation found that Epstein made ten donations to MIT totaling 850,000 dollars between 2002 and 2017, nine of them, 750,000 dollars, after his 2008 conviction and 525,000 dollars of those to the Media Lab; that the post-conviction gifts were driven by Ito or by [[Seth Lloyd|Professor Seth Lloyd]]; that three members of MIT's senior team approved them in 2013 knowing of Epstein's record; and that President L. Rafael Reif "was not contemporaneously aware of Epstein's donations."[^4]
|
||||
|
||||
Ito also resigned from positions at the [[John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation|MacArthur Foundation]], the [[John S. and James L. Knight Foundation|Knight Foundation]], the [[Knight-Hennessy Scholars|Knight-Hennessy Scholars]] program, and the [[New York Times Company|New York Times Company]] board. The MIT Media Lab subsequently reformed its donor-acceptance policies to prohibit anonymous donations and to require enhanced due diligence on donors with criminal records.[^1][^4]
|
||||
|
||||
|
|
|
|||
95
10 - PEOPLE/(H-M)/Kenneth Mapp.md
Normal file
95
10 - PEOPLE/(H-M)/Kenneth Mapp.md
Normal file
|
|
@ -0,0 +1,95 @@
|
|||
---
|
||||
category: "Political Figure"
|
||||
tags:
|
||||
- Person
|
||||
- KennethMapp
|
||||
- VirginIslands
|
||||
- Governor
|
||||
- JeffreyEpstein
|
||||
- CampaignFinance
|
||||
- GovernmentCapture
|
||||
- GreatStJames
|
||||
alias:
|
||||
- Ken Mapp
|
||||
- Kenneth E. Mapp
|
||||
- Governor Kenneth Mapp
|
||||
- Gov. Kenneth Mapp
|
||||
- Kenn Mapp
|
||||
summary: "Governor of the U.S. Virgin Islands from 2015 to 2019, who asked Jeffrey Epstein to lend the territory 275 million dollars and to fund his political action committee."
|
||||
born: 1955-11-02
|
||||
location: "U.S. Virgin Islands"
|
||||
relations:
|
||||
- type: member_of
|
||||
with: "[[Legislature of the Virgin Islands]]"
|
||||
role: "senator, three terms"
|
||||
fn: 1
|
||||
- type: employed_by
|
||||
with: "[[Industrial Development Commission]]"
|
||||
role: "assistant director"
|
||||
fn: 1
|
||||
- type: head_of
|
||||
with: "[[Virgin Islands Public Finance Authority]]"
|
||||
start: 2002
|
||||
role: "director"
|
||||
fn: 1
|
||||
- type: funded
|
||||
with: "[[Jeffrey Epstein]]"
|
||||
reverse: true
|
||||
start: 2014-12
|
||||
role: "10,000 dollars from Southern Trust Company to the Mapp-Potter inaugural committee"
|
||||
fn: 9
|
||||
created: 2026-09-25
|
||||
updated: 2026-09-25
|
||||
---
|
||||
|
||||
Kenneth E. Mapp (born November 2, 1955, in [[New York]]) is a [[U.S. Virgin Islands]] politician who was governor of the territory from January 5, 2015 to January 7, 2019, between [[John de Jongh]] and [[Albert Bryan]]. He governed while [[Jeffrey Epstein]], a registered sex offender in the territory, bought and built on [[Great St. James]], and [[Department of Justice|Justice Department]] releases in 2026 showed years of direct correspondence between the two, including a 2016 request that Epstein lend the territorial government 275 million dollars and a 2018 request for 50,000 dollars for his political action committee. Deposed in 2023 in the territory's suit against [[JPMorgan Chase]], Mapp, like the other officials deposed, said he had no knowledge of Epstein's crimes. A federal trafficking suit naming him was dismissed for lack of personal jurisdiction in 2025.[^1][^2][^3][^4]
|
||||
|
||||
### Career
|
||||
|
||||
Mapp began as a police officer in New York and in the Virgin Islands. He was elected to three terms as a senator in the [[Legislature of the Virgin Islands]], and served as assistant director of the [[Industrial Development Commission]], the body that preceded the [[Economic Development Commission]] as the territory's tax-incentive board and that granted Epstein's [[Financial Trust Company]] its first certificate in 1999, and as director of the Consumer Services Administration. He was lieutenant governor from 1995 to 1999, under Governor [[Roy Schneider]]. In 2002 he was appointed director of the [[Virgin Islands Public Finance Authority]], the territory's borrowing agency.[^1][^5] He holds a master's degree in public administration from the [[Harvard Kennedy School|John F. Kennedy School of Government]] at [[Harvard University]] and completed the Advanced Management Program at Harvard Business School. The [[National Governors Association]] lists him as an independent.[^1]
|
||||
|
||||
De Jongh defeated Mapp in the 2010 gubernatorial election, and Mapp won the governorship in 2014. In August 2015 his administration's acting Attorney General, [[Claude Walker]], had de Jongh arrested on embezzlement charges over roughly 490,000 dollars in public highway funds spent on security at de Jongh's private house; de Jongh's lawyers called the case "a politically-driven, poorly conceived vendetta initiated by the current governor," and the charges were dismissed with prejudice in January 2016 after de Jongh paid 380,000 dollars. Bryan defeated Mapp in a November 2018 runoff.[^3][^6][^7][^8]
|
||||
|
||||
### Arrangements Through Cecile de Jongh
|
||||
|
||||
Epstein's contacts with Mapp were first arranged by [[Cecile de Jongh]], the wife of Governor de Jongh and the office manager of Epstein's territorial companies. On October 16, 2014 she wrote to Epstein that "Kenn Mapp and Celestino White would like to see you," referring to the former senator and police chief [[Celestino White]], who had signed a contractor's and confidentiality agreement with Epstein in August 2013 for 10,000 dollars. After the election she wrote, "Mapp won in a landslide. Congrats," and White offered to obtain tickets for Epstein to the inaugural events. In December 2014 she asked Epstein "to confirm that you want to donate $10,000 to the Mapp-Potter inaugural committee and that it should come from Southern Trust," a payment the consultant [[Carlyn Irwin]], retained by JPMorgan Chase, later reported as made through [[Southern Trust Company]].[^3][^9][^10]
|
||||
|
||||
In March 2015 Cecile de Jongh prepared Epstein for a meeting with White and Mapp: "I understand that Mapp has about $60K in campaign debt to retire and it would be illegal for him to discuss anything having to do at GH," meaning Government House. "I don't think he will or at least I hope not but I just wanted you to know." She added: "When you get to Government House, there is a sign in book for visitors at the entrance. I have asked Celestino to arrange to have you not sign in and he said that he would take care of it." The same month she informed Epstein that Mapp was interested in repurposing the former [[HOVENSA]] refinery on [[St. Croix]], writing that the [[Department of Defense]] was "sending a team to St. Croix within the month to make a full assessment of the HOVENSA facility for use as a replacement for the prison at Guantanamo, or other military use in light of the proposed closing of GTMO."[^3]
|
||||
|
||||
### Money and Advice
|
||||
|
||||
In his May 2023 deposition in the territory's suit against JPMorgan Chase, Mapp testified that he had lunch on Epstein's island between 2015 and 2019, likely in 2016, to seek his advice on the territory's effort to raise more than 200 million dollars in municipal bonds amid uncertainty over [[Puerto Rico|Puerto Rico's]] debt crisis and the federal PROMESA legislation, and that he sought similar advice from other financial contacts. Released emails schedule lunches and brunches at Epstein's properties and at Government House, one of them for "Gov Mapp for brunch."[^2]
|
||||
|
||||
In July 2016 Mapp emailed Epstein: "Good afternoon; question. Would you be open to/interested in lending the GVI $275M at 4.75-5.25%, pledged revenues as security over a 20 year term?" Epstein answered, "I may be back in territory next week. Let's discuss. How taxed? Sinking funds? Other collateral, ? Land, ? Use of funds?" After further texts Mapp wrote: "Coffee, maybe subject to your EDC certificate. If we did a pvt placement bond, a greater portion would be triple tax exempt." A month later Epstein's assistant sent him a reminder to "Buy coffee set for Gov. Mapp." On September 1, 2016 Epstein told Cecile de Jongh to "prepare a check for mapps super pac. For 75k." The day before his 2017 State of the Territory address Mapp sought Epstein's advice on the speech, and Epstein replied that he had "made some general edits to give you a flavor . not to be your speechwriter :)." Released texts also show Mapp fundraising from Epstein for the Queen Louise Home for Children on St. Croix, thanking him for donations, reporting a public presentation totaling 140,500 dollars, and later acknowledging an additional 20,000 dollar contribution.[^2][^3][^9]
|
||||
|
||||
In October 2018, facing a runoff, Mapp asked Epstein "to help me with one last push to stay ahead" and wrote, "Can u donate 50k to the PAC? I need to bring more expertise on messaging." He told Epstein he had hired "a political mercenary." It is not shown in the released material whether Epstein paid. After Bryan's victory Epstein wrote, "Let's talk about what you do next. Shame," and Mapp thanked him "for your tremendous help and support" and "our work on a number of issues." In his deposition Mapp said he believed Epstein had donated to his inaugural committee and had no reason to dispute records showing 10,000 dollars, though he had not known the amount at the time.[^2][^3]
|
||||
|
||||
### Great St. James and the Planning Department
|
||||
|
||||
Epstein bought Great St. James in January 2016 and pressed Mapp and the Commissioner of Planning and Natural Resources, [[Dawn Henry]], over permit delays and fines for unpermitted construction. In October 2016 three inspectors of the [[Virgin Islands Department of Planning and Natural Resources|Department of Planning and Natural Resources]], among them the Coastal Zone Management director [[Jean-Pierre Oriol]], visited the island, and the department issued a cease-and-desist order on October 28, 2016. In the text exchange that followed, Epstein told Mapp that the election of [[Donald Trump]] "means many opportunities" and that he was "Seeing trump (sic) people today," that he had "left you out of the dpnr issues as you requested," and that he would "prefer not to go to court to enforce reasonableness."[^3][^11]
|
||||
|
||||
On November 14, 2016 Mapp wrote that he was "a bit disappointed" to learn that Epstein had poured concrete for a helipad and made other unpermitted changes after "you solicited my help to move DPNR along," and accused him of attempting "an end run around the VI code." Epstein answered that "there is another side to the story" and "I will not disappoint you." Mapp replied, "I do want to work with you. Being open and honest on both sides will make this very productive," and later that he would "convene a meeting with all concerned to bring this matter to finality. I certainly can't regulate the territory's environmental issues by text." He added: "Frankly, I can't do this over and over and over again. I really wanna work on some more pressing issues during my tenure. The economy, health care, public safety finding a strategy to work with the new president. I'm sure you understand." Epstein wrote back, "Me too," and that "with regard Donald" they would "talk face to face," and on November 16, 2016 asked whether Mapp wanted to discuss "trump (sic) priorities? I think he would like your guantamo (sic) proposal."[^3]
|
||||
|
||||
Pressed again for a meeting date, Mapp wrote: "What is wrong with you? I told you I would do that and in your mind you expect that to happen in 24 hours? Maybe my efforts to assist and resolve this matter is for naught. Or maybe my duties only require me to attend to your issues. I cannot understand your impatience or unreasonable expectations. WOW!" Epstein replied that it was "not urgent at all," and the correspondence continued. In March 2017 Epstein's attorney [[Erika Kellerhals]] drafted a lawsuit against the government alleging "unauthorized entry," and the dispute was settled with the original 280,000 dollar fine reduced to 160,000 dollars. The Coastal Zone Management program issued a stop-work order on the island on December 21, 2018, in the final weeks of Mapp's term.[^3][^12]
|
||||
|
||||
### Litigation
|
||||
|
||||
On November 22, 2023 six women identified as Jane Does sued the [[Government of the United States Virgin Islands]], John and Cecile de Jongh, Mapp, the former Attorney General [[Vincent Frazer]], White, the former senator [[Carlton Dowe]], and Delegate [[Stacey Plaskett]] in the [[U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York]], alleging under the [[Trafficking Victims Protection Act]] and New York law that the defendants made the territory a "safe haven" for Epstein. The second amended complaint alleged, among other things, that defendants had labeled Epstein a Tier 1 sex offender when he should have been Tier 2, modified sex-trafficking laws, and received rewards including "a $50 million loan, payment of financial obligations, campaign donations, and monthly retainer fees." On March 21, 2025 Judge [[Arun Subramanian]] dismissed all claims against Mapp and every other defendant except Plaskett, holding that receiving money from Epstein's New York bank accounts and communicating with him about it did not amount to transacting business in New York. The claims against Plaskett were dismissed with prejudice by stipulation on September 23, 2025, and final judgment was entered on May 5, 2026.[^4][^13]
|
||||
|
||||
Mapp was among the officials deposed in the territory's suit against JPMorgan Chase, with Bryan, John and Cecile de Jongh, Frazer, [[Carol Thomas-Jacobs]] and Plaskett, who each said they had no knowledge of Epstein's crimes.[^3]
|
||||
|
||||
### Footnotes
|
||||
|
||||
[^1]: National Governors Association, "Gov. Kenneth Mapp," former Virgin Islands governors (terms January 5, 2015 to January 7, 2019; born November 2, 1955, New York; career). https://www.nga.org/governor/kenneth-mapp/
|
||||
[^2]: "Former Gov. Kenneth Mapp Visited Epstein's Island, Sought $50,000 for Final Election Push, DOJ Records Show." *The Virgin Islands Consortium,* January 31, 2026. https://viconsortium.com/vi-federal/virgin-islands-former-gov--kenneth-mapp-visited-epstein-s-island--sought--50-000-for--final-push---doj-records-show
|
||||
[^3]: Carlson, Suzanne. "Files reveal Epstein's efforts to influence V.I. officials; emails with Mapp." *Virgin Islands Daily News,* February 2, 2026. https://www.virginislandsdailynews.com/news/files-reveal-epstein-s-efforts-to-influence-v-i-officials-emails-with-mapp/article_2dd4fe69-4daf-4dc2-b3b8-37a929002bb6.html
|
||||
[^4]: Doe 1 v. Government of the United States Virgin Islands, No. 1:23-cv-10301-AS (S.D.N.Y.), Opinion and Order, ECF No. 202 (March 21, 2025), pp. 1 to 2, 7 to 8, 16 to 17. https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.nysd.610915/gov.uscourts.nysd.610915.202.0.pdf
|
||||
[^5]: Carlson, Suzanne. "Epstein estate could be ordered to repay more than $144 million in tax breaks." *Virgin Islands Daily News,* February 13, 2020. http://www.virginislandsdailynews.com/news/epstein-estate-could-be-ordered-to-repay-more-than-144-million-in-tax-breaks/article_b84d9710-14af-5e69-a890-bcf8265cf8f9.html (1999 Financial Trust certificate issued by the Industrial Development Commission, predecessor of the Economic Development Authority).
|
||||
[^6]: "Governor John P. de Jongh Arrested By DOJ Officials." *The Virgin Islands Consortium,* August 18, 2015. https://viconsortium.com/vi-world/governor-john-p-de-jongh-arrested-being-processed-at-district-court (archived at https://wp.viconsortium.com/?p=27084).
|
||||
[^7]: "De Jongh Attorneys Slam Mapp And Walker; Call Case Against Former Governor Sham, Disgrace And Poltically-Driven." *The Virgin Islands Consortium,* November 4, 2015. https://viconsortium.com/vi-government/de-jongh-attorneys-slam-mapp-administration-says-case-against-former-governor-is-sham-disgrace-and-poltically-driven (archived at https://wp.viconsortium.com/?p=30871).
|
||||
[^8]: "DOJ Drops Charges Against Former Governor De Jongh After $380,000 Settlement." *The Virgin Islands Consortium,* January 22, 2016. https://viconsortium.com/vi-vic_news/doj-drops-charges-against-former-governor-de-jongh-with-prejudice-after-380000-settlement (archived at https://wp.viconsortium.com/?p=33926).
|
||||
[^9]: Carlson, Suzanne. "Court filings show V.I. First Lady's loyalty to Epstein." *Virgin Islands Daily News,* June 21, 2023. https://www.virginislandsdailynews.com/news/court-filings-show-v-i-first-ladys-loyalty-to-epstein/article_c2dca0a7-a243-5365-88c0-389c576ad022.html (Mapp and White meeting, Mapp-Potter inaugural committee and Mapp super PAC requests).
|
||||
[^10]: Carlson, Suzanne. "Docs confirm Bryan pressed for special treatment of sex offender." *Virgin Islands Daily News,* February 2, 2026. https://www.virginislandsdailynews.com/news/docs-confirm-bryan-pressed-for-special-treatment-of-sex-offender/article_5e9483c9-38d2-406c-8bb0-e5757ce287f2.html (Carlyn Irwin report: 10,000 dollar donation to the Mapp-Potter inaugural committee).
|
||||
[^11]: "DPNR Orders Cease and Desist for Unauthorized Development on Great St. James." *St. Thomas Source,* November 1, 2016. https://stthomassource.com/content/2016/11/01/dpnr-orders-cease-and-desist-for-unauthorized-development-on-great-st-james/
|
||||
[^12]: "DPNR planning visit to Epstein's island." *Virgin Islands Daily News,* 2019. https://www.virginislandsdailynews.com/news/dpnr-planning-visit-to-epstein-s-island/ (December 21, 2018 stop-work order).
|
||||
[^13]: Doe 1 v. Government of the United States Virgin Islands, No. 1:23-cv-10301-AS (S.D.N.Y.), docket, including Stipulation and Order of Dismissal, ECF No. 224 (September 23, 2025), and Judgment, ECF No. 229 (May 5, 2026). https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/68031620/doe-1-v-government-of-the-united-states-virgin-islands/
|
||||
|
|
@ -59,7 +59,7 @@ In a 2011 ruling Marra held that rights under the Act attach before the governme
|
|||
|
||||
On February 21, 2019 he granted partial summary judgment for the petitioners. He wrote that "[p]articularly problematic was the Government's decision to conceal the existence of the NPA and mislead the victims to believe that federal prosecution was still a possibility," that "[w]hile the Government spent untold hours negotiating the terms and implications of the NPA with Epstein's attorneys, scant information was shared with victims," and that "[t]he Court is not ruling that the decision not to prosecute was improper." He rejected the government's argument that a 2015 amendment had excluded non-prosecution agreements from victims' rights, reasoning that "[o]nce a NPA is entered into without notice, the matter is closed and the victims have no opportunity to be heard regarding any aspect of the case."[^3]
|
||||
|
||||
After Epstein's death, Marra closed the case on September 16, 2019, denying the victims' requests to rescind the agreement, to compel a meeting with former U.S. Attorney [[Alexander Acosta]], to obtain grand jury and internal documents, and to impose sanctions or damages. He wrote that "[t]he Court has no jurisdiction over Alexander Acosta, the former U.S. Attorney, who is now a private citizen," and that "despite Petitioners having demonstrated the Government violated their rights under the CVRA, in the end they are not receiving much, if any, of the relief they sought." He said the rulings "likely played some role, however small it may have been, in the initiation of criminal charges against Mr. Epstein in the Southern District of New York." He also ordered unsealed the remedies briefing that had been filed under seal in December 2011.[^7]
|
||||
After Epstein's death, Marra closed the case on September 16, 2019, denying the victims' requests to rescind the agreement, to compel a meeting with former U.S. Attorney [[Alexander Acosta]], to obtain grand jury and internal documents, and to impose sanctions or damages. He wrote that "[t]he Court has no jurisdiction over Alexander Acosta, the former U.S. Attorney, who is now a private citizen," and that "despite Petitioners having demonstrated the Government violated their rights under the CVRA, in the end they are not receiving much, if any, of the relief they sought." He said the rulings "likely played some role, however small it may have been, in the initiation of criminal charges against Mr. Epstein in the [[U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York|Southern District of New York]]." He also ordered unsealed the remedies briefing that had been filed under seal in December 2011.[^7]
|
||||
|
||||
### The Chiquita Litigation
|
||||
|
||||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
@ -72,7 +72,7 @@ Krauss rose to prominence in the 1990s through popular books and lectures on phy
|
|||
|
||||
In March 2006 Krauss convened "[[Confronting Gravity]]," a conference of about twenty physicists in [[Saint Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands|St. Thomas]] funded by Epstein's foundation. Krauss had pitched it as "a small and rather exclusive workshop" with all expenses paid, naming as invitees [[Stephen Hawking]], the 2004 Nobel laureates [[David Gross]] and [[Frank Wilczek]], the 1999 laureate [[Gerard 't Hooft]] and [[Kip Thorne]]. "To get good people, you've got to have a hook," Krauss said in 2026. The announcement promised time to "relax on the beach, and take a trip to the nearby private island retreat of the science philanthropist Jeffrey Epstein." Epstein told the *St. Thomas Source* that "there is no agenda except fun and physics, and that's fun with a capital 'F.'" The physicists stayed at the Ritz-Carlton, and the program ended with a submarine dive for Hawking and a boat trip to a barbecue on [[Little St. James]], where a guide told them, "Don't go wandering off into the island."[^1]
|
||||
|
||||
[[Alan Guth]] of MIT recalled that "we probably never saw him without three or four young women." [[Jim Peebles]] recalled five to ten young women at a coffee break: "I can only tell you they were younger than the youngest women in our meeting. . . . Were they 15 or 30? I have no idea." Krauss told NPR the young women were Hawking's nurses. Palm Beach police were then completing their investigation of Epstein, who was indicted four months later. In a 2017 text Epstein wrote that when Hawking "came to my island. and said his dream was to go diving . . . i [duct-taped] his head to a high back chair and loaded him in a private sub, great fun," and he later listed the conference among his top five professional achievements. In 2012 someone whose name is redacted told Epstein they were "rehas[h]ing an article . . . on the gravity conference," and a press release on the six-year-old event followed the next month.[^1]
|
||||
[[Alan Guth]] of MIT recalled that "we probably never saw him without three or four young women." [[Jim Peebles]] recalled five to ten young women at a coffee break: "I can only tell you they were younger than the youngest women in our meeting. . . . Were they 15 or 30? I have no idea." Krauss told NPR the young women were Hawking's nurses. [[Palm Beach, Florida|Palm Beach]] police were then completing their investigation of Epstein, who was indicted four months later. In a 2017 text Epstein wrote that when Hawking "came to my island. and said his dream was to go diving . . . i [duct-taped] his head to a high back chair and loaded him in a private sub, great fun," and he later listed the conference among his top five professional achievements. In 2012 someone whose name is redacted told Epstein they were "rehas[h]ing an article . . . on the gravity conference," and a press release on the six-year-old event followed the next month.[^1]
|
||||
|
||||
't Hooft told *[[BuzzFeed News]]* he had had no contact with Epstein since 2006; Wilczek said, "I did not receive financial support from Mr. Epstein. I did attend conferences and events which he financed in part." Epstein foundation websites nonetheless listed Wilczek as a funding recipient, and MIT's investigators found no such donation.[^6][^7]
|
||||
|
||||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
@ -29,7 +29,7 @@ relations:
|
|||
fn: 1
|
||||
---
|
||||
|
||||
Marvin Lee Minsky (August 9, 1927 to January 24, 2016) was an American cognitive and computer scientist at the [[Massachusetts Institute of Technology]] who co-founded the [[MIT Artificial Intelligence Laboratory]] and was a central figure in the founding of [[artificial intelligence]] as a field. He received funding from [[Jeffrey Epstein]] and organized a 2002 conference financed by Epstein in the U.S. Virgin Islands; in 2019 an unsealed deposition by [[Virginia Giuffre]] named Minsky, an allegation his widow [[Gloria Rudisch]] disputed.[^1][^2]
|
||||
Marvin Lee Minsky (August 9, 1927 to January 24, 2016) was an American cognitive and computer scientist at the [[Massachusetts Institute of Technology]] who co-founded the [[MIT Artificial Intelligence Laboratory]] and was a central figure in the founding of [[artificial intelligence]] as a field. He received funding from [[Jeffrey Epstein]] and organized a 2002 conference financed by Epstein in the [[U.S. Virgin Islands]]; in 2019 an unsealed deposition by [[Virginia Giuffre]] named Minsky, an allegation his widow [[Gloria Rudisch]] disputed.[^1][^2]
|
||||
|
||||
### MIT and the Founding of Artificial Intelligence
|
||||
|
||||
|
|
@ -45,13 +45,13 @@ Epstein donated $100,000 to Minsky in 2002, several years before Epstein's 2008
|
|||
|
||||
After Minsky's death in 2016, Negroponte and Ito discussed whether Epstein could attend an on-campus memorial; Negroponte said Epstein would be welcome, but Ito instructed Epstein to stay away from the memorial and an associated reception. A Media Lab staff member later circulated memorial photographs with a note asking that they be posted only "as long as Jeffrey Epstein does not appear in any of the photos."[^2][^5]
|
||||
|
||||
In April 2002 Minsky organized a three-day artificial-intelligence meeting, the St. Thomas Common Sense Symposium, held April 14 to 16, 2002, on St. Thomas in the U.S. Virgin Islands and funded by Epstein. The proceedings were published by Minsky, [[Push Singh]], and [[Aaron Sloman]] as "The St. Thomas Common Sense Symposium: Designing Architectures for Human-Level Intelligence" in *AI Magazine* in 2004. Around twenty scientists attended, most of them men, including [[Roger Schank]], [[Doug Lenat]], [[Ken Forbus]], [[Henry Lieberman]], [[Vernor Vinge]], and [[Linda Stone]]. Schank later recalled that Epstein "walks into the conference with two girls on his arm" and sat "in the back, on a couch, hugging and kissing these girls." Epstein separately funded "Confronting Gravity," a March 2006 physics conference at the Ritz-Carlton in St. Thomas convened by [[Lawrence Krauss]], which drew physicists including [[Stephen Hawking]] and ended with a barbecue on Epstein's island, [[Little St. James]].[^6][^7][^8]
|
||||
In April 2002 Minsky organized a three-day artificial-intelligence meeting, the St. Thomas Common Sense Symposium, held April 14 to 16, 2002, on St. Thomas in the U.S. Virgin Islands and funded by Epstein. The proceedings were published by Minsky, [[Push Singh]], and [[Aaron Sloman]] as "The St. Thomas Common Sense Symposium: Designing Architectures for Human-Level Intelligence" in *AI Magazine* in 2004. Around twenty scientists attended, most of them men, including [[Roger Schank]], [[Doug Lenat]], [[Ken Forbus]], [[Henry Lieberman]], [[Vernor Vinge]], and [[Linda Stone]]. Schank later recalled that Epstein "walks into the conference with two girls on his arm" and sat "in the back, on a couch, hugging and kissing these girls." Epstein separately funded "Confronting Gravity," a March 2006 physics conference at the Ritz-Carlton in [[St. Thomas]] convened by [[Lawrence Krauss]], which drew physicists including [[Stephen Hawking]] and ended with a barbecue on Epstein's island, [[Little St. James]].[^6][^7][^8]
|
||||
|
||||
### Giuffre Allegation and the Dispute
|
||||
|
||||
In a deposition given on May 3, 2016 in her defamation suit against [[Ghislaine Maxwell]], and unsealed in stages from August 2019, Virginia Giuffre testified that she was directed to have sex with Minsky when he visited Epstein's compound in the U.S. Virgin Islands, when she was seventeen and Minsky was in his seventies. Giuffre's claim named Minsky among several prominent men she said she was instructed to have sexual contact with. Minsky, who had died in January 2016, never had an opportunity to respond.[^1][^9]
|
||||
|
||||
The transcript pages filed in December 2022 record Maxwell's counsel, [[Laura Menninger]], summarizing Giuffre's testimony and asking, with Giuffre's lawyer [[Bradley Edwards]] objecting to the form: "another prince, the large hotel chain owner and Marvin Minsky, is there anyone else that Ghislaine Maxwell directed you to go have sex with?" Giuffre answered: "I am definitely sure there is. But can I remember everybody's name? No." Under further questioning she said she had kept notes of the men's names, begun around 2011 or 2012 and not at her lawyers' instruction, and had burned them "in a bonfire when I lived at Titusville." A separate witness testified in the same litigation that Minsky and Giuffre were both passengers on a March 2001 flight from Teterboro to Santa Fe and Palm Beach with Epstein, Maxwell, the chef [[Adam Perry Lang]] and the shipping heir [[Henry Jarecki]], when Giuffre was seventeen and Minsky seventy-three.[^10][^11]
|
||||
The transcript pages filed in December 2022 record Maxwell's counsel, [[Laura Menninger]], summarizing Giuffre's testimony and asking, with Giuffre's lawyer [[Bradley Edwards]] objecting to the form: "another prince, the large hotel chain owner and Marvin Minsky, is there anyone else that Ghislaine Maxwell directed you to go have sex with?" Giuffre answered: "I am definitely sure there is. But can I remember everybody's name? No." Under further questioning she said she had kept notes of the men's names, begun around 2011 or 2012 and not at her lawyers' instruction, and had burned them "in a bonfire when I lived at Titusville." A separate witness testified in the same litigation that Minsky and Giuffre were both passengers on a March 2001 flight from Teterboro to Santa Fe and [[Palm Beach, Florida|Palm Beach]] with Epstein, Maxwell, the chef [[Adam Perry Lang]] and the shipping heir [[Henry Jarecki]], when Giuffre was seventeen and Minsky seventy-three.[^10][^11]
|
||||
|
||||
Minsky's widow, the pediatrician Gloria Rudisch, disputed the allegation, telling the *[[New York Post]]* that she and her husband "were always together" when visiting Epstein. Minsky was never charged. The accusation of sexual contact rests on Giuffre's testimony; the flight testimony places the two on the same aircraft. In a 2015 deposition [[Alan Dershowitz]] said the young women around Epstein "were seen by [[Larry Summers]], they were seen by [George] Church, they were seen by Marvin Minsky," and that "there was no hint or suggestion of anything sexual or improper."[^11][^12]
|
||||
|
||||
|
|
@ -59,7 +59,7 @@ The 2019 MIT review and records reported in 2025 and 2026 indicated that Minsky
|
|||
|
||||
### The 2011 Conference and the Websites
|
||||
|
||||
The 2002 gift was the only Epstein donation MIT recorded for Minsky, and it was the one Epstein gift MIT did not reclassify as anonymous in 2013. Epstein's support continued outside MIT's books. Justice Department files show that he funded a second Minsky conference in 2011, addressing "future disasters that may arise in the face of growing populations, new technologies and new social network systems"; a 2012 Epstein foundation press release placed it on Epstein's island in December 2011. From at least August 2014 the website jeffreyepstein.net stated that "Jeffrey Epstein AI sponsors many leading scientists at the forefront of AI research, including Marvin Minsky and Seth Lloyd at MIT," and another page claimed support for "Marvin Minsky and MIT's AI and Media Labs." In a 2017 text message Epstein wrote: "I funded the father of AI marvin minsky for 20 years. I know the subject well."[^8][^11][^13]
|
||||
The 2002 gift was the only Epstein donation MIT recorded for Minsky, and it was the one Epstein gift MIT did not reclassify as anonymous in 2013. Epstein's support continued outside MIT's books. Justice Department files show that he funded a second Minsky conference in 2011, addressing "future disasters that may arise in the face of growing populations, new technologies and new social network systems"; a 2012 Epstein foundation press release placed it on Epstein's island in December 2011. From at least August 2014 the website jeffreyepstein.net stated that "Jeffrey Epstein AI sponsors many leading scientists at the forefront of AI research, including Marvin Minsky and [[Seth Lloyd]] at MIT," and another page claimed support for "Marvin Minsky and MIT's AI and Media Labs." In a 2017 text message Epstein wrote: "I funded the father of AI marvin minsky for 20 years. I know the subject well."[^8][^11][^13]
|
||||
|
||||
When Epstein asked in February 2016 whether he could attend Minsky's memorial, Joi Ito offered two options: "get in a private room at the Lab where he can 'hold court' and people . . . could see him out of the public eye," or "let him participate since we have a good story around it. BTW, will press be at the event?" Nicholas Negroponte answered, "Of course he can come and would be welcome .... I would make absolutely no fuss over his coming and welcome home [sic] 100%." After discussion with Minsky's family, Epstein was kept in Ito's office during the March 17, 2016 event.[^13]
|
||||
|
||||
|
|
|
|||
87
10 - PEOPLE/(H-M)/Matthew Menchel.md
Normal file
87
10 - PEOPLE/(H-M)/Matthew Menchel.md
Normal file
|
|
@ -0,0 +1,87 @@
|
|||
---
|
||||
category: "Law Enforcement & Legal"
|
||||
tags:
|
||||
- Person
|
||||
- JeffreyEpstein
|
||||
- NonProsecutionAgreement
|
||||
- Prosecutor
|
||||
- DepartmentOfJustice
|
||||
- RevolvingDoor
|
||||
- KobreAndKim
|
||||
alias:
|
||||
- Matthew Menchel
|
||||
- Matthew I. Menchel
|
||||
- Matt Menchel
|
||||
summary: "Criminal Division chief in the Miami U.S. Attorney's Office who conveyed the 2007 two-year state plea offer to Jeffrey Epstein's lawyers, left for Kobre & Kim weeks later, and later dined with Epstein."
|
||||
location: "Miami, Florida"
|
||||
relations:
|
||||
- type: employed_by
|
||||
with: "[[Manhattan District Attorney]]"
|
||||
role: "Assistant District Attorney"
|
||||
end: 1998
|
||||
fn: 1
|
||||
- type: employed_by
|
||||
with: "[[U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Florida]]"
|
||||
role: "Assistant U.S. Attorney; Chief, Major Crimes Section; Chief, Criminal Division"
|
||||
start: 1998
|
||||
end: 2007-08
|
||||
fn: 1
|
||||
- type: employed_by
|
||||
with: "[[Kobre & Kim]]"
|
||||
role: "partner"
|
||||
start: 2007-08
|
||||
fn: 3
|
||||
- type: investigated
|
||||
with: "[[Office of Professional Responsibility]]"
|
||||
reverse: true
|
||||
start: 2019-02-06
|
||||
end: 2020-11
|
||||
fn: 8
|
||||
created: 2026-09-25
|
||||
updated: 2026-09-25
|
||||
---
|
||||
|
||||
Matthew I. Menchel is an American trial lawyer who was chief of the Criminal Division of the [[U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Florida]] from October 2006 to August 2007, the months in which the office declined to approve an indictment of [[Jeffrey Epstein]] and offered him instead a two-year state plea, the offer that became the [[Epstein non-prosecution agreement]]. Menchel communicated the offer to Epstein's lawyers and left the office in August 2007 for the firm [[Kobre & Kim]], before the agreement's terms were negotiated. The [[Department of Justice|Justice Department]]'s [[Office of Professional Responsibility]] later found that he had dated, in 2003, a former deputy who by 2007 was one of Epstein's defense lawyers, that his supervisors did not know it, and that it "would have been prudent" for him to tell them. Epstein's records released in 2025 showed appointments, telephone calls and dinners between the two men in 2011, 2013 and 2017; Menchel denied any business relationship with Epstein.[^1][^2][^3]
|
||||
|
||||
### Manhattan and Miami
|
||||
|
||||
Menchel served eleven years as an Assistant District Attorney in the [[Manhattan District Attorney|New York County District Attorney's Office]] in [[Manhattan]], where according to his firm biography he was director of legal training. He joined the Miami office in 1998, became chief of its Major Crimes Section after several years as a line prosecutor, and was named chief of the Criminal Division by [[Alexander Acosta]] in September 2006, taking office that October alongside the new First Assistant, [[Jeffrey Sloman]].[^1][^3][^4]
|
||||
|
||||
### The Charging Decision
|
||||
|
||||
The line prosecutor, [[Ann Marie Villafana|A. Marie Villafaña]], submitted her prosecution memorandum on May 1, 2007. On May 14 she asked Menchel and [[Andrew Lourie]] whether she could file charges the next day, as Epstein flew from the [[U.S. Virgin Islands|Virgin Islands]] to [[New Jersey]]. Menchel answered: "[y]ou will not have approval to go forward tomorrow," explaining that Acosta "has your [prosecution] memo" and "wants to take his time making sure he is comfortable before proceeding," and that he had "trouble understanding" her "rush" "given how long this case has been pending." In his OPR interview Menchel described her as "out over her skis a little bit" and "ahead of Acosta in terms of his analysis of the case," and said, "This [was] not a case [we were] going to review in two weeks and make a decision on." In a July 5, 2007 email he rebuked her for having "led the agents to believe that [filing charges in] this matter was a foregone conclusion." Villafaña's immediate supervisor told OPR that it appeared "Miami didn't want the case prosecuted." OPR recorded that Menchel and Villafaña gave contradictory accounts of several events.[^5]
|
||||
|
||||
### The Two-Year Offer
|
||||
|
||||
The office's first plea overture came before June 26, 2007, when Menchel spoke with Epstein's lawyer [[Lilly Ann Sanchez]] about resolving the federal case with a state plea requiring jail time and sex-offender registration; according to an email, "[i]t was a non-starter" for the defense. Menchel told Villafaña in early July that he had raised the state resolution with Acosta's "full knowledge." At a July 26, 2007 meeting, according to Villafaña, Menchel announced that "Alex has decided to offer a two year state deal," and on July 31 the office delivered the terms to the defense. Menchel told OPR that he did not recall how the office arrived at two years. OPR itself was "unable to determine the reasoning underlying the decision to offer two years as the term of incarceration, as opposed to any other term of years," and concluded that Acosta knew of and approved it.[^6][^7]
|
||||
|
||||
Shortly after the offer was extended in early August 2007, Menchel left the office for private practice. OPR noted in its findings that the three supervisory subjects other than Acosta "left the USAO, were transitioning to other jobs, or were absent at critical junctures" during the negotiations that followed.[^1][^8]
|
||||
|
||||
### The Relationship with Defense Counsel
|
||||
|
||||
OPR found that "Epstein's wealth enabled him to hire multiple attorneys who had preexisting personal connections to some of the government attorneys involved in his case," and that Epstein "retained Lilly Ann [Sanchez], a former AUSA who had been Menchel's deputy and with whom he had socialized." Menchel told OPR that he and the former colleague had had a social relationship in the office that included, in 2003, "a handful of dates over a period of two to three weeks. We decided that . . . this was probably best not to pursue, and we mutually agreed to not do that." He said they had remained "close" and "hung out," that this was known in the office, and that by 2007 their contact was "most likely" at office events and at his wedding; his Outlook records showed at least one scheduled lunch with her in early 2006, after she left the office. "[T]hat was three and a half years [prior] for a very brief period of time," he said, "and I don't think I gave it a moment's thought."[^6]
|
||||
|
||||
Acosta, Sloman and Lourie each told OPR that in 2007 they did not know Menchel had dated her. The office's Professional Responsibility Officer told OPR that he would have expected Menchel to raise it with Acosta, and that "[g]iven the sensitivity of the [Epstein] matter, [my advice] would probably have been to tell him to step back and let somebody else take it over." OPR did not conclude that the relationship influenced the investigation, but assessed that "it would have been prudent for Menchel to have informed his supervisors so they could make an independent assessment as to whether his continued involvement in the Epstein investigation might create the appearance of a loss of impartiality." Menchel told OPR that the relationship did "[n]ot at all" affect his handling of the case, that prior ties gave defense lawyers credibility but did not "move the needle in any major way," and that he and his colleagues viewed Epstein's attempt to exert influence through his choice of counsel as "ham-fisted" and "clumsy."[^6][^9]
|
||||
|
||||
In a December 2018 email, Villafaña wrote that Sloman had once told her Sanchez "asked Mr. Menchel to 'do her a solid' and convince Mr. Acosta to offer two years." Sloman did not recall the remark, Villafaña could not recall its exact words, and OPR concluded "that there is no evidence to support the statement in Villafaña's 2018 email that Menchel had extended a two-year plea deal as a favor to one of Epstein's attorneys."[^6]
|
||||
|
||||
### Kobre & Kim
|
||||
|
||||
Menchel joined the litigation firm Kobre & Kim in August 2007. He became a partner in its government enforcement defense practice, a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers, and head of the firm's trial advocacy program. The firm credits him with the "landmark acquittal" of the [[UBS]] banker [[Raoul Weil]] and with a defense verdict "against the CFTC on all causes of action" for the trading firm DRW. In 2015 the Chambers guide quoted clients describing him as "strategic, smart, attentive to detail and [having] outstanding common sense." Lourie, the West Palm Beach manager on the Epstein case, joined Kobre & Kim after leaving the Justice Department, and the firm's 2015 announcement quoted the guide as saying that his "skills are extraordinary, and his judgment is first-rate."[^3][^10]
|
||||
|
||||
### Contacts with Epstein
|
||||
|
||||
Documents from Epstein's estate released by the [[House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform|House Oversight Committee]] in October 2025 showed that Menchel had appointments, phone calls and dinners with Epstein in 2011, 2013 and 2017, beginning four years after he left the office. At Acosta's September 19, 2025 transcribed interview, members of the committee asked about a photograph said to show Epstein skiing with Menchel, possibly in the early 2000s, but did not produce it. Menchel had earlier denied having business relationships with Epstein "at any point, not before, during or after my tenure at the U.S. attorney's office," referred the [[Miami Herald]] to that denial, and after publication denied ever skiing with Epstein; he did not deny meeting him after leaving the office.[^2]
|
||||
|
||||
### Footnotes
|
||||
|
||||
[^1]: U.S. Department of Justice, Epstein Library, EFTA02847284, Prior DOJ Disclosures, report, Office of Professional Responsibility, "Investigation into the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Florida's Resolution of Its 2006-2008 Federal Criminal Investigation of Jeffrey Epstein and Its Interactions with Victims during the Investigation," November 2020, pp. 5 to 7 (EFTA02847314 to EFTA02847316). https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/Prior%20DOJ%20Disclosures/Memos.%20&%20Correspondence/EFTA02847284.pdf
|
||||
[^2]: Debra Cassens Weiss, "Jeffrey Epstein had dinners with top criminal prosecutor following favorable deal, documents show," *ABA Journal,* October 20, 2025, summarizing Miami Herald reporting on the House Oversight Committee's release of Epstein estate documents. https://www.abajournal.com/news/article/jeffrey-epstein-had-dinners-with-top-criminal-prosecutor-in-years-following-favorable-deal-documents-show
|
||||
[^3]: Kobre & Kim, "Matthew I. Menchel" (firm biography). https://kobrekim.com/people/matthew-i-menchel ; Debra Cassens Weiss (see note 7).
|
||||
[^4]: U.S. Department of Justice, Epstein Library, EFTA02847284 (see note 1), p. 18 n. 21 (EFTA02847327).
|
||||
[^5]: U.S. Department of Justice, Epstein Library, EFTA02847284 (see note 1), pp. 29 to 30 and nn. 44 to 45 (EFTA02847338 to EFTA02847339).
|
||||
[^6]: U.S. Department of Justice, Epstein Library, EFTA02847284 (see note 1), pp. 150 to 155 and nn. 226 to 228 (EFTA02847459 to EFTA02847464).
|
||||
[^7]: U.S. Department of Justice, Epstein Library, EFTA00224943, DataSet 9, "Epstein Investigation Timeline," Exhibit A-1, privileged chronology of the federal investigation, May 2006 to August 2011, entry recording the meeting "where Criminal Chief Menchel announces that USA Acosta will offer a two-year state plea." https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/DataSet%209/EFTA00224943.pdf
|
||||
[^8]: U.S. Department of Justice, Epstein Library, EFTA02847284 (see note 1), Executive Summary, pp. vi, x (EFTA02847291, EFTA02847295).
|
||||
[^9]: U.S. Department of Justice, Epstein Library, EFTA02847284 (see note 1), pp. 151 to 152 (EFTA02847460 to EFTA02847461).
|
||||
[^10]: Kobre & Kim, "Kobre & Kim Receives Top Rankings in the 2015 Edition of Chambers & Partners," May 19, 2015. https://kobrekim.com/news/accolades/kobre-and-kim-receives-top-rankings-in-the-2015-edition-of-chambers-and-partners
|
||||
71
10 - PEOPLE/(H-M)/Nicole Junkermann.md
Normal file
71
10 - PEOPLE/(H-M)/Nicole Junkermann.md
Normal file
|
|
@ -0,0 +1,71 @@
|
|||
---
|
||||
category: "Business & Finance"
|
||||
tags:
|
||||
- Person
|
||||
- NicoleJunkermann
|
||||
- JeffreyEpstein
|
||||
- Carbyne
|
||||
- EhudBarak
|
||||
- NJFCapital
|
||||
- NHS
|
||||
- VentureCapital
|
||||
alias:
|
||||
- nicole junkerman
|
||||
- Nicole Junkerman
|
||||
summary: "German investor and founder of NJF Holdings who co-invested with Jeffrey Epstein and Ehud Barak in Carbyne, sat on a UK health technology advisory board, and lost a Lancaster University post in 2026."
|
||||
location: "London, United Kingdom"
|
||||
relations:
|
||||
- type: founded
|
||||
with: "[[NJF Holdings]]"
|
||||
role: "founder"
|
||||
fn: 3
|
||||
- type: member_of
|
||||
with: "[[Healthtech Advisory Board]]"
|
||||
role: "member"
|
||||
start: 2018-11-19
|
||||
fn: 3
|
||||
- type: appointed
|
||||
with: "[[Lancaster University]]"
|
||||
reverse: true
|
||||
role: "visiting professor in practice for technology, innovation and entrepreneurship"
|
||||
start: 2025-09
|
||||
end: 2026-02-10
|
||||
fn: 4
|
||||
created: 2026-09-25
|
||||
updated: 2026-09-25
|
||||
---
|
||||
|
||||
Nicole Junkermann is a German investor, founder of the investment company NJF Holdings and of NJF Capital, the renamed Montilla International Corporation, through which she invested alongside [[Jeffrey Epstein]] and the former Israeli prime minister [[Ehud Barak]] in the Israeli emergency-response company [[Carbyne]]. Epstein called her "my great friend" in 2010, and their correspondence continued until 2019, long after his 2008 Florida conviction. In November 2018 the [[United Kingdom|British]] government named her to a Healthtech Advisory Board reporting directly to the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, [[Matt Hancock]]. [[Lancaster University]] terminated her visiting professorship on February 10, 2026, after the [[Department of Justice|Justice Department]]'s release of the [[Epstein Files|Epstein files]].[^1][^2][^3][^4]
|
||||
|
||||
### Carbyne
|
||||
|
||||
Junkermann's investment firm took part in Carbyne's Series A round. *[[Forbes]]* reported in February 2026 that Carbyne's website had listed her as a director until 2020; Carbyne's chief executive, [[Amir Elichai]], said that "she is not and was never a board member," attributed the listing to a mistake by the company's marketing team, and said she no longer held a stake.[^5]
|
||||
|
||||
Epstein's stake was held through an Israeli limited partnership, SUM (E.B.) Limited Partnership, whose general partner was Ergo (E.B. 2014) Ltd. On February 28, 2019 the partnership's lawyer, [[Tomer Toor]] of the [[Tel Aviv]] firm Furth, Wilensky, Mizrachi, Knaani, wrote to Epstein's lawyer [[Darren Indyke]], to NJF Capital's finance officer and to Junkermann that SUM held warrants to buy 61,251 additional Preferred A shares of Carbyne for 3.5 million dollars, which would raise its holding "from about 13% to about 26.33%, on a fully diluted basis." The limited partners' shares of the 3.6 million dollar call were set at 66.67 percent, or 2.4 million dollars, for Epstein's [[Southern Trust Company]] and 33.33 percent, or 1.2 million dollars, for Montilla International Corporation, renamed NJF Capital Corp in 2018, to be wired to Ergo at [[Bank Leumi]]. Toor confirmed on March 11, 2019 that the full amount had arrived.[^2][^6]
|
||||
|
||||
When the Israeli bank asked, under its anti-money-laundering rules, for the controlling person and citizenship of each limited partner, Indyke wrote to Epstein on March 12, 2019: "I thought we did not want your name associated with this Investment?" Barak had replied to the same request on March 11: "That's the Israeli banks paranoia after they paid the penalties they've paid to the US authorities for past mistakes. According to our experience it was never leaked out of the banks." On March 14 Epstein confirmed that Indyke could name him as the controlling person of Southern Trust.[^2][^6]
|
||||
|
||||
### The China Matter
|
||||
|
||||
On February 18, 2019, four and a half months before his arrest, Epstein wrote to Junkermann that he had "litle idea of carbyne results to date" and asked to be told "how much we are giving up. how much we would have made." Junkermann answered in a numbered list: "You are my friend and I do not have a lot of them so lets try to find a fair solution for all of us"; "You are right I see it differently, you are a billionaire I am not and I am a mother you are not.. so I have to care about her future and I do not have a choice... and as you know China is difficult if not we would not have this conversation"; "Carbyne invested 1.5 m (1m you and 0.5m me) net of fees is 3.9m your share, Ehud carry 1.5 m and my share 2m"; "China is valued from FSB 1.2 to 1.5b if I can get at least 250m out of there"; and "Can Ehud help? Lets speak." The message does not define "FSB."[^1]
|
||||
|
||||
### Earlier Correspondence
|
||||
|
||||
On June 15, 2010, replying to a note from a son of the arms dealer [[Douglas Leese]], Epstein wrote: "Definitely, my great friend, nicole junkerman is considering moving to Singapore. May I have her call you."[^7] According to *[[The Lancaster Tab]]*, which reviewed the released files, an email from Junkermann to Epstein in November 2013 read, "You make me smile, you are in my heart :)"; in January 2014 Epstein wrote to her, "Paris on the 29th, coming to interview for chief of staff. Hope to see you. Don't you know any girl in their 20s good family, trustworthy, multilingual?", and the newspaper found nothing to suggest that she acted on the request; and in 2017, the year of her marriage, she wrote, "I am so happy to see you, [her husband] says always when I speak about you I have a smile on my face." The *Lancashire Telegraph* reported that the files record gifts she bought Epstein, including a cashmere bathrobe and jewelry.[^8]
|
||||
|
||||
### Public Appointments
|
||||
|
||||
The Department of Health and Social Care announced on November 19, 2018 the first meeting of the Healthtech Advisory Board, created to advise Hancock on "his technology vision for health and social care" and to "report directly to the Secretary of State." It was chaired by [[Ben Goldacre]] of the [[University of Oxford]]; Junkermann, listed as "founder of NJF Holdings, an international finance and investment company," sat with the chief executive of [[UK Research and Innovation]], Sir [[Mark Walport]], the chair of the Human Tissue Authority, [[Nicola Blackwood]], the chair of the [[Centre for Data Ethics and Innovation]], Roger Taylor, and [[Daniel Korski]] of the venture firm PUBLIC.[^3]
|
||||
|
||||
Lancaster University appointed her in September 2025 as visiting professor in practice for technology, innovation and entrepreneurship. After the files were released the university said, "Nicole Junkermann is not an employee of Lancaster University and our connection with her is currently being reviewed," and on February 10, 2026 confirmed that her "post as a visiting professor has been terminated." A spokesperson for Junkermann said: "The scale Jeffrey Epstein's crimes is appalling. As a woman and a mother, Nicole was completely deceived and misled by him and deeply regrets their conversations regarding personal and professional matters. These conversations took place at a time in her life when she was vulnerable, and she was manipulated into trusting him." She has not been accused of any crime.[^4][^8]
|
||||
|
||||
### Footnotes
|
||||
|
||||
[^1]: U.S. Department of Justice, Epstein Library, EFTA02630791, DataSet 11, email exchange between Jeffrey Epstein and Nicole Junkermann, February 18, 2019. https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/DataSet%2011/EFTA02630791.pdf
|
||||
[^2]: U.S. Department of Justice, Epstein Library, EFTA02634615, DataSet 11, email chain "Carbyne warrants" among Tomer Toor, NJF Capital, Darren Indyke and Jeffrey Epstein, February 28 to March 14, 2019. https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/DataSet%2011/EFTA02634615.pdf
|
||||
[^3]: Department of Health and Social Care. "Health technology expert panel meets for the first time." GOV.UK, November 19, 2018. https://www.gov.uk/government/news/health-technology-expert-panel-meets-for-the-first-time
|
||||
[^4]: "Lancaster University visiting professor named 3,475 in the Epstein files leaves position." *The Lancaster Tab,* February 11, 2026. https://thetab.com/2026/02/11/lancaster-university-visiting-professor-who-was-named-3475-in-epstein-files-leaves-position
|
||||
[^5]: Brewster, Thomas. "Epstein Could Have Made $100 Million On A Secret Police Tech Investment With Ehud Barak." *Forbes,* February 10, 2026. https://www.forbes.com/sites/thomasbrewster/2026/02/10/epstein-police-surveillance-investments-with-ehud-barak/
|
||||
[^6]: U.S. Department of Justice, Epstein Library, EFTA02632339, DataSet 11, email from Ehud Barak to Jeffrey Epstein, "Re: Carbyne warrants," March 11, 2019, with forwarded correspondence of Tomer Toor, Darren Indyke, and NJF Capital, February 28 to March 11, 2019. https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/DataSet%2011/EFTA02632339.pdf
|
||||
[^7]: U.S. Department of Justice, Epstein Library, EFTA02412487, DataSet 11, email exchange, "My boy," June 15-16, 2010. https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/DataSet%2011/EFTA02412487.pdf
|
||||
[^8]: "Lancaster University visiting professor mentioned 3,475 times in the Epstein files." *The Lancaster Tab,* February 9, 2026. https://thetab.com/2026/02/09/lancaster-university-visiting-professor-mentioned-3475-times-in-the-epstein-files
|
||||
|
|
@ -56,7 +56,7 @@ Starmer named him ambassador in Washington at the start of Trump's second term,
|
|||
|
||||
### JPMorgan's "Project Jeep" Review
|
||||
|
||||
After Epstein's July 2019 arrest, JPMorgan's compliance staff reviewed his correspondence with the bank's executives under the code name "Project Jeep." Its October 2019 summary, quoted by the [[United States Virgin Islands]] in its 2023 suit against the bank, stated: "Jeffrey Epstein appears to maintain a particularly close relationship with Prince Andrew the [Duke] of York and Lord Peter Mandelson, a senior member of the British Government. He also appears to have a close relationship with [[Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem|Sultan Ahmed Bin Sulayem]] who is a senior [[United Arab Emirates|UAE]] official involved in ownership of the Dubai Ports." The Virgin Islands told Judge [[Jed Rakoff]] that the summary confirmed "more than four pages of Epstein referrals to JPMorgan," including [[Andrew Farkas]], [[Boris Nikolic]], [[Bill Gates]], and Mandelson; JPMorgan's chief executive, [[Jamie Dimon]], had said at deposition: "We did not need introductions to anybody."[^3]
|
||||
After Epstein's July 2019 arrest, JPMorgan's compliance staff reviewed his correspondence with the bank's executives under the code name "Project Jeep." Its October 2019 summary, quoted by the [[United States Virgin Islands]] in its 2023 suit against the bank, stated: "Jeffrey Epstein appears to maintain a particularly close relationship with Prince Andrew the [Duke] of York and Lord Peter Mandelson, a senior member of the British Government. He also appears to have a close relationship with [[Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem|Sultan Ahmed Bin Sulayem]] who is a senior [[United Arab Emirates|UAE]] official involved in ownership of the [[DP World|Dubai Ports]]." The Virgin Islands told Judge [[Jed Rakoff]] that the summary confirmed "more than four pages of Epstein referrals to JPMorgan," including [[Andrew Farkas]], [[Boris Nikolic]], [[Bill Gates]], and Mandelson; JPMorgan's chief executive, [[Jamie Dimon]], had said at deposition: "We did not need introductions to anybody."[^3]
|
||||
|
||||
### Dismissal as Ambassador
|
||||
|
||||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
@ -33,7 +33,7 @@ Morgenthau's investigation also targeted [[Kamal Adham]], who eventually pleaded
|
|||
|
||||
Morgenthau, at seventy years old during the BCCI investigation, was described as a lean figure with silver hair and a patrician manner.[^11] He was soft-spoken and considered one of the most important men in New York.[^12] His family had been part of the political establishment since 1886, with his great-grandfather immigrating from Bavaria and his father serving as [[Franklin D. Roosevelt|Franklin Roosevelt]]'s secretary of the Treasury.[^13]
|
||||
|
||||
Morgenthau's reputation as a crusader was built during his time as U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, a position he held after being appointed by [[John F. Kennedy|Kennedy]] in 1960.[^14] He was known for his independence and his willingness to pursue cases against powerful figures.[^15]
|
||||
Morgenthau's reputation as a crusader was built during his time as U.S. attorney for the [[U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York|Southern District of New York]], a position he held after being appointed by [[John F. Kennedy|Kennedy]] in 1960.[^14] He was known for his independence and his willingness to pursue cases against powerful figures.[^15]
|
||||
|
||||
### The Senate Account
|
||||
|
||||
|
|
|
|||
79
10 - PEOPLE/(H-M)/Seth Lloyd.md
Normal file
79
10 - PEOPLE/(H-M)/Seth Lloyd.md
Normal file
|
|
@ -0,0 +1,79 @@
|
|||
---
|
||||
category: "Scientists & Researchers"
|
||||
tags:
|
||||
- Person
|
||||
- SethLloyd
|
||||
- MIT
|
||||
- QuantumComputing
|
||||
- JeffreyEpstein
|
||||
- ScienceFunding
|
||||
- GoodwinProcter
|
||||
- EdgeFoundation
|
||||
alias:
|
||||
- Professor Seth Lloyd
|
||||
- seth lloyd
|
||||
summary: "MIT mechanical engineering professor and quantum computing theorist who took a personal gift and post-conviction donations from Jeffrey Epstein and was disciplined by MIT in 2020 for not disclosing Epstein's conviction."
|
||||
location: "Cambridge, Massachusetts"
|
||||
relations:
|
||||
- type: employed_by
|
||||
with: "[[Massachusetts Institute of Technology]]"
|
||||
role: "professor of mechanical engineering"
|
||||
fn: 2
|
||||
- type: funded
|
||||
with: "[[Jeffrey Epstein]]"
|
||||
reverse: true
|
||||
role: "60,000 dollar personal gift, unreported to MIT"
|
||||
start: 2005
|
||||
end: 2006
|
||||
fn: 1
|
||||
- type: funded
|
||||
with: "[[Jeffrey Epstein]]"
|
||||
reverse: true
|
||||
role: "two 50,000 dollar donations to MIT for Lloyd's research"
|
||||
start: 2012
|
||||
fn: 2
|
||||
- type: investigated
|
||||
with: "[[Goodwin Procter]]"
|
||||
reverse: true
|
||||
role: "fact-finding for MIT on Epstein's donations"
|
||||
end: 2020-01-10
|
||||
fn: 1
|
||||
created: 2026-09-25
|
||||
updated: 2026-09-25
|
||||
---
|
||||
|
||||
Seth Lloyd is a professor of mechanical engineering at the [[Massachusetts Institute of Technology]] and a theorist of quantum computing. He met [[Jeffrey Epstein]] in 2004 at a dinner organized by the literary agent [[John Brockman]], received a 60,000 dollar personal gift from him in 2005 or 2006, and after Epstein's 2008 conviction brought 225,000 dollars of Epstein's money into MIT for his research. The report MIT commissioned from [[Goodwin Procter]] concluded in January 2020 that he had "purposefully failed to inform MIT" that Epstein, a convicted sex offender, was the source of the 2012 donations; MIT placed him on paid administrative leave the day the report was released and imposed five years of restrictions in December 2020.[^1][^2][^3][^4]
|
||||
|
||||
### Epstein's Science Circle
|
||||
|
||||
Lloyd told *[[The New York Times]]* that he met Epstein in 2004 at a dinner Brockman organized; Brockman's gatherings and his [[Edge Foundation]] were the setting in which several scientists first encountered Epstein.[^4] On April 27, 2009, while Epstein was still serving the sentence that followed his 2008 Florida guilty plea in the custody of the [[Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office]], he wrote an email saying that a woman named in it "can meet have dinner lunch a weekend with any of the following," listing "seth lloyd mit quantum computing," [[Murray Gell-Mann]] of the [[Santa Fe Institute]], [[Brian Greene]] of [[Columbia University]], [[Leonard Susskind]], [[Lawrence Krauss]] of the Origins Institute in [[Phoenix, Arizona|Phoenix]] and [[Lee Smolin]] of the [[Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics|Perimeter Institute]], and adding, "she can see the large hadron collider in switzerland. private tour." The copy produced by [[JPMorgan Chase]] and filed in the [[Government of the United States Virgin Islands v. JPMorgan Chase Bank|Virgin Islands suit against the bank]] shows it addressed to the JPMorgan email account of [[Jes Staley]].[^5] Lloyd visited Epstein at his office during his work release.[^1]
|
||||
|
||||
Photographs from a 2012 lunch at [[Martin Nowak]]'s [[Program for Evolutionary Dynamics]] at [[Harvard University]], posted on an Epstein foundation website, showed Epstein with Lloyd, [[Leon Black]], [[George Church]], [[Eric Lander]], [[David Gergen]], [[Howard Gardner]], [[Ted Kaptchuk]] and [[Henry Rosovsky]].[^6] From at least August 2014 the website jeffreyepstein.net stated that "Jeffrey Epstein AI sponsors many leading scientists at the forefront of AI research, including Marvin Minsky and Seth Lloyd at MIT," referring to [[Marvin Minsky]].[^7]
|
||||
|
||||
### The Donations
|
||||
|
||||
The Goodwin Procter investigation, based on 73 interviews and more than 610,000 emails and documents, found that Epstein made ten donations to MIT totaling 850,000 dollars between 2002 and 2017. After the first, 100,000 dollars for Minsky's research in 2002, the nine post-conviction gifts went to the [[MIT Media Lab]] (525,000 dollars) or to Lloyd (225,000 dollars): two donations of 50,000 dollars in 2012 and one of 125,000 dollars in 2017. The report found that Epstein's post-conviction visits and gifts were driven by the Media Lab's director, [[Joi Ito]], or by Lloyd, and that the 2012 gifts served Epstein as "a trial balloon" to test MIT's willingness to take his money.[^1][^2]
|
||||
|
||||
On June 7, 2012, Lloyd told MIT staff to expect a donation without naming the donor, giving only the name of Epstein's assistant [[Lesley Groff]] as the person "taking care of the donation from the donor's end." The investigators wrote that "the only reasonable inference is that Professor Lloyd did this to obscure the fact that Epstein was the donor," and that "Professor Lloyd knew that donations from Epstein would be controversial and that MIT might reject them. We conclude that, in concert with Epstein, he purposefully decided not to alert the Institute to Epstein's criminal record." A presidential acknowledgment letter bearing [[L. Rafael Reif]]'s signature, dated August 16, 2012, thanked Epstein for the gift.[^1][^2] Lloyd acknowledged that the earlier 60,000 dollar gift had been deposited in a personal bank account and not reported to MIT.[^2]
|
||||
|
||||
### Lloyd's Account
|
||||
|
||||
In a post of January 16, 2020 Lloyd wrote that "The accusation that I accepted money from Epstein is true," but that "The accusation that I hid Epstein's identity from MIT ... is completely false." He said that in 2012 he had put "the donor's agent" in touch with his departmental administrator and that MIT officers "considered the donation with full knowledge that Epstein was the donor," quoting an email: "Jeffrey Epstein intends to make a gift in the amount of $100,000 in two tranches of $50,000 for the discretionary research for the support of Seth Lloyd." He wrote that on June 1, 2017 MIT's Office of the Recording Secretary had noted that Epstein's past gifts were "recorded anonymously." Of the 2005 or 2006 money he wrote that Epstein had suggested he "set up a 501c3 corporation as a vehicle for the grant" and in the end gave it as a gift, "on which I paid gift tax."[^8]
|
||||
|
||||
### Discipline
|
||||
|
||||
President Reif placed Lloyd, a tenured professor, on paid administrative leave on January 10, 2020.[^2] The physics department head, [[Peter Fisher]], suspended Lloyd's secondary appointment in physics, writing on February 4 that he "will no longer be able to supervise new graduate students, attend Departmental events or serve on Departmental committees."[^9]
|
||||
|
||||
Provost [[Martin A. Schmidt]] announced on December 18, 2020 the result of a two-stage faculty review. A panel of five senior faculty chaired by the dean of science, [[Nergis Mavalvala]], and including [[Daron Acemoglu]], found by majority that in accepting the 2012 donations Lloyd had violated MIT's conflict of interest policy "by failing to inform MIT that Epstein was a convicted sex offender," and thereby its policy on faculty misconduct. The full panel found that he had not violated MIT policy in accepting the 2005 or 2006 gift or the 2017 donation, did not find "that Professor Lloyd tried to circumvent the MIT vetting process nor that he sought to conceal the name of the donor," but concluded that he "failed to reveal crucial information about Epstein's background to anyone at MIT." For five years MIT limited his compensation, "his ability to engage in solicitation of donors and foundations, and his involvement in first-year undergraduate advising," and required training on professional conduct before he resumed certain activities, including teaching. Schmidt wrote: "These steps cannot undo the harm done. Professor Lloyd's failure to share what he knew about Epstein's conviction when he accepted his 2012 donations was unacceptable."[^3]
|
||||
|
||||
### Footnotes
|
||||
|
||||
[^1]: Goodwin Procter LLP. *Report Concerning Jeffrey Epstein's Interactions with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.* January 10, 2020, pp. 3-5, 10, 20-21 and nn. 5, 22-24. https://facultygovernance.mit.edu/sites/default/files/20200121GoodwinProcterReport.pdf
|
||||
[^2]: "MIT releases results of fact-finding on engagements with Jeffrey Epstein." *MIT News,* January 10, 2020. https://news.mit.edu/2020/mit-releases-results-fact-finding-report-jeffrey-epstein-0110
|
||||
[^3]: Schmidt, Martin A., Provost. "Decision on Professor Seth Lloyd." Massachusetts Institute of Technology, December 18, 2020. https://orgchart.mit.edu/letters/decision-professor-seth-lloyd
|
||||
[^4]: Aldhous, Peter. "Jeffrey Epstein's Links To Scientists Are Even More Extensive Than We Thought," *BuzzFeed News,* August 27, 2019. https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/peteraldhous/jeffrey-epstein-science-donations-apologies-statements
|
||||
[^5]: U.S. Department of Justice, Epstein Library, EFTA01256065, DataSet 9, email from Jeffrey Epstein, April 27, 2009 (JPMorgan production, SDNY_GM_00077146); EFTA02816457, Court Records, Government of the United States Virgin Islands v. JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A., No. 1:22-cv-10904 (S.D.N.Y.), Exhibit 270, ECF No. 285-97 (filed August 15, 2023). https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/DataSet%209/EFTA01256065.pdf ; https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/Court%20Records/Government%20of%20the%20United%20States%20Virgin%20Islands%20v.%20JPMorgan%20Chase%20Bank%2C%20N.A.%2C%20No.%20122-cv-10904%20(S.D.N.Y.%202022)/EFTA02816457.pdf
|
||||
[^6]: Aldhous, Peter. "Jeffrey Epstein's Links To Scientists Are Even More Extensive Than We Thought," *BuzzFeed News,* August 27, 2019, on the 2012 photographs from an archived Epstein foundation website. https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/peteraldhous/jeffrey-epstein-science-donations-apologies-statements
|
||||
[^7]: Goodwin Procter LLP. *Report Concerning Jeffrey Epstein's Interactions with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.* January 10, 2020, pp. 27-28, on the jeffreyepstein.net website claims. https://facultygovernance.mit.edu/sites/default/files/20200121GoodwinProcterReport.pdf
|
||||
[^8]: Lloyd, Seth. "What I told MIT about Epstein's donations." *Medium,* January 16, 2020 (archived January 21, 2020). https://web.archive.org/web/20200121034304/https://medium.com/@sqlloyd/what-i-told-mit-about-epsteins-donations-feec0beb26a
|
||||
[^9]: "Physics department suspends Seth Lloyd's secondary appointment." *The Tech,* February 13, 2020. https://thetech.com/2020/02/13/seth-lloyd-secondary-appointment-suspended
|
||||
|
|
@ -45,7 +45,7 @@ Towers Financial Corporation operated as a debt-collection business that bought
|
|||
|
||||
To finance attempted corporate takeovers, Hoffenberg directed Towers to acquire, through a controlling interest in [[United Diversified Corporation]], two Illinois insurance companies, United Fire Insurance Co. and Associated Life Insurance Co., in 1987, and prosecutors later found their reserves were looted in the broader fraud.[^1][^2] The Illinois Department of Insurance, then directed by [[James Schacht]], placed the insurers into liquidation and brought a 1991 civil suit that named Jeffrey Epstein in connection with checks drawn on the companies' accounts.[^1]
|
||||
|
||||
The scheme operated between roughly 1988 and 1993; Hoffenberg later described it to CBS News as "a billion dollars in raising money. And it was criminal."[^1] The SEC charged Towers, Hoffenberg, [[Mitchell Brater]] and [[Arthur J. Ferro]] in February 1993 (93 Civ. 0744 (WK), S.D.N.Y.), later obtaining a consent judgment against Hoffenberg, and the company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in March 1993.[^3][^5] He was indicted in the Northern District of Illinois on April 19, 1994 and in the Southern District of New York on April 20, 1994, and on April 20, 1995 he pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit securities fraud, mail fraud, conspiracy to obstruct justice and tax evasion (94 Cr. 213 (RWS), 95 Cr. 321 (RWS)). Judge [[Robert W. Sweet]] issued his sentencing opinion on March 4, 1997 and entered judgment on March 7, 1997: 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release, a one million dollar fine and restitution of 475,157,340 dollars, the total of noteholder and bondholder claims the Bankruptcy Court had validated in April 1996.[^2][^7] The prosecution was led by Daniel Nardello, who went into private practice soon afterward.[^1] He served about 18 years and was released from federal custody on October 11, 2013.[^3][^7]
|
||||
The scheme operated between roughly 1988 and 1993; Hoffenberg later described it to CBS News as "a billion dollars in raising money. And it was criminal."[^1] The SEC charged Towers, Hoffenberg, [[Mitchell Brater]] and [[Arthur J. Ferro]] in February 1993 (93 Civ. 0744 (WK), S.D.N.Y.), later obtaining a consent judgment against Hoffenberg, and the company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in March 1993.[^3][^5] He was indicted in the Northern District of Illinois on April 19, 1994 and in the [[U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York|Southern District of New York]] on April 20, 1994, and on April 20, 1995 he pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit securities fraud, mail fraud, conspiracy to obstruct justice and tax evasion (94 Cr. 213 (RWS), 95 Cr. 321 (RWS)). Judge [[Robert W. Sweet]] issued his sentencing opinion on March 4, 1997 and entered judgment on March 7, 1997: 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release, a one million dollar fine and restitution of 475,157,340 dollars, the total of noteholder and bondholder claims the Bankruptcy Court had validated in April 1996.[^2][^7] The prosecution was led by Daniel Nardello, who went into private practice soon afterward.[^1] He served about 18 years and was released from federal custody on October 11, 2013.[^3][^7]
|
||||
|
||||
Hoffenberg swore in 2018 that "during the course of my criminal trial, Prosecutors offered me a reduced sentence in exchange for information about Epstein's role. However, I did not disclose any details about Epstein's involvement." His lawyer [[Gary Baise]] said Sweet asked him, "Why did he not give up Epstein?", and told the [[The Philadelphia Inquirer|Philadelphia Inquirer]], "The judge asked me the same question. I couldn't answer that." Epstein's lawyers wrote in 2016 that at a December 2013 conference in the criminal case "Judge Sweet stated he was unaware of Epstein." Hoffenberg told CBS News in 2019: "I didn't take that opportunity and I was wrong," saying he had not wanted to fight Epstein because of his powerful relationships and political connections.[^1][^2][^8][^9]
|
||||
|
||||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
@ -45,7 +45,7 @@ Epstein himself had received an agreed eighteen-month state sentence under the 2
|
|||
|
||||
### The Directory at the Maxwell Trial
|
||||
|
||||
A copy of the same contact book was admitted as Government Exhibit 52 at the 2021 trial of [[Ghislaine Maxwell]] in the Southern District of New York, over defense objections, after its authentication by another former Palm Beach house manager, [[Juan Alessi]], on December 8, 2021.[^4]
|
||||
A copy of the same contact book was admitted as Government Exhibit 52 at the 2021 trial of [[Ghislaine Maxwell]] in the [[U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York|Southern District of New York]], over defense objections, after its authentication by another former Palm Beach house manager, [[Juan Alessi]], on December 8, 2021.[^4]
|
||||
|
||||
### Footnotes
|
||||
|
||||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
@ -8,11 +8,11 @@ summary: "Anthony Pasciuto was the Deputy Director of the Executive Office of U.
|
|||
|
||||
Anthony Pasciuto was the Deputy Director of the Executive Office of U.S. Trustees (EOUST) within the [[Department of Justice|DOJ]]. He became a central figure in [[INSLAW|Inslaw]]'s allegations of a plot to convert its bankruptcy to a liquidation and a subsequent cover-up.
|
||||
|
||||
Inslaw's primary allegation stemmed from a private conversation [[Bill Hamilton]] and [[Nancy Hamilton]] had with Pasciuto in March 1987. According to Nancy Hamilton's later testimony, Pasciuto told them that the Director of EOUST, [[Thomas Stanton]], had pressured the U.S. Trustee assigned to the [[INSLAW]] case, [[William White]], to convert the case to Chapter 7. Pasciuto also allegedly told the Hamiltons that Stanton had tried to detail a talented attorney from the U.S. Trustee's Office in the Southern District of New York, [[Harry Jones]], to Washington D.C., to work on converting the Inslaw case. This allegation was initially supported by the deposition testimony of [[Cornelius Blackshear]], then a U.S. Bankruptcy Judge, who swore that White had told him Stanton wanted the Inslaw case converted and a particular attorney from Blackshear's office assigned to handle it.[^1]
|
||||
Inslaw's primary allegation stemmed from a private conversation [[Bill Hamilton]] and [[Nancy Hamilton]] had with Pasciuto in March 1987. According to Nancy Hamilton's later testimony, Pasciuto told them that the Director of EOUST, [[Thomas Stanton]], had pressured the U.S. Trustee assigned to the [[INSLAW]] case, [[William White]], to convert the case to Chapter 7. Pasciuto also allegedly told the Hamiltons that Stanton had tried to detail a talented attorney from the U.S. Trustee's Office in the [[U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York|Southern District of New York]], [[Harry Jones]], to Washington D.C., to work on converting the Inslaw case. This allegation was initially supported by the deposition testimony of [[Cornelius Blackshear]], then a U.S. Bankruptcy Judge, who swore that White had told him Stanton wanted the Inslaw case converted and a particular attorney from Blackshear's office assigned to handle it.[^1]
|
||||
|
||||
However, Pasciuto's testimony and statements were found to be highly unreliable by the Special Counsel's investigation. Pasciuto himself testified during the Independent Handling hearing that no one had ever told him Stanton pressured White to convert the case, and he had no personal knowledge of the subject. He admitted that if he did tell the Hamiltons of such pressure, it was because he was very upset and would have done anything, including exaggerating and making things up, to hurt Stanton, his boss, with whom he was having problems. Pasciuto later changed his story, claiming that his initial statements to the Hamiltons were true and that his trial testimony was influenced by pressure from the DOJ and the lack of corroboration from Blackshear and White.[^1]
|
||||
|
||||
The Special Counsel's investigation concluded that Pasciuto's statements were unreliable because he never claimed first-hand knowledge, he contradicted his own prior sworn testimony, and his later statements were often vague impressions without corroboration. The investigation also noted that Pasciuto's later claims were made after the Office of Professional Responsibility (OPR) recommended his termination for admitting he made false statements to the Hamiltons to harm Stanton. OPR concluded that Pasciuto's conduct, in providing false information to harm his superior, did not qualify him as a whistleblower, and his termination was appropriate. The Special Counsel found insufficient evidence to support the allegations that the DOJ planned or attempted to convert Inslaw's bankruptcy case or engaged in any cover-up.[^1]
|
||||
The Special Counsel's investigation concluded that Pasciuto's statements were unreliable because he never claimed first-hand knowledge, he contradicted his own prior sworn testimony, and his later statements were often vague impressions without corroboration. The investigation also noted that Pasciuto's later claims were made after the [[Office of Professional Responsibility]] (OPR) recommended his termination for admitting he made false statements to the Hamiltons to harm Stanton. OPR concluded that Pasciuto's conduct, in providing false information to harm his superior, did not qualify him as a whistleblower, and his termination was appropriate. The Special Counsel found insufficient evidence to support the allegations that the DOJ planned or attempted to convert Inslaw's bankruptcy case or engaged in any cover-up.[^1]
|
||||
|
||||
### Footnotes
|
||||
|
||||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
@ -38,7 +38,7 @@ Gilberto Rodríguez Orejuela and his brother [[Miguel Rodriguez Orejuela|Miguel]
|
|||
|
||||
Rodríguez Orejuela was arrested in [[Spain]] in November 1984 and extradited from Spain to [[Colombia]] in 1986; while he was in a Spanish prison he met the lawyer William Moran, who was visiting another client, [[Jorge Luis Ochoa]], and who represented the brothers in the [[United States]] from then on. He was indicted in the mid-1980s in the Eastern District of Louisiana, and the United States asked Colombia to extradite him; in 1990 the Colombian Supreme Court declared the extradition treaty with the United States unconstitutional. He was added to the Miami case *United States v. Austin* by a superseding indictment of September 28, 1994. As of 1997 he had never appeared before an American court.[^2] According to [[Cheri Seymour]], he and [[Jose Santacruz Londono|José Santacruz Londoño]] had been targets of the [[DEA]]'s Centac 21 task force, which obtained indictments in [[Los Angeles]] and New York in 1978 that went no further; the task force was disbanded, and some DEA agents suspected a [[Central Intelligence Agency|CIA]] connection. She also wrote that he led a delegation to a "cocaine summit conference" in [[Panama City]] in the early 1980s, that his name was later removed from DEA reports, and that he owned the Northside Bank of Miami.[^1]
|
||||
|
||||
He and Miguel were imprisoned in Colombia in 1995 and continued to run the cartel from prison through Miguel's son, William Rodríguez Abadía, who pleaded guilty in Miami on March 8, 2006. After Colombia lifted its ban on extraditing nationals in 1997, investigations in Miami and New York produced new charges covering conduct after that date; Gilberto was extradited in December 2004 and Miguel in March 2005. On September 26, 2006, before Judge Federico A. Moreno in the Southern District of Florida, each pleaded guilty to conspiring to import five kilograms or more of cocaine, admitting responsibility for more than 200,000 kilograms smuggled between about 1990 and July 2002, and each was sentenced to thirty years. They agreed to a forfeiture judgment of 2.1 billion dollars, and 28 relatives agreed to give up their interests in the family's businesses, including the Drogas La Rebaja pharmacy chain, in exchange for eligibility to be removed from the Treasury's list of Specially Designated Narcotics Traffickers; the government agreed not to prosecute six of them. The Miami case, prosecuted under U.S. Attorney [[Alexander Acosta|R. Alexander Acosta]], grew out of Operation Cornerstone, an investigation begun in August 1991 after the discovery of more than 12,000 kilograms of cocaine in a cargo of cement posts at the port of Miami.[^4] The New York money-laundering charge, transferred to Miami, brought a further 87 months, concurrent with the thirty-year term, on November 17, 2006.[^5]
|
||||
He and Miguel were imprisoned in Colombia in 1995 and continued to run the cartel from prison through Miguel's son, William Rodríguez Abadía, who pleaded guilty in Miami on March 8, 2006. After Colombia lifted its ban on extraditing nationals in 1997, investigations in Miami and New York produced new charges covering conduct after that date; Gilberto was extradited in December 2004 and Miguel in March 2005. On September 26, 2006, before Judge Federico A. Moreno in the [[U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Florida|Southern District of Florida]], each pleaded guilty to conspiring to import five kilograms or more of cocaine, admitting responsibility for more than 200,000 kilograms smuggled between about 1990 and July 2002, and each was sentenced to thirty years. They agreed to a forfeiture judgment of 2.1 billion dollars, and 28 relatives agreed to give up their interests in the family's businesses, including the Drogas La Rebaja pharmacy chain, in exchange for eligibility to be removed from the Treasury's list of Specially Designated Narcotics Traffickers; the government agreed not to prosecute six of them. The Miami case, prosecuted under U.S. Attorney [[Alexander Acosta|R. Alexander Acosta]], grew out of Operation Cornerstone, an investigation begun in August 1991 after the discovery of more than 12,000 kilograms of cocaine in a cargo of cement posts at the port of Miami.[^4] The New York money-laundering charge, transferred to Miami, brought a further 87 months, concurrent with the thirty-year term, on November 17, 2006.[^5]
|
||||
|
||||
### The Lawyers
|
||||
|
||||
|
|
|
|||
75
10 - PEOPLE/(N-S)/Henry Smock.md
Normal file
75
10 - PEOPLE/(N-S)/Henry Smock.md
Normal file
|
|
@ -0,0 +1,75 @@
|
|||
---
|
||||
category: "Law Enforcement & Legal"
|
||||
tags:
|
||||
- Person
|
||||
- HenrySmock
|
||||
- VirginIslands
|
||||
- JeffreyEpstein
|
||||
- EconomicDevelopmentCommission
|
||||
- LittleStJames
|
||||
- AlbertBryan
|
||||
- TaxIncentives
|
||||
alias:
|
||||
- Henry Smock, Esq.
|
||||
- Attorney Smock
|
||||
summary: "St. Thomas lawyer and former territorial judge who helped Epstein buy Little St. James, counseled the board that granted his tax benefits, and was Governor Bryan's proposed mediator for the estate settlement."
|
||||
location: "St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands"
|
||||
relations:
|
||||
- type: represented
|
||||
with: "[[Jeffrey Epstein]]"
|
||||
role: "assisted the purchase of Little St. James"
|
||||
start: 1998
|
||||
fn: 1
|
||||
- type: contractor_to
|
||||
with: "[[Economic Development Commission]]"
|
||||
role: "legal counsel at the Southern Trust Company public hearing"
|
||||
start: 2012-11-15
|
||||
fn: 2
|
||||
- type: member_of
|
||||
with: "[[University of the Virgin Islands]]"
|
||||
role: "board of trustees"
|
||||
fn: 3
|
||||
- type: represented
|
||||
with: "[[Albert Bryan]]"
|
||||
role: "counsel in the governor's divorce; obtained an order sealing the records"
|
||||
start: 2023
|
||||
fn: 1
|
||||
created: 2026-09-25
|
||||
updated: 2026-09-25
|
||||
---
|
||||
|
||||
Henry Smock is a lawyer in [[St. Thomas]], [[U.S. Virgin Islands]], and a former judge of the Territorial Court of the Virgin Islands. He assisted [[Jeffrey Epstein]] in the 1998 purchase of [[Little St. James]] and served for years as counsel to the board of the [[Virgin Islands Economic Development Authority]], which oversees the [[Economic Development Commission]] program that granted Epstein's companies their tax exemptions; in November 2012 he swore in Epstein at the public hearing on [[Southern Trust Company]]'s application. According to [[Federal Bureau of Investigation|FBI]] notes of a 2023 interview with the former Attorney General [[Denise George]], Governor [[Albert Bryan]] told her to settle the territory's suit against Epstein's estate and to "select Henry Smock" as mediator. Smock later represented Bryan in his divorce.[^1][^2]
|
||||
|
||||
### Legal Career in the Territory
|
||||
|
||||
A biography of Smock, circulated in October 2011, states that he graduated from [[Rutgers University]], came to the Virgin Islands in 1970, received his law degree from the [[University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill]] and was admitted to the Virgin Islands bar in 1975, served as a judge of the Territorial Court from 1987 to 1993, was a partner of Smock & Moorehead, and was a former chairman of the territory's Law Revision Commission and a former president of the Virgin Islands Bar Association. He served on the board of trustees of the [[University of the Virgin Islands]].[^3]
|
||||
|
||||
### The Governor's Wife's List
|
||||
|
||||
On October 19, 2011 [[Cecile de Jongh]], wife of Governor [[John de Jongh]] and listed as office manager of Epstein's Virgin Islands companies,[^4] sent Epstein ("JEE") an email headed "RT Park Directors," profiling candidates for the board of the University of the Virgin Islands Research and Technology Park. She closed several entries with her own notes. Of the university's president, David Hall, she wrote, "DO NOT KNOW HIM THAT WELL AND HE IS NEW TO THE VI"; of the university board chairman, Alex Moorhead, a retired vice president for government affairs of the [[HOVENSA]] refinery, "I HAVE KNOWN HIM FOR YEARS - QUIET AND CONSERVATIVE"; and of the park's executive director, "DO NOT KNOW HIM THAT WELL." Three entries, including Smock's, ended with the word "FRIEND." The email closed: "John has two other appointments to make."[^3]
|
||||
|
||||
### Counsel to the Commission
|
||||
|
||||
The Economic Development Commission held a public hearing on Southern Trust Company's application on November 15, 2012, in the Port Authority conference room on St. Thomas, with Albert Bryan, then its chairman, presiding. The staff present were listed as including "HENRY SMOCK, ESQ., Legal Counsel." At the chair's request, the transcript records, "Erika Kellerhals, Esq. and Jeffrey Epstein were duly sworn in by Attorney Smock." [[Erika Kellerhals]] presented Epstein as "the President of Southern Trust," a company that would provide "consulting services to companies around the world" using "biomedical and financial informatics," and asked for a waiver of the employment requirement to five employees for five years. Epstein told the commission that "Places, frankly, like St. [Thomas] are the perfect place to sequence people because it's so isolated."[^2]
|
||||
|
||||
When commissioner Millin Maduro asked legal counsel how the governor's veto of pending legislation on minimum employment would affect the application, Smock answered, "So we'll be dealing with the old legislation." Bryan said, "But the law allows for us to waive the employment in any case," and Smock replied, "If we wish." When Maduro proposed noting the waiver on the record so the applicant would not need to return for a modification hearing, Smock said, "I believe it's already a part of the application."[^2] Southern Trust received a ten-year package of exemptions from February 2013.[^4]
|
||||
|
||||
After Epstein's arrest in July 2019, Smock was part of the authority's nine-step protocol for answering press inquiries about Epstein's tax benefits.[^1] In the Virgin Islands' suit against [[JPMorgan Chase]], the bank's supplemental initial disclosures of August and September 2023 listed Smock as a person with knowledge of "Economic development tax incentives received or requested by Jeffrey Epstein."[^5]
|
||||
|
||||
### The Mediator Proposal
|
||||
|
||||
The territory's suit against Epstein's estate was filed by Attorney General George in 2020. In an interview with the FBI on October 2, 2023, released by the [[Department of Justice|Justice Department]] on January 30, 2026, George said that Bryan's "original tone of 'Go for it' changed to 'End it quickly,'" and that he told her to settle with the estate for 80 million dollars "and to pursue mediation and select Henry Smock" as mediator, saying "that the Epstein estate just wanted to clear people." She said Bryan sent [[Carlton Dowe]], director of the [[Virgin Islands Port Authority]], to press her, and that Dowe told her it "would be political suicide to fire her at least before the election."[^1] The estate settled on November 30, 2022 for more than 105 million dollars, with a share of the proceeds of any sale of Little St. James.[^6] Bryan removed George at the end of December 2022, days after she filed the territory's suit against JPMorgan. Bryan has said Epstein received no special privilege from his administration.[^1][^7]
|
||||
|
||||
### The Divorce
|
||||
|
||||
Bryan filed for divorce in 2023 after 27 years of marriage. Smock represented him and obtained an order sealing the case records.[^1] Smock has not been accused of any wrongdoing, and no public statement by him on these matters has been found.
|
||||
|
||||
### Footnotes
|
||||
|
||||
[^1]: Carlson, Suzanne. "Docs confirm Bryan pressed for special treatment of sex offender." *Virgin Islands Daily News,* February 2, 2026. https://www.virginislandsdailynews.com/news/docs-confirm-bryan-pressed-for-special-treatment-of-sex-offender/article_5e9483c9-38d2-406c-8bb0-e5757ce287f2.html (reporting on FBI notes of an October 2, 2023 interview with Denise George, released January 30, 2026; Smock's role in the 1998 purchase, as EDA board counsel and in the press protocol; the Bryan divorce).
|
||||
[^2]: U.S. Department of Justice, Epstein Library, EFTA02812344, Court Records, Government of the United States Virgin Islands v. JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A., No. 1:22-cv-10904 (S.D.N.Y.), Exhibit 290, ECF No. 245-15 (filed July 25, 2023): Government of the Virgin Islands, Economic Development Commission, Public Hearing transcript, November 15, 2012, pp. 1-2, 6-9, 30-32 (VI-JPM-000016206 to 16237). https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/Court%20Records/Government%20of%20the%20United%20States%20Virgin%20Islands%20v.%20JPMorgan%20Chase%20Bank%2C%20N.A.%2C%20No.%20122-cv-10904%20(S.D.N.Y.%202022)/EFTA02812344.pdf
|
||||
[^3]: U.S. Department of Justice, Epstein Library, EFTA00720076, DataSet 9, email from Cecile de Jongh to "JEE," "RT Park Directors," October 19, 2011 (duplicate EFTA02035483, DataSet 10). https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/DataSet%209/EFTA00720076.pdf
|
||||
[^4]: Suzanne Carlson, "Epstein estate could be ordered to repay more than $144 million in tax breaks," *Virgin Islands Daily News,* February 13, 2020, reproduced as Exhibit 36, ECF No. 158-36 (filed May 23, 2023), in Government of the United States Virgin Islands v. JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A., No. 1:22-cv-10904-JSR (S.D.N.Y.). http://www.virginislandsdailynews.com/news/epstein-estate-could-be-ordered-to-repay-more-than-144-million-in-tax-breaks/article_b84d9710-14af-5e69-a890-bcf8265cf8f9.html
|
||||
[^5]: U.S. Department of Justice, Epstein Library, EFTA02817422, Court Records, Government of the United States Virgin Islands v. JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A., No. 1:22-cv-10904 (S.D.N.Y.), JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A.'s Fifth Supplemental Initial Disclosures, Exhibit 70 (filed August 25, 2023); EFTA02818510, same, Exhibit 56, ECF No. 326-56 (filed September 8, 2023). https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/Court%20Records/Government%20of%20the%20United%20States%20Virgin%20Islands%20v.%20JPMorgan%20Chase%20Bank%2C%20N.A.%2C%20No.%20122-cv-10904%20(S.D.N.Y.%202022)/EFTA02817422.pdf ; https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/Court%20Records/Government%20of%20the%20United%20States%20Virgin%20Islands%20v.%20JPMorgan%20Chase%20Bank%2C%20N.A.%2C%20No.%20122-cv-10904%20(S.D.N.Y.%202022)/EFTA02818510.pdf
|
||||
[^6]: "U.S. Virgin Islands Attorney General Settles Sex Trafficking Case Against Estate of Jeffrey Epstein and Co-Defendants for Over $105 Million." *Government of the U.S. Virgin Islands Department of Justice,* December 1, 2022. https://usvidoj.com/u-s-virgin-islands-attorney-general-settles-sex-trafficking-case-against-estate-of-jeffrey-epstein-and-co-defendants-for-over-105-million/
|
||||
[^7]: Carlson, Suzanne. "Bryan unapologetic for texts with Epstein, doubles down on denial of wrongdoing." *Virgin Islands Daily News,* March 3, 2026. https://www.virginislandsdailynews.com/news/bryan-unapologetic-for-texts-with-epstein-doubles-down-on-denial-of-wrongdoing/article_8bab46a1-6075-4c7c-abec-6efb19622e62.html
|
||||
66
10 - PEOPLE/(N-S)/Jed Rakoff.md
Normal file
66
10 - PEOPLE/(N-S)/Jed Rakoff.md
Normal file
|
|
@ -0,0 +1,66 @@
|
|||
---
|
||||
category: "Law Enforcement & Legal"
|
||||
tags:
|
||||
- Person
|
||||
- JedRakoff
|
||||
- FederalJudge
|
||||
- SouthernDistrictOfNewYork
|
||||
- JPMorganChase
|
||||
- JeffreyEpstein
|
||||
- SEC
|
||||
- Citigroup
|
||||
alias:
|
||||
- Jed S. Rakoff
|
||||
- Jed Saul Rakoff
|
||||
- Judge Rakoff
|
||||
- Judge Jed Rakoff
|
||||
- Jed Rakoff
|
||||
summary: "Former chief of securities fraud prosecutions in Manhattan, appointed a federal judge by Bill Clinton, who rejected the SEC's Citigroup settlement in 2011 and presided over the 2023 Epstein suits against JPMorgan and Deutsche Bank."
|
||||
born: 1943
|
||||
location: "Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (born)"
|
||||
relations:
|
||||
- type: appointed
|
||||
with: "[[Bill Clinton]]"
|
||||
reverse: true
|
||||
role: "U.S. District Judge, Southern District of New York"
|
||||
start: 1996-01-04
|
||||
fn: 1
|
||||
- type: employed_by
|
||||
with: "[[U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York]]"
|
||||
role: "Assistant U.S. Attorney; chief, business and securities fraud prosecutions"
|
||||
start: 1973
|
||||
end: 1980
|
||||
fn: 1
|
||||
created: 2026-09-25
|
||||
updated: 2026-09-25
|
||||
---
|
||||
|
||||
Jed S. Rakoff (born 1943, in [[Philadelphia]]) is a senior judge of the [[U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York]], nominated by [[Bill Clinton]] in 1995, who was earlier chief of business and securities fraud prosecutions in the [[U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York|Manhattan U.S. Attorney's Office]]. In 2011 he refused to approve the [[Securities and Exchange Commission]]'s 285 million dollar settlement with [[Citigroup]], calling the penalty "pocket change." In 2022 and 2023 he presided over the three consolidated suits against [[JPMorgan Chase]] and [[Deutsche Bank]] arising from their banking for [[Jeffrey Epstein]], including [[Government of the United States Virgin Islands v. JPMorgan Chase Bank]], which JPMorgan settled in 2023 for 75 million dollars.[^1][^2][^3]
|
||||
|
||||
### Career
|
||||
|
||||
Rakoff graduated from [[Swarthmore College]] in 1964, received an M.Phil. from [[Balliol College]], [[University of Oxford|Oxford]], in 1966, and a J.D. from [[Harvard Law School]] in 1969. He clerked for Judge Abraham Freedman of the [[United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit|Third Circuit]] from 1969 to 1970, practiced in New York from 1970 to 1972, and was an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the Southern District of New York from 1973 to 1980, the last two years as chief of business and securities fraud prosecutions. He returned to private practice from 1980 to 1995. Clinton nominated him on October 11, 1995 to the seat vacated by David N. Edelstein; he was confirmed on December 29, 1995, commissioned on January 4, 1996, and took senior status on December 31, 2010.[^1]
|
||||
|
||||
In a case brought by a [[Drug Enforcement Administration]] sting in which agents posed as representatives of the [[FARC]], Rakoff presided over the trial of the Syrian arms dealer [[Monzer Al-Kassar]], who was convicted in November 2008 of conspiring to provide material support to a designated terrorist organization and to kill Americans, and sentenced on February 24, 2009 to 30 years.[^4]
|
||||
|
||||
### SEC v. Citigroup
|
||||
|
||||
On November 28, 2011 Rakoff rejected a proposed consent judgment under which Citigroup Global Markets would pay 285 million dollars to settle the SEC's October 19, 2011 suit accusing it of "a substantial securities fraud" in connection with mortgage-backed securities (827 F. Supp. 2d 328). He held that the proposed judgment was "neither fair, nor reasonable, nor adequate, nor in the public interest," wrote that the SEC's "long-standing policy" of letting defendants settle without admitting the allegations was "hallowed by history, but not by reason," wrote that the proposed penalty was "pocket change to any entity as large as Citigroup," and that an application of judicial power "that does not rest on facts is worse than mindless, it is inherently dangerous." He tied the case to the related SEC v. Stoker, "currently scheduled to commence trial on July 16, 2012." The SEC and Citigroup appealed, and a [[Second Circuit]] panel decided the appeals on June 4, 2014 (752 F.3d 285); Judge [[Raymond J. Lohier Jr.]], concurring, wrote that the majority had made clear that district courts assessing a proposed consent decree "should consider principally four factors."[^2][^5]
|
||||
|
||||
### The Epstein Bank Cases
|
||||
|
||||
On December 27, 2022 the [[Government of the United States Virgin Islands]] sued JPMorgan before Rakoff; on December 29 he consolidated the case "for all pretrial purposes" with the suits of a pseudonymous victim against Deutsche Bank (22-cv-10018) and JPMorgan (22-cv-10019), under one case management plan. He decided the motions to dismiss in all three cases in a single "bottom-line" order on March 20, 2023, explained on May 1; refused on April 10 to sever the bank's third-party claims against its former executive [[Jes Staley]]; admitted [[Paul Cassell]] pro hac vice for the victims on May 2; and on August 18, 2023 denied Staley's motion to dismiss "in its entirety."[^3]
|
||||
|
||||
In June 2023 the territory's counsel, [[Motley Rice]], wrote to Rakoff that JPMorgan's late-produced internal review, "Project Jeep," confirmed "more than four pages of Epstein referrals to JPMorgan," including [[Bill Gates]] and [[Peter Mandelson]], and asked to recall chief executive [[Jamie Dimon]]. In August 2023 Rakoff ordered production of records concerning newly identified women Epstein had paid, but denied the request "to compel production of all documents and information concerning 'Project Jeep' or other investigations by JPMorgan that occurred after Epstein's 2019 arrest."[^6]
|
||||
|
||||
JPMorgan settled the victims' class for 290 million dollars in June 2023, which Rakoff approved in November, and the territory for 75 million dollars in September 2023. Rakoff closed the territory's case on October 18, 2023. On November 22 he ordered JPMorgan and Deutsche Bank to pay the [[Epstein Victims' Compensation Program]] 563,365.51 dollars and 187,788.50 dollars respectively for the cost of complying with their subpoenas. On June 28, 2024 he denied a motion by six Jane Does to intervene in the closed case for access to sealed filings, and on motions by [[The New York Times]] and [[The Wall Street Journal]] he unsealed parts of the summary judgment record on July 30, 2024 and October 24, 2025.[^3][^7]
|
||||
|
||||
### Footnotes
|
||||
|
||||
[^1]: Federal Judicial Center, "Rakoff, Jed Saul," Biographical Directory of Article III Federal Judges. https://www.fjc.gov/history/judges/rakoff-jed-saul
|
||||
[^2]: Opinion and Order, U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission v. Citigroup Global Markets Inc., No. 11 Civ. 7387 (JSR), 827 F. Supp. 2d 328 (S.D.N.Y. Nov. 28, 2011) (Rakoff, J.). https://www.courtlistener.com/opinion/8710930/us-securities-exchange-commission-v-citigroup-global-markets-inc/
|
||||
[^3]: Docket, Government of the United States Virgin Islands v. JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A., No. 1:22-cv-10904-JSR (S.D.N.Y.), ECF Nos. 1, 5, 90, 117, 130, 131, 293, 348, 351, 366, 367, 381, CourtListener docket 66683865. https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/66683865/government-of-the-united-states-virgin-islands-v-jpmorgan-chase-bank-na/
|
||||
[^4]: U.S. Attorney's Office, Southern District of New York, "International Arms Trafficker Monzer Al Kassar and Associate Sentenced on Terrorism Charges," press release, February 24, 2009. https://www.justice.gov/archive/usao/nys/pressreleases/February09/kassarsentencingpr.pdf ; United States v. Monzer al-Kassar and Luis Felipe Moreno Godoy, No. 07 Cr. 354 (JSR) (S.D.N.Y.).
|
||||
[^5]: U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission v. Citigroup Global Markets, Inc., Nos. 11-5227-cv(L), 11-5375-cv(con), 11-5242-cv(xap), 752 F.3d 285 (2d Cir. June 4, 2014), Lohier, J., concurring. https://www.courtlistener.com/opinion/8441747/united-states-securities-exchange-commission-v-citigroup-global-markets/
|
||||
[^6]: U.S. Department of Justice, Epstein Library, EFTA02808715, Court Records (Government of the United States Virgin Islands v. JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A., No. 1:22-cv-10904), letter motion of Motley Rice to Judge Jed S. Rakoff seeking leave to reopen depositions, ECF No. 191, June 7, 2023, pp. 3-5. https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/Court%20Records/Government%20of%20the%20United%20States%20Virgin%20Islands%20v.%20JPMorgan%20Chase%20Bank%2C%20N.A.%2C%20No.%20122-cv-10904%20(S.D.N.Y.%202022)/EFTA02808715.pdf ; U.S. Department of Justice, Epstein Library, EFTA02814941, Court Records (same case), Order of Judge Jed S. Rakoff on Dkt. 212, August 2023. https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/Court%20Records/Government%20of%20the%20United%20States%20Virgin%20Islands%20v.%20JPMorgan%20Chase%20Bank%2C%20N.A.%2C%20No.%20122-cv-10904%20(S.D.N.Y.%202022)/EFTA02814941.pdf
|
||||
[^7]: "JPMorgan Chase and Epstein survivor Jane Doe 1 reach $290 million settlement," *NPR,* June 12, 2023. https://www.npr.org/2023/06/12/1181675580/epstein-jane-doe-1-290-million-settlement-jpmorgan-chase ; "JPMorgan's $290 million settlement with Epstein accusers wins approval by U.S. judge," *CNBC / Reuters,* November 9, 2023. https://www.cnbc.com/2023/11/09/jpmorgans-290-million-settlement-with-epstein-accusers-wins-approval-by-us-judge.html ; "JPMorgan Chase settles Jeffrey Epstein sex trafficking suit by U.S. Virgin Islands for $75 million," *CNBC,* September 26, 2023. https://www.cnbc.com/2023/09/26/jpmorgan-to-settle-jeffrey-epstein-suit-by-virgin-islands.html
|
||||
98
10 - PEOPLE/(N-S)/Jeffrey Sloman.md
Normal file
98
10 - PEOPLE/(N-S)/Jeffrey Sloman.md
Normal file
|
|
@ -0,0 +1,98 @@
|
|||
---
|
||||
category: "Law Enforcement & Legal"
|
||||
tags:
|
||||
- Person
|
||||
- JeffreyEpstein
|
||||
- NonProsecutionAgreement
|
||||
- Prosecutor
|
||||
- DepartmentOfJustice
|
||||
- RevolvingDoor
|
||||
alias:
|
||||
- Jeffrey Sloman
|
||||
- Jeffrey H. Sloman
|
||||
- Jeff Sloman
|
||||
summary: "First Assistant U.S. Attorney in Miami during the Epstein non-prosecution agreement, who negotiated its addendum, supervised the case after Acosta's recusal, then led the office before entering white-collar defense practice."
|
||||
location: "Miami, Florida"
|
||||
relations:
|
||||
- type: employed_by
|
||||
with: "[[U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Florida]]"
|
||||
role: "Assistant U.S. Attorney; Chief, Criminal Division; First Assistant U.S. Attorney"
|
||||
start: 1990
|
||||
end: 2010-06
|
||||
fn: 1
|
||||
- type: head_of
|
||||
with: "[[U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Florida]]"
|
||||
role: "Acting, then Interim U.S. Attorney"
|
||||
start: 2009-06
|
||||
end: 2010-06
|
||||
fn: 1
|
||||
- type: investigated
|
||||
with: "[[Office of Professional Responsibility]]"
|
||||
reverse: true
|
||||
start: 2019-02-06
|
||||
end: 2020-11
|
||||
fn: 2
|
||||
- type: employed_by
|
||||
with: "[[Stumphauzer Kolaya Nadler & Sloman]]"
|
||||
role: "partner"
|
||||
fn: 4
|
||||
created: 2026-09-25
|
||||
updated: 2026-09-25
|
||||
---
|
||||
|
||||
Jeffrey H. Sloman is an American lawyer who spent twenty years as a federal prosecutor in the [[U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Florida]], serving as First Assistant U.S. Attorney under [[Alexander Acosta]] from October 2006 while the office negotiated the [[Epstein non-prosecution agreement]] with [[Jeffrey Epstein]]. He personally negotiated and signed the agreement's October 2007 addendum, became the senior official supervising the Epstein matter when Acosta was recused in late 2008 over employment talks with Epstein's law firm, and then led the office as Acting and Interim U.S. Attorney until June 2010. He later practiced white-collar defense in [[Miami]]. The [[Department of Justice|Justice Department]]'s [[Office of Professional Responsibility]] named him one of five subjects of its 2019 to 2020 investigation and found no professional misconduct.[^1][^2]
|
||||
|
||||
### Career in the Office
|
||||
|
||||
Sloman joined the office in 1990 as a line prosecutor. In 2001 he became deputy chief of the Narcotics and Violent Crimes Section of the [[Fort Lauderdale]] branch, in 2003 its managing Assistant U.S. Attorney, and in early 2004 chief of the office's Criminal Division, the post he held in July 2006 when the line prosecutor [[Ann Marie Villafana|A. Marie Villafaña]] briefed him and Acosta on the new Epstein case. Acosta announced his appointment as First Assistant in September 2006, and he took office in October with a suite beside Acosta's in the Miami executive offices, supervising the Civil, Criminal and Appellate Divisions. His firm biography credits him with nearly 50 criminal trials to verdict, including "the prosecution of the largest Ponzi scheme in Florida history" and "the first post-September 11, 2001 prosecution of two radical Islamic fundamentalists."[^1][^3][^4]
|
||||
|
||||
### The Investigation Opens, 2006
|
||||
|
||||
On July 24, 2006 Villafaña told Sloman that the [[Palm Beach County]] State Attorney's Office under [[Barry Krischer]] had charged and arrested Epstein, and the [[Federal Bureau of Investigation|FBI]] formally opened its case the same day. Sloman emailed Lourie that Operation Leap Year was "a highly sensitive case involving some [[Palm Beach, Florida|Palm Beach]] rich guy." When Acosta asked whether it was "appropriate to approach [State Attorney Krischer] and give him a heads up re where we might go?", Sloman replied, "No for fear that it will be leaked straight to Epstein." He told OPR that he did not recall what he meant, but that it was likely "we didn't trust the Palm Beach State Attorney's Office" and that there might have been "some type of relationship between somebody in the [State Attorney's Office] and the defense team." When Lourie asked in August whether Sloman and Acosta wanted Villafaña "updating you on the case," Sloman answered, "At this point, I don't really care." In early November 2006 Sloman joined, at Villafaña's request, a telephone call in which a former U.S. Attorney for the district made an overture on Epstein's behalf.[^5]
|
||||
|
||||
### The Epstein Investigation, 2007
|
||||
|
||||
OPR found that Sloman "had relatively little involvement in the decisions and negotiations that led to the NPA and did not review it before it was signed." He told OPR that he had not done a "granular review" of Villafaña's proposed charges but believed [[Matthew Menchel]] and [[Andrew Lourie]] had, and had "obviously" concluded that "the facts and the law didn't suggest that the right thing to do was to automatically indict." When Villafaña asked him on May 15, 2007 whether "pestering Alex will not do any good," he answered "Yes," and when she asked on May 21 for "a sense of the direction where we are headed," he answered "Taken care of," a remark he could not explain to OPR.[^1][^6]
|
||||
|
||||
Epstein's defense team included lawyers with personal ties to the office's managers. Sloman told OPR that he knew Lourie was friends with a former U.S. Attorney for the district who represented Epstein and with that lawyer's law partner, but that his own attitude toward former colleagues on the other side "was that we would give them process, but we didn't pull any punches with them."[^7]
|
||||
|
||||
### The Addendum
|
||||
|
||||
The agreement signed on September 24, 2007 let the government select an attorney representative for the victims' damages claims, subject to the approval of Epstein's counsel. When [[Jay Lefkowitz]] objected in early October to the representative Villafaña had proposed, she was on sick leave, and Sloman and Acosta exchanged emails about an addendum. The "Addendum to the Non-Prosecution Agreement" was signed by Sloman for the office on October 29 and 30, 2007. Acosta wrote in a December 2007 letter that he had "sua sponte proposed the Addendum to Mr. Lefkowitz at an October meeting in Palm Beach," the breakfast of October 12; OPR recorded that "Sloman and Lefkowitz had been working on language for the Addendum before Acosta's breakfast meeting with Lefkowitz." When Lefkowitz later wrote that Acosta had promised at the breakfast not to intervene with the State Attorney's Office, contact witnesses or claimants, or intervene on Epstein's sentence, Sloman drafted a reply: "[S]uch a promise equates to the imposition of a gag order. Our Office cannot and will not agree to this." OPR found no evidence that the reply was sent.[^1][^8][^9]
|
||||
|
||||
In late November 2007 Sloman moved to notify victims under the [[Justice for All Act of 2004]]. Lefkowitz objected that victims should not be invited to the state sentencing or "encouraged to contact law enforcement officials," and Acosta ordered the letters held. On November 29, 2007 Sloman forwarded an exchange with Lourie recording that the defense "originally agreed to plead to the state felony that they thought was unregisterable (but did not tell us knowing we thought it was), but then discovered they were wrong and tried to get out of it. They tried several times to knock down the jail time after agreeing to the time."[^10][^11]
|
||||
|
||||
### Supervising the Sentence
|
||||
|
||||
On May 16, 2008, after the Justice Department's Criminal Division rejected Epstein's appeal, Sloman wrote to Villafaña, "We got approved," adding, "Alex called to tell me. He said the ltr needs to be tweaked which we'll do on Monday. I wouldn't call the FBI yet." On November 26, 2008 the office told the Department that Acosta was recused from matters involving [[Kirkland & Ellis]] because he was discussing employment with the firm, and Sloman became the senior official responsible for final decisions on Epstein. [[Roy Black]], forwarding Villafaña's breach notice about Epstein's work release to Sloman, wrote that she "is very concerned about anything Epstein does" and that the defense would "abide by" Sloman's decision.[^12][^13]
|
||||
|
||||
In March 2009 Sloman met [[Alan Dershowitz]] in Miami for what Dershowitz called "a relaxed drink and conversation." Dershowitz then thanked him for his "assurance that the feds will not interfere with how the Palm Beach sheriff administers" Epstein's sentence. Sloman replied that the office "will not interfere with how the [[Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office|Palm Beach Sheriff's Office]] administers the sentence imposed by the Court," but that "if contacted for our position concerning alternative custody or in-home detention . . . [t]o be clear, if contacted we will object." A week later Dershowitz thanked him for his "willingness to call the sheriff and advise him that your office would take no position on how he handled Epstein's sentence," adding, "[L]et's put any call off for a while." On June 9, 2009 Villafaña sent Sloman a memorandum titled "Operation Leap Year: Request to Provide Notification of Breach"; no indictment followed. In September 2009 the office told Black it would treat a transfer of Epstein's supervision to the [[U.S. Virgin Islands]] as a violation of the agreement, and three months later Sloman told Dershowitz in person that the office opposed early termination of Epstein's community control.[^10][^13]
|
||||
|
||||
### U.S. Attorney
|
||||
|
||||
When Acosta left in June 2009 to become dean of the law school at [[Florida International University]], Sloman became Acting U.S. Attorney for the district, and in January 2010 the Attorney General appointed him Interim U.S. Attorney. He left for private practice in June 2010; his firm biography gives his tenure as U.S. Attorney as May 2009 to May 2010. The whole district office was formally recused from the Epstein matter in July and August 2011.[^1][^4][^10]
|
||||
|
||||
### Private Practice
|
||||
|
||||
Sloman is a partner at the Miami litigation firm [[Stumphauzer Kolaya Nadler & Sloman]], representing individuals and companies in white-collar defense and government enforcement matters. His biography records "a $5 million 'first-of-a-kind' verdict against Philip Morris USA, Inc." and a 1.3 million dollar verdict against [[Wackenhut Corporation|G4S Secure Solutions]], and a "Most Effective Lawyer" award from the Daily Business Review.[^4]
|
||||
|
||||
### The OPR Investigation
|
||||
|
||||
OPR interviewed Sloman under oath as one of five subjects. In December 2018 Villafaña had written that Sloman once told her that Epstein's lawyer [[Lilly Ann Sanchez]] "asked Mr. Menchel to 'do her a solid'" and convince Acosta to offer two years. Sloman did not recall saying so, said that if he had he could not have meant it seriously, and told OPR: "[I]t's not something that I would have believed. Him doing her a solid. I mean that's the furthest thing from my recollection or impression even after years later." OPR found no evidence that the two-year offer was a favor. Of Villafaña, Sloman told OPR that reports that she "was soft on Epstein . . . couldn't have been further from the truth," and that she "did her best to implement the decisions that were made and to hold Epstein accountable." OPR found no professional misconduct by any subject and faulted only Acosta, for "poor judgment."[^2][^7][^14]
|
||||
|
||||
### Footnotes
|
||||
|
||||
[^1]: U.S. Department of Justice, Epstein Library, EFTA02847284, Prior DOJ Disclosures, report, Office of Professional Responsibility, "Investigation into the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Florida's Resolution of Its 2006-2008 Federal Criminal Investigation of Jeffrey Epstein and Its Interactions with Victims during the Investigation," November 2020, pp. 5 to 6, 89 to 90 and n. 139 (EFTA02847314 to EFTA02847315, EFTA02847398 to EFTA02847399). https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/Prior%20DOJ%20Disclosures/Memos.%20&%20Correspondence/EFTA02847284.pdf
|
||||
[^2]: U.S. Department of Justice, Epstein Library, EFTA02847284 (see note 1), Executive Summary, pp. vi, ix to x (EFTA02847291, EFTA02847294 to EFTA02847295).
|
||||
[^3]: U.S. Department of Justice, Epstein Library, EFTA02847284 (see note 1), p. 18 and n. 21 (EFTA02847327).
|
||||
[^4]: Stumphauzer Kolaya Nadler & Sloman, PLLC, "Jeffrey H. Sloman" (firm biography). https://sknlaw.com/litigators/jeffrey-h-sloman/
|
||||
[^5]: U.S. Department of Justice, Epstein Library, EFTA02847284 (see note 1), pp. 21 to 22 and nn. 28 to 30 (EFTA02847330 to EFTA02847331).
|
||||
[^6]: U.S. Department of Justice, Epstein Library, EFTA02847284 (see note 1), pp. 29 to 30 and n. 46 (EFTA02847338 to EFTA02847339).
|
||||
[^7]: U.S. Department of Justice, Epstein Library, EFTA02847284 (see note 1), pp. 150 to 153 (EFTA02847459 to EFTA02847462).
|
||||
[^8]: Opinion and Order, *Jane Doe 1 and Jane Doe 2 v. United States*, No. 9:08-cv-80736-KAM (S.D. Fla. Feb. 21, 2019), ECF No. 435 (Marra, J.), reported at 359 F. Supp. 3d 1201, quoting ECF No. 407. https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.flsd.317867/gov.uscourts.flsd.317867.435.0.pdf
|
||||
[^9]: U.S. Department of Justice, Epstein Library, EFTA02847284 (see note 1), p. 12, timeline of key events (EFTA02847321), and p. 90 nn. 139, 141 to 142 (EFTA02847399).
|
||||
[^10]: U.S. Department of Justice, Epstein Library, EFTA00224943, DataSet 9, "Epstein Investigation Timeline," Exhibit A-1, privileged chronology of the federal investigation, May 2006 to August 2011, pp. 23 to 29, 45 to 51. https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/DataSet%209/EFTA00224943.pdf
|
||||
[^11]: Opinion and Order, *Doe v. United States* (see note 5), quoting ECF No. 407 at paragraphs 79 to 90.
|
||||
[^12]: U.S. Department of Justice, Epstein Library, EFTA00214486, DataSet 9, email chain, Jeff Sloman and Ann Marie Villafana, "Re: Did u hear?," May 16, 2008. https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/DataSet%209/EFTA00214486.pdf
|
||||
[^13]: U.S. Department of Justice, Epstein Library, EFTA02847284 (see note 1), pp. 115 to 118 and nn. 183 to 184 (EFTA02847424 to EFTA02847427).
|
||||
[^14]: U.S. Department of Justice, Epstein Library, EFTA02847284 (see note 1), pp. 153 to 155, 165 (EFTA02847462 to EFTA02847464, EFTA02847474).
|
||||
|
|
@ -5,7 +5,7 @@ tags:
|
|||
- LawEnforcement
|
||||
summary: "Head of the Organized Crime Strike Force in Los Angeles who advised investigator Marvin Rudnick that he was under investigation for including MCA in his organized crime probe."
|
||||
---
|
||||
[[John Newcomer]] was the new head of the Organized Crime Strike Force in Los Angeles. He advised [[Marvin Rudnick]] that Rudnick was under investigation by the Office of Professional Responsibility for including [[Music Corporation of America|MCA]] in his investigation of [[Sal Pisello]].[^1]
|
||||
[[John Newcomer]] was the new head of the Organized Crime Strike Force in Los Angeles. He advised [[Marvin Rudnick]] that Rudnick was under investigation by the [[Office of Professional Responsibility]] for including [[Music Corporation of America|MCA]] in his investigation of [[Sal Pisello]].[^1]
|
||||
|
||||
[[William Hundley]], retained by [[Music Corporation of America|MCA]], discussed the Pisello case with Newcomer and inquired about [[Music Corporation of America|MCA]]'s status in the investigation. Newcomer responded to [[Music Corporation of America|MCA]] that the allegations against Rudnick were a cause of great concern and that steps were being taken to ensure only factually accurate statements appeared in pleadings and oral arguments. He concluded by stating that neither [[Music Corporation of America|MCA]] nor its executives or employees were targets of that case and its attendant investigation.[^1]
|
||||
|
||||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
@ -52,7 +52,7 @@ Recarey was born in Queens, New York, and moved to Florida at 13. He graduated f
|
|||
|
||||
The department received the first complaint on March 15, 2005, from the family of a 14-year-old girl, who identified "Jeff" from a photo lineup. Recarey took over as lead detective in September 2005 under Chief [[Michael Reiter]]. Between March 2005 and February 2006 detectives took sworn taped statements from five victims and seventeen witnesses. Recarey's affidavit described [[Haley Robson]], then a teenager herself, bringing girls to [[358 El Brillo Way]] to give Epstein massages in exchange for money, and Epstein's assistant [[Sarah Kellen]] recording the girls' names and telephone numbers. The girls were paid 200 to 1,000 dollars per visit. According to Robson's statement, Epstein told her after her own first visit that "he would pay her if she brought over some girls" and that "the younger the better."[^1][^2]
|
||||
|
||||
To corroborate the accounts, detectives obtained trash from Epstein's residence through the supervisor of the Town of Palm Beach sanitation bureau, which corroborated the appointment scheduling; subpoenaed Kellen's cell phone records and matched her calls to victims and witnesses; and subpoenaed the arrival and departure records of Epstein's aircraft at [[Palm Beach International Airport]] from its operator. Calls to the girls clustered "in the days just prior to [Epstein's] arrival or during the time Epstein was in Palm Beach."[^2]
|
||||
To corroborate the accounts, detectives obtained trash from Epstein's residence through the supervisor of the [[Palm Beach, Florida|Town of Palm Beach]] sanitation bureau, which corroborated the appointment scheduling; subpoenaed Kellen's cell phone records and matched her calls to victims and witnesses; and subpoenaed the arrival and departure records of Epstein's aircraft at [[Palm Beach International Airport]] from its operator. Calls to the girls clustered "in the days just prior to [Epstein's] arrival or during the time Epstein was in Palm Beach."[^2]
|
||||
|
||||
The affidavit concluded that there was "sufficient probable cause to charge Jeffrey Epstein with FOUR COUNTS of Unlawful Sexual Activity with a Minor, in violation of Florida State Statute 794.05(1), a second degree felony," as to four girls, and with lewd and lascivious molestation of a 14-year-old under Florida Statute 800.04(5), also a second-degree felony. A companion affidavit sworn the same day sought charges against Kellen as a principal.[^2]
|
||||
|
||||
|
|
|
|||
82
10 - PEOPLE/(N-S)/Kenneth Starr.md
Normal file
82
10 - PEOPLE/(N-S)/Kenneth Starr.md
Normal file
|
|
@ -0,0 +1,82 @@
|
|||
---
|
||||
category: "Law Enforcement & Legal"
|
||||
tags:
|
||||
- Person
|
||||
- KennethStarr
|
||||
- Lawyer
|
||||
- SolicitorGeneral
|
||||
- IndependentCounsel
|
||||
- KirklandAndEllis
|
||||
- JeffreyEpstein
|
||||
- NonProsecutionAgreement
|
||||
- BaylorUniversity
|
||||
alias:
|
||||
- Ken Starr
|
||||
- Kenneth W. Starr
|
||||
- Kenneth Winston Starr
|
||||
- Kenneth Starr
|
||||
summary: "Former Solicitor General and Whitewater independent counsel who, as Kirkland & Ellis of counsel, fought the victim notification terms of Epstein's 2007 agreement and was removed as Baylor president in 2016."
|
||||
born: 1946-07-21
|
||||
died: 2022-09-13
|
||||
location: "Houston, Texas (died)"
|
||||
relations:
|
||||
- type: employed_by
|
||||
with: "[[Kirkland & Ellis]]"
|
||||
role: "partner, later of counsel"
|
||||
fn: 1
|
||||
- type: employed_by
|
||||
with: "[[Office of the Solicitor General]]"
|
||||
role: "Solicitor General of the United States"
|
||||
start: 1989
|
||||
end: 1993
|
||||
fn: 1
|
||||
- type: employed_by
|
||||
with: "[[Pepperdine University School of Law]]"
|
||||
role: "dean"
|
||||
start: 2004-04-06
|
||||
fn: 1
|
||||
- type: head_of
|
||||
with: "[[Baylor University]]"
|
||||
role: "president"
|
||||
end: 2016-05-31
|
||||
fn: 6
|
||||
created: 2026-09-25
|
||||
updated: 2026-09-25
|
||||
---
|
||||
|
||||
Kenneth W. Starr (July 21, 1946 to September 13, 2022) was an American lawyer, a former judge of the [[United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit|D.C. Circuit]], Solicitor General of the [[United States]] from 1989 to 1993, and the [[Whitewater]] independent counsel. In 2007 and 2008, while dean of the [[Pepperdine University School of Law]] and of counsel to [[Kirkland & Ellis]], he represented [[Jeffrey Epstein]] in the negotiation and aftermath of the [[Epstein non-prosecution agreement]], writing to U.S. Attorney [[Alexander Acosta]] that notice to Epstein's victims was "wholly inappropriate" and appealing the agreement to the Deputy Attorney General. On May 26, 2016 the regents of [[Baylor University]] removed him as president after an outside review of the university's response to sexual assault reports.[^1][^2][^3]
|
||||
|
||||
### Career
|
||||
|
||||
Starr clerked in the 1970s for Judge David W. Dyer of the [[United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit|Fifth Circuit]] and for Chief Justice [[Warren E. Burger]]. He served as counselor to Attorney General [[William French Smith]], as a judge of the D.C. Circuit, and as the 39th Solicitor General, from 1989 to 1993 under [[George H.W. Bush]], arguing twenty-five cases before the [[Supreme Court of the United States|Supreme Court]]. In private practice he was a partner at Kirkland & Ellis and at [[Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher]]. As independent counsel on the Whitewater matter he conducted the investigation of President [[Bill Clinton]]. On April 6, 2004 he was appointed dean of Pepperdine's law school.[^1]
|
||||
|
||||
### The Epstein Negotiation
|
||||
|
||||
Epstein added Starr and [[Jay Lefkowitz]] to his defense in early August 2007, immediately after the [[U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Florida]] presented a term sheet requiring a state guilty plea, incarceration, sex offender registration and civil damages. Starr was then dean of Pepperdine's law school and of counsel to Kirkland & Ellis. Acosta had been an associate at Kirkland a decade earlier and had worked on at least one matter each with Starr and Lefkowitz; a colleague told the Justice Department's [[Office of Professional Responsibility]] that he once entered Acosta's office as Acosta finished a telephone call and Acosta said, "[T]hat was Ken Starr." On August 6, 2007 First Assistant U.S. Attorney [[Jeffrey Sloman]] wrote to Acosta, "I didn't know Kirkland made a call into you. You were right. Unbelievable."[^2]
|
||||
|
||||
Starr presented the defense case at Acosta's first meeting with Epstein's lawyers on September 7, 2007, arguing that the matter belonged to the state. Two prosecutors recalled that he addressed himself directly to Acosta and remarked that they were "the only people in this room who have run the [gantlet] of confirmation by the Senate." Acosta did not recall the comment. The agreement was signed on September 24, 2007 by Epstein and his lawyers [[Gerald Lefcourt]] and [[Lilly Ann Sanchez]].[^2][^4]
|
||||
|
||||
On November 28, 2007 Starr asked by letter for a meeting with Assistant Attorney General [[Alice Fisher]] of the [[Criminal Division]], arguing that the office had improperly compelled Epstein to pay civil damages under 18 U.S.C. 2255 as part of a state resolution. Acosta wrote to Starr on November 30: "I am directing our prosecutors not to issue victim notification letters until this Friday at 5 p.m., to provide you with time to review these options with your client." In a seven-page letter to Starr of December 4 he wrote that the prosecutors had complained of defense tactics under which, "as soon as resolution is reached on one issue, defense counsel finds ways to challenge the resolution collaterally." On December 5 Starr and Lefkowitz answered that "it is wholly inappropriate for your Office to send this letter under any circumstances," and that it was "certainly inappropriate to issue this letter without affording us the right to review it." No notification letters went out that month.[^2][^5]
|
||||
|
||||
On December 7, 2007 Starr and Lefkowitz sent Acosta "independent ethics opinions" by the former U.S. Attorney [[Joe D. Whitley]] and a retired federal judge, and on December 11 Starr transmitted two submissions by Lefkowitz attacking the conduct of the investigation and the line prosecutor, [[Ann Marie Villafana|A. Marie Villafaña]]. Starr's covering letter complained that the government had given "oral notification of the victim notification letter" to the lawyer of a girl whose recorded interview showed she "did not in any manner view herself as a victim." He, [[Alan Dershowitz]], Lefcourt and [[Martin Weinberg]] met Acosta in Miami on December 14, 2007, and on December 17 Starr and Lefkowitz sent Acosta a 110-page letter that invoked the State Attorney's Office's view that Epstein should not have to register as a sex offender.[^2][^4]
|
||||
|
||||
### Appeals to Main Justice
|
||||
|
||||
In March 2008 Starr told Fisher that the defense would want an audience with her if the [[Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section]] supported prosecution; he, Lefkowitz and Weinberg met the section's chief, [[Drew Oosterbaan]], on March 12, 2008, a session a deputy chief described as a "listening session" in which the defense team said "some outrageous things." Starr then accused Sloman and Villafaña of "encouraging civil litigation" against Epstein. After the section concluded on May 15, 2008 that "federal prosecution in this case would not be improper or inappropriate," Starr and Whitley wrote on May 19 to Deputy Attorney General [[Mark Filip]] asking for review "of the federal involvement in a quintessentially state matter." Their second letter, of May 27, argued that Epstein "entered the public arena only by virtue of his close personal association with former President Bill Clinton" and that the office "never would have contemplated a prosecution in this case if Mr. Epstein were just another 'John.'" It was the first defense submission to mention Clinton.[^2]
|
||||
|
||||
Filip told the Office of Professional Responsibility that he had never heard of Epstein before Starr's letter, that the argument that there was no federal basis for prosecution was "ludicrous," and that the claim of political motivation "just seemed unserious." On June 23, 2008 Senior Associate Deputy Attorney General John Roth wrote to Starr and Lefkowitz that "[e]ven if we were to substitute our judgment for that of the U.S. Attorney, we believe that federal prosecution of this case is appropriate." Starr then wrote to Acosta that they had reached "the end of a long and arduous road": "While I am obviously very unhappy at what I believe is the government's treatment of my client, a man whom I have come to deeply admire, I recognize that we have filed and argued our 'appellate motions' and lost." Acosta later wrote that Dershowitz, Starr and Lefkowitz "all sought to make peace" with him after the plea, and called it "a proud moment."[^2]
|
||||
|
||||
### Baylor University
|
||||
|
||||
Starr became president of Baylor University in [[Waco, Texas|Waco]]. In the fall of 2015 the regents engaged the law firm [[Pepper Hamilton]] to review the university's institutional response under [[Title IX]]. On May 26, 2016 the board announced that "Ken Starr will no longer serve in the role of President of Baylor University effective May 31," that head football coach [[Art Briles]] had been suspended with intent to terminate and athletic director Ian McCaw sanctioned and placed on probation. It reported findings of "a fundamental failure by Baylor to implement Title IX," that "[a]ctions by University administrators directly discouraged some complainants from reporting or participating in student conduct processes and in one instance constituted retaliation against a complainant for reporting sexual assault," and "significant concerns about the tone and culture within Baylor's football program." The board chair, Richard Willis, said: "We were horrified by the extent of these acts of sexual violence on our campus."[^6]
|
||||
|
||||
Starr also left the chancellorship in 2016. He later joined [[Donald Trump]]'s defense team for the first impeachment trial in the Senate, and died in [[Houston]] on September 13, 2022 of complications related to surgery.[^3]
|
||||
|
||||
### Footnotes
|
||||
|
||||
[^1]: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the Solicitor General, "Solicitor General: Kenneth W. Starr," historical biography (updated September 18, 2023). https://www.justice.gov/osg/bio/kenneth-w-starr
|
||||
[^2]: U.S. Department of Justice, Epstein Library, EFTA02847284, Prior DOJ Disclosures, Office of Professional Responsibility, report, "Investigation into the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Florida's Resolution of Its 2006-2008 Federal Criminal Investigation of Jeffrey Epstein and Its Interactions with Victims during the Investigation," November 2020, pp. 9, 59, 62-63, 94-99, 105-110, 113, 213-215. https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/Prior%20DOJ%20Disclosures/Memos.%20&%20Correspondence/EFTA02847284.pdf
|
||||
[^3]: "Ken Starr, former Baylor president and Clinton investigator, dies at 76," *The Texas Tribune,* September 13, 2022. https://www.texastribune.org/2022/09/13/ken-starr-dead-baylor-clinton/
|
||||
[^4]: U.S. Department of Justice, Epstein Library, EFTA00224943, DataSet 9, "Epstein Investigation Timeline," Exhibit A-1, privileged chronology of the federal investigation, pp. 12 to 14, 24 to 29. https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/DataSet%209/EFTA00224943.pdf ; U.S. Department of Justice, Epstein Library, EFTA00013538, DataSet 8, letter, U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Florida to Jay P. Lefkowitz, December 11, 2007, p. 3 ("The agreement itself was signed by Mr. Epstein, Ms. Sanchez, and Mr. Lefcourt"). https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/DataSet%208/EFTA00013538.pdf
|
||||
[^5]: Opinion and Order, *Jane Doe 1 and Jane Doe 2 v. United States*, No. 9:08-cv-80736-KAM (S.D. Fla. Feb. 21, 2019), ECF No. 435 (Marra, J.), reported at 359 F. Supp. 3d 1201, quoting ECF No. 407 at paragraphs 83, 85, 88. https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.flsd.317867/gov.uscourts.flsd.317867.435.0.pdf
|
||||
[^6]: Baylor University, "Baylor University Board of Regents Announces Leadership Changes and Extensive Corrective Actions Following Findings of External Investigation," May 26, 2016. https://news.web.baylor.edu/news/story/2016/baylor-university-board-regents-announces-leadership-changes-and-extensive
|
||||
77
10 - PEOPLE/(N-S)/Lilly Ann Sanchez.md
Normal file
77
10 - PEOPLE/(N-S)/Lilly Ann Sanchez.md
Normal file
|
|
@ -0,0 +1,77 @@
|
|||
---
|
||||
category: "Law Enforcement & Legal"
|
||||
tags:
|
||||
- Person
|
||||
- LillyAnnSanchez
|
||||
- Lawyer
|
||||
- FormerProsecutor
|
||||
- JeffreyEpstein
|
||||
- NonProsecutionAgreement
|
||||
- SouthernDistrictOfFlorida
|
||||
alias:
|
||||
- Lilly Sanchez
|
||||
- Lilly Ann Sanchez
|
||||
- Lily Sanchez
|
||||
summary: "Former Miami federal prosecutor who represented Jeffrey Epstein from 2006, co-signed his 2007 non-prosecution agreement, and had briefly dated the Criminal Division chief who made the office's first plea overture to her."
|
||||
location: "Miami, Florida"
|
||||
relations:
|
||||
- type: employed_by
|
||||
with: "[[U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Florida]]"
|
||||
role: "Assistant U.S. Attorney; Deputy Chief, Major Crimes Section"
|
||||
start: 2000
|
||||
end: 2005-09
|
||||
fn: 1
|
||||
- type: represented
|
||||
with: "[[Jeffrey Epstein]]"
|
||||
role: "defense counsel and signatory of the non-prosecution agreement"
|
||||
start: 2006-11
|
||||
end: 2008
|
||||
fn: 1
|
||||
- type: employed_by
|
||||
with: "[[The LS Law Firm]]"
|
||||
role: "principal"
|
||||
fn: 6
|
||||
created: 2026-09-25
|
||||
updated: 2026-09-25
|
||||
---
|
||||
|
||||
Lilly Ann Sanchez is a Miami defense lawyer and former Assistant U.S. Attorney in the [[U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Florida]], where she was a Deputy Chief of the Major Crimes Section until September 2005. From late 2006 she represented [[Jeffrey Epstein]] before her former office, and on September 24, 2007 she and [[Gerald Lefcourt]] signed the [[Epstein non-prosecution agreement]] for the defense. The office's Criminal Division chief, [[Matthew Menchel]], who had been her supervisor, told the [[Department of Justice|Justice Department]]'s [[Office of Professional Responsibility]] that they had dated briefly in 2003; he had not disclosed it to his superiors, and the office found that it "would have been prudent" for him to do so.[^1][^2][^3]
|
||||
|
||||
### Entry into the Case
|
||||
|
||||
Sanchez served in the office from 2000 to September 2005 and was a Deputy Chief of the Major Crimes Section while Menchel was its chief. In November 2006, shortly after a former U.S. Attorney had made the defense's first overture, she telephoned First Assistant U.S. Attorney [[Jeffrey Sloman]] to say that she too represented Epstein; according to Sloman's contemporaneous email, she said the defense believed the matter had been "elevated" within the office and that Epstein "wanted to be as transparent and cooperative as possible." On November 15, 2006 she wrote to the line prosecutor, [[Ann Marie Villafana|A. Marie Villafaña]], that she and Lefcourt represented Epstein and that all contact should go through them. In January 2007, when Villafaña required the documents she had requested before any meeting, Sanchez "bypassed Villafaña and phoned [Andrew] Lourie, with whom she had worked when she was an AUSA, to press for a meeting," and [[Andrew Lourie]] agreed. At the February 1, 2007 meeting she and Lefcourt presented a 25-page letter attacking federal jurisdiction and the credibility of the state's two principal victims.[^1]
|
||||
|
||||
### The Two-Year Offer
|
||||
|
||||
The office's first plea overture was made by Menchel in a conversation with Sanchez before the June 26, 2007 defense presentation, about resolving the federal case with a state plea requiring jail time and sex offender registration; according to Menchel's own email it "was a non-starter" for the defense. When Villafaña protested in early July that it was "inappropriate for you to enter into plea negotiations without consulting with me or the investigative agencies," Menchel answered that her email was "totally inappropriate" and that "Lilly called me before, not after, the June 26th meeting. It was an informal discussion and not in the nature of an official plea offer but rather a feeling out by both sides as to what it might take to resolve the matter," made "with the US Attorney's full knowledge." On July 30 he wrote to Villafaña: "While Lilly has represented in the past that this would likely not happen, I never conveyed it in quite these terms before."[^1]
|
||||
|
||||
After the office presented its term sheet at a July 31, 2007 meeting with Sanchez, Lefcourt and [[Roy Black]], Sanchez wrote to Menchel on August 2 on behalf of the defense team: "We welcomed your recognition that a state prison sentence is neither appropriate for, nor acceptable to, Mr. Epstein, as the dangers of the state prison system pose risks that are clearly untenable." She proposed two years of home confinement with no mandatory incarceration, described the proposal as "significantly punitive," and added: "We must keep in mind that Jeffrey Epstein is a 54-year-old man who has never been arrested before. He has lived an otherwise exemplary life." The office's reply of August 3, addressed "Dear Lilly" and signed by Menchel under Acosta's name, stated that "[t]he Office has never agreed that a state prison sentence is not appropriate for Mr. Epstein," that "a plea to two federal misdemeanors was never extended or meant as an offer," and that the two-year term was "a non-negotiable minimum." It was Menchel's last day in the office before he joined a private firm; he told the Office of Professional Responsibility that the timing was a "total coincidence."[^1]
|
||||
|
||||
### Registration and the Signing
|
||||
|
||||
In September 2007 [[Alexander Acosta]], [[Drew Oosterbaan]], Sloman, Villafaña and another prosecutor met [[Kenneth Starr]], [[Jay Lefkowitz]] and Sanchez. On Saturday, September 22, two days before the deadline, Sanchez sent Lourie a series of emails objecting to the requirement that Epstein plead to a registrable offense. She wrote that she had "spoke[n] to [M]att," that "we only agreed to the solicitation with minors because we believed and [State Attorney Barry Krischer] and [Assistant State Attorney Lanna Belohlavek] confirmed it was NOT registrable," and that lifetime registration was a "life sentence" imposed "simply [because] the [[Federal Bureau of Investigation|FBI]] wants it, in return for all there [sic] efforts." She wrote that Epstein's lawyers had "consistently emphasized their goal of 18 months in a federal camp," sent Lefcourt's number "in case you want to speak to him directly," and closed: "[I]mposing a life sentence on him is not something anyone will eventually be proud of. Please reconsider and help me get a fair result." Lourie did not reply to the emails but called Acosta.[^1][^4]
|
||||
|
||||
The agreement was signed on September 24, 2007 by Epstein, Lefcourt and Sanchez, and the two lawyers signed its addendum on October 29, 2007. The office's December 11, 2007 letter to Lefkowitz, written by the line prosecutor, listed "you, Ms. Sanchez, Mr. Lewis, and a host of other highly skilled and experienced practitioners" as her counterparts and stated: "The agreement itself was signed by Mr. Epstein, Ms. Sanchez, and Mr. Lefcourt, whose experience speaks for itself."[^1][^2]
|
||||
|
||||
### Victim Notification
|
||||
|
||||
After First Assistant Sloman moved in late November 2007 to notify victims, Sanchez wrote on December 7, 2007 asking the office to "hold off on sending any victim notification letters," and none were sent that month. On December 19, 2007 Acosta wrote to her that the office would provide notice of the federal resolution but would "defer to the discretion of the State Attorney regarding whether he wishes to provide victims with notices of the state proceedings."[^3]
|
||||
|
||||
### The Menchel Relationship
|
||||
|
||||
Menchel told the Office of Professional Responsibility that he and Sanchez had had a social relationship in the office that included, in 2003, "a handful of dates over a period of two to three weeks," after which "we mutually agreed to not do that," and that by the time he worked on the Epstein case he had married and his contact with her was limited to office events and his wedding. He said the relationship did "[n]ot at all" affect his handling of the case. Acosta, Sloman and Lourie each said they had not known of it in 2007. The office's Professional Responsibility Officer said that, "[g]iven the sensitivity of the [Epstein] matter, [my advice] would probably have been to tell him to step back and let somebody else take it over." The report concluded: "Although OPR does not conclude Menchel's prior relationship with [Sanchez] influenced the Epstein investigation, OPR assesses that it would have been prudent for Menchel to have informed his supervisors so they could make an independent assessment as to whether his continued involvement in the Epstein investigation might create the appearance of a loss of impartiality."[^1][^5]
|
||||
|
||||
Villafaña told the office that Sloman had once said of the two-year offer, "Well, I always figured that . . . Lilly asked Matt to do her a solid . . . and to get her a good deal so that she would be in Epstein's good graces." She could not later recall whether he had asserted it or merely "figured" it, and said she knew of no information "expressly [indicating] that there was any sort of exchange of . . . a favor in either direction." The office concluded that "there is no evidence supporting the suggestion that the plea was instigated by Menchel as a favor to defense counsel," noting that the defense had rejected the two-year proposal and pressed for home confinement. The office found that Epstein "retained Lilly Ann [Sanchez] a former AUSA who had been Menchel's deputy and with whom he had socialized," among attorneys chosen for their connections to the prosecutors, and that Menchel had called that tactic "ham-fisted" and "clumsy."[^1]
|
||||
|
||||
### Later Practice
|
||||
|
||||
Sanchez practices at The LS Law Firm in Miami. The Chambers guide ranks her in white-collar crime and government investigations in Florida and describes her as "a go-to for individuals facing allegations of fraud, money laundering and public corruption," drawing on "her expertise as a former federal prosecutor." No public statement by Sanchez on her role in the Epstein negotiations has been located.[^6]
|
||||
|
||||
### Footnotes
|
||||
|
||||
[^1]: U.S. Department of Justice, Epstein Library, EFTA02847284, Prior DOJ Disclosures, Office of Professional Responsibility, report, "Investigation into the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Florida's Resolution of Its 2006-2008 Federal Criminal Investigation of Jeffrey Epstein and Its Interactions with Victims during the Investigation," November 2020, pp. 9, 22-24, 41-42, 51, 54-58, 62, 82, 85, 93, 150, 153-155. The published report redacts Sanchez's surname ("Lilly Ann [redacted]"); the identification rests on its description of her as a former Deputy Chief of the Major Crimes Section who represented Epstein with Lefcourt, the "Dear Lilly" letter of August 3, 2007, the office's December 11, 2007 letter naming "Ms. Sanchez" as a signatory (note 2), and the reporting in note 6. https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/Prior%20DOJ%20Disclosures/Memos.%20&%20Correspondence/EFTA02847284.pdf
|
||||
[^2]: U.S. Department of Justice, Epstein Library, EFTA00013538, DataSet 8, letter, U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Florida to Jay P. Lefkowitz, Kirkland & Ellis LLP, "Re: Jeffrey Epstein," December 11, 2007, p. 3, signed over the block "R. Alexander Acosta, United States Attorney, By:" and written in the first person by the line Assistant U.S. Attorney. https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/DataSet%208/EFTA00013538.pdf
|
||||
[^3]: Opinion and Order, *Jane Doe 1 and Jane Doe 2 v. United States*, No. 9:08-cv-80736-KAM (S.D. Fla. Feb. 21, 2019), ECF No. 435 (Marra, J.), reported at 359 F. Supp. 3d 1201, quoting ECF No. 407 at paragraphs 79-90. https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.flsd.317867/gov.uscourts.flsd.317867.435.0.pdf
|
||||
[^4]: U.S. Department of Justice, Epstein Library, EFTA00224943, DataSet 9, "Epstein Investigation Timeline," Exhibit A-1, privileged chronology of the federal investigation, pp. 12 to 14. https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/DataSet%209/EFTA00224943.pdf
|
||||
[^5]: "Epstein had dinners with a top Florida prosecutor on his case, docs show," Miami Herald and *Tampa Bay Times* (syndicated by Yahoo News), October 20, 2025, reporting the Office of Professional Responsibility's findings on Menchel's relationship with Sanchez. https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/epstein-had-dinners-top-florida-130000826.html
|
||||
[^6]: Chambers and Partners, "Lilly Ann Sanchez, The LS Law Firm," Chambers USA 2026, Litigation: White-Collar Crime & Government Investigations, Florida. https://chambers.com/lawyer/lilly-ann-sanchez-usa-5:502891
|
||||
74
10 - PEOPLE/(N-S)/Loretta Preska.md
Normal file
74
10 - PEOPLE/(N-S)/Loretta Preska.md
Normal file
|
|
@ -0,0 +1,74 @@
|
|||
---
|
||||
category: "Law Enforcement & Legal"
|
||||
tags:
|
||||
- Person
|
||||
- LorettaPreska
|
||||
- FederalJudge
|
||||
- SouthernDistrictOfNewYork
|
||||
- GiuffreVMaxwell
|
||||
- Unsealing
|
||||
- JeffreyEpstein
|
||||
- Stratfor
|
||||
alias:
|
||||
- Loretta A. Preska
|
||||
- Judge Preska
|
||||
- Judge Loretta Preska
|
||||
- Loretta Preska
|
||||
summary: "Manhattan federal judge appointed by George H.W. Bush, chief judge from 2009 to 2016, who inherited the sealed Giuffre v. Maxwell record in 2019 and managed its unsealing through 2026."
|
||||
born: 1949
|
||||
location: "Albany, New York (born)"
|
||||
relations:
|
||||
- type: appointed
|
||||
with: "[[George H.W. Bush]]"
|
||||
reverse: true
|
||||
role: "U.S. District Judge, Southern District of New York"
|
||||
start: 1992-08-12
|
||||
fn: 1
|
||||
- type: head_of
|
||||
with: "[[U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York]]"
|
||||
role: "chief judge"
|
||||
start: 2009
|
||||
end: 2016
|
||||
fn: 1
|
||||
- type: member_of
|
||||
with: "[[Federal Judicial Center]]"
|
||||
role: "board member"
|
||||
start: 2008
|
||||
end: 2012
|
||||
fn: 1
|
||||
created: 2026-09-25
|
||||
updated: 2026-09-25
|
||||
---
|
||||
|
||||
Loretta A. Preska (born 1949, in [[Albany, New York]]) is a senior judge of the [[U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York]], appointed by [[George H.W. Bush]] in 1992 and chief judge of the district from 2009 to 2016. She took over [[Giuffre v. Maxwell]], [[Virginia Giuffre]]'s defamation suit against [[Ghislaine Maxwell]], after the death of Judge [[Robert W. Sweet]] in 2019, and from then until 2026 ruled on the release of its sealed discovery, including Maxwell's 2016 deposition, the January 2024 release of names from the record, and in August 2026 the government's disclosure under the [[Epstein Files Transparency Act]] of material it had taken from Giuffre's lawyers by grand jury subpoena in 2019. In 2013, as chief judge, she declined to recuse herself from the prosecution of the hacker [[Jeremy Hammond]], whose leak of [[Stratfor]] data, the defense said, had exposed her husband's email address.[^1][^2][^3]
|
||||
|
||||
### Career
|
||||
|
||||
Preska graduated from the [[College of Saint Rose|College of St. Rose]] in 1970, received her J.D. from [[Fordham University School of Law]] in 1973 and an LL.M. from the [[New York University School of Law]] in 1978, and practiced in [[New York City]] from 1973 to 1992. Bush nominated her on March 31, 1992 to the seat vacated by Robert J. Ward; she was confirmed on August 11 and commissioned on August 12, 1992. On September 9, 2008 Bush nominated her to the [[Second Circuit]]; the Senate did not vote. She sat on the board of the [[Federal Judicial Center]] from 2008 to 2012, was chief judge from 2009 to 2016, and took senior status on March 1, 2017.[^1]
|
||||
|
||||
### The Hammond Recusal
|
||||
|
||||
Hammond was prosecuted in the Southern District for the online infiltration of Strategic Forecasting, or Stratfor, "a self-described 'global intelligence' outfit." His lawyers moved for Preska's recusal because her husband, Thomas Kavaler, a lawyer at [[Cahill Gordon & Reindel]], had, the defense said, his email address disclosed in the Stratfor data. At a hearing on February 21, 2013 she denied the motion. She said the standard was "the views of the well-informed observer, not thousands of blog pages with wrong information," called a news article offered by the defense "rank hearsay," said that recusal on an interest not "arising even to the level of remote, contingent, or speculative would be a misuse," and wrote that "accepting defendant's invitation for recusal in this case would actually undercut the very policy" the defense invoked, and that "[f]inding otherwise on a record as suspect as here would only encourage supporters of this defendant."[^3]
|
||||
|
||||
### Giuffre v. Maxwell
|
||||
|
||||
After Sweet's death on March 24, 2019 and the Second Circuit's July 3, 2019 ruling in Brown v. Maxwell that the summary judgment record be unsealed and the rest reviewed document by document, the case passed to Preska. On remand she held that "only motions actually decided by Judge Sweet," with the documents relevant to his decisions, were judicial documents carrying a presumption of public access, and she set an unsealing protocol on that basis in orders of December 2019 and January 2020.[^2][^4]
|
||||
|
||||
On July 23, 2020, three weeks after Maxwell's arrest, Preska ordered the unsealing of materials including Maxwell's April 2016 deposition. A month later Maxwell's lawyer Jeffrey S. Pagliuca told Judge [[Alison Nathan]] in the criminal case that the government had already obtained nearly 90,000 pages of the civil discovery by subpoena, and that "Ms. Maxwell is seeking in both the Second Circuit and before Judge Preska that the status quo be maintained until the issue can be litigated. If, for example, without the benefit of this information, the Second Circuit and/or Judge Preska order Ms. Maxwell's deposition unsealed, the cat will be out of the bag." A panel of Judges [[José A. Cabranes]], [[Rosemary S. Pooler]] and [[Reena Raggi]] affirmed Preska's order on October 19, 2020, calling Maxwell's arguments "meritless"; [[David Boies]] argued for Giuffre.[^5][^6]
|
||||
|
||||
Preska held further hearings on the protocol in 2021 and 2022, ruled on a request by TGP Communications on August 9, 2022, and on November 18, 2022 ordered a broad unsealing in an oral ruling that two non-parties designated "John Doe 107" and "Jane Doe 171" appealed. On December 18, 2023 she issued findings after a "particularized review" (ECF No. 1315), and the release began on January 3, 2024. The same day she struck five attachments that "contain personally identifiable information, the disclosure of which could threaten the safety and privacy of named individuals"; on January 15 she stated that a woman identified in the press as "Doe 102" was not Doe 102; and in February and April 2024 she ordered sealed rather than docketed material mailed to her chambers that the court called "salacious and defamatory." On January 17, 2024 Giuffre and the [[Miami Herald]] appealed her December 2019 memorandum and her December 2023 findings.[^4]
|
||||
|
||||
On July 23, 2025, three months after Giuffre's death, a panel of Judges Cabranes, Raggi and [[Myrna Pérez]] held that "a judicial document determination is properly made by evaluating the relevant materials at the time of their filing with the court," vacated "the district court's December 2019 and January 2020 Orders in their entirety," vacated in part the November 2022 ruling, including its treatment of Giuffre's Florida deposition as carrying only a "barely cognizable" presumption of access, and remanded "for individualized review of materials." The mandate issued on January 8, 2026.[^7]
|
||||
|
||||
On January 30, 2026 the [[U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York]] moved for disclosure (ECF No. 1353). Maxwell's opposition attached the record of a grand jury subpoena and an April 9, 2019 order in In re Grand Jury Subpoena, No. 19-MC-149 (CM), under which prosecutors had obtained the civil discovery from Boies Schiller Flexner months before Epstein's arrest. On August 11, 2026 Preska granted the motion (ECF No. 1367), adding to the 2016 protective order a paragraph authorizing the government to produce "documents that it received from Boies Schiller & Flexner LLP, in response to a grand jury subpoena and pursuant to the April 9, 2019, order issued in In re Grand Jury Subpoena, No. 19MC149 (CM) (S.D.N.Y.), in accordance with the Government's obligations under the Epstein Files Transparency Act." On September 3, 2026 she substituted [[Ian Torrington Blatchford]], interim administrator of Giuffre's estate, as plaintiff, and the case continued as Blatchford v. Maxwell.[^8]
|
||||
|
||||
### Footnotes
|
||||
|
||||
[^1]: Federal Judicial Center, "Preska, Loretta A.," Biographical Directory of Article III Federal Judges. https://www.fjc.gov/history/judges/preska-loretta
|
||||
[^2]: Brown v. Maxwell; Dershowitz v. Giuffre, 929 F.3d 41 (2d Cir. 2019), Nos. 18-2868, 16-3945-cv(L) (July 3, 2019). https://www.courtlistener.com/opinion/4636340/brown-v-maxwell-dershowitz-v-giuffre/
|
||||
[^3]: Adam Klasfeld, "Judge in Hacktivist Case Refuses to Step Aside," *Courthouse News Service,* February 22, 2013. https://www.courthousenews.com/judge-in-hacktivist-case-refuses-to-step-aside/
|
||||
[^4]: Giuffre v. Maxwell, No. 1:15-cv-07433 (S.D.N.Y.), ECF Nos. 1220, 1254, 1277, 1280, 1285-1343 (Dec. 2022 to Jan. 2024), 1315 (Dec. 18, 2023), 1320-1342 (Jan. 3-17, 2024), 1344-1348 (Feb.-April 2024), 1352 (Jan. 13, 2026). https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/4355835/ian-torrington-blatchford-as-interim-administrator-of-virginia-giuffres/
|
||||
[^5]: U.S. Department of Justice, Epstein Library, EFTA00088205, DataSet 9, letter, Jeffrey S. Pagliuca, Haddon, Morgan and Foreman, P.C., to Hon. Alison J. Nathan, "Re: Reply in Support of Request to Modify Protective Order (Under Seal), United States v. Ghislaine Maxwell, 20 Cr. 330 (AJN)," August 24, 2020, p. 3. https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/DataSet%209/EFTA00088205.pdf
|
||||
[^6]: Giuffre v. Maxwell, No. 20-2413-cv, Summary Order, Doc. 140-1 (2d Cir. Oct. 19, 2020) (Cabranes, Pooler, Raggi, JJ.). https://www.courthousenews.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Maxwell-ca2.pdf
|
||||
[^7]: Giuffre v. Maxwell, 146 F.4th 165 (2d Cir. 2025) (per curiam), Nos. 24-182-cv(L), 24-203-cv(con) (July 23, 2025). https://caselaw.findlaw.com/court/us-2nd-circuit/117500106.html
|
||||
[^8]: Giuffre v. Maxwell, No. 1:15-cv-07433 (S.D.N.Y.), Motion for Disclosure, ECF No. 1353 (Jan. 30, 2026); Maxwell Response, ECF No. 1360 (Feb. 20, 2026); Order, ECF No. 1367 (Aug. 11, 2026); Order amending caption, ECF No. 1370 (Sept. 3, 2026). https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/4355835/ian-torrington-blatchford-as-interim-administrator-of-virginia-giuffres/
|
||||
|
|
@ -38,7 +38,7 @@ Franklin National Bank collapsed on October 8, 1974, in what was at the time the
|
|||
|
||||
### American Criminal Proceedings
|
||||
|
||||
Sindona was indicted in the United States on multiple counts related to the Franklin National failure. In March 1980, he was convicted in the Southern District of New York on 65 counts of fraud, perjury, and misappropriation of bank funds. He was sentenced to 25 years in federal prison.
|
||||
Sindona was indicted in the United States on multiple counts related to the Franklin National failure. In March 1980, he was convicted in the [[U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York|Southern District of New York]] on 65 counts of fraud, perjury, and misappropriation of bank funds. He was sentenced to 25 years in federal prison.
|
||||
|
||||
Before his American trial, Sindona faked his own kidnapping in August 1979, traveling to Sicily under an assumed identity and making contact with Mafia figures before returning to New York and claiming he had been abducted. The fiction was intended to generate sympathy and delay his trial; it failed when investigators documented his actual movements.[^2]
|
||||
|
||||
|
|
|
|||
82
10 - PEOPLE/(N-S)/Robert W. Sweet.md
Normal file
82
10 - PEOPLE/(N-S)/Robert W. Sweet.md
Normal file
|
|
@ -0,0 +1,82 @@
|
|||
---
|
||||
category: "Law Enforcement & Legal"
|
||||
tags:
|
||||
- Person
|
||||
- RobertWSweet
|
||||
- FederalJudge
|
||||
- SouthernDistrictOfNewYork
|
||||
- StevenHoffenberg
|
||||
- TowersFinancial
|
||||
- GiuffreVMaxwell
|
||||
- JeffreyEpstein
|
||||
alias:
|
||||
- Robert Sweet
|
||||
- Robert Workman Sweet
|
||||
- Judge Sweet
|
||||
- Judge Robert W. Sweet
|
||||
- Robert W. Sweet
|
||||
summary: "Former New York deputy mayor and Carter-appointed Manhattan federal judge who sentenced Towers Financial's Steven Hoffenberg in 1997 and presided over the sealed Giuffre v. Maxwell record until his death in 2019."
|
||||
born: 1922-10-15
|
||||
died: 2019-03-24
|
||||
location: "Ketchum, Idaho (died)"
|
||||
relations:
|
||||
- type: appointed
|
||||
with: "[[Jimmy Carter]]"
|
||||
reverse: true
|
||||
role: "U.S. District Judge, Southern District of New York"
|
||||
start: 1978-04-28
|
||||
end: 2019-03-24
|
||||
fn: 1
|
||||
- type: employed_by
|
||||
with: "[[U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York]]"
|
||||
role: "Assistant U.S. Attorney"
|
||||
start: 1953
|
||||
end: 1955
|
||||
fn: 1
|
||||
- type: employed_by
|
||||
with: "[[City of New York]]"
|
||||
role: "deputy mayor under John V. Lindsay"
|
||||
start: 1966
|
||||
end: 1969
|
||||
fn: 1
|
||||
- type: participant_in
|
||||
with: "[[United States v. Hoffenberg]]"
|
||||
role: "sentencing judge"
|
||||
start: 1995-04-20
|
||||
end: 2013-12-05
|
||||
fn: 2
|
||||
created: 2026-09-25
|
||||
updated: 2026-09-25
|
||||
---
|
||||
|
||||
Robert Workman Sweet (October 15, 1922 to March 24, 2019) was a judge of the [[U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York]] from 1978 until his death, appointed by [[Jimmy Carter]] after service as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the district and as deputy mayor of [[New York City]] under [[John Lindsay|John V. Lindsay]]. He sentenced [[Steven Hoffenberg]], chief executive of [[Towers Financial Corporation]], to twenty years in 1997, a case in which Hoffenberg later swore prosecutors had offered him a reduced sentence for information about [[Jeffrey Epstein]]. From 2015 he presided over [[Giuffre v. Maxwell]], signing the protective order under which its discovery was sealed and denying the requests of [[Alan Dershowitz]], the writer [[Mike Cernovich|Michael Cernovich]] and the [[Miami Herald]] to unseal it; the [[Second Circuit]] reversed him on July 3, 2019, three months after his death.[^1][^2][^3]
|
||||
|
||||
### Career
|
||||
|
||||
Sweet was born in [[Yonkers, New York|Yonkers]] and graduated from [[Yale University]] in 1944 and [[Yale Law School]] in 1948, after service as a lieutenant junior grade in the [[United States Navy]] from 1943 to 1946. He practiced in New York City from 1948 to 1953, 1955 to 1965 and 1970 to 1978, and was an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the [[U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York|Southern District of New York]] from 1953 to 1955. He was counsel to the New York State Interdepartmental Task Force on Youth and Juvenile Delinquency in 1958, executive assistant to Mayor Lindsay in 1966 and deputy mayor from 1966 to 1969, then a consultant to the [[Association for a Better New York]] from 1970 to 1975 and a hearing officer for the New York Transit Authority from 1975 to 1977. Carter nominated him on February 17, 1978 to the seat vacated by Inzer B. Wyatt; he was confirmed on April 25 and commissioned on April 28, 1978, took senior status on March 1, 1991, and died in [[Ketchum, Idaho]] on March 24, 2019.[^1]
|
||||
|
||||
### Hoffenberg and Towers Financial
|
||||
|
||||
Hoffenberg was indicted in the Southern District of New York on April 20, 1994 for the Towers Financial Ponzi scheme, and on April 20, 1995 pleaded guilty before Sweet to conspiracy to commit securities fraud, mail fraud, conspiracy to obstruct justice and tax evasion (94 Cr. 213 (RWS), 95 Cr. 321 (RWS)). Sweet issued his sentencing opinion on March 4, 1997 and entered judgment on March 7: twenty years in prison, three years of supervised release, a one million dollar fine and restitution of 475,157,340 dollars, the figure the bankruptcy court had fixed as the valid claims of the noteholders and bondholders. Towers investors later alleged that Hoffenberg had hired Epstein "as a consultant back in 1987"; Epstein was never charged in the matter.[^2][^4][^5]
|
||||
|
||||
Hoffenberg swore in 2018 that "during the course of my criminal trial, Prosecutors offered me a reduced sentence in exchange for information about Epstein's role," and that he had refused. His lawyer [[Gary Baise]] said Sweet had asked him, "Why did he not give up Epstein?" Epstein's lawyers at [[Troutman Sanders]] wrote in 2016 that at a December 2013 conference in the criminal case "Judge Sweet stated he was unaware of Epstein." At that conference, on December 5, 2013, Hoffenberg's counsel told Sweet that "Mr. Epstein is a critical player here." A draft Troutman Sanders memorandum for Epstein and [[Financial Trust Company]], headed "Multiple SDNY Judges Warned the Person Driving This Action Against Such Frivolous Lawsuits," recounted that Sweet had found in 2003 that Hoffenberg "will be enjoined from filing any further litigation ... without prior approval."[^2][^3][^5]
|
||||
|
||||
### Giuffre v. Maxwell
|
||||
|
||||
[[Virginia Giuffre]] sued [[Ghislaine Maxwell]] for defamation before Sweet on September 21, 2015. He denied Maxwell's motion to dismiss in February 2016, and on March 17, 2016 signed the protective order (ECF No. 62) under which deposition transcripts and exhibits, including Maxwell's own deposition, were designated confidential and filed under seal. On March 22, 2017 he denied Maxwell's motion for summary judgment in a heavily redacted 76-page opinion; the parties settled on May 24, 2017 on undisclosed terms. Dershowitz, whom Giuffre had accused and who denied her account, moved to intervene on August 11, 2016; Cernovich moved on January 19, 2017 to unseal the summary judgment record; and the Herald and its reporter [[Julie K. Brown]] moved on April 6, 2018 to unseal the docket. Sweet denied the requests.[^6][^7]
|
||||
|
||||
On March 11, 2019 a Second Circuit panel of Judges [[José A. Cabranes]], [[Rosemary S. Pooler]] and Christopher F. Droney ordered the parties to show cause why the summary judgment motion and Sweet's decision should not be unsealed, citing its precedent that documents submitted on summary judgment are "judicial documents to which a strong presumption of access attaches, under both the common law and the First Amendment"; a copy printed from Bloomberg Law at 5:28 p.m. that day is among Epstein's own files. Sweet died thirteen days later. On July 3, 2019, three days before Epstein's arrest in New York, the court ruled in Brown v. Maxwell that the summary judgment materials must be unsealed and the remaining filings reviewed individually, and about 2,000 pages were released on August 9, 2019, the day before Epstein's death. The case passed to Judge [[Loretta Preska]].[^6][^8]
|
||||
|
||||
In August 2020, after the government had obtained by subpoena nearly 90,000 pages of the Giuffre v. Maxwell discovery for Maxwell's criminal prosecution, her lawyer Jeffrey S. Pagliuca invoked Sweet in a reply brief to Judge [[Alison Nathan]]: "Judge Sweet, the same judge who approved the civil protective order upon which Ms. Maxwell relied, held that the defendant's 'continuing need for the confidentiality stipulation's protection outweighs by far the government's need for the deposition transcript,'" citing United States v. Oshatz (1988).[^9]
|
||||
|
||||
### Footnotes
|
||||
|
||||
[^1]: Federal Judicial Center, "Sweet, Robert Workman," Biographical Directory of Article III Federal Judges. https://www.fjc.gov/history/judges/sweet-robert-workman
|
||||
[^2]: Marvin Gerber and Kalma Koenig v. The Financial Trust Company, XYZ Corp., ABC, Inc., and Jeffrey E. Epstein, No. 1:18-cv-07580-JPO (S.D.N.Y.), Complaint, ECF No. 7 (filed August 21, 2018), paragraphs 15 to 58 (citing United States v. Hoffenberg, 94 Cr. 213 (RWS), 95 Cr. 321 (RWS), 1997 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 2394 (S.D.N.Y. Mar. 4, 1997)), with Exhibit B, Affidavit of Steven J. Hoffenberg sworn August 17, 2018, ECF No. 7-2. https://truthinadvertising.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/Gerber-v-The-Financial-Trust-Co-complaint.pdf ; Transcript of conference, United States v. Steven Hoffenberg, 94 Cr. 213 (RWS) (S.D.N.Y.), December 5, 2013, filed as Exhibit L, ECF No. 16-12, in No. 1:18-cv-07580-JPO. https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.nysd.499593/gov.uscourts.nysd.499593.16.12.pdf
|
||||
[^3]: Brian Pascus, "Jeffrey Epstein worked at Towers Financial with Steven Hoffenberg, who committed Ponzi scheme crimes," *CBS News,* August 13, 2019. https://www.cbsnews.com/news/jeffrey-epstein-worked-at-towers-financial-with-stephen-hoffenberg-who-committed-ponzi-scheme-crimes/ ; Letter of Bennet J. Moskowitz, Troutman Sanders LLP, to Hon. Richard J. Sullivan, June 28, 2016, Hoffenberg v. Epstein, No. 1:16-cv-03989-RJS (S.D.N.Y.), filed as Exhibit G, ECF No. 16-7, in No. 1:18-cv-07580-JPO. https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.nysd.499593/gov.uscourts.nysd.499593.16.7.pdf
|
||||
[^4]: Associated Press, "Jeffrey Epstein's mentor, who once ran a Ponzi scheme, was found dead. He was 77," *NPR,* August 26, 2022. https://www.npr.org/2022/08/26/1119746511/jeffrey-epstein-mentor-steven-hoffenberg-dead
|
||||
[^5]: U.S. Department of Justice, Epstein Library, EFTA00802452, DataSet 9, draft memorandum of law, Defendants' Memorandum of Law in Support of Their Motion to Dismiss, Gerber v. The Financial Trust Company, No. 1:18-cv-07580-JPO (S.D.N.Y.), Troutman Sanders LLP, September 2018. https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/DataSet%209/EFTA00802452.pdf
|
||||
[^6]: Brown v. Maxwell; Dershowitz v. Giuffre, 929 F.3d 41 (2d Cir. 2019), Nos. 18-2868, 16-3945-cv(L) (July 3, 2019). https://www.courtlistener.com/opinion/4636340/brown-v-maxwell-dershowitz-v-giuffre/
|
||||
[^7]: Giuffre v. Maxwell, No. 1:15-cv-07433 (S.D.N.Y.), Complaint, ECF No. 1 (Sept. 21, 2015); Opinion denying motion to dismiss, ECF No. 37 (Feb. 2016); Protective Order, ECF No. 62 (March 17, 2016). https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/4355835/ian-torrington-blatchford-as-interim-administrator-of-virginia-giuffres/
|
||||
[^8]: U.S. Department of Justice, Epstein Library, EFTA00802958, DataSet 9, Bloomberg Law printout of Order to Show Cause, Giuffre v. Maxwell, No. 18-2868 (2d Cir. March 11, 2019) (Cabranes, Pooler, Droney, JJ.), printed March 11, 2019. https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/DataSet%209/EFTA00802958.pdf
|
||||
[^9]: U.S. Department of Justice, Epstein Library, EFTA00088205, DataSet 9, letter, Jeffrey S. Pagliuca to Hon. Alison J. Nathan, "Re: Reply in Support of Request to Modify Protective Order (Under Seal), United States v. Ghislaine Maxwell, 20 Cr. 330 (AJN)," August 24, 2020, pp. 2-3, quoting United States v. Oshatz, 700 F. Supp. 696, 703 (S.D.N.Y. 1988). https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/DataSet%209/EFTA00088205.pdf
|
||||
|
|
@ -10,7 +10,7 @@ Thomas Stanton was the Director of the Executive Office of U.S. Trustees (EOUST)
|
|||
|
||||
According to [[Anthony Pasciuto]], then Deputy Director of EOUST, Stanton had pressured [[William White]], the U.S. Trustee assigned to the Inslaw case, to convert Inslaw's Chapter 11 reorganization to a Chapter 7 liquidation. Pasciuto also alleged that Stanton tried to detail [[Harry Jones]], an attorney from the U.S. Trustee's Office, to Washington D.C. to work on converting the Inslaw case. [[Cornelius Blackshear]], then a U.S. Bankruptcy Judge, initially testified that White had told him of Stanton's pressure. Bankruptcy Judge Bason, in his findings, concluded that Stanton struck a bargain with [[C. Madison Brewer]] to liquidate [[INSLAW]] to rid the DOJ of its contract problems, and that Stanton made this commitment to curry favor with the EOUSA and higher DOJ officials to secure support for making the temporary U.S. Trustee program permanent. Bason believed Stanton agreed to pressure White and, when White resisted, sought to detail Jones to accomplish the conversion. However, the Special Counsel's investigation found that Stanton and Brewer denied any such discussions, and that Stanton testified he only briefly considered transferring Jones to assist with the Inslaw matter due to its high-profile nature, not to effect a conversion.[^1]
|
||||
|
||||
The Office of Professional Responsibility (OPR) investigated allegations against Stanton and others, concluding that Bankruptcy Judge Bason's findings on the Independent Handling proceeding were "clearly erroneous" and that there was no evidence that DOJ employees had tried to pressure White to convert Inslaw's case. OPR also found no evidence that DOJ officials had lied to cover up a conversion effort. The Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations (PSI) also investigated the matter, finding "no proof that an effort to convert Inslaw's bankruptcy proceedings was conducted by individuals beyond those the Bankruptcy Court had found responsible." The PSI noted that Stanton urged special treatment for the Inslaw case because he saw it as a means of favorably impressing the DOJ and ensuring continued support for his office, which, while improper, did not equate to the conspiracy alleged by the Hamiltons. The Special Counsel's investigation concluded that there was insufficient evidence to establish that the DOJ and Stanton endeavored to have the Inslaw case converted or engaged in any cover-up. It noted that a scheme to convert Inslaw would have been self-defeating, as only the Bankruptcy Court could order conversion, and the facts of the Inslaw case would not have supported such a motion.[^1]
|
||||
The [[Office of Professional Responsibility]] (OPR) investigated allegations against Stanton and others, concluding that Bankruptcy Judge Bason's findings on the Independent Handling proceeding were "clearly erroneous" and that there was no evidence that DOJ employees had tried to pressure White to convert Inslaw's case. OPR also found no evidence that DOJ officials had lied to cover up a conversion effort. The Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations (PSI) also investigated the matter, finding "no proof that an effort to convert Inslaw's bankruptcy proceedings was conducted by individuals beyond those the Bankruptcy Court had found responsible." The PSI noted that Stanton urged special treatment for the Inslaw case because he saw it as a means of favorably impressing the DOJ and ensuring continued support for his office, which, while improper, did not equate to the conspiracy alleged by the Hamiltons. The Special Counsel's investigation concluded that there was insufficient evidence to establish that the DOJ and Stanton endeavored to have the Inslaw case converted or engaged in any cover-up. It noted that a scheme to convert Inslaw would have been self-defeating, as only the Bankruptcy Court could order conversion, and the facts of the Inslaw case would not have supported such a motion.[^1]
|
||||
|
||||
### Footnotes
|
||||
[^1]: U.S. Department of Justice. *Report of Special Counsel Nicholas J. Bua to the Attorney General of the United States Regarding the Allegations of Inslaw, Inc.* March 1993.
|
||||
|
|
@ -55,7 +55,7 @@ At about 6:30 a.m. Thomas opened Epstein's cell and found him hanged. Noel said
|
|||
|
||||
### Prosecution
|
||||
|
||||
On November 19, 2019 a federal grand jury in the Southern District of New York indicted Noel and Thomas on one count each of conspiracy and multiple counts each of making false records, in a case announced by U.S. Attorney [[Geoffrey Berman]]; according to the indictment, Thomas told a supervisor after finding Epstein, "we messed up." Each was released on a 100,000 dollar bond and ordered to surrender their passports. On May 25, 2021 both entered deferred prosecution agreements admitting that they had falsely certified counts and rounds, and agreeing to cooperate with the [[Department of Justice Office of the Inspector General|Inspector General]], the FBI, and prosecutors and to perform 100 hours of community service; on December 13, 2021 the court entered a nolle prosequi order dismissing the charges. The U.S. Attorney's Office declined to prosecute other Special Housing Unit employees who had also falsified count slips and round sheets on August 9 and 10. Both officers were fired.[^2][^3][^7]
|
||||
On November 19, 2019 a federal grand jury in the [[U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York|Southern District of New York]] indicted Noel and Thomas on one count each of conspiracy and multiple counts each of making false records, in a case announced by U.S. Attorney [[Geoffrey Berman]]; according to the indictment, Thomas told a supervisor after finding Epstein, "we messed up." Each was released on a 100,000 dollar bond and ordered to surrender their passports. On May 25, 2021 both entered deferred prosecution agreements admitting that they had falsely certified counts and rounds, and agreeing to cooperate with the [[Department of Justice Office of the Inspector General|Inspector General]], the FBI, and prosecutors and to perform 100 hours of community service; on December 13, 2021 the court entered a nolle prosequi order dismissing the charges. The U.S. Attorney's Office declined to prosecute other Special Housing Unit employees who had also falsified count slips and round sheets on August 9 and 10. Both officers were fired.[^2][^3][^7]
|
||||
|
||||
### The Deposits and the 2026 Inquiry
|
||||
|
||||
|
|
|
|||
113
10 - PEOPLE/(T-Z)/Ann Marie Villafana.md
Normal file
113
10 - PEOPLE/(T-Z)/Ann Marie Villafana.md
Normal file
|
|
@ -0,0 +1,113 @@
|
|||
---
|
||||
category: "Law Enforcement & Legal"
|
||||
tags:
|
||||
- Person
|
||||
- JeffreyEpstein
|
||||
- NonProsecutionAgreement
|
||||
- Prosecutor
|
||||
- DepartmentOfJustice
|
||||
- PalmBeach
|
||||
- CrimeVictimsRightsAct
|
||||
alias:
|
||||
- Ann Marie Villafana
|
||||
- Ann Marie Villafaña
|
||||
- A. Marie Villafaña
|
||||
- A. Marie Villafana
|
||||
- Marie Villafaña
|
||||
- Marie Villafana
|
||||
- Ann C. Villafaña
|
||||
- Ann C. Villafana
|
||||
- Villafaña
|
||||
- Villafana
|
||||
summary: "Assistant U.S. Attorney in West Palm Beach who opened the 2006 federal Epstein investigation, drafted a 60-count indictment, negotiated and signed the 2007 non-prosecution agreement, and left the office in August 2019."
|
||||
location: "West Palm Beach, Florida"
|
||||
relations:
|
||||
- type: employed_by
|
||||
with: "[[U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Florida]]"
|
||||
role: "Assistant U.S. Attorney"
|
||||
start: 2001-09
|
||||
end: 2019-08
|
||||
fn: 1
|
||||
- type: investigated
|
||||
with: "[[Jeffrey Epstein]]"
|
||||
role: "line prosecutor, Operation Leap Year"
|
||||
start: 2006-05-23
|
||||
end: 2011
|
||||
fn: 3
|
||||
- type: investigated
|
||||
with: "[[Office of Professional Responsibility]]"
|
||||
reverse: true
|
||||
start: 2019-02-06
|
||||
end: 2020-11
|
||||
fn: 2
|
||||
- type: represented
|
||||
with: "[[Jonathan Biran]]"
|
||||
reverse: true
|
||||
start: 2019
|
||||
fn: 15
|
||||
created: 2026-09-25
|
||||
updated: 2026-09-25
|
||||
---
|
||||
|
||||
A. Marie Villafaña, styled Ann C. Villafaña in the [[Department of Justice|Justice Department]]'s own records, is a former Assistant U.S. Attorney in the [[U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Florida]] who opened the office's 2006 investigation of [[Jeffrey Epstein]], wrote an 82-page prosecution memorandum and a draft federal indictment in 2007, and was then overruled by her supervisors in favor of the [[Epstein non-prosecution agreement]], which she negotiated with Epstein's lawyers and signed on the office's behalf on September 24, 2007. She monitored Epstein's compliance with the agreement through his Florida jail term and home detention, served as co-counsel defending the government in the victims' suit under the [[Crime Victims' Rights Act]] until the office was recused in February 2019, and left the office in August 2019 while the Justice Department's [[Office of Professional Responsibility]] was investigating her and four supervisors. That office found in November 2020 that none of the five had committed professional misconduct.[^1][^2]
|
||||
|
||||
### Career in Miami and West Palm Beach
|
||||
|
||||
Villafaña joined the office in September 2001 as a line prosecutor in the Major Crimes Section in [[Miami]] and transferred in January 2004 to the branch office in [[West Palm Beach, Florida|West Palm Beach]], where she handled the majority of the branch's child exploitation cases. In 2006 U.S. Attorney [[Alexander Acosta]] designated her the office's first coordinator for Project Safe Childhood, a Justice Department initiative launched that May against technology-facilitated child sexual exploitation. The office's own chart of the period places her under a West Palm Beach supervisor, then the branch's managing attorney [[Andrew Lourie]], then Criminal Division chief [[Matthew Menchel]], First Assistant U.S. Attorney [[Jeffrey Sloman]] and Acosta.[^1][^3]
|
||||
|
||||
### Opening Operation Leap Year
|
||||
|
||||
In May 2006 the lead detective of the [[Palm Beach Police Department]] met Villafaña and an [[Federal Bureau of Investigation|FBI]] case agent with whom she worked child exploitation cases and summarized the state investigation. According to Villafaña, the detective said that "pressure had been brought to bear on . . . Krischer by Epstein's attorneys," that the defense had hired private investigators to trail him and Chief [[Michael Reiter]], and that the defense had engineered the removal of the first Assistant State Attorney on the case by hiring a lawyer whose relationship with her created a conflict. Neither Villafaña nor the agent had heard of Epstein before the meeting. She opened a federal case file on May 23, 2006 and named the investigation "Operation Leap Year," after the approximately 29 girls identified as victims in the state case. She told the Office of Professional Responsibility that the case implicated federal interests including the use of telephones and airports, the number of victims, the possibility of child pornography suggested by computer equipment removed from Epstein's house before the police search, and "the possibility that improper political pressure had affected the State Attorney Office's handling of the case."[^3]
|
||||
|
||||
Having learned that Epstein "took a scorched earth approach" to litigation, she arranged a meeting with Acosta and Sloman in Miami on July 14, 2006 without first telling Lourie, then her second-line supervisor. She told OPR it was the first time she had asked to brief "executive management" on opening a case, and that she regarded Sloman as a friend.[^3]
|
||||
|
||||
### The Charging Memo and the Supervisors
|
||||
|
||||
Villafaña submitted her prosecution memorandum on May 1, 2007. Lourie wrote to her on May 10 that "Epstein's att[orneys] are scared of the victims they don't know," proposing that the first indictment name only the victims "they have nothing on at all," and that "for the first strike we should make all their nightmare[]s come true." On May 14, when Epstein was flying from the [[U.S. Virgin Islands|Virgin Islands]] to [[New Jersey]], she asked Lourie and Menchel whether she could file charges the next day. Menchel answered that "[y]ou will not have approval to go forward tomorrow" and that he had "trouble understanding" her "rush" "given how long this case has been pending." She later told OPR that "child sex offenders don't stop until they're behind bars." In their OPR interviews Acosta called her "very hard charging" and her timeline "really, really fast," and Menchel described her as "out over her skis a little bit" and "ahead of Acosta in terms of his analysis of the case." On May 15 she asked Sloman whether "pestering Alex will not do any good," and he answered "Yes"; on May 21 she asked Sloman and Menchel for "a sense of the direction where we are headed," and Sloman answered "Taken care of." Her immediate supervisor told OPR that it appeared "Miami didn't want the case prosecuted."[^4]
|
||||
|
||||
The office's privileged investigation chronology records that on May 23, 2007 she drafted an email disagreeing "with promising to have a meeting with Lefcourt or any of Epstein's other attorneys," on the ground that an earlier meeting had "disclosed prosecution strategy," and stating that if one were held she "will ask to have the case reassigned." OPR recorded that she "vehemently opposed meeting with Epstein's attorneys and voiced her concerns to her supervisors, but was overruled by them." She told OPR that she believed Acosta "was influenced by the stature of Epstein's attorneys," and that "the ability of [[Alan Dershowitz]] and [[Kenneth Starr|Ken Starr]] and [[Jay Lefkowitz]] to convince Alex Acosta that I didn't know what I was talking [about] also, all came into play."[^5][^6]
|
||||
|
||||
### Negotiating the Agreement
|
||||
|
||||
Acosta decided in mid-2007 to resolve the case through a state plea, and Villafaña became the office's principal negotiator and drafter of the agreement, under supervisors who, in OPR's words, "left the USAO, were transitioning to other jobs, or were absent at critical junctures": Menchel left in August 2007, and Lourie moved to a Washington detail in September. The court in the later victims' suit quoted her September 2007 emails to Lefkowitz: an offer to file a federal charge in Miami rather than West Palm Beach "[o]n an 'avoid the press' note," advice relayed from Lourie that "some of the timing issues be addressed only in the state agreement, so that it isn't obvious to the judge that we are trying to create federal jurisdiction for prison purposes," a statement that she "would prefer not to highlight for the judge all of the other crimes and all of the other persons that we could charge," and an offer to meet "off campus." On September 17 she asked Lefkowitz to send material to her home email address.[^2][^7][^8]
|
||||
|
||||
Villafaña gave OPR her own account of each line. She said the "off campus" offer meant a "neutral" location with "all the necessary decision makers present or 'on call'" to finish negotiations that "had dragged on for some time"; that the Miami filing was meant to let victims attend a plea hearing "without their faces being splashed all over the newspaper"; that she used her home account because negotiations ran "at nights, on weekend[s]" when remote email access was limited, which OPR found her supervisors knew; and that the co-conspirator clause was understood to cover the four women named in it because "we considered Epstein to be the top of the food chain, and we wouldn't have been interested in prosecuting anyone else." OPR found that she did not consider that Epstein might be shielding other, unnamed people, and that no one, including the FBI case agents, raised that concern.[^8][^9]
|
||||
|
||||
The attorney Villafaña first recommended as the victims' representative under the agreement's damages mechanism was, according to OPR, "a friend of another AUSA whom Villafaña was then dating, but had no professional relationship with either Villafaña or the other AUSA." Epstein's lawyers objected to the choice, and while she was on sick leave Sloman negotiated the October 2007 addendum that changed the selection process.[^1][^10]
|
||||
|
||||
### Holding Epstein to the Terms
|
||||
|
||||
After the signing Villafaña kept preparing a federal case. On February 14, 2008 she wrote to the FBI case agents that she had not yet sent the indictment and "was just asking for input on who to include and who to exclude." On May 16, 2008, after the Criminal Division rejected Epstein's appeal, Sloman wrote to her, "We got approved," adding, "Alex called to tell me. He said the ltr needs to be tweaked which we'll do on Monday. I wouldn't call the FBI yet."[^11][^12]
|
||||
|
||||
The day after Epstein's June 30, 2008 state plea, she and her immediate supervisor met an official of the [[Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office]], who told them that Epstein "would be eligible for work release and will be placed on work release." She told the official that the [[Florida Science Foundation]], where Epstein had told the plea court he worked "every day," did not exist until November 2007 and that the address he gave for it was the office of his lawyer [[Jack Goldberger]]. When she learned in mid-November 2008 that Epstein was on work release, she emailed Acosta, Sloman and the Criminal Division chief: "Can I indict him now?" On November 24 she wrote to [[Roy Black]] that Epstein had breached the agreement by "failing to remain incarcerated twenty-four hours a day." On December 3 she wrote to Sloman and Criminal Division chief [[Robert Senior]] that "since Day 1, Goldberger and Krisher [sic] . . . have been scheming to get Epstein out on work release," and that Epstein was paying off-duty deputies "between $3000 and $4100 per week" for "protection." Her December 11 letter to the sheriff's Corrections Division, itemizing inaccuracies in his work release application, went unanswered.[^13]
|
||||
|
||||
In the summer of 2009, when the New York Post reported that Epstein had been released early for cooperating in a federal case against [[Bear Stearns]], Villafaña called the prosecutors in the [[Eastern District of New York]], who told her they "had never heard of Epstein." In 2011 she wrote to senior colleagues that "this is urban myth. The FBI and I looked into this and do not believe that any of it is true." OPR reported finding no evidence that Epstein was a cooperating witness or "intelligence asset," or that any of the five subjects believed so.[^13][^14]
|
||||
|
||||
### The Victims' Suit, the 2018 Email and OPR
|
||||
|
||||
From July 2008 Villafaña was co-counsel for the government in [[Doe v. United States]], the Crime Victims' Rights Act suit filed by two victims, and she maintained the office's case records throughout it. In December 2018, after the [[Miami Herald]] series by [[Julie K. Brown]], she wrote in an internal email that she had once asked Sloman where the two-year plea figure came from and that "[h]e said that Lily [sic] Ann (attorney for Epstein) asked Mr. Menchel to 'do her a solid' and convince Mr. Acosta to offer two years." Questioned by OPR, she could not recall whether Sloman had said "Lilly asked Matt to do her a solid, and he did it," or "I always figured Matt just wanted ... to do her a solid," and said she knew of nothing that "expressly [indicated] that there was any sort of exchange of . . . a favor in either direction." Sloman did not recall the remark and called the idea "the furthest thing from my recollection." OPR found no evidence supporting it.[^1][^6]
|
||||
|
||||
OPR noted that she alone among the five subjects had remained in the office with continuous access to the documentary record. It concluded that the September 2007 emails did "not themselves establish that Villafaña (or any other subject) acted to improperly benefit Epstein," and that "the evidence shows that Villafaña, in particular, cared deeply about Epstein's victims." Sloman told OPR that reports she "was soft on Epstein . . . couldn't have been further from the truth." Lourie said that on reading the 2019 opinion quoting her emails he was "surprised to see how nice she was to them. And she winds up taking it on the chin for being so nice to them. When I know the whole time she was the one who wanted to go after him the most."[^2][^9]
|
||||
|
||||
### Resignation
|
||||
|
||||
Villafaña submitted her resignation to the Justice Department in August 2019. Her attorney, [[Jonathan Biran]], said that she had long planned a transition to a career in health care and planned to join the [[Department of Health and Human Services]]. OPR's report records only that she left "to join another federal government agency." In testimony to the [[House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform|House Oversight Committee]] on September 19, 2025, Acosta did not recall reading her recommendation that Epstein be charged with sex trafficking in a 60-count indictment.[^1][^15][^16]
|
||||
|
||||
### Footnotes
|
||||
|
||||
[^1]: U.S. Department of Justice, Epstein Library, EFTA02847284, Prior DOJ Disclosures, report, Office of Professional Responsibility, "Investigation into the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Florida's Resolution of Its 2006-2008 Federal Criminal Investigation of Jeffrey Epstein and Its Interactions with Victims during the Investigation," November 2020, pp. 5 to 7, 89 to 90 (EFTA02847314 to EFTA02847316, EFTA02847398 to EFTA02847399). https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/Prior%20DOJ%20Disclosures/Memos.%20&%20Correspondence/EFTA02847284.pdf
|
||||
[^2]: U.S. Department of Justice, Epstein Library, EFTA02847284 (see note 1), Executive Summary, pp. v to x and n. 8 (EFTA02847290 to EFTA02847295).
|
||||
[^3]: U.S. Department of Justice, Epstein Library, EFTA02847284 (see note 1), pp. 6, 16 to 18 and nn. 20 to 21 (EFTA02847315, EFTA02847325 to EFTA02847327).
|
||||
[^4]: U.S. Department of Justice, Epstein Library, EFTA02847284 (see note 1), pp. 28 to 30 and nn. 44 to 46 (EFTA02847337 to EFTA02847339).
|
||||
[^5]: U.S. Department of Justice, Epstein Library, EFTA00224943, DataSet 9, "Epstein Investigation Timeline," Exhibit A-1, privileged chronology of the federal investigation, May 2006 to August 2011, entry for May 23, 2007. https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/DataSet%209/EFTA00224943.pdf
|
||||
[^6]: U.S. Department of Justice, Epstein Library, EFTA02847284 (see note 1), pp. 150 to 155 (EFTA02847459 to EFTA02847464).
|
||||
[^7]: Opinion and Order, *Jane Doe 1 and Jane Doe 2 v. United States*, No. 9:08-cv-80736-KAM (S.D. Fla. Feb. 21, 2019), ECF No. 435 (Marra, J.), reported at 359 F. Supp. 3d 1201, quoting ECF No. 407. https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.flsd.317867/gov.uscourts.flsd.317867.435.0.pdf
|
||||
[^8]: U.S. Department of Justice, Epstein Library, EFTA02847284 (see note 1), pp. 68 to 71 and nn. 112, 115 (EFTA02847377 to EFTA02847380).
|
||||
[^9]: U.S. Department of Justice, Epstein Library, EFTA02847284 (see note 1), pp. 163 to 165 (EFTA02847472 to EFTA02847474).
|
||||
[^10]: U.S. Department of Justice, Epstein Library, EFTA02847284 (see note 1), p. 90 n. 143 (EFTA02847399).
|
||||
[^11]: U.S. Department of Justice, Epstein Library, EFTA00225102, DataSet 9, emails, Ann Marie Villafana to FBI agents, "RE: Epstein Indictment" and "RE: DOBs," February 14, 2008. https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/DataSet%209/EFTA00225102.pdf
|
||||
[^12]: U.S. Department of Justice, Epstein Library, EFTA00214486, DataSet 9, email chain, Jeff Sloman and Ann Marie Villafana, "Re: Did u hear?," May 16, 2008. https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/DataSet%209/EFTA00214486.pdf
|
||||
[^13]: U.S. Department of Justice, Epstein Library, EFTA02847284 (see note 1), pp. 114 to 118 and nn. 181, 187 (EFTA02847423 to EFTA02847427).
|
||||
[^14]: U.S. Department of Justice, Epstein Library, EFTA02847284 (see note 1), p. 169 and n. 244 (EFTA02847478).
|
||||
[^15]: "Lead federal prosecutor from Jeffrey Epstein 2008 case resigns," *WFLX / WPTV Webteam,* August 9, 2019. https://www.wflx.com/2019/08/09/lead-federal-prosecutor-jeffrey-epstein-case-resigns/
|
||||
[^16]: Debra Cassens Weiss, "Jeffrey Epstein had dinners with top criminal prosecutor following favorable deal, documents show," *ABA Journal,* October 20, 2025. https://www.abajournal.com/news/article/jeffrey-epstein-had-dinners-with-top-criminal-prosecutor-in-years-following-favorable-deal-documents-show
|
||||
81
10 - PEOPLE/(T-Z)/Carol Thomas-Jacobs.md
Normal file
81
10 - PEOPLE/(T-Z)/Carol Thomas-Jacobs.md
Normal file
|
|
@ -0,0 +1,81 @@
|
|||
---
|
||||
category: "Law Enforcement & Legal"
|
||||
tags:
|
||||
- Person
|
||||
- CarolThomasJacobs
|
||||
- VirginIslands
|
||||
- AttorneyGeneral
|
||||
- JeffreyEpstein
|
||||
- SexOffenderRegistration
|
||||
- LeonBlack
|
||||
- Judiciary
|
||||
alias:
|
||||
- Carol Thomas Jacobs
|
||||
- Carol Jacobs
|
||||
- Carol Thomas-Jacobs, Esq.
|
||||
- Judge Carol Thomas-Jacobs
|
||||
summary: "Antigua-born Virgin Islands prosecutor who as acting attorney general revoked Jeffrey Epstein's 24-hour travel notice in 2019, signed the 62.5 million dollar Leon Black settlement in 2023, then became a Superior Court judge."
|
||||
location: "St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands"
|
||||
relations:
|
||||
- type: employed_by
|
||||
with: "[[Virgin Islands Department of Justice]]"
|
||||
end: 2023-04
|
||||
role: "Assistant Attorney General, Civil Division chief, Deputy Attorney General (2016), Chief Deputy Attorney General (2020)"
|
||||
fn: 1
|
||||
- type: head_of
|
||||
with: "[[Virgin Islands Department of Justice]]"
|
||||
start: 2023-01-01
|
||||
end: 2023-04
|
||||
role: "acting Attorney General"
|
||||
fn: 1
|
||||
- type: appointed
|
||||
with: "[[Albert Bryan]]"
|
||||
reverse: true
|
||||
start: 2023-01-01
|
||||
role: "acting Attorney General"
|
||||
fn: 4
|
||||
- type: employed_by
|
||||
with: "[[Superior Court of the Virgin Islands]]"
|
||||
start: 2023-10-03
|
||||
role: "judge, St. Thomas and St. John district"
|
||||
fn: 1
|
||||
created: 2026-09-25
|
||||
updated: 2026-09-25
|
||||
---
|
||||
|
||||
Carol Thomas-Jacobs is a lawyer and judge of the Superior Court of the [[U.S. Virgin Islands]], born in Willikies, [[Antigua]], who spent more than twenty years in the [[Virgin Islands Department of Justice]]. As acting Attorney General she signed the March 14, 2019 letter that revoked the 24-hour travel-notice arrangement [[Jeffrey Epstein]] had held since 2012, and on January 20, 2023, as acting Attorney General again after Governor [[Albert Bryan]] removed [[Denise George]], she countersigned the settlement under which [[Leon Black]] paid the territory 62.5 million dollars without admitting liability. Bryan nominated her to the bench two months later.[^1][^2][^3]
|
||||
|
||||
### Career
|
||||
|
||||
Thomas-Jacobs is the youngest of nine children of a family from Willikies and a graduate of the Princess Margaret School and of the Advanced Level Department of the Antigua State College. In the Virgin Islands Department of Justice she served as an Assistant Attorney General in the Civil Division and then as head of that division, became Deputy Attorney General in 2016 and Chief Deputy Attorney General in 2020.[^1][^4]
|
||||
|
||||
Bryan fired Attorney General George on December 31, 2022, four days after she filed the territory's suit against [[JPMorgan Chase]], and named Thomas-Jacobs, who had worked on the estate case with George and was assigned to the JPMorgan case, acting Attorney General effective January 1, 2023. The governor's office described the vacancy in its March 2023 announcement as following "the resignation of Denise George in December 2022." Bryan nominated Thomas-Jacobs to the Superior Court that March, saying that "after more than two decades working on behalf of the Government of the Virgin Islands in the Department of Justice, Acting Attorney General Carol Thomas-Jacobs has demonstrated a solid and balanced understanding of the laws of the U.S. Virgin Islands." The 35th [[Legislature of the Virgin Islands]] confirmed her unanimously on April 14, 2023. She was succeeded at the department by [[Ariel Smith]], who had been Civil Division chief on the estate case.[^1][^4][^5][^6]
|
||||
|
||||
She was invested as a judge for the [[St. Thomas]] and St. John district on October 3, 2023 at the Alexander A. Farrelly Justice Center in [[Charlotte Amalie]], in a ceremony attended by Chief Justice [[Rhys Hodge]], Bryan, Lieutenant Governor [[Tregenza Roach]] and Senate President [[Novelle Francis]]. Presiding Judge [[Debra Smith-Watlington]] spoke of "the work that she did as a practising attorney, her dedication to her craft, her attention to detail, her professionalism, her work ethic, her intelligence and temperament, her courage and confidence." Superior Court judges serve six-year terms.[^1][^4]
|
||||
|
||||
### The 2019 Travel Notice
|
||||
|
||||
Epstein, a registered sex offender in the territory, had since August 2012 been allowed by Attorney General [[Vincent Frazer]] to give the department 24 hours' notice of travel by email instead of the 21 days otherwise required. On February 19, 2019 he flew to the [[Dominican Republic]], where he was detained for several hours and refused entry; his lawyers later blamed the department's failure to notify Dominican authorities. By letter of March 14, 2019, Thomas-Jacobs, as acting Attorney General, revoked the arrangement and required Epstein to appear in person at the department at least 21 days before any travel outside the [[United States]], allowed email notice only while he was already outside the territory, and required him to submit supporting information for any requested reduction, subject to the department's discretion. A signed copy in the Justice Department's Epstein releases, photographed against what appears to be the interior of an aircraft cabin, reads: "Mr. Epstein, please understand that the previous provisions for your travel notifications are [no longer] accepted by [USVIDOJ] and you must comply immediately with the conditions noted [herein]. We thank you for your cooperation and trust that you will adhere to these conditions. Sincerely, Carol Thomas-Jacobs, Esq., Acting Attorney General."[^2][^7][^8]
|
||||
|
||||
On April 30, 2019 the firm of Epstein's territorial counsel, [[Erika Kellerhals]], asked George, then Attorney General nominee, to reinstate the Frazer procedures, arguing that "Attorney Jacobs' requirement to appear in person" for travel within the United States "appears to exceed the requirements of Virgin Islands law." Thomas-Jacobs was copied on the correspondence that followed: on June 17, 2019 Kellerhals asked George what she would accept as "reasonable and reliable proof" of frequent travel, and on June 20 Epstein's lawyer [[Clive Rivers]] wrote to George, copying Kellerhals and Thomas-Jacobs, "Erika and I would like to meet with you." Epstein was arrested in [[New Jersey]] on July 6, 2019.[^2][^6][^9]
|
||||
|
||||
### The Leon Black Settlement
|
||||
|
||||
On January 20, 2023 Black signed a settlement agreement with the [[Government of the United States Virgin Islands]], countersigned by Thomas-Jacobs as acting Attorney General, under which he paid 62.5 million dollars within sixty days to end the territory's potential claims against him arising from his dealings with Epstein, without any admission of liability. Black had paid Epstein about 158 million dollars between 2012 and 2017 for tax and estate-planning advice, beginning under a 2013 service agreement with Epstein's [[Southern Trust Company]], which held tax benefits from the territory's [[Economic Development Commission]]. The agreement was signed weeks after the estate's own 105 million dollar settlement, while the territory's suit against JPMorgan Chase was pending.[^3][^10][^11]
|
||||
|
||||
Thomas-Jacobs was deposed in the JPMorgan case, with Bryan, John and [[Cecile de Jongh]], Frazer, Governor [[Kenneth Mapp]] and Delegate [[Stacey Plaskett]], each of whom said they had no knowledge of Epstein's crimes. She was not among the officials named in the 2023 federal trafficking suit against the territory and its former officeholders, which was dismissed in 2025.[^9][^12]
|
||||
|
||||
### Footnotes
|
||||
|
||||
[^1]: Singh, Sera-quinn. "Antiguan Judge appointed to US Superior Court." *Antigua Observer,* November 6, 2023. https://antiguaobserver.com/antiguan-judge-appointed-to-us-superior-court/
|
||||
[^2]: Government of the United States Virgin Islands v. JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A., No. 1:22-cv-10904-JSR (S.D.N.Y.), Exhibit 83, ECF No. 194-24 (filed June 20, 2023), pp. 2 to 7 (Kellerhals Ferguson Kroblin letter to Denise George, April 30, 2019, with Appendix 1), 46 to 47 (Frazer letter of August 14, 2012), 56 to 58 (emails of June 2 to June 20, 2019). https://web.archive.org/web/20260117011719/https://www.justice.gov/multimedia/Court%20Records/Government%20of%20the%20United%20States%20Virgin%20Islands%20v.%20JPMorgan%20Chase%20Bank,%20N.A.,%20No.%20122-cv-10904%20(S.D.N.Y.%202022)/194-24.pdf
|
||||
[^3]: Settlement Agreement and Release between the Government of the United States Virgin Islands and Leon Black, executed January 20, 2023, sections I, II.A.1-3, III.2, III.5 (as published by the U.S. Senate Committee on Finance). https://www.finance.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/usvi_black_settlement_agreement_-_executedpdf.pdf
|
||||
[^4]: Government of the United States Virgin Islands, Office of the Governor, "Governor Bryan Nominates Acting Attorney General Carol Thomas-Jacobs For Superior Court Judgeship," March 2, 2023. https://www.vi.gov/governor-bryan-nominates-acting-attorney-general-carol-thomas-jacobs-for-superior-court-judgeship/
|
||||
[^5]: "U.S. Virgin Islands fires attorney general in Jeffrey Epstein cases," *PBS NewsHour / Associated Press,* January 2023. https://www.pbs.org/newshour/nation/u-s-virgin-islands-fires-attorney-general-in-jeffrey-epstein-cases ; "Attorney General Denise George Has Been Terminated," *The Virgin Islands Consortium,* December 31, 2022. https://viconsortium.com/vi-government/virgin-islands-attorneygeneral-denise-george-has-been-terminated-
|
||||
[^6]: Carlson, Suzanne. "Docs confirm Bryan pressed for special treatment of sex offender." *Virgin Islands Daily News,* February 2, 2026. https://www.virginislandsdailynews.com/news/docs-confirm-bryan-pressed-for-special-treatment-of-sex-offender/article_5e9483c9-38d2-406c-8bb0-e5757ce287f2.html (attorney-general succession; Thomas-Jacobs's March 2019 rescission).
|
||||
[^7]: U.S. Department of Justice, Epstein Library, EFTA01598591, DataSet 10, letter of Carol Thomas-Jacobs, Acting Attorney General, to Jeffrey Epstein on travel-notification conditions (photographed copy; related copies EFTA00001884, EFTA01340980, EFTA01303327). https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/DataSet%2010/EFTA01598591.pdf
|
||||
[^8]: Government of the United States Virgin Islands v. Estate of Jeffrey E. Epstein, No. ST-20-CV-14 (V.I. Super. Ct.), Second Amended Complaint, paragraphs 132 to 134, filed as Exhibit 1 to Government of the United States Virgin Islands v. JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A., No. 1:22-cv-10904-JSR (S.D.N.Y.), ECF No. 1-1 (December 27, 2022). https://web.archive.org/web/20260117011558/https://www.justice.gov/multimedia/Court%20Records/Government%20of%20the%20United%20States%20Virgin%20Islands%20v.%20JPMorgan%20Chase%20Bank,%20N.A.,%20No.%20122-cv-10904%20(S.D.N.Y.%202022)/001-01.pdf
|
||||
[^9]: Carlson, Suzanne. "Files reveal Epstein's efforts to influence V.I. officials; emails with Mapp." *Virgin Islands Daily News,* February 2, 2026. https://www.virginislandsdailynews.com/news/files-reveal-epstein-s-efforts-to-influence-v-i-officials-emails-with-mapp/article_2dd4fe69-4daf-4dc2-b3b8-37a929002bb6.html
|
||||
[^10]: "Billionaire Leon Black paid $62.5m to exit US Virgin Islands investigation over links to Jeffrey Epstein." *AOL / Agence France-Presse,* 2023. https://www.aol.com/billionaire-leon-black-paid-62-002414707.html
|
||||
[^11]: "Apollo Announces Review of Significant Governance Enhancements as Part of Continued Evolution and Institutionalization of the Firm and Leadership Transition." *Apollo Global Management,* January 25, 2021. https://www.apollo.com/insights-news/pressreleases/2021/01/apollo-announces-review-of-significant-governance-enhancements-as-part-of-continued-evolution-and-institutionalization-of-the-firm-and-leadership-transition-211534651 (Dechert LLP review: about 158 million dollars paid by Black to Epstein, 2012 to 2017). ; Dechert LLP, Memorandum to the Apollo Conflicts Committee, "Investigation of Epstein/Black Relationship and Any Relationship Between Epstein and Apollo Global Management, Inc.," January 22, 2021, pp. 3 to 4, 16 to 17, filed as Exhibit 99.1 to Apollo Global Management, Inc., Form 8-K (January 25, 2021). https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1411494/000119312521016405/d118102dex991.htm
|
||||
[^12]: Doe 1 v. Government of the United States Virgin Islands, No. 1:23-cv-10301-AS (S.D.N.Y.), Opinion and Order, ECF No. 202 (March 21, 2025), p. 1 (defendants named). https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.nysd.610915/gov.uscourts.nysd.610915.202.0.pdf
|
||||
91
10 - PEOPLE/(T-Z)/Larry Visoski.md
Normal file
91
10 - PEOPLE/(T-Z)/Larry Visoski.md
Normal file
|
|
@ -0,0 +1,91 @@
|
|||
---
|
||||
category: "Crime & Abuse Networks"
|
||||
tags:
|
||||
- Person
|
||||
- LarryVisoski
|
||||
- JeffreyEpstein
|
||||
- LolitaExpress
|
||||
- Aviation
|
||||
- ShellCompany
|
||||
- VirginIslands
|
||||
- MaxwellTrial
|
||||
alias:
|
||||
- Lawrence Paul Visoski Jr.
|
||||
- Lawrence Visoski
|
||||
- Lawrence VISOSKI
|
||||
summary: "Jeffrey Epstein's pilot from 1991 to 2019, named manager of the Virgin Islands companies holding his aircraft, first government witness at the 2021 Maxwell trial, and recipient of Epstein-paid tuition for his daughters."
|
||||
location: "United States"
|
||||
relations:
|
||||
- type: employed_by
|
||||
with: "[[Jeffrey Epstein]]"
|
||||
role: "pilot"
|
||||
start: 1991
|
||||
end: 2019
|
||||
fn: 3
|
||||
- type: head_of
|
||||
with: "[[Plan D LLC]]"
|
||||
role: "sole manager"
|
||||
start: 2012
|
||||
end: 2019-07-31
|
||||
fn: 5
|
||||
- type: director_of
|
||||
with: "[[Hyperion Air]]"
|
||||
role: "manager of Hyperion Air LLC, with Epstein"
|
||||
start: 2012-10-19
|
||||
fn: 5
|
||||
- type: participant_in
|
||||
with: "[[United States v. Maxwell]]"
|
||||
role: "government's first witness"
|
||||
start: 2021-11-29
|
||||
end: 2021-11-30
|
||||
fn: 2
|
||||
created: 2026-09-25
|
||||
updated: 2026-09-25
|
||||
---
|
||||
|
||||
Lawrence Paul Visoski Jr., known as Larry Visoski, is an American pilot who flew [[Jeffrey Epstein]]'s aircraft from 1991 to 2019, including the Boeing 727 known as the [[Lolita Express]]. Federal Aviation Administration files and a [[Government of the United States Virgin Islands|Virgin Islands]] complaint list him as manager or member of several of the [[U.S. Virgin Islands]] companies that held Epstein's jets and helicopters. He was the government's first witness at the 2021 trial of [[Ghislaine Maxwell]] in the [[U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York|Southern District of New York]], where he testified that Epstein had paid for his two daughters' education and had given him land at [[Zorro Ranch]] in [[New Mexico]]. Bank records released by the [[Department of Justice|Justice Department]] in 2026 show checks from Epstein's [[JPMorgan Chase]] account totaling 106,654 dollars to [[Syracuse University]] for one of the daughters between 2009 and 2012.[^1][^2][^3]
|
||||
|
||||
### Aircraft Companies
|
||||
|
||||
In August and September 2021, while prosecutors prepared the Maxwell trial, a special agent of the [[Federal Aviation Administration]]'s Law Enforcement Assistance Program in [[Atlanta]] summarized for federal investigators the registration files of ten aircraft connected to Epstein. Of a [[Bell 430]] helicopter registered to [[Hyperion Air]], Inc. in 2012, renumbered N331JE and transferred in August 2013 to Hyperion Air LLC of [[St. Thomas]], the agent wrote that "the same players in the Inc and LLC are on the FAA registration paperwork, Darren INDYKE and Lawrence VISOSKI," a reference to Epstein's lawyer [[Darren Indyke]]. A 1988 Gulfstream G-IV was registered in May 2013 to JEGE, LLC of St. Thomas, a company formed in the Virgin Islands on October 19, 2012, whose members were Epstein and Visoski; Visoski changed its registration number to N212JE in 2013 and to N120JE in 2017.[^4]
|
||||
|
||||
A 2007 Gulfstream G550 was sold by [[Chevron]] USA on March 29, 2017 to Plan D LLC, a Virgin Islands company of which Epstein was a member and Visoski the manager, and took the number N212JE in January 2018. The agent wrote: "I don't see EPSTEIN's name on any of the FAA paperwork." Flight plans show the jet flying from [[Paris]] to [[Teterboro Airport|Teterboro]] on July 7, 2019 and from Teterboro to Brunswick, [[Georgia]], on July 11. On December 22, 2020, sixteen months after Epstein's death, Visoski, for Plan D, "sold" the aircraft to Six G Aviation LLC, which "sold" it the same day to N550GP LLC of Ontario, [[California]].[^4]
|
||||
|
||||
Visoski signed as director of aviation when Air Ghislaine Inc., the company that held a [[Bell 407]] helicopter registered N491GM, bought a Sikorsky S-76C-2 on December 30, 2008. Air Ghislaine changed its name to Shmitka Air Inc. on February 11, 2010 and to Freedom Air International Inc. on July 6, 2010. The Sikorsky, renumbered N722JE, was sold in 2011 to ASI Wings LLC of Hartford, [[Connecticut]], and bought back on June 13, 2019 by Hyperion Air LLC, with Visoski signing as manager, three weeks before Epstein's arrest; Hyperion sold it on May 13, 2021. The agent found no aircraft registered to Epstein or Maxwell personally.[^4]
|
||||
|
||||
The territory's 2020 suit against Epstein's estate, filed by Attorney General [[Denise George]], described Plan D, LLC, the owner of the Gulfstream N212JE, as listing Visoski as its sole manager until a July 31, 2019 annual report named Epstein as the principal. It described Hyperion Air, LLC, organized October 19, 2012 with Epstein and Visoski as managers, as the owner of a Bell helicopter (N331JE) and a Keystone helicopter (N722JE) that it alleged Epstein used "to transport young women and underage girls between St. Thomas and [[Little St. James]]." The complaint also named Freedom Air Petroleum LLC and JEGE LLC among the Virgin Islands companies in the enterprise.[^5]
|
||||
|
||||
### The Butterfly Trust
|
||||
|
||||
A [[Deutsche Bank]] know-your-customer page headed "The 2013 Butterfly Trust," produced to the federal grand jury in New York under the stamp "DB-SDNY," listed the trust's "Current Potential Beneficiaries." Among them were Epstein's assistant [[Lesley Groff]], his lawyer Darren Indyke and "Lawrence Paul Visoski Jr." The trustee was the St. Thomas lawyer [[Erika Kellerhals]].[^6]
|
||||
|
||||
### Errands for the Office
|
||||
|
||||
On May 16, 2014, Epstein's accountant [[Richard Kahn]] asked Visoski to "poke around tonight about Black Diamond Trading," a company he had heard was trying to buy the St. Thomas Jet Center. Visoski replied, "Here you go Rich ask and ye shall receive," supplied the tail number of the Black Diamond Learjet, and asked, "can you ask if you want me to introduce myself?" Kahn forwarded the information to Epstein, noting that "Larry has obtained some good info on them." Black Diamond Capital Management's founder, [[Stephen Deckoff]], bought Little St. James and [[Great St. James]] from Epstein's estate in May 2023 through his firm SD Investments.[^7]
|
||||
|
||||
On September 9, 2014, a charter booker emailed Kahn and Visoski that a JEGE LLC charter flight carrying the New Mexico attorney general and gubernatorial candidate [[Gary King]] and his running mate, [[Deb Haaland]], from Santa Fe was "on the ground at IAD."[^8] On July 25, 2016 the head of security at [[Bard College]] wrote that a helicopter landing for Epstein's visit to the campus would be coordinated with "Epstein's pilot, Larry Visoski, and the local fire company"; the college's president, [[Leon Botstein]], replied "Excellent."[^9]
|
||||
|
||||
### Tuition and Favors
|
||||
|
||||
Checks from Epstein's JPMorgan Chase account payable to Syracuse University between 2009 and 2012 totaled 106,654 dollars and covered several semesters for Visoski's elder daughter, who attended the university's [[S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications|Newhouse School]] from 2009 to 2013; a check of December 11, 2012 for 22,310 dollars carried her former name in the memo line. Visoski requested a 21,000 dollar personal loan for her fall 2010 tuition and a 22,000 dollar loan for spring 2011. In July 2012 he proposed applying a remaining commission balance toward both daughters' tuition and asked for another loan; Epstein replied "yes." Epstein also paid toward the tuition of a younger daughter at [[Millsaps College]] in [[Mississippi]].[^3]
|
||||
|
||||
On April 7, 2011, after his elder daughter was denied an interview for an [[NBC]] internship covering the 2012 London Olympics, Visoski wrote to Epstein: "My believe is the background check they did on me, to eliminate her from being giving this interview. Is there any person or friend of a friend that you may know at NBC or affiliate that may look into the possibility of opening this door for her?" He later forwarded her résumé and [[Harvard Business School]] application essays to Epstein, who reviewed them. From 2011 to 2013, and again in September 2017, she stayed at Epstein's Manhattan townhouse, [[9 East 71st Street]], in stays arranged by Groff. The daughter did not respond to requests for comment, and Visoski's lawyer had no immediate comment; the records do not indicate that Visoski or his family had any involvement in Epstein's crimes.[^3]
|
||||
|
||||
### Testimony at the Maxwell Trial
|
||||
|
||||
Visoski testified on November 29 and 30, 2021. He named passengers he had flown with Epstein, including [[Donald Trump]] ("There was more than once, I believe"), [[Bill Clinton]], [[Prince Andrew]], Senators [[John Glenn]] and [[George Mitchell]], the actors [[Kevin Spacey]] and [[Chris Tucker]], and the violinist [[Itzhak Perlman]]. He testified that he flew Epstein to [[Columbus, Ohio]] to see [[Leslie Wexner]], whom Epstein called his client, and that "Ms. Maxwell had nothing to do with the passenger manifests." Under cross-examination he said he "never saw any sexual activity" on the aircraft, and of the accuser known at trial as "Jane," "I didn't know her age. She didn't look young." He testified that Epstein kept the cockpit door closed during flights, and confirmed that Epstein had paid for both of his daughters' college education and given him acreage at Zorro Ranch.[^1][^2][^3]
|
||||
|
||||
Judge [[Alison Nathan]] relied at sentencing in part on the testimony of two of Epstein's pilots that [[Sarah Kellen]] had been Maxwell's assistant, one element of the four-level leadership enhancement that the [[Second Circuit]] upheld in September 2024.[^10]
|
||||
|
||||
### Footnotes
|
||||
|
||||
[^1]: Lauren del Valle and Eric Levenson, "Jeffrey Epstein's former pilot testifies Bill Clinton, Donald Trump, Prince Andrew flew aboard Epstein's private plane," CNN, November 30, 2021 (syndicated). https://abc17news.com/news/national-world/cnn-national/2021/11/30/prosecution-links-ghislaine-maxwell-to-jeffrey-epstein-while-defense-says-she-is-being-blamed-for-his-actions/
|
||||
[^2]: Tom Winter and Corky Siemaszko, "Jeffrey Epstein's longtime pilot testifies in trial of Ghislaine Maxwell," NBC News, November 30, 2021. https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/jeffrey-epsteins-longtime-pilot-testifies-trial-ghislaine-maxwell-rcna7078
|
||||
[^3]: "Jeffrey Epstein funded his pilot's daughter's SU tuition." *The Daily Orange,* February 5, 2026. https://dailyorange.com/2026/02/epstein-funded-pilots-daughters-su-tuition/
|
||||
[^4]: U.S. Department of Justice, Epstein Library, EFTA00021675 to EFTA00021680, DataSet 8, email chain, "RE: FAA Question," between a Special Agent of the Federal Aviation Administration, Law Enforcement Assistance Program, Atlanta, and federal investigators, August 24 to September 29, 2021. https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/DataSet%208/EFTA00021675.pdf
|
||||
[^5]: Government of the United States Virgin Islands v. Estate of Jeffrey E. Epstein, No. ST-20-CV-14 (V.I. Super. Ct.), Second Amended Complaint, paragraphs 33 to 36, 137 to 139, filed as Exhibit 1 to Government of the United States Virgin Islands v. JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A., No. 1:22-cv-10904-JSR (S.D.N.Y.), ECF No. 1-1 (December 27, 2022). https://web.archive.org/web/20260117011558/https://www.justice.gov/multimedia/Court%20Records/Government%20of%20the%20United%20States%20Virgin%20Islands%20v.%20JPMorgan%20Chase%20Bank,%20N.A.,%20No.%20122-cv-10904%20(S.D.N.Y.%202022)/001-01.pdf
|
||||
[^6]: U.S. Department of Justice, Epstein Library, EFTA01364303, DataSet 10, Deutsche Bank know-your-customer page "The 2013 Butterfly Trust" (DB-SDNY-0054829); EFTA01372887, DataSet 10, Deutsche Bank "KYC Print," July 15, 2019 (DB-SDNY-0066790). https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/DataSet%2010/EFTA01364303.pdf ; https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/DataSet%2010/EFTA01372887.pdf
|
||||
[^7]: Carlson, Suzanne. "Still no resort plans for Epstein's islands purchased by Deckoff." *Virgin Islands Daily News,* February 6, 2026. https://www.virginislandsdailynews.com/news/still-no-resort-plans-for-epsteins-islands-purchased-by-deckoff/article_84d776de-8427-4080-a1b5-6cf81418e23d.html
|
||||
[^8]: Paras, Julian, and Pat Davis. "Records show Gary King, Deb Haaland used Epstein-linked jet during 2014 campaign." *New Mexico Political Report,* February 17, 2026. https://nmpoliticalreport.com/2026/02/17/records-show-gary-king-deb-haaland-used-epstein-linked-jet-during-2014-campaign/
|
||||
[^9]: U.S. Department of Justice, Epstein Library, EFTA02047292, DataSet 10, email chain "Re: Jeffrey Epstein visit to Bard," July 25, 2016. https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/DataSet%2010/EFTA02047292.pdf
|
||||
[^10]: United States v. Maxwell, No. 22-1426-cr (2d Cir. Sept. 17, 2024) (Cabranes, Wesley, Lohier, JJ.), reported at 118 F.4th 256. https://storage.courtlistener.com/pdf/2024/09/17/united_states_v._maxwell.pdf
|
||||
|
|
@ -60,9 +60,9 @@ Abigail Koppel, a 31-year-old lawyer, married Wexner in 1993, and the couple set
|
|||
|
||||
### Relationship With Jeffrey Epstein
|
||||
|
||||
Wexner and Jeffrey Epstein were introduced in the mid-1980s; later reporting placed the meeting around 1986 through insurance executive [[Robert Meister]], who had met Epstein on a flight to Palm Beach.[^13] Wexner wrote in 2019 that he met Epstein "through friends who vouched for and recommended him as a knowledgeable financial professional," and that "Mr. Epstein represented that he had various well-known and respected individuals both as his financial clients and in his inner circle."[^11] Epstein told people he met Wexner in 1986 in Palm Beach and won his confidence by advising him to stay out of the stock market before the 1987 crash; asked by Vanity Fair whether Wexner had known of his work for [[Steven Hoffenberg]] at [[Towers Financial Corporation]], Epstein said he had begun working for Wexner in 1989 and that "it was certainly not the same time." Before he was engaged, Epstein met several times with [[Harold Levin]], then head of Wexner Investments, who found his ideas about currencies incomprehensible; a former Limited vice-chairman, [[Robert Morosky]], said "everyone was mystified as to what his appeal was."[^12] Epstein became Wexner's financial adviser by 1987, and in July 1991 Wexner gave him a power of attorney that authorized Epstein to sign checks, borrow money, buy and sell property, and hire and fire on Wexner's behalf.[^1] A close Wexner adviser, Harold Levin, reportedly warned that he did not trust Epstein, telling Wexner he "smell[ed] a rat," and at least one board member commissioned a background investigation, but Wexner continued the relationship.[^13] According to the [[New York Times]] account, Epstein later engineered Levin's firing by accusing him of stealing from Wexner, an accusation that would subsequently be leveled at Epstein himself.[^15]
|
||||
Wexner and Jeffrey Epstein were introduced in the mid-1980s; later reporting placed the meeting around 1986 through insurance executive [[Robert Meister]], who had met Epstein on a flight to [[Palm Beach, Florida|Palm Beach]].[^13] Wexner wrote in 2019 that he met Epstein "through friends who vouched for and recommended him as a knowledgeable financial professional," and that "Mr. Epstein represented that he had various well-known and respected individuals both as his financial clients and in his inner circle."[^11] Epstein told people he met Wexner in 1986 in Palm Beach and won his confidence by advising him to stay out of the stock market before the 1987 crash; asked by Vanity Fair whether Wexner had known of his work for [[Steven Hoffenberg]] at [[Towers Financial Corporation]], Epstein said he had begun working for Wexner in 1989 and that "it was certainly not the same time." Before he was engaged, Epstein met several times with [[Harold Levin]], then head of Wexner Investments, who found his ideas about currencies incomprehensible; a former Limited vice-chairman, [[Robert Morosky]], said "everyone was mystified as to what his appeal was."[^12] Epstein became Wexner's financial adviser by 1987, and in July 1991 Wexner gave him a power of attorney that authorized Epstein to sign checks, borrow money, buy and sell property, and hire and fire on Wexner's behalf.[^1] A close Wexner adviser, Harold Levin, reportedly warned that he did not trust Epstein, telling Wexner he "smell[ed] a rat," and at least one board member commissioned a background investigation, but Wexner continued the relationship.[^13] According to the [[New York Times]] account, Epstein later engineered Levin's firing by accusing him of stealing from Wexner, an accusation that would subsequently be leveled at Epstein himself.[^15]
|
||||
|
||||
A New York Times Magazine investigation published December 16, 2025 traced Epstein's accumulation of wealth back to his hiring at [[Bear Stearns]] and his early targeting of wealthy businessmen, and detailed how his control over Wexner's accounts gave him unregulated access to fund real estate purchases, including property near [[Mar-a-Lago]] in Palm Beach, the [[9 East 71st Street]] townhouse in Manhattan, and the New Albany mansion.[^13] Epstein also drafted the prenuptial agreement for Wexner's marriage to [[Abigail Wexner|Abigail Koppel]] and obtained tax breaks for Epstein's [[Little St. James]] island in the U.S. Virgin Islands.[^13] The Times wrote that the central unanswered question was what Wexner gained from the relationship, and Wexner declined to participate in the investigation.[^15]
|
||||
A New York Times Magazine investigation published December 16, 2025 traced Epstein's accumulation of wealth back to his hiring at [[Bear Stearns]] and his early targeting of wealthy businessmen, and detailed how his control over Wexner's accounts gave him unregulated access to fund real estate purchases, including property near [[Mar-a-Lago]] in Palm Beach, the [[9 East 71st Street]] townhouse in Manhattan, and the New Albany mansion.[^13] Epstein also drafted the prenuptial agreement for Wexner's marriage to [[Abigail Wexner|Abigail Koppel]] and obtained tax breaks for Epstein's [[Little St. James]] island in the [[U.S. Virgin Islands]].[^13] The Times wrote that the central unanswered question was what Wexner gained from the relationship, and Wexner declined to participate in the investigation.[^15]
|
||||
|
||||
Wexner described the relationship to Vanity Fair for its March 2003 profile: "I think we both possess the skill of seeing patterns. But Jeffrey sees patterns in politics and financial markets, and I see patterns in lifestyle and fashion trends." He called Epstein "very smart with a combination of excellent judgment and unusually high standards. Also, he is always a most loyal friend," and said that "Jeffrey has the unusual quality of knowing when he is winning." Epstein said, "People have said it's like we have one brain between two of us: each has a side." A person who worked for Wexner and saw their contract said Epstein was involved in "everything, not just a little here, a little there. Everything!" and that "Wexner likes having a hatchet man... Whenever there is dirty work to be done he'd stick Jeffrey on it." Epstein inserted himself into the construction of Wexner's 315-foot yacht Limitless, which led to litigation between Wexner and the shipyard, and the lawyer Lars Forsberg said his firm had to sue for its fees. When the co-investors in [[Riddell Sports]] bought out Epstein's stake in 1995 and asked him to guarantee access to a few million dollars against later disputes, Wexner signed for him.[^12]
|
||||
|
||||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
@ -55,7 +55,7 @@ When Epstein left suicide watch, Tartaglione "was not chosen as the investigatio
|
|||
|
||||
### After Epstein's Death
|
||||
|
||||
On September 12, 2019 the [[New York Daily News]] published a two-page handwritten letter from Tartaglione: "As far as Jeff Epstein is concerned, I never touched the man. I despise anyone who hurts children but whatever was going to happen to him, I was not going to be a part of it," and "The prison told Epstein they were putting him in a cell with me because they knew I would neither hurt nor extort him. The staff here at MCC had hundreds of inmates to choose from yet I was their first choice." Barket said his client had not been questioned "by any law enforcement official since July 23." Staff of the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York circulated the article internally the next day. The Bureau of Prisons later withheld several categories of its records on Tartaglione on the ground that they could "adversely affect the Tartaglione proceedings and influence potential juror's perceptions."[^6][^7]
|
||||
On September 12, 2019 the [[New York Daily News]] published a two-page handwritten letter from Tartaglione: "As far as Jeff Epstein is concerned, I never touched the man. I despise anyone who hurts children but whatever was going to happen to him, I was not going to be a part of it," and "The prison told Epstein they were putting him in a cell with me because they knew I would neither hurt nor extort him. The staff here at MCC had hundreds of inmates to choose from yet I was their first choice." Barket said his client had not been questioned "by any law enforcement official since July 23." Staff of the [[U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York]] circulated the article internally the next day. The Bureau of Prisons later withheld several categories of its records on Tartaglione on the ground that they could "adversely affect the Tartaglione proceedings and influence potential juror's perceptions."[^6][^7]
|
||||
|
||||
### The Note
|
||||
|
||||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
@ -34,7 +34,7 @@ The department's draft press releases described first a 316-count indictment of
|
|||
|
||||
### Later Career
|
||||
|
||||
After leaving the Senate race, Thornburgh was appointed UN Under-Secretary General for Administration and Management by President Bush in 1992, serving through 1993. He returned to private practice at K&L Gates in Pittsburgh. In 2002, the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York appointed him examiner in the WorldCom bankruptcy; his report included findings on the conduct of Arthur Andersen and Citigroup. In 2004, he co-chaired the independent panel investigating CBS News's *60 Minutes Wednesday* report on President [[George W. Bush]]'s National Guard service.[^1]
|
||||
After leaving the Senate race, Thornburgh was appointed UN Under-Secretary General for Administration and Management by President Bush in 1992, serving through 1993. He returned to private practice at K&L Gates in Pittsburgh. In 2002, the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the [[U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York|Southern District of New York]] appointed him examiner in the WorldCom bankruptcy; his report included findings on the conduct of Arthur Andersen and Citigroup. In 2004, he co-chaired the independent panel investigating CBS News's *60 Minutes Wednesday* report on President [[George W. Bush]]'s National Guard service.[^1]
|
||||
|
||||
### Footnotes
|
||||
|
||||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
@ -73,7 +73,7 @@ It was the Cole prosecution that, through motion-to-suppress filings, revealed S
|
|||
|
||||
### The Melzer Plot
|
||||
|
||||
[[Ethan Phelan Melzer]], a Private in the U.S. Army's 173rd Airborne Brigade based in Vicenza, Italy, was arrested in May 2020 after he transmitted classified intelligence about his unit's planned deployment to Turkey to O9A members on [[Telegram]], operating under the alias "Etil Reggad." The classified material included base locations, personnel numbers, defensive capabilities, and satellite imagery, with the stated intention of enabling a mass-casualty attack on American soldiers by a combination of Al-Qaeda-affiliated forces and O9A members. Melzer was convicted in the Southern District of New York, where he described himself as "a traitor against the United States whose conduct was tantamount to treason," and was sentenced in March 2023 to 45 years in prison.[^9]
|
||||
[[Ethan Phelan Melzer]], a Private in the U.S. Army's 173rd Airborne Brigade based in Vicenza, Italy, was arrested in May 2020 after he transmitted classified intelligence about his unit's planned deployment to Turkey to O9A members on [[Telegram]], operating under the alias "Etil Reggad." The classified material included base locations, personnel numbers, defensive capabilities, and satellite imagery, with the stated intention of enabling a mass-casualty attack on American soldiers by a combination of Al-Qaeda-affiliated forces and O9A members. Melzer was convicted in the [[U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York|Southern District of New York]], where he described himself as "a traitor against the United States whose conduct was tantamount to treason," and was sentenced in March 2023 to 45 years in prison.[^9]
|
||||
|
||||
The Melzer case demonstrated that AWD/O9A influence had penetrated the U.S. military, consistent with earlier reports about [[Jarrett William Smith]], an Army specialist at Fort Riley, Kansas, arrested in 2019 for distributing explosives manuals and discussing attacks on anti-fascist groups and media organizations.
|
||||
|
||||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
@ -52,7 +52,7 @@ The Economic Development Commission is the board of the [[Virgin Islands Economi
|
|||
|
||||
The commission is a subsidiary of the Economic Development Authority, a semi-autonomous territorial instrumentality created and governed under Title 29, section 1101 of the Virgin Islands Code. Beneficiaries apply, present their business at a public hearing, and receive a certificate setting the term, the percentage exemptions, and the employment, residency, and charitable-giving conditions they must meet. The authority's compliance staff then review annual reports submitted by the certificate holders.[^1][^2]
|
||||
|
||||
Its general counsel from 2007 to 2014 was Stacey Plaskett, who had worked for the St. Thomas attorney [[Erika Kellerhals]] before her election as the territory's delegate to the [[United States House of Representatives|U.S. House of Representatives]]. Kellerhals represented Epstein before the commission. The attorney [[Henry Smock]], who assisted Epstein in the 1998 purchase of [[Little St. James]], served for years as counsel to the authority's board. Plaskett, like the other officials named in the [[Epstein Files|Epstein files]], has denied wrongdoing.[^3]
|
||||
Its general counsel from 2007 to 2014 was Stacey Plaskett, who had worked for the [[St. Thomas]] attorney [[Erika Kellerhals]] before her election as the territory's delegate to the [[United States House of Representatives|U.S. House of Representatives]]. Kellerhals represented Epstein before the commission. The attorney [[Henry Smock]], who assisted Epstein in the 1998 purchase of [[Little St. James]], served for years as counsel to the authority's board. Plaskett, like the other officials named in the [[Epstein Files|Epstein files]], has denied wrongdoing.[^3]
|
||||
|
||||
### Financial Trust Company, 1999 to 2012
|
||||
|
||||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
@ -0,0 +1,50 @@
|
|||
---
|
||||
category: "U.S. Government"
|
||||
tags:
|
||||
- Organization
|
||||
- LawEnforcement
|
||||
- Florida
|
||||
- JeffreyEpstein
|
||||
- WorkRelease
|
||||
alias:
|
||||
- Florida Department of Law Enforcement
|
||||
- FDLE
|
||||
- Florida Dept. of Law Enforcement
|
||||
summary: "Florida's statewide law enforcement agency, which Governor Ron DeSantis directed in 2019 to investigate the state's handling of Jeffrey Epstein, and which reported in 2021 differential treatment but no crimes."
|
||||
location: "Tallahassee, Florida"
|
||||
relations:
|
||||
- type: investigated
|
||||
with: "[[Epstein non-prosecution agreement]]"
|
||||
role: "state plea agreement and Palm Beach County work release"
|
||||
start: 2019-08
|
||||
end: 2021-05
|
||||
fn: 2
|
||||
created: 2026-09-25
|
||||
updated: 2026-09-25
|
||||
---
|
||||
|
||||
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement is the statewide law enforcement agency of [[Florida]], whose duties and procedures are set by Chapter 943 of the Florida Statutes. In August 2019, after [[Jeffrey Epstein]]'s arrest in New York and a letter from Palm Beach County Sheriff [[Ric Bradshaw]], Governor [[Ron DeSantis]] directed the department to take over the criminal investigation of state officials' handling of Epstein's 2005 to 2009 case, including his state plea under the [[Epstein non-prosecution agreement]] and his work release from the custody of the [[Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office]]. Its investigative summaries, released in May 2021, found that Epstein "received differential treatment" in the sheriff's custody but that no evidence showed any crime, bribe or impropriety by the sheriff's office, former State Attorney [[Barry Krischer]] or Assistant State Attorney [[Lanna Belohlavek]].[^1][^2][^3][^4]
|
||||
|
||||
### Organization
|
||||
|
||||
The department is composed of five areas: Executive Direction and Business Support, Criminal Investigations and Forensic Science, Criminal Justice Information, Criminal Justice Professionalism, and the Florida Capitol Police.[^1]
|
||||
|
||||
### The Epstein Investigation
|
||||
|
||||
Bradshaw asked the governor to assign the department to the matter in 2019, after his own office opened an internal affairs review of the deputies who had guarded Epstein during work release. DeSantis said: "Floridians expect and deserve a full and fair investigation." The [[Department of Justice|Justice Department]]'s [[Office of Professional Responsibility]], which had no jurisdiction over state officials, recorded that the state inquiry "focuses on Epstein's state plea agreement and the Palm Beach County work release program." Because it was pending when OPR interviewed him, Krischer declined to explain his office's prosecutive decisions to the federal investigators.[^2][^3][^5]
|
||||
|
||||
The department's Office of Executive Investigations released a series of summaries of its preliminary inquiries on May 10, 2021, finding no evidence of criminal activity in the investigation, prosecution or punishment of Epstein. On the prosecutors, it found no evidence that Krischer or Belohlavek "committed any crimes, accepted any bribes or gifts, or did anything improper in their handling of the case." On the sheriff's office, it reported that "Epstein was provided differential treatment," but that the actions "were explained by PBSO and . . . were determined not to be a criminal matter." Work release had allowed Epstein out "for up to twelve hours a day, six days a week."[^3][^4][^6]
|
||||
|
||||
The sheriff's office stated that the department had determined "there was NO inappropriate or criminal activity on the part of any PBSO member with respect to their participation in Epstein's work release or the permit detail," and that an internal affairs investigation into possible administrative violations was continuing. The attorney [[Stuart Kaplan]] criticized the inquiry for its "lack of search warrants, subpoenas or a grand jury."[^3][^6]
|
||||
|
||||
In June 2026, after Epstein's former assistant [[Sarah Kellen]] told congressional investigators that Epstein had arranged for cash and Disneyland tickets to be taken to a deputy at the jail, the sheriff's office cited the department's 2021 finding and said, "The investigation is complete."[^7]
|
||||
|
||||
### Footnotes
|
||||
|
||||
[^1]: Florida Department of Law Enforcement, official website, agency priorities and organization. https://www.fdle.state.fl.us/
|
||||
[^2]: U.S. Department of Justice, Epstein Library, EFTA02847284, Prior DOJ Disclosures, report, Office of Professional Responsibility, "Investigation into the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Florida's Resolution of Its 2006-2008 Federal Criminal Investigation of Jeffrey Epstein and Its Interactions with Victims during the Investigation," November 2020, Executive Summary p. vii n. 7, and p. 15 n. 11 (EFTA02847292, EFTA02847324). https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/Prior%20DOJ%20Disclosures/Memos.%20&%20Correspondence/EFTA02847284.pdf
|
||||
[^3]: Sabrina Lolo, "FDLE clears PBSO, prosecutors in connection to Epstein's work release privileges," *CBS12,* May 10, 2021. https://cbs12.com/news/local/fdle-clears-pbso-prosecutors-in-connection-to-epsteins-work-release-privileges
|
||||
[^4]: "Florida authorities find no evidence of criminal activity in state's handling of Jeffrey Epstein case," *NBC News,* May 2021. https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/florida-authorities-no-evidence-criminal-activity-state-s-handling-jeffrey-n1266888
|
||||
[^5]: Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office, "Sheriff Ric Bradshaw," official biography. https://www.pbso.org/sheriff-ric-bradshaw ; Curt Anderson, "Florida sheriff investigates Epstein's time spent outside of jail," *Associated Press* via *PBS NewsHour,* July 19, 2019. https://www.pbs.org/newshour/nation/florida-sheriff-investigates-epsteins-time-spent-outside-of-jail
|
||||
[^6]: Erik Altmann and Todd Wilson, "FDLE investigation finds no wrongdoing by PBSO, State Attorney's Office in Jeffrey Epstein plea deal," *WPTV,* May 2021. https://www.wptv.com/news/epstein/fdle-investigation-finds-no-wrongdoing-by-pbso-state-attorneys-office-in-jeffrey-epstein-plea-deal
|
||||
[^7]: Julie K. Brown, "Ex-aide says Epstein paid Palm Beach deputy to get special treatment in jail," *Miami Herald* via *Jefferson City News-Tribune,* June 16, 2026. https://www.newstribune.com/news/2026/jun/16/ex-aide-says-epstein-paid-palm-beach-deputy-to/
|
||||
|
|
@ -48,13 +48,13 @@ The Attorney General heads the [[Virgin Islands Department of Justice]], which k
|
|||
|
||||
### Registration and Monitoring
|
||||
|
||||
Epstein registered as a sex offender in the territory in 2010 as a Tier 1 offender on the strength of his 2008 [[Florida]] conviction for procuring a minor for prostitution, which required annual registration, advance notice of travel, and random address checks. Most of his territorial companies were created in 2011 and 2012, soon after he registered. At his last verification, in July 2018, he refused to let Department of Justice investigators, assisted by [[United States Marshals Service|U.S. Marshals]], go beyond the dock of Little St. James, calling the dock his "front door," and arranged to meet them at his office on St. Thomas. His March 19, 2019 notice of a ten-day trip to France omitted travel to [[Vienna]] and [[Monaco]]. The [[Virgin Islands Department of Planning and Natural Resources|Department of Planning and Natural Resources]] found his inspections of unpermitted construction on [[Great St. James]] objected to as "invasions" of his constitutional right to privacy in a home he defined as the entire island.[^2]
|
||||
Epstein registered as a sex offender in the territory in 2010 as a Tier 1 offender on the strength of his 2008 [[Florida]] conviction for procuring a minor for prostitution, which required annual registration, advance notice of travel, and random address checks. Most of his territorial companies were created in 2011 and 2012, soon after he registered. At his last verification, in July 2018, he refused to let Department of Justice investigators, assisted by [[United States Marshals Service|U.S. Marshals]], go beyond the dock of Little St. James, calling the dock his "front door," and arranged to meet them at his office on [[St. Thomas]]. His March 19, 2019 notice of a ten-day trip to France omitted travel to [[Vienna]] and [[Monaco]]. The [[Virgin Islands Department of Planning and Natural Resources|Department of Planning and Natural Resources]] found his inspections of unpermitted construction on [[Great St. James]] objected to as "invasions" of his constitutional right to privacy in a home he defined as the entire island.[^2]
|
||||
|
||||
In May 2019 Bryan's nominee for planning commissioner, [[Jean-Pierre Oriol]], said publicly that Epstein was continuing construction on Great St. James despite a stop-work order; Epstein complained to Bryan, who replied "We got u." Following Epstein's July 2019 arrest, George said a civil claim filed in New York was insufficient to open a territorial investigation without a local complaint. Asked in March 2026 about territorial oversight of Epstein, Bryan said, "Are there any victims in the Virgin Islands saying they were abused?"[^5]
|
||||
|
||||
### Money and Access
|
||||
|
||||
The Economic Development Commission granted Epstein's [[Financial Trust Company]] benefits from 1999 and his [[Southern Trust Company]] a ten-year package from February 1, 2013, certified on January 24, 2014 over Bryan's signature as chairman. The territory later estimated that the Southern Trust certificate allowed Epstein to avoid 80,576,236 dollars in taxes; Economic Development Authority records put his incentives from 2013 to 2019 at 144.9 million dollars. The commission's general counsel from 2007 to 2014 was [[Stacey Plaskett]], who later became the territory's delegate to Congress and acknowledged receiving about 30,000 dollars in campaign contributions from Epstein and his employees.[^2][^3][^8][^9]
|
||||
The Economic Development Commission granted Epstein's [[Financial Trust Company]] benefits from 1999 and his [[Southern Trust Company]] a ten-year package from February 1, 2013, certified on January 24, 2014 over Bryan's signature as chairman. The territory later estimated that the Southern Trust certificate allowed Epstein to avoid 80,576,236 dollars in taxes; [[Virgin Islands Economic Development Authority|Economic Development Authority]] records put his incentives from 2013 to 2019 at 144.9 million dollars. The commission's general counsel from 2007 to 2014 was [[Stacey Plaskett]], who later became the territory's delegate to Congress and acknowledged receiving about 30,000 dollars in campaign contributions from Epstein and his employees.[^2][^3][^8][^9]
|
||||
|
||||
The JPMorgan exhibits record Epstein's office handling requests from the governors' political committees. In December 2014 Cecile de Jongh asked him to confirm a 10,000 dollar donation from Southern Trust to the Mapp-Potter inaugural committee; on September 1, 2016 Epstein told her to "prepare a check for mapps super pac. For 75k"; and on December 20, 2018 she relayed a request from the Bryan/Roach inaugural committee for 25,000 dollars. The JPMorgan exhibits do not show whether the Bryan committee was paid. The former senator [[Celestino White]], whom Bryan renominated to the [[Virgin Islands Port Authority]] board, had offered to work on Epstein's behalf, including on the purchase of the government-owned Dog Island.[^5][^9]
|
||||
|
||||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
@ -0,0 +1,71 @@
|
|||
---
|
||||
category: "U.S. Government"
|
||||
tags:
|
||||
- Organization
|
||||
- DepartmentOfJustice
|
||||
- Watergate
|
||||
- JeffreyEpstein
|
||||
- NonProsecutionAgreement
|
||||
- ProsecutorialMisconduct
|
||||
alias:
|
||||
- Office of Professional Responsibility
|
||||
- DOJ Office of Professional Responsibility
|
||||
- Department of Justice Office of Professional Responsibility
|
||||
- DOJ OPR
|
||||
- OPR
|
||||
summary: "Justice Department office created in 1975 after Watergate to investigate misconduct by department lawyers, whose 2020 Epstein report found no misconduct by five Florida prosecutors but faulted Alexander Acosta's judgment."
|
||||
start: 1975
|
||||
location: "Washington, D.C."
|
||||
relations:
|
||||
- type: member_of
|
||||
with: "[[Department of Justice]]"
|
||||
role: "component office"
|
||||
start: 1975
|
||||
fn: 1
|
||||
created: 2026-09-25
|
||||
updated: 2026-09-25
|
||||
---
|
||||
|
||||
The Office of Professional Responsibility is the component of the [[Department of Justice]] that investigates allegations of professional misconduct by the department's lawyers in their exercise of authority to investigate, litigate or give legal advice, and by its law enforcement agents where the allegations relate to a lawyer's misconduct. It was established in 1975 "in response to professional misconduct associated with the [[Watergate]] scandal." From February 2019 to November 2020 it investigated the [[U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Florida]]'s resolution of the federal case against [[Jeffrey Epstein]] through the 2007 [[Epstein non-prosecution agreement]], examining former U.S. Attorney [[Alexander Acosta]] and four subordinates. Its November 2020 report found that none had committed professional misconduct, concluded that Acosta's decision to use the agreement "constitutes poor judgment," and found no evidence that Epstein was a cooperating witness or "intelligence asset." The report is a public record of the [[Epstein Files|Epstein Library]] as EFTA02847284 and was refiled as an exhibit in later Epstein litigation.[^1][^2][^3]
|
||||
|
||||
### Mandate and Standard
|
||||
|
||||
The office's stated mission is "to ensure that Department attorneys perform their duties in accordance with the high professional standards expected of the nation's principal law enforcement agency." Its authority rests on 28 C.F.R. 0.39a and extends to former department lawyers; the department cannot discipline a former lawyer, but a finding that one violated state professional conduct rules can be referred to a state bar. The office finds misconduct only when it concludes, by a preponderance of the evidence, that a lawyer intentionally or recklessly violated "a clear and unambiguous standard" governing the conduct at issue. Where no such standard exists, or the violation was neither intentional nor reckless, it may instead find that the lawyer "exercised poor judgment, made a mistake, or otherwise acted inappropriately under the circumstances." It declines some complaints without investigation: in December 2010 a lawyer for Epstein's victims alleged that Epstein may have exerted improper influence over the federal investigation and that the Florida office had deceived victims about the agreement, and the office declined to open an inquiry in deference to the pending victims' litigation.[^1][^4]
|
||||
|
||||
### The Epstein Investigation
|
||||
|
||||
After the [[Miami Herald]] published [[Julie K. Brown]]'s series on November 28, 2018, Senator [[Ben Sasse]], chairman of a Senate Judiciary oversight subcommittee, wrote to the office on December 3, 2018 asking it to "open an investigation into the instances identified in this reporting of possible misconduct by Department of Justice attorneys." On February 6, 2019 the department's Office of Legislative Affairs told Sasse that the office had opened an investigation. After Judge [[Kenneth Marra]] ruled on February 21, 2019 in [[Doe v. United States]] that the government had violated the [[Crime Victims' Rights Act]], the office added the government's treatment of victims to its review.[^2]
|
||||
|
||||
The five subjects were Acosta, [[Jeffrey Sloman]], [[Matthew Menchel]], [[Andrew Lourie]] and [[Ann Marie Villafana|A. Marie Villafaña]]. Each submitted a written response and was interviewed under oath before a court reporter with counsel present, and each reviewed the draft report. The office reviewed hundreds of thousands of pages from the Florida office, the [[Federal Bureau of Investigation]], the Criminal Division, the Office of the Deputy Attorney General and the [[Executive Office for United States Attorneys]], including more than 850,000 Outlook records of the subjects and six other witnesses, and conducted more than 60 interviews, among them former Deputy Attorney General [[Mark Filip]], former State Attorney [[Barry Krischer]] and former Assistant State Attorney [[Lanna Belohlavek]]. It received information from or about 13 victims. It stated that it had no jurisdiction over state officials and reached no conclusions about their conduct.[^2][^5]
|
||||
|
||||
### Acosta's Missing Email
|
||||
|
||||
Reviewing the email, the office found that Acosta's inbox held no messages from May 26, 2007 to November 2, 2008, a period covering the negotiation, signing and implementation of the agreement, while his sent mail showed no such gap. The Executive Office for [[United States]] Attorneys found "a data association error that incorrectly associated Acosta's data with an unrelated employee who had a similar name," and recovered 11,248 emails from April 3, 2008 onward. The earlier messages had not been transferred when the Florida office's data was migrated to a centralized system between March and June 2008, and could not be found. Acosta and staff denied knowledge of any deletion; an analysis of four other U.S. Attorney's offices found similar gaps in their U.S. Attorneys' email; and the office concluded that the gap "was most likely the result of a technological error."[^5]
|
||||
|
||||
### Findings
|
||||
|
||||
The office concluded that none of the five subjects committed professional misconduct in developing, negotiating or approving the agreement, because "no clear and unambiguous standard" required Acosta to indict or barred deferring to the state. It found that the agreement "was a flawed mechanism for satisfying the federal interest," that "Acosta's application of federalism principles was too expansive, his view of the federal interest in prosecuting Epstein was too narrow, and his understanding of the state system was too imperfect," and that the three supervisory subjects other than Acosta "left the USAO, were transitioning to other jobs, or were absent at critical junctures." It found that Acosta "exercised poor judgment" in failing to ensure that victims were told of Epstein's state plea hearing, and that the government's "lack of transparency and its inconsistent messages" gave victims and the public "the misimpression that the government had colluded with Epstein's counsel to keep the NPA secret from the victims." It found no evidence that the decision was "based on corruption or other impermissible considerations, such as Epstein's wealth, status, or associations."[^3]
|
||||
|
||||
On Epstein's choice of lawyers, the office wrote that "a reasonable inference can be drawn that Epstein believed that hiring attorneys with relationships to the prosecutors would be beneficial to him," identifying a former U.S. Attorney for the district, a former deputy of Menchel's with whom Menchel had socialized, and [[Kenneth Starr]] and [[Jay Lefkowitz]] of [[Kirkland & Ellis]], Acosta's former firm. It found that Menchel had not told his supervisors that he had briefly dated that former deputy in 2003, and assessed that it "would have been prudent" for him to do so. It found no evidence supporting a 2018 claim that the two-year plea offer was a favor to defense counsel.[^6]
|
||||
|
||||
On the question raised in the press whether Epstein had been an intelligence asset, the office stated that it "found no evidence suggesting that Epstein was such a cooperating witness or 'intelligence asset,' or that anyone, including any of the subjects of OPR's investigation, believed that to be the case, or that Epstein was afforded any benefit on such a basis." When the office asked Acosta about his "apparent equivocation" on the question at a 2019 press conference, he answered "the answer is no"; the report notes that "Acosta was made aware that OPR could use a classified setting to discuss intelligence information." Villafaña had written in 2011 that a rumor of Epstein's cooperation in a [[Bear Stearns]] case was "urban myth."[^7]
|
||||
|
||||
### Review of the Draft by New York Prosecutors
|
||||
|
||||
Before the report was final, the chief of the Public Corruption Unit of the [[U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York]], whose office had indicted Epstein in 2019 and was then prosecuting [[Ghislaine Maxwell]], reviewed the draft and on August 21, 2020 asked for two changes, which the office accepted: "at least one victim known to be a minor" became "at least one victim believed to be a minor," to "more accurately reflect[] our position in the bail arguments regarding Epstein," and a statement that investigators "were aware" that Epstein used hidden cameras in his New York house became that they "had learned" it. The report records that the subjects and others commented on the draft and that the office "did not, however, alter its findings and conclusions."[^2][^8]
|
||||
|
||||
### Later Use of the Report
|
||||
|
||||
The full report was refiled as a court exhibit in later cases, including Maxwell's appeal in the [[Second Circuit]], No. 22-1426 (EFTA02844213); [[Government of the United States Virgin Islands v. JPMorgan Chase Bank]], No. 22-cv-10904 (EFTA02809635); *[[United States v. Maxwell]]*, No. 20-cr-330 (EFTA02830776); and the [[Palm Beach Post]]'s public records suit against State Attorney [[Dave Aronberg]], *CA Florida Holdings, LLC v. Aronberg*, No. 50-2019-CA-014681 (EFTA02733081). Each copy reproduces the subjects' sworn statements and the contemporaneous emails, among them one in which Acosta wrote to Sloman and Lourie about meeting Epstein's lawyers, "This will end up [in the Department] anyhow, if we don't meet with them."[^9]
|
||||
|
||||
### Footnotes
|
||||
|
||||
[^1]: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Professional Responsibility, "Welcome to OPR," official website. https://www.justice.gov/opr
|
||||
[^2]: U.S. Department of Justice, Epstein Library, EFTA02847284, Prior DOJ Disclosures, report, Office of Professional Responsibility, "Investigation into the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Florida's Resolution of Its 2006-2008 Federal Criminal Investigation of Jeffrey Epstein and Its Interactions with Victims during the Investigation," November 2020, Executive Summary pp. v to vii and n. 6 (EFTA02847290 to EFTA02847292). https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/Prior%20DOJ%20Disclosures/Memos.%20&%20Correspondence/EFTA02847284.pdf
|
||||
[^3]: U.S. Department of Justice, Epstein Library, EFTA02847284 (see note 2), Executive Summary pp. viii to xi (EFTA02847293 to EFTA02847296).
|
||||
[^4]: U.S. Department of Justice, Epstein Library, EFTA02847284 (see note 2), Executive Summary pp. vii to viii and nn. 9 to 10 (EFTA02847292 to EFTA02847293).
|
||||
[^5]: U.S. Department of Justice, Epstein Library, EFTA02847284 (see note 2), Methodology, pp. 287 to 290 (EFTA02847596 to EFTA02847599).
|
||||
[^6]: U.S. Department of Justice, Epstein Library, EFTA02847284 (see note 2), pp. 150 to 155 (EFTA02847459 to EFTA02847464).
|
||||
[^7]: U.S. Department of Justice, Epstein Library, EFTA02847284 (see note 2), p. 169 and n. 244 (EFTA02847478).
|
||||
[^8]: U.S. Department of Justice, Epstein Library, EFTA00077309, DataSet 9, email, Chief, Public Corruption Unit, U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York, and the Office of Professional Responsibility, "RE: Draft OPR Report," August 21, 2020. https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/DataSet%209/EFTA00077309.pdf
|
||||
[^9]: U.S. Department of Justice, Epstein Library, EFTA02844213, Court Records, *United States v. Maxwell*, No. 22-1426 (2d Cir. 2022), Document 1-1, OPR report filed as exhibit, 1,523 pages. https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/Court%20Records/United%20States%20v.%20Maxwell%2C%20No.%2022-1426%20(2d%20Cir.%202022)/EFTA02844213.pdf ; U.S. Department of Justice, Epstein Library, EFTA02809635, Court Records, *Government of the United States Virgin Islands v. JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A.*, No. 22-cv-10904 (S.D.N.Y.), exhibit; EFTA02830776, Court Records, *United States v. Maxwell*, No. 20-cr-00330 (S.D.N.Y. 2020), exhibit; 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), Exhibit 3 to plaintiff's 2021 summary judgment appendix.
|
||||
|
|
@ -0,0 +1,71 @@
|
|||
---
|
||||
category: "U.S. Government"
|
||||
tags:
|
||||
- Organization
|
||||
- LawEnforcement
|
||||
- PalmBeach
|
||||
- JeffreyEpstein
|
||||
- WorkRelease
|
||||
- FloridaScienceFoundation
|
||||
alias:
|
||||
- Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office
|
||||
- Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office (PBSO)
|
||||
- Palm Beach Sheriff's Office
|
||||
- Palm Beach County Sheriff
|
||||
- PBSO
|
||||
summary: "Largest law enforcement agency in Palm Beach County, whose jail placed Jeffrey Epstein on work release in 2008 and whose off-duty deputies were paid through his Florida Science Foundation to guard him."
|
||||
location: "West Palm Beach, Florida"
|
||||
relations:
|
||||
- type: contractor_to
|
||||
with: "[[Florida Science Foundation]]"
|
||||
role: "off-duty deputy details under Extra Duty Permit No. 7804"
|
||||
start: 2008-10
|
||||
end: 2009-07
|
||||
fn: 8
|
||||
- type: investigated
|
||||
with: "[[Florida Department of Law Enforcement]]"
|
||||
reverse: true
|
||||
start: 2019-08
|
||||
end: 2021-05
|
||||
fn: 10
|
||||
created: 2026-09-25
|
||||
updated: 2026-09-25
|
||||
---
|
||||
|
||||
The Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office is the county sheriff's department of [[Palm Beach County]], [[Florida]], based in [[West Palm Beach, Florida|West Palm Beach]] and the largest law enforcement agency in the county. Through its Department of Corrections it runs the county's Main Detention Center and, in 2008 and 2009, housed minimum-security inmates, including those on work release, at its Stockade facility. [[Ric Bradshaw]] has been sheriff since January 2005. [[Jeffrey Epstein]] served his 2008 to 2009 state sentence under the [[Epstein non-prosecution agreement]] in the office's custody; it placed him on work release less than three and a half months into his term, allowing him to leave the Stockade for up to 12 hours a day, six days a week, for the [[Florida Science Foundation]], which paid the office 128,136 dollars for off-duty deputies assigned to him. The [[Florida Department of Law Enforcement]] found in 2021 that Epstein had "received differential treatment" but that no member of the office had committed a crime.[^1][^2][^3]
|
||||
|
||||
### Assurances on Work Release, 2007 to 2008
|
||||
|
||||
Federal prosecutors raised work release before Epstein pleaded. In November 2007 [[Federal Bureau of Investigation|FBI]] agents were told by a "jail supervisor" that although Epstein, as a sex offender, would not qualify for work release, a judge could order it if he was sentenced to a year or less. The day after Epstein's June 30, 2008 plea, Assistant U.S. Attorney [[Ann Marie Villafana|A. Marie Villafaña]] and her supervisor met a sheriff's office official, who told them that "Epstein would be eligible for work release and will be placed on work release," contradicting the jail supervisor and the defense lawyer [[Jack Goldberger]], who days earlier had "specifically told [Villafaña] that [Epstein] would not get work release." She told the official that the Florida Science Foundation did not exist until November 2007 and that its address was Goldberger's office, and asked that the office notify the [[U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Florida]] if Epstein applied. The federal office's investigation log records a July 2008 email between Villafaña and "Col. M. Gauger" of the sheriff's office "re Epstein work release with attachment." State Attorney [[Barry Krischer]] later told the [[Department of Justice|Justice Department]]'s [[Office of Professional Responsibility]] that work release was "within the control of the Sheriff's Office, not my office."[^2][^4]
|
||||
|
||||
### Placement and Protest
|
||||
|
||||
The federal office "never received notice of Epstein's work release application." On October 10, 2008 the sheriff's office placed him in the program. According to Villafaña, the FBI case agent reported that the Stockade's work release coordinator told her he had been led to believe the government knew of Epstein's application and that he had been threatened with legal action if he did not allow Epstein to participate. The [[Palm Beach Daily News]] reported in December 2008 that Epstein was being "treated differently."[^2]
|
||||
|
||||
On December 3, 2008 Villafaña wrote to her supervisors that Epstein "has hired off-duty Sheriff's deputies to provide him with 'protection.' It appears that he is paying between $3000 and $4100 per week for this service, despite the work release rules barring anyone from the Sheriff's Office (and the Sheriff's Office itself) from having 'any business transactions with inmates . . . while they are in the custody or supervision of the Sheriff. . . .'" She also wrote that Goldberger and Krischer had told federal prosecutors Epstein would be housed at the county jail, not the Stockade, although "he would not have been eligible for work release if at the jail." On December 11 she wrote to the office's Corrections Division that Epstein was ineligible and that his application was inaccurate: the Florida Science Foundation's listed telephone number belonged to Goldberger's law firm, and the foundation vice president named as his "supervisor," who lived and worked in the New York area, had told the [[Internal Revenue Service]] that Epstein worked one hour a week for no pay while telling the sheriff's office that he worked six 12-hour days a week. "The Sheriff's Office neither acknowledged nor responded to Villafaña's letter." In March 2009 First Assistant U.S. Attorney [[Jeffrey Sloman]] wrote to [[Alan Dershowitz]] that his office "will not interfere with how the Palm Beach Sheriff's Office administers the sentence imposed by the Court," while stating it would object to alternative custody or home detention if asked.[^2]
|
||||
|
||||
### Permit No. 7804
|
||||
|
||||
The office's Extra Duty Permits System carried the detail as Permit No. 7804, "Florida Science Foundation," with posts titled "FL Science Foundation - Plain Clothed Position." Deputies' overtime reports for July 1 to 14, 2009 describe the work as "Provide security for Jeffrey Epstein," including keeping a log of visitors and escorting him at midday from the office to his house at [[358 El Brillo Way]] and back. The office's media relations unit faxed the reports on July 21, 2009, and the pages were later produced to federal prosecutors in New York. Records obtained by the West Palm Beach station WPTV show that the foundation paid the sheriff's office 128,136 dollars during Epstein's incarceration. Epstein received gain time and was released to home confinement on July 22, 2009, having served less than 13 months of an 18-month term.[^5][^6][^7][^8]
|
||||
|
||||
### The 2019 to 2021 Reviews
|
||||
|
||||
In August 2019, after a letter from Bradshaw, Governor [[Ron DeSantis]] directed the Florida Department of Law Enforcement to take over the criminal investigation of the matter: "Floridians expect and deserve a full and fair investigation." The department released a series of investigative summaries on May 10, 2021. It found that it "appears that Epstein received differential treatment" in the office's custody, and that no evidence showed criminal activity by any identified member of the office. The sheriff's office stated that the department had determined "there was NO inappropriate or criminal activity on the part of any PBSO member with respect to their participation in Epstein's work release or the permit detail," adding that the victims' own attorney had stated "there is 'NO alleged wrongdoing by the Deputies.'"[^9][^10]
|
||||
|
||||
### The 2026 Allegation
|
||||
|
||||
In June 2026 the [[Miami Herald]] reported that Epstein's former assistant [[Sarah Kellen]] had told congressional investigators, "I know that he arranged to have cash and, like, Disneyland tickets, taken to one of the officers," naming a sheriff's deputy. A spokeswoman for the sheriff's office responded that "[t]he Epstein investigation did not reveal these allegations, and they were never investigated," cited the 2021 finding, and said, "The investigation is complete."[^11]
|
||||
|
||||
### Footnotes
|
||||
|
||||
[^1]: U.S. Department of Justice, Epstein Library, EFTA02847284, Prior DOJ Disclosures, report, Office of Professional Responsibility, "Investigation into the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Florida's Resolution of Its 2006-2008 Federal Criminal Investigation of Jeffrey Epstein and Its Interactions with Victims during the Investigation," November 2020, p. 4 and Executive Summary p. iii (EFTA02847313, EFTA02847288). https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/Prior%20DOJ%20Disclosures/Memos.%20&%20Correspondence/EFTA02847284.pdf
|
||||
[^2]: U.S. Department of Justice, Epstein Library, EFTA02847284 (see note 1), pp. 114 to 117 and nn. 180 to 182 (EFTA02847423 to EFTA02847426).
|
||||
[^3]: "Jeffrey Epstein paid Palm Beach Sheriff's Office $128,000 during incarceration for prostitution charges," *WPTV,* 2019. https://www.wptv.com/news/region-c-palm-beach-county/new-jeffrey-epstein-paid-palm-beach-sheriffs-office-128-000-during-incarceration-for-prostitution
|
||||
[^4]: U.S. Department of Justice, Epstein Library, EFTA00224943, DataSet 9, "Epstein Investigation Timeline," Exhibit A-1, privileged chronology of the federal investigation, May 2006 to August 2011, pp. 37 to 39. https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/DataSet%209/EFTA00224943.pdf
|
||||
[^5]: U.S. Department of Justice, Epstein Library, EFTA01308629, DataSet 10, Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office Extra Duty Permits System overtime report forms, Permit No. 7804, "Florida Science Foundation," July 1 to 14, 2009, faxed July 21, 2009. https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/DataSet%2010/EFTA01308629.pdf
|
||||
[^6]: "Jeffrey Epstein paid Palm Beach Sheriff's Office $128,000" (see note 3).
|
||||
[^7]: U.S. Department of Justice, Epstein Library, EFTA02847284 (see note 1), p. 117 (EFTA02847426).
|
||||
[^8]: U.S. Department of Justice, Epstein Library, EFTA01308629 (see note 5); "Jeffrey Epstein paid Palm Beach Sheriff's Office $128,000" (see note 3).
|
||||
[^9]: Sabrina Lolo, "FDLE clears PBSO, prosecutors in connection to Epstein's work release privileges," *CBS12,* May 10, 2021. https://cbs12.com/news/local/fdle-clears-pbso-prosecutors-in-connection-to-epsteins-work-release-privileges
|
||||
[^10]: "Florida authorities find no evidence of criminal activity in state's handling of Jeffrey Epstein case," *NBC News,* May 2021. https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/florida-authorities-no-evidence-criminal-activity-state-s-handling-jeffrey-n1266888 ; Sabrina Lolo (see note 9).
|
||||
[^11]: Julie K. Brown, "Ex-aide says Epstein paid Palm Beach deputy to get special treatment in jail," *Miami Herald* via *Jefferson City News-Tribune,* June 16, 2026. https://www.newstribune.com/news/2026/jun/16/ex-aide-says-epstein-paid-palm-beach-deputy-to/
|
||||
|
|
@ -0,0 +1,74 @@
|
|||
---
|
||||
category: "U.S. Government"
|
||||
tags:
|
||||
- Organization
|
||||
- LawEnforcement
|
||||
- PalmBeach
|
||||
- JeffreyEpstein
|
||||
- Police
|
||||
alias:
|
||||
- Palm Beach Police Department
|
||||
- Palm Beach Police
|
||||
- PBPD
|
||||
- Town of Palm Beach Police Department
|
||||
summary: "Police force of the Town of Palm Beach, formed in 1922, whose 2005 to 2006 investigation of Jeffrey Epstein was referred to the FBI after the State Attorney declined its recommended felony charges."
|
||||
start: 1922-10-17
|
||||
location: "Palm Beach, Florida"
|
||||
relations:
|
||||
- type: head_of
|
||||
with: "[[Joseph Borman]]"
|
||||
reverse: true
|
||||
role: "town marshal, then first police chief"
|
||||
start: 1911
|
||||
end: 1946
|
||||
fn: 1
|
||||
- type: head_of
|
||||
with: "[[Kirk Blouin]]"
|
||||
reverse: true
|
||||
role: "Director of Public Safety"
|
||||
start: 2009
|
||||
end: 2018
|
||||
fn: 1
|
||||
- type: head_of
|
||||
with: "[[Nicholas Caristo]]"
|
||||
reverse: true
|
||||
role: "chief"
|
||||
start: 2019
|
||||
fn: 1
|
||||
created: 2026-09-25
|
||||
updated: 2026-09-25
|
||||
---
|
||||
|
||||
The Palm Beach Police Department is the law enforcement agency of the Town of [[Palm Beach, Florida|Palm Beach]], the incorporated town occupying the coastal barrier island off the city of [[West Palm Beach, Florida|West Palm Beach]]. Formed on October 17, 1922 out of the office of town marshal created in 1911, it opened the first criminal investigation of [[Jeffrey Epstein]] in March 2005. Under Chief [[Michael Reiter]], its detectives recommended felony charges for sexual activity with minors in May 2006; after the [[Palm Beach County State Attorney's Office]] under [[Barry Krischer]] instead obtained a single solicitation count from a grand jury, the department took the case to the [[Federal Bureau of Investigation]], the origin of the federal investigation that ended in the [[Epstein non-prosecution agreement]].[^1][^2][^3]
|
||||
|
||||
### History
|
||||
|
||||
The town's first charter of 1911 created the office of town marshal, to which Joseph Borman was elected; Borman, "known as 'Mr. Palm Beach,'" patrolled from Singer Island to the Lantana Inlet on his own bicycle and became the first police chief when the department was formed in 1922, serving until 1946. The department moved into a station and jail at the site of the present Town Hall. After the 1928 hurricane martial law was declared and 171 members of the [[Florida National Guard|National Guard]] patrolled Palm Beach, and during the [[World War II|Second World War]] military police patrolled the town with its officers, "as the town was a major rest and relaxation point for servicemen." Its chiefs have included Joseph L. Terlizzese (1978 to 1998), Frank A. Croft (1998 to 2001) and Michael S. Reiter (2001 to 2009); Kirk W. Blouin led the town's police as Director of Public Safety from 2009 to 2018, and Nicholas P. Caristo became chief in 2019.[^1]
|
||||
|
||||
### Earlier Reports About Epstein
|
||||
|
||||
The department had received information about Epstein before 2005. In March 2004 an officer documented a telephone complaint that a 17-year-old girl had been giving Epstein topless massages at his residence for several months for 200 dollars each, and that there were nude photographs of other girls throughout the house; the caller offered to cooperate. The report described the information as "unverified," and it was not pursued. On November 28, 2004 the police recorded information that young women had been seen coming and going from Epstein's house at [[358 El Brillo Way]]; they suspected he was procuring prostitutes but opened no investigation because they had no evidence the women were minors and "typically did not investigate prostitution occurring in private residences."[^2]
|
||||
|
||||
### The 2005 to 2006 Investigation
|
||||
|
||||
In March 2005 the parents of a 14-year-old girl reported that a man had paid their daughter 300 dollars to give him a massage in his Palm Beach home. The department began investigating Epstein and two of his personal assistants, and the inquiry expanded to allegations that during 2004 and 2005 Epstein, through his assistants and some of the victims, regularly recruited local high-school-age girls to give him massages that led to sexual activity. According to the [[Department of Justice|Justice Department]]'s [[Office of Professional Responsibility]], "Epstein was aware of the PBPD investigation almost from the beginning" and retained criminal defense counsel, who hired private investigators. When officers executed a search warrant at the house on October 20, 2005, they found computer monitors and keyboards and disconnected surveillance cameras, but the computers and storage media were gone. They recovered message pads recording calls from girls over two years, photographs of naked young females of indeterminate age, massage tables and one victim's high school transcript. The lead detective, [[Joseph Recarey]], later told federal prosecutors he believed Epstein "may have been 'tipped off'" before the search.[^3][^4]
|
||||
|
||||
The police brought the case to the State Attorney's Office without making an arrest. Recarey swore a probable cause affidavit on May 1, 2006 recommending four counts of unlawful sexual activity with a minor and one count of lewd and lascivious molestation. The same day Reiter sent Krischer probable cause affidavits and a case filing package on Epstein, one of his assistants and a young woman whom Epstein had first victimized and then used to recruit other girls, with a letter calling the office's "treatment of these cases [to be] highly unusual," urging Krischer "to examine the unusual course that your office's handling of this matter has taken," and asking him to consider disqualifying himself. Assistant State Attorney [[Lanna Belohlavek]] told OPR that her office and the police "were at a disagreement" over "what the state . . . could ethically charge," and that "the police were not happy with that." In a 2009 deposition Reiter testified: "I knew that it didn't really matter what the facts were in this case, it was pretty clear to me that Mr. Krischer did not want to prosecute this case." On July 19, 2006 the grand jury returned one count of felony solicitation of prostitution.[^3][^5][^6]
|
||||
|
||||
### Referral to the FBI
|
||||
|
||||
Before formally presenting the case, the department told an FBI agent in West Palm Beach that the State Attorney's Office was considering not charging Epstein or allowing a misdemeanor plea. In May 2006 the lead detective met the Assistant U.S. Attorney [[Ann Marie Villafana|A. Marie Villafaña]] and the FBI case agent. According to Villafaña, he said that "pressure had been brought to bear on . . . Krischer by Epstein's attorneys," that the defense had hired private investigators to trail him and Reiter and had raised claims of police improprieties, and that the defense had "orchestrated the removal" of the first Assistant State Attorney on the case, "who was viewed as an aggressive prosecutor," by hiring a lawyer whose relationship with her created a conflict. He told them that flight logs of Epstein's airplane sometimes listed passengers only as "female," which he suspected might refer to underage girls, but that he could not confirm it. Reiter testified in 2009 that after the referral a Town of Palm Beach official criticized him, telling him the victims were not believable and that "Palm Beach solves its own problems." In August 2006 Villafaña told her supervisors she would meet Reiter "to convince him to relinquish the evidence to the FBI."[^4][^7]
|
||||
|
||||
After the non-prosecution agreement was signed in September 2007, Villafaña reported that a federal prosecutor calling Reiter "knows not to tell Chief Reiter about the money issue, just about what crimes Mr. Epstein is pleading guilty to and the amount of time that has been agreed to," and was "telling Chief Reiter not to disclose the outcome to anyone." Reiter later testified that "the Epstein case was an instance of a many million dollars defense and what it can accomplish." Recarey died in May 2018.[^4][^8][^9]
|
||||
|
||||
### Footnotes
|
||||
|
||||
[^1]: Town of Palm Beach, "History of the Police Department." https://www.townofpalmbeach.com/299/Historyof-thePolice-Department
|
||||
[^2]: U.S. Department of Justice, Epstein Library, EFTA02847284, Prior DOJ Disclosures, report, Office of Professional Responsibility, "Investigation into the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Florida's Resolution of Its 2006-2008 Federal Criminal Investigation of Jeffrey Epstein and Its Interactions with Victims during the Investigation," November 2020, pp. 4, 11 and n. 6 (EFTA02847313, EFTA02847320). https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/Prior%20DOJ%20Disclosures/Memos.%20&%20Correspondence/EFTA02847284.pdf
|
||||
[^3]: U.S. Department of Justice, Epstein Library, EFTA02847284 (see note 2), pp. 11 to 16 (EFTA02847320 to EFTA02847325).
|
||||
[^4]: U.S. Department of Justice, Epstein Library, EFTA02847284 (see note 2), pp. 16 to 17 and nn. 18 to 19 (EFTA02847325 to EFTA02847326).
|
||||
[^5]: Palm Beach Police Department, probable cause affidavit of Detective Joseph Recarey regarding Jeffrey Epstein, sworn May 1, 2006 (redacted). https://archive.org/stream/JeffreyEpstein/Jeffrey%20Epstein%20Redacted%20Probable%20Cause%20Affadavit_djvu.txt
|
||||
[^6]: "Judge releases Jeffrey Epstein grand jury investigation transcripts," *WUSF / Associated Press,* July 1, 2024. https://www.wusf.org/courts-law/2024-07-01/florida-judge-releases-transcripts-2006-grand-jury-investigation-jeffrey-epstein-sex-trafficking
|
||||
[^7]: U.S. Department of Justice, Epstein Library, EFTA02847284 (see note 2), p. 21 (EFTA02847330).
|
||||
[^8]: Opinion and Order, *Jane Doe 1 and Jane Doe 2 v. United States*, No. 9:08-cv-80736-KAM (S.D. Fla. Feb. 21, 2019), ECF No. 435 (Marra, J.), reported at 359 F. Supp. 3d 1201, quoting ECF No. 407. https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.flsd.317867/gov.uscourts.flsd.317867.435.0.pdf
|
||||
[^9]: U.S. Department of Justice, Epstein Library, EFTA02847284 (see note 2), p. 151 n. 223 (EFTA02847460).
|
||||
|
|
@ -0,0 +1,70 @@
|
|||
---
|
||||
category: "U.S. Government"
|
||||
tags:
|
||||
- Organization
|
||||
- DepartmentOfJustice
|
||||
- Prosecutor
|
||||
- JeffreyEpstein
|
||||
- NonProsecutionAgreement
|
||||
- Miami
|
||||
alias:
|
||||
- U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Florida
|
||||
- United States Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Florida
|
||||
- U.S. Attorney's Office, Southern District of Florida
|
||||
- Southern District of Florida
|
||||
- SDFL
|
||||
- USAO-SDFL
|
||||
- Miami U.S. Attorney's Office
|
||||
summary: "Federal prosecutor's office for South Florida, headquartered in Miami, which investigated Jeffrey Epstein from 2006 and resolved the case in 2007 through a non-prosecution agreement immunizing his co-conspirators."
|
||||
start: 1929
|
||||
location: "Miami, Florida"
|
||||
relations:
|
||||
- type: investigated
|
||||
with: "[[Office of Professional Responsibility]]"
|
||||
reverse: true
|
||||
start: 2019-02-06
|
||||
end: 2020-11
|
||||
fn: 4
|
||||
created: 2026-09-25
|
||||
updated: 2026-09-25
|
||||
---
|
||||
|
||||
The U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Florida is the [[Department of Justice]] office that prosecutes federal crimes and conducts federal civil litigation in the nine southernmost counties of [[Florida]], from [[Key West, Florida|Key West]] to Vero Beach. Headquartered in [[Miami]] with staffed branches in [[Fort Lauderdale]], [[West Palm Beach, Florida|West Palm Beach]] and Fort Pierce, it opened a federal investigation of [[Jeffrey Epstein]] in May 2006, drafted a 60-count indictment, and under U.S. Attorney [[Alexander Acosta]] resolved the case on September 24, 2007 with the [[Epstein non-prosecution agreement]], which required a state guilty plea and bound the [[United States]] not to charge "any potential co-conspirators of Epstein." A federal judge found in 2019 that the office had violated the [[Crime Victims' Rights Act]] by concealing the agreement from victims, and the Justice Department's [[Office of Professional Responsibility]] found in 2020 that Acosta's use of it "constitutes poor judgment."[^1][^2][^3][^4]
|
||||
|
||||
### The Office
|
||||
|
||||
The first U.S. Attorney's office in Miami opened in 1929 at 100 N.E. 1st Avenue and moved in 1932 into the federal courthouse, where the sole federal judge, John W. Holland, was a former U.S. Attorney. In 1952 the office had two part-time Assistant U.S. Attorneys and three support staff. The Fort Lauderdale office opened in 1975, West Palm Beach in 1978 and Fort Pierce in 1990, and since 1993 the headquarters has been at 99 N.E. 4th Street in Miami. The number of prosecutors grew from nine in 1965 to approximately 223 Assistant U.S. Attorneys and 41 Special Assistants. The district covers 15,197 square miles and more than 7 million residents in Monroe, Miami-Dade, [[Broward County, Florida|Broward]], [[Palm Beach County|Palm Beach]], Martin, St. Lucie, Indian River, Okeechobee and Highlands counties; the office describes the district as having "ties to [[Latin America]], the Bahamas, and other Caribbean nations" and as home to federal enclaves including the [[United States Southern Command|U.S. Southern Command]] and [[Homestead Air Reserve Base]].[^1]
|
||||
|
||||
During the Epstein investigation the office had about 200 prosecutors and 200 support staff. The First Assistant U.S. Attorney was second in command, supervising the Criminal, Civil and Appellate Divisions, and the West Palm Beach branch, about 70 miles from Miami and covering Palm Beach County, had two criminal sections under a managing Assistant U.S. Attorney. The Justice Department's report describes one of Epstein's Miami lawyers, identified by the first name Guy, as a former career prosecutor in the office who was U.S. Attorney from 2000 to 2002 and then for two years Director of the [[Executive Office for United States Attorneys]]. A December 2018 account of Epstein's early defense team listed "former U.S. Attorney [[Guy Lewis]]" among its members.[^2][^5][^6]
|
||||
|
||||
### Leadership During the Epstein Case
|
||||
|
||||
Acosta was appointed interim U.S. Attorney in June 2005, at 36, after serving as Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights; he was confirmed on August 3, 2006 and sworn in that October. In September 2006 he named [[Jeffrey Sloman]] First Assistant and [[Matthew Menchel]] chief of the Criminal Division. [[Andrew Lourie]], a deputy chief of the Criminal Division, managed the West Palm Beach branch, and [[Ann Marie Villafana|A. Marie Villafaña]] was the line prosecutor. Menchel left in August 2007 and Lourie moved to a Criminal Division post in Washington in September 2007, while the agreement was being negotiated. On December 8, 2008 the Justice Department approved Acosta's recusal from matters involving [[Kirkland & Ellis]], Epstein's law firm, because he had begun discussing employment with it, and Sloman became the senior official on the case. Acosta left in June 2009 to become dean of the law school at [[Florida International University]]; Sloman served as Acting and then Interim U.S. Attorney until June 2010.[^2][^7]
|
||||
|
||||
### Operation Leap Year
|
||||
|
||||
The [[Palm Beach Police Department]] referred the Epstein case to the [[Federal Bureau of Investigation]] in West Palm Beach after the [[Palm Beach County State Attorney's Office]] obtained a single state solicitation count. Villafaña opened an office file on May 23, 2006, naming the investigation "Operation Leap Year." On July 24, 2006 Sloman described it to Lourie as "a highly sensitive case involving some [[Palm Beach, Florida|Palm Beach]] rich guy," and when Acosta asked whether to give State Attorney [[Barry Krischer]] "a heads up," Sloman answered, "No for fear that it will be leaked straight to Epstein." Villafaña's immediate supervisor told the Office of Professional Responsibility that "Miami" had "purposefully assumed all the 'authority' for the case," which the supervisor regarded as "highly unusual."[^7]
|
||||
|
||||
The Justice Department's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section reviewed Villafaña's May 2007 prosecution memorandum favorably, but the office's managers did not approve an indictment. Epstein's defense, which grew to include [[Alan Dershowitz]], [[Kenneth Starr]], [[Jay Lefkowitz]], [[Gerald Lefcourt]], [[Roy Black]], [[Lilly Ann Sanchez]] and [[Jack Goldberger]], pressed for meetings with Acosta. On July 31, 2007 the office offered to end its investigation if Epstein pleaded guilty to state charges, served two years, registered as a sex offender and agreed to a damages mechanism for victims. The final terms, including the co-conspirator clause and a provision that the agreement "will not be made part of any public record," were negotiated by email in September 2007. The office did not tell victims of the agreement before or after it was signed and, in the court's later finding, led them to believe that federal charges remained possible.[^3][^8]
|
||||
|
||||
After Epstein's June 30, 2008 state plea, the office objected to his placement on work release by the [[Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office]] in October 2008, and on June 9, 2009 Villafaña sought approval to notify Epstein of a breach; no indictment was returned. The office told Epstein's lawyers in September 2009 that it would treat a transfer of his supervision to the [[U.S. Virgin Islands]] as a violation. In August 2011 the Justice Department recused the office from "all matters, to include the investigation and potential prosecution, relating to Jeffrey Epstein's alleged sexual activities with minor females," and assigned them to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the [[Middle District of Florida]], whose records include "a declination of the matter due to the NPA."[^8][^9][^10]
|
||||
|
||||
### Litigation and Review
|
||||
|
||||
In [[Doe v. United States]], a suit filed by two victims on July 7, 2008, Judge [[Kenneth Marra]] ruled on February 21, 2019 that "[p]articularly problematic was the Government's decision to conceal the existence of the NPA and mislead the victims to believe that federal prosecution was still a possibility." The Justice Department then recused the office from the litigation and reassigned it to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the [[Northern District of Georgia]]. The Office of Professional Responsibility opened its review of the office's handling of the case on February 6, 2019, and in November 2020 found no professional misconduct by Acosta, Sloman, Menchel, Lourie or Villafaña, while concluding that Acosta's decision "constitutes poor judgment" and that the government's "lack of transparency and its inconsistent messages" gave the public "the misimpression that the government had colluded with Epstein's counsel to keep the NPA secret from the victims."[^3][^4]
|
||||
|
||||
In [[Ghislaine Maxwell]]'s prosecution in New York, the [[Second Circuit]] held in 2024 that the co-conspirator clause bound only the Southern District of Florida, and the [[Supreme Court of the United States|Supreme Court]] declined her petition in October 2025.[^11]
|
||||
|
||||
### Footnotes
|
||||
|
||||
[^1]: U.S. Attorney's Office, Southern District of Florida, "About" and "About the District." https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdfl/about
|
||||
[^2]: U.S. Department of Justice, Epstein Library, EFTA02847284, Prior DOJ Disclosures, report, Office of Professional Responsibility, "Investigation into the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Florida's Resolution of Its 2006-2008 Federal Criminal Investigation of Jeffrey Epstein and Its Interactions with Victims during the Investigation," November 2020, pp. 2, 4 to 7, 22 and n. 34 (EFTA02847311, EFTA02847313 to EFTA02847316, EFTA02847331). https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/Prior%20DOJ%20Disclosures/Memos.%20&%20Correspondence/EFTA02847284.pdf
|
||||
[^3]: Opinion and Order, *Jane Doe 1 and Jane Doe 2 v. United States*, No. 9:08-cv-80736-KAM (S.D. Fla. Feb. 21, 2019), ECF No. 435 (Marra, J.), reported at 359 F. Supp. 3d 1201, quoting ECF No. 407 and the agreement (ECF No. 361-62). https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.flsd.317867/gov.uscourts.flsd.317867.435.0.pdf
|
||||
[^4]: U.S. Department of Justice, Epstein Library, EFTA02847284 (see note 2), Executive Summary pp. v to xi and p. 6 n. 3 (EFTA02847290 to EFTA02847296, EFTA02847315).
|
||||
[^5]: "Daily Dicta: Why Jeffrey Epstein's All-Star Defense Team May Be the Victim of Its Own Success," *ALM Media* via *Yahoo Finance,* December 5, 2018. https://finance.yahoo.com/news/daily-dicta-why-jeffrey-epstein-062720798.html
|
||||
[^6]: U.S. Department of Justice, Epstein Library, EFTA02847284 (see note 2), pp. 150 to 152 (EFTA02847459 to EFTA02847461).
|
||||
[^7]: U.S. Department of Justice, Epstein Library, EFTA02847284 (see note 2), pp. 18, 21 and nn. 21, 28 to 31 (EFTA02847327, EFTA02847330).
|
||||
[^8]: U.S. Department of Justice, Epstein Library, EFTA02847284 (see note 2), pp. 28 to 30, 114 to 118 (EFTA02847337 to EFTA02847339, EFTA02847423 to EFTA02847427).
|
||||
[^9]: U.S. Department of Justice, Epstein Library, EFTA00224943, DataSet 9, "Epstein Investigation Timeline," Exhibit A-1, privileged chronology of the federal investigation, May 2006 to August 2011, pp. 45 to 51. https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/DataSet%209/EFTA00224943.pdf
|
||||
[^10]: U.S. Department of Justice, Epstein Library, EFTA02847284 (see note 2), Methodology, p. 289 (EFTA02847598).
|
||||
[^11]: *United States v. Maxwell*, No. 22-1426 (2d Cir. Sept. 17, 2024); "Ghislaine Maxwell loses sex trafficking appeal," *BBC,* September 2024. https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cy0glxd0gxko ; "Supreme Court declines to hear Ghislaine Maxwell's appeal," *SCOTUSblog,* October 2025. https://www.scotusblog.com/2025/10/supreme-court-declines-to-hear-ghislaine-maxwells-appeal/
|
||||
|
|
@ -0,0 +1,90 @@
|
|||
---
|
||||
category: "U.S. Government"
|
||||
tags:
|
||||
- Organization
|
||||
- DepartmentOfJustice
|
||||
- Prosecutor
|
||||
- JeffreyEpstein
|
||||
- GhislaineMaxwell
|
||||
- SDNY
|
||||
- Manhattan
|
||||
alias:
|
||||
- U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York
|
||||
- United States Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York
|
||||
- U.S. Attorney's Office, Southern District of New York
|
||||
- Southern District of New York
|
||||
- SDNY
|
||||
- USAO-SDNY
|
||||
- Manhattan U.S. Attorney's Office
|
||||
summary: "Federal prosecutor's office for Manhattan, the Bronx and six northern counties, which indicted Jeffrey Epstein in 2019 through its Public Corruption Unit, convicted Ghislaine Maxwell, and charged his jail guards."
|
||||
location: "New York, New York"
|
||||
relations:
|
||||
- type: head_of
|
||||
with: "[[Audrey Strauss]]"
|
||||
reverse: true
|
||||
role: "acting U.S. Attorney"
|
||||
start: 2020-06-20
|
||||
fn: 10
|
||||
- type: head_of
|
||||
with: "[[Jay Clayton]]"
|
||||
reverse: true
|
||||
role: "interim, then acting U.S. Attorney"
|
||||
start: 2025
|
||||
fn: 17
|
||||
created: 2026-09-25
|
||||
updated: 2026-09-25
|
||||
---
|
||||
|
||||
The U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York is the [[Department of Justice]] office that represents the [[United States]] in criminal and civil cases before the [[U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York]], the district's bankruptcy court and the [[Second Circuit|U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit]]. Its district covers [[Manhattan]] and [[the Bronx]] and Dutchess, Orange, Putnam, Rockland, Sullivan and [[Westchester County, New York|Westchester]] counties. In July 2019 the office indicted [[Jeffrey Epstein]] on sex trafficking charges in a case assigned to its Public Corruption Unit, eleven years after the [[U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Florida]] had resolved his federal case with the [[Epstein non-prosecution agreement]]. After Epstein died at the [[Metropolitan Correctional Center, New York]] in August 2019, the office charged the two guards on duty, prosecuted and convicted [[Ghislaine Maxwell]], and in 2025 and 2026 figured in the government's handling of the [[Epstein Files|Epstein files]] under U.S. Attorney [[Jay Clayton]].[^1][^2][^3]
|
||||
|
||||
### The Office
|
||||
|
||||
The office is led by the U.S. Attorney and has a Criminal Division, a Civil Division and a White Plains Division within the Criminal Division, with more than 220 Assistant U.S. Attorneys. Its criminal division sits at 26 Federal Plaza in Manhattan, its civil division at 86 Chambers Street, and its White Plains office at 50 Main Street.[^1]
|
||||
|
||||
### The Epstein Prosecution
|
||||
|
||||
According to an [[Federal Bureau of Investigation|FBI]] case history written in 2025, the FBI New York Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force opened its Epstein case on December 6, 2018 at the office's request, eight days after the [[Miami Herald]] published [[Julie K. Brown]]'s series on the Florida agreement. A grand jury returned an indictment on July 2, 2019 charging sex trafficking of minors and conspiracy based on conduct in Manhattan and [[Palm Beach, Florida|Palm Beach]] from 2002 to 2005, and Epstein was arrested at [[Teterboro Airport]] on July 6. U.S. Attorney [[Geoffrey Berman]] said on July 8 that "we were assisted by some excellent investigative journalism." The case was assigned to the Public Corruption Unit, which typically handles cases involving public officials or funds, and Berman declined to explain why. The prosecutors were [[Alex Rossmiller]], [[Alison Moe]] and [[Maurene Comey]]. The office argued that the Florida agreement "didn't purport to bind any other office or district."[^2][^3][^4][^5]
|
||||
|
||||
A search of Epstein's Manhattan house found a safe holding more than 70,000 dollars in cash, 48 loose diamonds and an Austrian passport from the 1980s bearing his photograph under another name and a [[Saudi Arabia|Saudi]] address; the office told the court that it carried stamps showing use "to enter France, Spain, the [[United Kingdom]], and Saudi Arabia in the 1980s." Judge [[Richard M. Berman]] denied bail on July 18, 2019. Epstein was found hanging in his cell on August 10, 2019. The office filed a nolle prosequi; at an August 27 hearing more than a dozen of Epstein's victims, including victims of the conduct resolved in Florida, spoke, and the indictment was dismissed on August 29.[^6][^7]
|
||||
|
||||
### The Guards
|
||||
|
||||
On November 19, 2019 the office charged [[Tova Noel]] and [[Michael Thomas]], the officers on duty in Epstein's unit, with conspiracy and falsifying records of the counts and rounds they had not performed the night he died. Both entered deferred prosecution agreements on May 25, 2021 and the charges were dismissed after they complied. According to the Justice Department's inspector general, the office declined to prosecute other staff of the jail who had created false documentation.[^8][^9]
|
||||
|
||||
### The Removal of Berman
|
||||
|
||||
On the night of June 19, 2020 Attorney General [[William Barr]] announced that Berman was "stepping down" and that President [[Donald Trump]] would nominate Clayton, then chairman of the [[Securities and Exchange Commission]], in his place, while the office was investigating Trump's lawyer Giuliani. Berman said he had not resigned. Barr wrote to him the next day that he had "asked the President to remove you as of today, and he has done so," and Berman left after Barr agreed that his deputy, [[Audrey Strauss]], would lead the office as acting U.S. Attorney. On July 2, 2020 the office under Strauss announced Maxwell's arrest.[^10][^11]
|
||||
|
||||
### Maxwell
|
||||
|
||||
A sealed indictment of Maxwell was returned on June 29, 2020 and unsealed on her arrest on July 2. The 2025 FBI case history records that "SDNY proffered Maxwell with her Defense counsel prior to indictment." The office defeated her motion to dismiss on the ground that she was a beneficiary of the Florida agreement's co-conspirator clause. A jury convicted her on December 29, 2021 on five of six counts, and she was sentenced on June 28, 2022 to 20 years. The two perjury counts arising from her 2016 deposition in [[Giuffre v. Maxwell]] were never tried; the same FBI history gives the reason as "the perjury charges were dropped to prevent the victims from testifying in another trial." The Second Circuit affirmed in 2024, holding that the Florida agreement bound only the Southern District of Florida.[^5][^12][^13][^14]
|
||||
|
||||
### The Florida Report
|
||||
|
||||
In August 2020 the chief of the office's Public Corruption Unit reviewed a draft of the report of the Justice Department's [[Office of Professional Responsibility]] on the Florida office's handling of Epstein and asked for two wording changes, both accepted: "at least one victim known to be a minor" became "at least one victim believed to be a minor," to "more accurately reflect[] our position in the bail arguments regarding Epstein," and investigators "were aware" that Epstein used hidden cameras in his New York house became investigators "had learned" it. On February 5, 2020 an unsolicited message titled "Khashoggi connects to Epstein" reached the office and was forwarded internally with the note "I am passing this on."[^15][^16]
|
||||
|
||||
### 2025 and 2026
|
||||
|
||||
On July 7, 2025 the Justice Department and FBI stated that their review of Epstein holdings "revealed no incriminating 'client list'" and that "no further disclosure would be appropriate or warranted." On July 16 the office dismissed Comey, the lead prosecutor on the Maxwell case, by email "[p]ursuant to Article II of the United States Constitution." According to her lawsuit, Clayton, then interim U.S. Attorney, told her: "All I can say is it came from Washington. I can't tell you anything else." On November 14, 2025, at Trump's request, Attorney General [[Pam Bondi]] assigned Clayton to investigate Epstein's dealings with [[Bill Clinton]], [[Larry Summers]], [[Reid Hoffman]] and [[JPMorgan Chase]]. In September 2026 federal prosecutors in Manhattan were reported to be investigating Epstein's estate executors, [[Darren Indyke]] and [[Richard Kahn]]; a Justice Department spokesman said, "We don't comment on the existence, or lack thereof, of investigations."[^17][^18][^19]
|
||||
|
||||
### Footnotes
|
||||
|
||||
[^1]: U.S. Attorney's Office, Southern District of New York, "About" and "About the District." https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdny/about
|
||||
[^2]: United States v. Epstein, No. 1:19-cr-00490-RMB (S.D.N.Y.), docket. https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/15887848/united-states-v-epstein/ ; "Jeffrey Epstein Charged In Manhattan Federal Court With Sex Trafficking Of Minors," *U.S. Attorney's Office, Southern District of New York,* July 8, 2019. https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdny/pr/jeffrey-epstein-charged-manhattan-federal-court-sex-trafficking-minors
|
||||
[^3]: "Jeffrey Epstein operated a vast sex-trafficking network of underage girls who recruited other victims, prosecutors say," *CNN,* July 8, 2019. https://edition.cnn.com/2019/07/08/us/jeffrey-epstein-monday-court-appearance
|
||||
[^4]: "What we know about the agreement at the heart of Jeffrey Epstein's defense," *CNN,* July 9, 2019. https://www.cnn.com/2019/07/09/us/jeffrey-epstein-nonprosecution-agreement
|
||||
[^5]: "NY Prosecutors Charge Jeffrey Epstein With Sex Trafficking," *Courthouse News Service,* July 8, 2019. https://www.courthousenews.com/ny-prosecutors-charge-jeffrey-epstein-with-sex-trafficking/ ; Opinion and Order, *United States v. Maxwell*, No. 1:20-cr-00330-AJN (S.D.N.Y. Apr. 16, 2021), ECF No. 207.
|
||||
[^6]: "Jeffrey Epstein used foreign passport with fake name to enter Saudi Arabia: prosecutors," *NBC News,* July 17, 2019. https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/justice-department/jeffrey-epstein-used-foreign-passport-fake-name-enter-saudi-arabia-n1031046
|
||||
[^7]: U.S. Department of Justice, Epstein Library, EFTA02847284, Prior DOJ Disclosures, report, Office of Professional Responsibility, "Investigation into the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Florida's Resolution of Its 2006-2008 Federal Criminal Investigation of Jeffrey Epstein and Its Interactions with Victims during the Investigation," November 2020, Executive Summary p. v (EFTA02847290). https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/Prior%20DOJ%20Disclosures/Memos.%20&%20Correspondence/EFTA02847284.pdf
|
||||
[^8]: "Correctional Officers Charged With Falsifying Records On August 9th And 10th At The Metropolitan Correctional Center," *U.S. Attorney's Office, Southern District of New York,* November 19, 2019. https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdny/pr/correctional-officers-charged-falsifying-records-august-9th-and-10th-metropolitan
|
||||
[^9]: 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. 5 to 6. https://oig.justice.gov/sites/default/files/reports/23-085.pdf
|
||||
[^10]: Spencer Kimball, "Attorney General Barr tells top Manhattan prosecutor Berman he is fired amid power struggle," *CNBC,* June 20, 2020. https://www.cnbc.com/2020/06/20/attorney-general-barr-tells-manhattan-us-attorney-berman-he-is-fired-amid-power-struggle.html
|
||||
[^11]: "Geoffrey Berman, U.S. Attorney Who Prosecuted Trump Allies, Says He Won't Quit," *NPR,* June 20, 2020. https://www.npr.org/2020/06/20/881148365/geoffrey-berman-u-s-attorney-who-prosecuted-trump-allies-says-he-wont-quit ; "Ghislaine Maxwell Charged In Manhattan Federal Court For Conspiring With Jeffrey Epstein To Sexually Abuse Minor Girls," *U.S. Attorney's Office, Southern District of New York,* July 2, 2020. https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdny/pr/ghislaine-maxwell-charged-manhattan-federal-court-conspiring-jeffrey-epstein-sexually-abuse
|
||||
[^12]: "Ghislaine Maxwell Sentenced To 20 Years In Prison," *U.S. Attorney's Office, Southern District of New York,* June 28, 2022. https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdny/pr/ghislaine-maxwell-sentenced-20-years-prison-conspiring-jeffrey-epstein-sexually-abuse
|
||||
[^13]: U.S. Department of Justice, Epstein Library, EFTA00161422, DataSet 9, internal email chain, "Re: Ghislaine Maxwell," July 22, 2025, EFTA00161422 to EFTA00161424. https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/DataSet%209/EFTA00161422.pdf
|
||||
[^14]: *United States v. Maxwell*, No. 22-1426 (2d Cir. Sept. 17, 2024); "Ghislaine Maxwell loses sex trafficking appeal," *BBC,* September 2024. https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cy0glxd0gxko
|
||||
[^15]: U.S. Department of Justice, Epstein Library, EFTA00077309, DataSet 9, email, Chief, Public Corruption Unit, U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York, and the Office of Professional Responsibility, "RE: Draft OPR Report," August 21, 2020. https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/DataSet%209/EFTA00077309.pdf
|
||||
[^16]: U.S. Department of Justice, Epstein Library, EFTA00104025, DataSet 9, internal U.S. Attorney's Office (SDNY) forwarding chain, "Khashoggi connects to Epstein," February 5-6, 2020. https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/DataSet%209/EFTA00104025.pdf
|
||||
[^17]: "Maurene Comey, prosecutor in Epstein and Combs cases and daughter of former FBI director, sues after being fired," *CNN,* September 15, 2025. https://www.cnn.com/2025/09/15/politics/maurene-comey-justice-department-lawsuit ; U.S. Department of Justice and Federal Bureau of Investigation, memorandum on review of investigative holdings relating to Jeffrey Epstein, July 7, 2025. https://www.justice.gov/opa/media/1407001/dl?inline=
|
||||
[^18]: "Bondi taps acting U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton to probe Democrats' ties to Epstein," *The Washington Times,* November 14, 2025. https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2025/nov/14/bondi-taps-acting-us-attorney-jay-clayton-probe-democrats-ties/
|
||||
[^19]: Kaelan Deese, "Two Jeffrey Epstein associates under investigation by New York federal prosecutors," *Washington Examiner,* September 23, 2026. https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/justice/4739210/jeffrey-epstein-associates-under-investigation-new-york-federal-prosecutors/
|
||||
|
|
@ -0,0 +1,96 @@
|
|||
---
|
||||
category: "U.S. Government"
|
||||
tags:
|
||||
- Organization
|
||||
- VirginIslands
|
||||
- JeffreyEpstein
|
||||
- TaxIncentives
|
||||
- SouthernTrust
|
||||
- FinancialTrustCompany
|
||||
- GovernmentCapture
|
||||
- RegulatoryFailure
|
||||
alias:
|
||||
- Economic Development Authority
|
||||
- V.I. Economic Development Authority
|
||||
- USVI Economic Development Authority
|
||||
- United States Virgin Islands Economic Development Authority
|
||||
- USVIEDA
|
||||
- VIEDA
|
||||
summary: "Semi-autonomous U.S. Virgin Islands public corporation whose Economic Development Commission gave Jeffrey Epstein's companies tax benefits from 1999 to 2019 that a JPMorgan consultant valued at 300 million dollars."
|
||||
location: "St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands"
|
||||
relations:
|
||||
- type: head_of
|
||||
with: "[[Albert Bryan]]"
|
||||
reverse: true
|
||||
start: 2013
|
||||
role: "chairman, while Commissioner of Labor"
|
||||
fn: 3
|
||||
- type: employed_by
|
||||
with: "[[Henry Smock]]"
|
||||
reverse: true
|
||||
role: "counsel to the board"
|
||||
fn: 3
|
||||
- type: employed_by
|
||||
with: "[[Stacey Plaskett]]"
|
||||
reverse: true
|
||||
start: 2007
|
||||
end: 2014
|
||||
role: "general counsel"
|
||||
fn: 3
|
||||
- type: employed_by
|
||||
with: "[[Yolanda Bryan]]"
|
||||
reverse: true
|
||||
start: 2019
|
||||
role: "Business Ambassador"
|
||||
fn: 3
|
||||
- type: employed_by
|
||||
with: "[[Wayne Biggs Jr.]]"
|
||||
reverse: true
|
||||
role: "assistant chief executive"
|
||||
fn: 2
|
||||
created: 2026-09-25
|
||||
updated: 2026-09-25
|
||||
---
|
||||
|
||||
The Virgin Islands Economic Development Authority is a semi-autonomous public corporation of the [[U.S. Virgin Islands]], created under Title 29, section 1101 of the Virgin Islands Code, whose board, the [[Economic Development Commission]], grants tax-incentive certificates to companies that locate in the territory. Through the commission and its predecessor, the [[Industrial Development Commission]], it certified [[Jeffrey Epstein|Jeffrey Epstein's]] [[Financial Trust Company]] from 1999 and his [[Southern Trust Company]] from 2013, and continued the benefits after his 2008 conviction and his 2010 registration as a sex offender in the territory. The future governor [[Albert Bryan]] chaired the authority while serving as Commissioner of Labor, the future congressional delegate [[Stacey Plaskett]] was its general counsel, and the attorney who helped Epstein buy [[Little St. James]], [[Henry Smock]], was long counsel to its board. A consultant retained by [[JPMorgan Chase]] put Epstein's total benefits at about 300 million dollars.[^1][^2][^3]
|
||||
|
||||
### Structure and Legal Basis
|
||||
|
||||
The authority is a semi-autonomous territorial instrumentality, with the Economic Development Commission as its subsidiary tax-benefit board. Section 934 of the [[Internal Revenue Code]] provides that income tax owed to the Virgin Islands may not be reduced "by any law enacted in the Virgin Islands" except as to "income derived from sources within the Virgin Islands or income effectively connected with the conduct of a trade or business within the Virgin Islands." Beneficiaries apply, present their business at a public hearing, and receive a certificate setting the term, the exemptions and the employment, residency and charitable conditions they must meet; the authority's compliance staff then review annual reports.[^1][^4][^5]
|
||||
|
||||
### The Epstein Certificates
|
||||
|
||||
Documents the authority released in February 2020 show that the Industrial Development Commission, the authority's predecessor, first granted tax benefits to Financial Trust Co., Inc. in 1999, in a certificate signed by its director, [[Frandelle Gerard]], with a 90 percent exemption from income tax and 100 percent exemptions from gross-receipts and excise taxes. [[Kenneth Mapp]], governor from 2015 to 2019, had earlier been an assistant director of the Industrial Development Commission. The certificate was amended in 2012 over the signature of Bryan as commission chairman. In January 2020 the authority's assistant chief executive, [[Wayne Biggs Jr.]], told the Virgin Islands Daily News that Epstein "was in the program before he was convicted of any sex crimes under Financial Trust. And he changed from Financial Trust to Southern Trust"; authority officials declined to disclose how much any of the commission's 72 beneficiary companies received each year.[^2][^6]
|
||||
|
||||
On September 21, 2012 Epstein's accountant [[Harry Beller]] wired Southern Trust's 5,000 dollar application fee to the firm of the [[St. Thomas]] lawyer [[Erika Kellerhals]], whose practice advised clients "on obtaining economic development incentives from the U.S. Virgin Islands Economic Development Commission." At the public hearing on November 15, 2012 Epstein and Kellerhals described Southern Trust as providing "cutting edge consulting services" in "biomedical and financial informatics," and no one asked about his conviction. The certificate, running from February 1, 2013 to January 31, 2023, was dated January 24, 2014 and signed by Bryan, then both chairman and Commissioner of Labor under Governor [[John de Jongh]], whose wife, [[Cecile de Jongh]], was office manager of Epstein's companies. Bryan and de Jongh both signed off on an extension of Southern Trust's benefits. Plaskett, the commission's general counsel from 2007 to 2014, had worked for Kellerhals. The territory later estimated that the Southern Trust certificate let Epstein avoid 80,576,236 dollars in taxes, and the authority's records put the incentives received by his companies between 2013 and 2019 at 144.9 million dollars.[^1][^3][^5][^7][^8]
|
||||
|
||||
In July 2016 Governor Mapp asked Epstein whether he would lend the territorial government 275 million dollars, and in the ensuing exchange wrote: "Coffee, maybe subject to your EDC certificate. If we did a pvt placement bond, a greater portion would be triple tax exempt."[^9]
|
||||
|
||||
### Compliance
|
||||
|
||||
The authority did not audit Financial Trust until 2008, nearly ten years after the original grant. The compliance officer [[Sandra Bess]] testified in May 2023 that her review consisted of checking that the summary figures in a beneficiary's annual report matched its supporting pages, and that no part of her job involved "reviewing the character of the people who are the owners of the companies receiving tax benefits." In January 2015 the authority's director of compliance requested an assessment of Southern Trust's business "in light of current media discussions surrounding a principal of Southern Trust Company"; the company kept its benefits.[^1][^5]
|
||||
|
||||
On July 10, 2019, four days after Epstein's arrest, the authority's spokeswoman [[Shanell Petersen]] advised its "Business Ambassador," Bryan's wife [[Yolanda Bryan]], about two press inquiries concerning "Jeffrey Epstein being an active EDC Beneficiary," and a notation recommended "contacting Southern Trust and IYG (companies which he has ownership interest) to update them that we have provided public information based on the Sunshine Act," adding that "Informing them will allow them to prepare their PR team." The Business Ambassador post was created after Bryan took office in 2019. Smock took part in the authority's nine-step protocol for press inquiries after the arrest. In October 2019 the managing director, [[Margarita Benjamin]], forwarded a [[The New York Times|New York Times]] reporter's questions to colleagues with the comment, "I personally think the questions are opening us up to public scrutiny."[^3][^5]
|
||||
|
||||
### Henry Smock
|
||||
|
||||
Smock, who assisted Epstein in the 1998 purchase of Little St. James, served for years as counsel to the authority's board and to the board of the [[University of the Virgin Islands]]. In an October 19, 2011 email to Epstein headed "UVI Park Directors," Cecile de Jongh profiled board candidates for the university's research and technology park, one of the incentive programs on which Kellerhals advised clients, noting of the university's president, "DO NOT KNOW HIM THAT WELL AND HE IS NEW TO THE VI," and of Smock, a former judge of the Territorial Court from 1987 to 1993, former chairman of the Law Revision Commission and former president of the Virgin Islands Bar Association: "FRIEND." According to [[Federal Bureau of Investigation|FBI]] notes of a 2023 interview with the former Attorney General [[Denise George]], Bryan told her to settle the territory's case against the Epstein estate for 80 million dollars and to "select Henry Smock" as mediator; Smock later represented Bryan in his 2023 divorce, the records of which were sealed at his request.[^3][^10]
|
||||
|
||||
### Aftermath
|
||||
|
||||
The estate settled the territory's case in November 2022 for more than 105 million dollars, returning "more than $80 million in economic development tax benefits that Epstein and his co-defendants fraudulently obtained." In the territory's suit against JPMorgan, the bank's consultant [[Carlyn Irwin]] reported that "the EDC did not investigate or question" Epstein's business claims and that "giving Mr. Epstein $300 million in benefits made no economic sense." As of June 2023 the territory had not amended its law to bar registered sex offenders from receiving certificates. Companies affiliated with [[Stephen Deckoff]], who bought Little St. James and [[Great St. James]] from the estate in 2023, have held commission benefits since 2012.[^3][^5][^11][^12]
|
||||
|
||||
### Footnotes
|
||||
|
||||
[^1]: Government of the United States Virgin Islands v. Estate of Jeffrey E. Epstein, No. ST-20-CV-14 (V.I. Super. Ct.), Second Amended Complaint, paragraphs 37, 137 to 140, and 157 to 176, filed as Exhibit 1 to Government of the United States Virgin Islands v. JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A., No. 1:22-cv-10904-JSR (S.D.N.Y.), ECF No. 1-1 (December 27, 2022), ECF pp. 29 to 37. https://web.archive.org/web/20260117011558/https://www.justice.gov/multimedia/Court%20Records/Government%20of%20the%20United%20States%20Virgin%20Islands%20v.%20JPMorgan%20Chase%20Bank,%20N.A.,%20No.%20122-cv-10904%20(S.D.N.Y.%202022)/001-01.pdf (EDC as EDA subsidiary under 29 V.I.C. section 1101).
|
||||
[^2]: Carlson, Suzanne. "Epstein estate could be ordered to repay more than $144 million in tax breaks." *Virgin Islands Daily News,* February 13, 2020, reproduced as Exhibit 36, ECF No. 158-36 (filed May 23, 2023), in No. 1:22-cv-10904-JSR (S.D.N.Y.). http://www.virginislandsdailynews.com/news/epstein-estate-could-be-ordered-to-repay-more-than-144-million-in-tax-breaks/article_b84d9710-14af-5e69-a890-bcf8265cf8f9.html
|
||||
[^3]: Carlson, Suzanne. "Docs confirm Bryan pressed for special treatment of sex offender." *Virgin Islands Daily News,* February 2, 2026. https://www.virginislandsdailynews.com/news/docs-confirm-bryan-pressed-for-special-treatment-of-sex-offender/article_5e9483c9-38d2-406c-8bb0-e5757ce287f2.html (300 million dollars in benefits; Bryan as EDA chairman and Labor Commissioner; Plaskett; Smock; Petersen report and Yolanda Bryan notation; extension signed off by Bryan and de Jongh; Irwin report).
|
||||
[^4]: 26 U.S.C. section 934, "Limitation on reduction in income tax liability incurred to the Virgin Islands," United States Code, 2023 edition. https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/USCODE-2023-title26/html/USCODE-2023-title26-subtitleA-chap1-subchapN-partIII-subpartD-sec934.htm
|
||||
[^5]: "V.I. Officials Enabled Epstein to Act With Impunity, JPMorgan Alleges in Latest Salvo." *St. Thomas Source,* June 16, 2023 (benefits from 1999; Bess deposition; 2008 first audit; January 2015 compliance letter; October 2019 Benjamin email; January 24, 2014 certificate). https://web.archive.org/web/20240721172424/https://stthomassource.com/content/2023/06/16/v-i-officials-enabled-epstein-to-act-with-impunity-jpmorgan-alleges-in-latest-salvo/
|
||||
[^6]: National Governors Association, "Gov. Kenneth Mapp," former Virgin Islands governors. https://www.nga.org/governor/kenneth-mapp/
|
||||
[^7]: U.S. Department of Justice, Epstein Library, EFTA01580553, DataSet 10, memorandum from Harry Beller to JPMorgan wire desk, September 21, 2012 (JPM-SDNY-00059908). https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/DataSet%2010/EFTA01580553.pdf ; Kellerhals Ferguson Kroblin PLLC, "Erika Kellerhals," attorney biography, captured August 10, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190810121434/https://www.kellfer.com/attorneys/erika-kellerhals/
|
||||
[^8]: Carlson, Suzanne. "Court filings show V.I. First Lady's loyalty to Epstein." *Virgin Islands Daily News,* June 21, 2023. https://www.virginislandsdailynews.com/news/court-filings-show-v-i-first-ladys-loyalty-to-epstein/article_c2dca0a7-a243-5365-88c0-389c576ad022.html (144.9 million dollars in incentives, 2013 to 2019; no amendment of the law).
|
||||
[^9]: Carlson, Suzanne. "Files reveal Epstein's efforts to influence V.I. officials; emails with Mapp." *Virgin Islands Daily News,* February 2, 2026. https://www.virginislandsdailynews.com/news/files-reveal-epstein-s-efforts-to-influence-v-i-officials-emails-with-mapp/article_2dd4fe69-4daf-4dc2-b3b8-37a929002bb6.html
|
||||
[^10]: U.S. Department of Justice, Epstein Library, EFTA00720076, DataSet 9, email, Cecile de Jongh to Jeffrey Epstein, cc Jeanne Brennan, "UVI Park Directors," October 19, 2011 (duplicate EFTA02035483, DataSet 10). https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/DataSet%209/EFTA00720076.pdf
|
||||
[^11]: "U.S. Virgin Islands Attorney General Settles Sex Trafficking Case Against Estate Of Jeffrey Epstein And Co-Defendants For Over $105 Million." *U.S. Virgin Islands Department of Justice,* December 1, 2022. https://usvidoj.com/u-s-virgin-islands-attorney-general-settles-sex-trafficking-case-against-estate-of-jeffrey-epstein-and-co-defendants-for-over-105-million/
|
||||
[^12]: Carlson, Suzanne. "Still no resort plans for Epstein's islands purchased by Deckoff." *Virgin Islands Daily News,* February 6, 2026. https://www.virginislandsdailynews.com/news/still-no-resort-plans-for-epsteins-islands-purchased-by-deckoff/article_84d776de-8427-4080-a1b5-6cf81418e23d.html (Black Diamond Advisors and Black Diamond Holdings receiving EDC benefits since 2012).
|
||||
|
|
@ -106,7 +106,7 @@ The cases of the unnamed Cornish teenager ([[Feuerkrieg Division]] UK leader, se
|
|||
|
||||
Documented individuals who committed or planned violence while affiliated with or influenced by O9A include:
|
||||
|
||||
[[Ethan Phelan Melzer]], a U.S. Army Private in the 173rd Airborne Brigade who, under the alias "Etil Reggad," transmitted classified information about his unit's planned deployment to Turkey to O9A members on [[Telegram]], conspiring to facilitate a mass-casualty attack on his own soldiers. Arrested May 2020 in Vicenza, Italy; convicted in the Southern District of New York; sentenced March 2023 to 45 years in prison.[^20]
|
||||
[[Ethan Phelan Melzer]], a U.S. Army Private in the 173rd Airborne Brigade who, under the alias "Etil Reggad," transmitted classified information about his unit's planned deployment to Turkey to O9A members on [[Telegram]], conspiring to facilitate a mass-casualty attack on his own soldiers. Arrested May 2020 in Vicenza, Italy; convicted in the [[U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York|Southern District of New York]]; sentenced March 2023 to 45 years in prison.[^20]
|
||||
|
||||
[[Guilherme Von Neutegem]], a Canadian O9A adherent charged with murder for killing a victim outside a mosque in Toronto in 2020.
|
||||
|
||||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
@ -17,7 +17,7 @@ tags:
|
|||
- 1980s
|
||||
- 1990s
|
||||
- 2000s
|
||||
summary: "The Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) was a Marxist-Leninist guerrilla organization founded in 1964 that financed operations through cocaine taxation and drug trafficking, fielding approximately 20,000 fighters at its peak before a 2016 peace agreement produced a formal dissolution."
|
||||
summary: "The Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) was a Marxist-Leninist guerrilla organization founded in 1964 that financed itself through cocaine taxation and trafficking and formally dissolved after a 2016 peace agreement."
|
||||
start: 1964-05-27
|
||||
location: "Colombia"
|
||||
---
|
||||
|
|
@ -34,7 +34,7 @@ The FARC's transformation into a major armed organization was financed substanti
|
|||
|
||||
### DEA Operations
|
||||
|
||||
The [[DEA|Drug Enforcement Administration]] designated the FARC as a major drug trafficking organization and conducted multiple operations targeting its financial and logistical networks. In 2007-2008, the DEA conducted a sting operation in which undercover agents posing as FARC representatives contacted arms dealer [[Monzer Al-Kassar]], seeking weapons including anti-aircraft missiles. Al-Kassar agreed to supply weapons to what he believed was the FARC for operations against Americans in Colombia. His arrest and extradition to the United States resulted in a 2008 conviction in the Southern District of New York, with the FARC weapons solicitation forming the core of the charges.[^1]
|
||||
The [[DEA|Drug Enforcement Administration]] designated the FARC as a major drug trafficking organization and conducted multiple operations targeting its financial and logistical networks. In 2007-2008, the DEA conducted a sting operation in which undercover agents posing as FARC representatives contacted arms dealer [[Monzer Al-Kassar]], seeking weapons including anti-aircraft missiles. Al-Kassar agreed to supply weapons to what he believed was the FARC for operations against Americans in Colombia. His arrest and extradition to the United States resulted in a 2008 conviction in the [[U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York|Southern District of New York]], with the FARC weapons solicitation forming the core of the charges.[^1]
|
||||
|
||||
### Peace Agreement and Aftermath
|
||||
|
||||
|
|
|
|||
74
20 - ORGANIZATIONS/PRIVATE/Bard College.md
Normal file
74
20 - ORGANIZATIONS/PRIVATE/Bard College.md
Normal file
|
|
@ -0,0 +1,74 @@
|
|||
---
|
||||
category: "Private Organization"
|
||||
tags:
|
||||
- Organization
|
||||
- BardCollege
|
||||
- HigherEducation
|
||||
- LeonBotstein
|
||||
- JeffreyEpstein
|
||||
- GratitudeAmerica
|
||||
- SmolnyCollege
|
||||
- WilmerHale
|
||||
alias:
|
||||
- Bard
|
||||
- St. Stephen's College
|
||||
summary: "Liberal arts college in Annandale-on-Hudson, New York, founded in 1860, whose president Leon Botstein cultivated Jeffrey Epstein as a donor after his conviction and retired in 2026 after a WilmerHale review."
|
||||
start: 1860
|
||||
location: "Annandale-on-Hudson, New York"
|
||||
relations:
|
||||
- type: investigated
|
||||
with: "[[WilmerHale]]"
|
||||
reverse: true
|
||||
role: "review of President Botstein's relationship with Epstein, retained by the board of trustees"
|
||||
start: 2026-02
|
||||
end: 2026-04-30
|
||||
fn: 4
|
||||
- type: founded
|
||||
with: "[[John Bard]]"
|
||||
reverse: true
|
||||
role: "co-founder of St. Stephen's College, with Margaret Johnston Bard"
|
||||
start: 1860
|
||||
fn: 1
|
||||
created: 2026-09-25
|
||||
updated: 2026-09-25
|
||||
---
|
||||
|
||||
Bard College is a private liberal arts college in [[Annandale-on-Hudson, New York|Annandale-on-Hudson]], [[New York]], founded in 1860 as St. Stephen's College. [[Leon Botstein]], its president from 1975 until June 30, 2026, built it into a network of affiliated institutes, early colleges and programs. From 2011, three years after [[Jeffrey Epstein]]'s Florida guilty plea, Botstein pursued Epstein as a donor; Epstein gave the college money and laptops, visited the campus by helicopter, and in 2016 his charity [[Gratitude America]] paid Botstein 150,000 dollars. A review by [[WilmerHale]] for the trustees found in April 2026 that Botstein had "minimized and was not fully accurate in describing his relationship with Epstein," and his retirement was announced the next day.[^1][^2][^3][^4]
|
||||
|
||||
### History
|
||||
|
||||
St. Stephen's College was established by John Bard and Margaret Johnston Bard "in association with leaders of the Episcopal Church in [[New York City]]," on part of their riverside estate, Annandale, and for its first sixty years prepared young men for the seminary. The college states that both founders' inherited wealth was "implicated in slavery": John Bard's grandfather Samuel Bard owned slaves, his father William Bard was the first president of the [[New York Life Insurance Company]], "which insured enslaved people as property," and Margaret Bard's fortune derived from her father's firm Boorman and Johnston, which traded in goods "produced by enslaved labor." In 1928 St. Stephen's became an undergraduate school of [[Columbia University]]; it took the name Bard in 1934 and ended the Columbia association when it admitted women in 1944. From the mid-1930s the college served as a refuge for émigré scholars and artists, among them [[Hannah Arendt]] and her husband [[Heinrich Blücher]], and in 1956 it took in 325 Hungarian student refugees.[^1]
|
||||
|
||||
Botstein became Bard's fourteenth president in 1975. The Bard Center, established in 1978, runs a Distinguished Scientist Lecture Series and the Bard Music Festival, which began in 1990. Bard acquired Simon's Rock, an early college in [[Massachusetts]], in 1979, and opened the first Bard High School Early College in [[Manhattan]] in 2001, followed by campuses in Queens, Newark, [[New Orleans]], Cleveland, Baltimore, Washington and elsewhere. The Bard Prison Initiative brings degree programs into New York State prisons.[^1]
|
||||
|
||||
### Epstein as Donor
|
||||
|
||||
According to reporting cited by Representative [[Jamie Raskin]] in 2026, Epstein gave Bard 125,000 dollars in several donations in 2011 and 2012 and dozens of laptops for its high school program in 2015, and his foundation's website listed Bard High School Early College among its grant recipients; Botstein had said Epstein's only gifts were a 75,000 dollar gift and 66 laptops. Raskin also wrote that Botstein "apparently knew that a 2014 donation to the college by apparent co-conspirator [[Leon Black]] was made at Mr. Epstein's behest"; Black has denied wrongdoing in connection with Epstein.[^4]
|
||||
|
||||
On December 18, 2012 the president's office arranged Botstein's trip to "Jeffrey's island" in the [[U.S. Virgin Islands]] by boat, and was told that his passport copy had been forwarded to "Leon Black's office."[^5] On December 15, 2014 a correspondent sent Epstein's accountant [[Richard Kahn]] a contact card, "President Leon Botstein.vcf," under the subject "Leon Botstein/Bard."[^6] On July 25, 2016 the president's executive assistant arranged an Epstein visit to the campus on July 27 for a matinee opera and an early dinner; Bard's head of security wrote, "We are excited and honored to welcome back Mr. Epstein," and said the helicopter landing would be coordinated with Epstein's pilot, [[Larry Visoski]], and the local fire company. Botstein replied "Excellent."[^7]
|
||||
|
||||
In 2016 Gratitude America, Ltd., whose operating account was at [[Deutsche Bank]] Trust Company Americas, paid Botstein personally in quarterly checks of 37,500 dollars; one dated August 1, 2016 bore the memo "Leon Botstein, Bard College, 30 Campus Road, Annandale-On-Hudson, NY 12504 - 3rd Quarterly Payment of 4." Deutsche Bank later produced the check images to federal prosecutors in New York. Bard said in May 2023 that the 150,000 dollars was compensation for a one-year term on the foundation's advisory board "as an expert in music" and that Botstein gave it all to the college that year as part of a one million dollar gift.[^8][^9]
|
||||
|
||||
In January 2017 the daughter of [[Woody Allen]] and [[Soon-Yi Previn]] wrote to Botstein that Bard was her first choice; he replied that he would pass her sentiments "on to the admissions committee," and Previn forwarded the exchange to Epstein. Allen's household then wrote to Epstein: "I can't thank you enough for getting [her] into Bard ... Thank you for coming through for us." Bard denied that Epstein had any role in the admission.[^4][^10] On March 26, 2018 Epstein wrote to the president's address asking that a Russian woman be put in touch with an adviser about Smolny, and forwarded the reply with the note "he is the president of smolny."[^11]
|
||||
|
||||
### The WilmerHale Review
|
||||
|
||||
After the [[Department of Justice|Justice Department]]'s releases under the [[Epstein Files Transparency Act]], the trustees retained WilmerHale in February 2026 to review Botstein's communications and financial dealings with Epstein. The summary delivered to the trustees on April 30, 2026 recorded 25 visits by Botstein to Epstein's Manhattan townhouse between 2012 and 2019 and a two-day visit to the island, and reported that Epstein twice visited Bard and attended recitals and concerts "accompanied by multiple women who have since been identified as victims of Epstein."[^4] It found that Botstein had disagreed with a senior faculty member who objected to the relationship, having "relied on his view that a person convicted of crimes involving sex with a minor, 'an ordinary sex offender', in his words, could be presumed to be rehabilitated," and quoted him: "I would take money from Satan if it permitted me to do God's work." It concluded that he "did not do anything illegal" but "made decisions in the course of that relationship that reflect on his leadership of Bard."[^3]
|
||||
|
||||
On May 1, 2026 the executive committee of the board thanked Botstein "for his five decades of service," said that "concerns raised in recent months have been serious and deeply felt," announced that "Funds associated with Jeffrey Epstein will be directed to organizations that support survivors of sexual harm," and committed the college to "strengthening its policies on donor vetting, fundraising, and conflicts of interest." Bard's media relations office separately called Botstein "a transformative leader with the vision and unwavering commitment that has shaped Bard into the world-class educational institution it is today." He remained on the faculty.[^2][^3]
|
||||
|
||||
On June 17, 2026 Raskin, ranking Democrat on the [[House Judiciary Committee]], wrote to the board's chair, [[James Cox Chambers]], that the review was "too narrowly tailored" and that its summary did not mention Smolny, and asked Bard to make Botstein available for a transcribed interview and to produce records on Epstein, Kahn, [[Darren Indyke]], Black, [[Ghislaine Maxwell]] and Gratitude America.[^4]
|
||||
|
||||
### Footnotes
|
||||
|
||||
[^1]: Bard College, "History." https://www.bard.edu/about/history/
|
||||
[^2]: Executive Committee, Bard College Board of Trustees, "Message from the Executive Committee of the Board of Trustees," May 1, 2026. https://www.bard.edu/news/message-from-the-executive-committee-of-the-board-of-trustees-2026-05-01
|
||||
[^3]: "Bard College's president to retire after scrutiny of relationship with Jeffrey Epstein." *Associated Press,* via *NPR,* May 2, 2026. https://www.npr.org/2026/05/02/nx-s1-5808942/bard-college-president-leon-botstein-retire-jeffrey-epstein
|
||||
[^4]: Letter from Representative Jamie Raskin, Ranking Member, House Committee on the Judiciary, to James Cox Chambers, Chair, Board of Trustees, Bard College, June 17, 2026, quoting the WilmerHale memorandum to the Bard trustees of April 30, 2026. https://democrats-judiciary.house.gov/sites/evo-subsites/democrats-judiciary.house.gov/files/evo-media-document/2026-06-17-raskin-to-chambers-bard-re-epstein.pdf
|
||||
[^5]: U.S. Department of Justice, Epstein Library, EFTA00399132, DataSet 9, email chain between the office of Leon Botstein and Jeffrey Epstein's office, "Jeffrey Epstein," December 18, 2012. https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/DataSet%209/EFTA00399132.pdf
|
||||
[^6]: U.S. Department of Justice, Epstein Library, EFTA02087019, DataSet 10, email to Richard Kahn, "Re: Leon Botstein/Bard," December 15, 2014. https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/DataSet%2010/EFTA02087019.pdf
|
||||
[^7]: U.S. Department of Justice, Epstein Library, EFTA02047292, DataSet 10, email chain "Re: Jeffrey Epstein visit to Bard," July 25, 2016. https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/DataSet%2010/EFTA02047292.pdf
|
||||
[^8]: U.S. Department of Justice, Epstein Library, EFTA01348714, DataSet 10, check of Gratitude America, Ltd drawn on Deutsche Bank Trust Company Americas to Leon Botstein, August 1, 2016. https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/DataSet%2010/EFTA01348714.pdf
|
||||
[^9]: Scott Jaschik, "Leon Botstein received $150,000 from Jeffrey Epstein," *Inside Higher Ed,* May 18, 2023. https://www.insidehighered.com/news/quick-takes/2023/05/18/leon-botstein-received-150000-jeffrey-epstein
|
||||
[^10]: U.S. Department of Justice, Epstein Library, EFTA00710494, DataSet 9, email from Soon-Yi Previn to Jeffrey Epstein forwarding a reply from Leon Botstein, January 10, 2017; EFTA01208496, DataSet 9, extracted iMessage log, January 12, 2017. https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/DataSet%209/EFTA00710494.pdf ; https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/DataSet%209/EFTA01208496.pdf
|
||||
[^11]: U.S. Department of Justice, Epstein Library, EFTA02491562, DataSet 11, email from Jeffrey Epstein forwarding a March 26, 2018 exchange with the Bard president's office, 2018. https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/DataSet%2011/EFTA02491562.pdf
|
||||
83
20 - ORGANIZATIONS/PRIVATE/DP World.md
Normal file
83
20 - ORGANIZATIONS/PRIVATE/DP World.md
Normal file
|
|
@ -0,0 +1,83 @@
|
|||
---
|
||||
category: "Private Organization"
|
||||
tags:
|
||||
- Organization
|
||||
- DPWorld
|
||||
- Dubai
|
||||
- UnitedArabEmirates
|
||||
- Ports
|
||||
- CFIUS
|
||||
- SultanAhmedBinSulayem
|
||||
- JeffreyEpstein
|
||||
alias:
|
||||
- Dubai Ports World
|
||||
- DP World Limited
|
||||
- Dubai Ports
|
||||
summary: "Dubai government-owned ports operator formed in 2005, whose 2006 bid for six U.S. port operations provoked a CFIUS fight and whose chairman was replaced in 2026 over Epstein correspondence."
|
||||
start: 2005-11
|
||||
location: "Dubai, United Arab Emirates"
|
||||
relations:
|
||||
- type: owned
|
||||
with: "[[Dubai World]]"
|
||||
reverse: true
|
||||
role: "parent through Port and Free Zone World; full ownership after 2020 delisting"
|
||||
start: 2020
|
||||
fn: 5
|
||||
- type: head_of
|
||||
with: "[[Essa Kazim]]"
|
||||
reverse: true
|
||||
role: "chairman"
|
||||
start: 2026-02-13
|
||||
fn: 3
|
||||
- type: head_of
|
||||
with: "[[Yuvraj Narayan]]"
|
||||
reverse: true
|
||||
role: "group chief executive"
|
||||
start: 2026-02-13
|
||||
fn: 3
|
||||
- type: funded
|
||||
with: "[[British International Investment]]"
|
||||
reverse: true
|
||||
role: "co-investor with La Caisse in Jebel Ali Port, Jebel Ali Free Zone and National Industries Park, 2.5 billion dollars"
|
||||
start: 2022
|
||||
fn: 2
|
||||
created: 2026-09-25
|
||||
updated: 2026-09-25
|
||||
---
|
||||
|
||||
DP World is a ports and logistics company controlled by the government of [[Dubai]] in the [[United Arab Emirates]]. It was created in November 2005 by integrating the Dubai Ports Authority and Dubai Ports International and operates the [[Jebel Ali]] port and terminals on several continents. Its 2006 purchase of the British operator P&O, which would have given it terminal operations in six major U.S. ports, was approved by the [[Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States]] and then met sustained congressional opposition that led to a rewriting of the foreign-investment review law. Until February 13, 2026 its chairman and chief executive was [[Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem]], whose correspondence with [[Jeffrey Epstein]] was released by the [[Department of Justice|Justice Department]] in 2026; he was replaced three days after his name was read on the floor of the [[United States House of Representatives|House]].[^1][^2][^3]
|
||||
|
||||
### The 2006 Ports Controversy
|
||||
|
||||
DP World's bid for the London-based Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Company (P&O) was announced in November 2005, and the formal CFIUS review began in December. The [[George W. Bush]] [[White House]] stated in a fact sheet of February 22, 2006 that "Twelve Federal agencies and the government's counterterrorism experts closely and carefully reviewed the transaction," that the [[Department of Homeland Security]] had "reached an agreement with DP World to mitigate security concerns," and that DP World had "signed a letter of assurances making commitments to meet and maintain security standards for the port terminals that they will own and operate in the [[United States]]." It described the UAE as "a solid partner in the War on Terror" that had "worked with us to stop terrorist financing and money laundering," noted that Dubai was "the first Middle Eastern entity" to join the [[Container Security Initiative]] and the [[Department of Energy]]'s Megaports Initiative, and said that "The United States government has a strong working relationship with DP World." President Bush said on February 21: "If there was any chance that this transaction would jeopardize the security of the United States, it would not go forward."[^4]
|
||||
|
||||
The proposed acquisition of "major operations in six major U.S. ports" came under "intense scrutiny" in Congress. Members of Congress argued that the 1992 Byrd amendment required a full 45-day investigation of any acquirer "controlled by or acting on behalf of a foreign government"; CFIUS representatives told the [[Senate Armed Services Committee]] on February 23, 2006 that they had conceded DP World was government-controlled but had concluded during the 30-day review that the transaction "could not affect the national security." The reaction led the administration to change its review practice in late 2006 and Congress to pass the [[Foreign Investment and National Security Act of 2007]].[^1]
|
||||
|
||||
### Ownership and the 2020 Delisting
|
||||
|
||||
A minority of DP World's shares traded on the Nasdaq Dubai exchange until 2020. On February 17, 2020 the company announced that it would delist and return to full state ownership. Port and Free Zone World, a wholly owned subsidiary of the government investment company [[Dubai World]], already owned 80.45 percent and agreed to buy the remaining 19.55 percent for about 2.7 billion dollars, or 16.75 dollars a share. As part of the transaction DP World's parent was to pay Dubai World 5.15 billion dollars "to assist it in repaying its outstanding obligations to banks," so that DP World could operate "without any restrictions from Dubai World's creditors," and DP World was to borrow a further 8.1 billion dollars. Bin Sulayem said that "returning to private ownership will free DP World from the demands of the public market for short term returns." DP World had by then expanded into [[East Africa]], where the Emirati government had begun building military bases.[^5]
|
||||
|
||||
### Epstein
|
||||
|
||||
A DP World email chain of January 25 and 26, 2012, in which the company's chief operating officer, [[Anil Wats]], asked bin Sulayem which guests he wished to invite to his induction into the International Maritime Hall of Fame of the Maritime Association of the Port of New York and [[New Jersey]] at the [[Grand Hyatt New York]] on May 9, 2012, reached Epstein under a note reading: "Dear Jeffrey Will you be able to attend and can you suggest me names of others I can invite to sit at my table."[^6]
|
||||
|
||||
On November 29, 2016 Epstein's assistant [[Lesley Groff]], the office of [[Joi Ito]] at the [[MIT Media Lab]] and two employees of DP World "with the Chairman's office" arranged a visit by bin Sulayem, set up by Epstein, to the Media Lab and then to [[Martin Nowak]]'s [[Program for Evolutionary Dynamics]] at [[Harvard University]]. Ito wrote that he was "locking in a bunch of meetings for Sultan at the Media Lab from 9:30AM-11AM."[^7]
|
||||
|
||||
After Epstein's July 2019 arrest, [[JPMorgan Chase]]'s internal review known as Project Jeep reported that Epstein "appears to have a close relationship with Sultan Ahmed Bin Sulayem who is a senior UAE official involved in ownership of the Dubai Ports."[^8] Epstein arranged for bin Sulayem's name to appear as ultimate beneficial owner on contractual paperwork for the purchase of [[Great St. James]] through Great St. Jim LLC; reporting indicated that bin Sulayem had declined the request and that no signature of his appeared on the documents.[^9]
|
||||
|
||||
### The 2026 Removal
|
||||
|
||||
On February 10, 2026 Representative [[Ro Khanna]] read bin Sulayem's name on the House floor among six men he said the department had redacted "for no apparent reason." A department spokesperson said bin Sulayem appeared more than 4,700 times in the files.[^10] The released correspondence included an exchange in which Epstein wrote to bin Sulayem's email address, "I loved the torture video."[^2] In the same week [[British International Investment]], the British government's development investor, and the Canadian pension fund [[La Caisse]], which had invested 2.5 billion dollars in 2022 in Jebel Ali Port, the Jebel Ali Free Zone and the National Industries Park, paused new investment with DP World. On February 13, 2026 the Dubai Media Office announced, without naming bin Sulayem, that [[Essa Kazim]], governor of the [[Dubai International Financial Centre]], had been appointed chairman and [[Yuvraj Narayan]], the former chief financial officer, group chief executive; British International Investment said the same day that it would resume investing. DP World did not respond to the Associated Press's requests for comment. Bin Sulayem has not been accused of a crime.[^2][^3]
|
||||
|
||||
### Footnotes
|
||||
|
||||
[^1]: Jackson, James K. *The Exon-Florio National Security Test for Foreign Investment.* Congressional Research Service, RL33312, March 29, 2013, pp. 1, 7-9, 11-12 and n. 24. https://www.everycrsreport.com/reports/RL33312.html
|
||||
[^2]: "Dubai-based DP World replaces chief named in Epstein files." *Al Jazeera,* February 13, 2026. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/2/13/logistics-giant-dp-world-replaces-chief-named-in-epstein-files
|
||||
[^3]: "Businessman named in Jeffrey Epstein files replaced as chairman of major logistics company." *Associated Press,* via *NBC News,* February 13, 2026. https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/politics-news/sultan-ahmed-bin-sulayem-jeffrey-epstein-rcna258902
|
||||
[^4]: The White House, Office of the Press Secretary. "Fact Sheet: The CFIUS Process And The DP World Transaction." February 22, 2006. https://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/news/releases/2006/02/20060222-11.html
|
||||
[^5]: "Port operator DP World to delist from Dubai stock exchange." *Associated Press,* via *The Seattle Times,* February 17, 2020. https://www.seattletimes.com/business/port-operator-dp-world-to-delist-from-dubai-stock-exchange/
|
||||
[^6]: U.S. Department of Justice, Epstein Library, EFTA02033989, DataSet 10, forwarded DP World email chain, "Confirmation of Sultan Ahmed Sulayem for Hall of Fame, May 9," January 25-26, 2012. https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/DataSet%2010/EFTA02033989.pdf
|
||||
[^7]: U.S. Department of Justice, Epstein Library, EFTA00439714, DataSet 9, email chain, "Re: Jeffrey Epstein," among Lesley Groff, Joichi Ito, Yuko Barnaby, and DP World staff, November 29, 2016. https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/DataSet%209/EFTA00439714.pdf
|
||||
[^8]: U.S. Department of Justice, Epstein Library, EFTA02808715, Court Records, Government of the United States Virgin Islands v. JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A., No. 1:22-cv-10904 (S.D.N.Y.), letter motion of Motley Rice to Judge Jed S. Rakoff seeking leave to reopen depositions, June 7, 2023, p. 3. https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/Court%20Records/Government%20of%20the%20United%20States%20Virgin%20Islands%20v.%20JPMorgan%20Chase%20Bank%2C%20N.A.%2C%20No.%20122-cv-10904%20(S.D.N.Y.%202022)/EFTA02808715.pdf
|
||||
[^9]: "Sultan Ahmed Bin Sulayem: Powerful Dubai tycoon replaced after DOJ reveals sexually explicit emails with Epstein." *CNN Business,* February 13, 2026. https://www.cnn.com/2026/02/13/business/epstein-files-bin-sulayem-friendship-intl ; "Jeffrey Epstein used name of wealthy Dubai businessman to acquire second island in Caribbean, report finds." *Fox News,* 2026. https://www.foxnews.com/us/jeffrey-epstein-used-name-of-wealthy-dubai-businessman-to-acquire-second-island-in-caribbean-report-finds
|
||||
[^10]: "Rep. Khanna names 6 men he says were redacted from Epstein files for 'no apparent reason'; DOJ says some had no Epstein ties," *CBS News,* February 10, 2026. https://www.cbsnews.com/news/massie-khanna-epstein-files-6-men/
|
||||
50
20 - ORGANIZATIONS/PRIVATE/Florida Science Foundation.md
Normal file
50
20 - ORGANIZATIONS/PRIVATE/Florida Science Foundation.md
Normal file
|
|
@ -0,0 +1,50 @@
|
|||
---
|
||||
category: "Private Organization"
|
||||
tags:
|
||||
- Organization
|
||||
- JeffreyEpstein
|
||||
- FloridaScienceFoundation
|
||||
- WorkRelease
|
||||
- PalmBeach
|
||||
- Foundation
|
||||
alias:
|
||||
- Florida Science Foundation
|
||||
- FL Science Foundation
|
||||
- The Florida Science Foundation
|
||||
summary: "Entity created by Jeffrey Epstein in late 2007 and housed at his lawyer's West Palm Beach office, where he spent his 2008 to 2009 work release under paid sheriff's deputies."
|
||||
start: 2007-11
|
||||
location: "West Palm Beach, Florida"
|
||||
relations:
|
||||
- type: head_of
|
||||
with: "[[Jeffrey Epstein]]"
|
||||
reverse: true
|
||||
role: "president"
|
||||
start: 2007-11
|
||||
fn: 1
|
||||
created: 2026-09-25
|
||||
updated: 2026-09-25
|
||||
---
|
||||
|
||||
The Florida Science Foundation was an entity headed by [[Jeffrey Epstein]] and located at the [[West Palm Beach, Florida|West Palm Beach]] office of his defense lawyer [[Jack Goldberger]], which served as Epstein's place of employment under the work release program of the [[Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office]] during his 2008 to 2009 state sentence. From October 2008 Epstein left the county Stockade for up to 12 hours a day, six days a week, "purportedly working at the 'Florida Science Foundation,' an entity Epstein had recently incorporated," in the words of the [[Department of Justice|Justice Department]]'s [[Office of Professional Responsibility]]. The foundation paid the sheriff's office 128,136 dollars for off-duty deputies whose assignment, in their own overtime reports, was to "Provide security for Jeffrey Epstein."[^1][^2][^3]
|
||||
|
||||
### Origins and Epstein's Account
|
||||
|
||||
At his state plea hearing on June 30, 2008, under the [[Epstein non-prosecution agreement]], Epstein told the court that he was "President" of the Florida Science Foundation, that it had been in existence for 15 years, and that he worked there "every day." The next day Assistant U.S. Attorney [[Ann Marie Villafana|A. Marie Villafaña]] told a sheriff's office official that Epstein had told the court he had worked "every day" for a "couple of years" at the foundation, but that the entity "did not even exist until November 2007," and that the address Epstein gave the court for it was the office of Goldberger.[^1]
|
||||
|
||||
### Work Release
|
||||
|
||||
The sheriff's office placed Epstein in its work release program on October 10, 2008, without notice to the [[U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Florida]], which had asked to be told of any application. On December 11, 2008 Villafaña wrote to the office's Corrections Division that the telephone number listed for the foundation on Epstein's application was the number of Goldberger's law firm. She wrote that the person named in the work release file as Epstein's "supervisor" at the foundation, its vice president and so subordinate to Epstein as its president, had submitted sworn filings to the [[Internal Revenue Service]] stating that Epstein worked one hour a week for no compensation, while telling the sheriff's office that his duties required him to work 12 hours a day, six days a week; the same supervisor had promised to report any breach of the work schedule but lived and worked in the New York area. The sheriff's office did not answer her letter. On December 3 she had written to her supervisors that since the start of the case Goldberger and State Attorney [[Barry Krischer]] "have been scheming to get Epstein out on work release."[^4]
|
||||
|
||||
### The Deputies
|
||||
|
||||
The sheriff's Extra Duty Permits System carried the foundation's detail as Permit No. 7804, "Florida Science Foundation," with posts titled "FL Science Foundation - Plain Clothed Position." Overtime reports for July 1 to 14, 2009 describe the deputies' work as "Provide security for Jeffrey Epstein," including logging visitors and escorting him from the office to his house at [[358 El Brillo Way]] at midday and back. Villafaña had written in December 2008 that Epstein was paying "between $3000 and $4100 per week" for the deputies' "protection," despite work release rules barring the sheriff's office and its members from "any business transactions with inmates." Records obtained by the West Palm Beach station WPTV show that the foundation paid the sheriff's office 128,136 dollars during Epstein's incarceration. He was released to home confinement on July 22, 2009.[^2][^3][^4]
|
||||
|
||||
In May 2021 the [[Florida Department of Law Enforcement]] reported that it "appears that Epstein received differential treatment" in the sheriff's custody, but found no criminal conduct by the office's members with respect to "Epstein's work release or the permit detail," according to the sheriff's office's account of the findings.[^5]
|
||||
|
||||
### Footnotes
|
||||
|
||||
[^1]: U.S. Department of Justice, Epstein Library, EFTA02847284, Prior DOJ Disclosures, report, Office of Professional Responsibility, "Investigation into the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Florida's Resolution of Its 2006-2008 Federal Criminal Investigation of Jeffrey Epstein and Its Interactions with Victims during the Investigation," November 2020, Executive Summary p. iii, and p. 114 and n. 181 (EFTA02847288, EFTA02847423). https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/Prior%20DOJ%20Disclosures/Memos.%20&%20Correspondence/EFTA02847284.pdf
|
||||
[^2]: U.S. Department of Justice, Epstein Library, EFTA01308629, DataSet 10, Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office Extra Duty Permits System overtime report forms, Permit No. 7804, "Florida Science Foundation," July 1 to 14, 2009, faxed July 21, 2009. https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/DataSet%2010/EFTA01308629.pdf
|
||||
[^3]: "Jeffrey Epstein paid Palm Beach Sheriff's Office $128,000 during incarceration for prostitution charges," *WPTV,* 2019. https://www.wptv.com/news/region-c-palm-beach-county/new-jeffrey-epstein-paid-palm-beach-sheriffs-office-128-000-during-incarceration-for-prostitution
|
||||
[^4]: U.S. Department of Justice, Epstein Library, EFTA02847284 (see note 1), pp. 114 to 117 (EFTA02847423 to EFTA02847426).
|
||||
[^5]: Sabrina Lolo, "FDLE clears PBSO, prosecutors in connection to Epstein's work release privileges," *CBS12,* May 10, 2021. https://cbs12.com/news/local/fdle-clears-pbso-prosecutors-in-connection-to-epsteins-work-release-privileges
|
||||
|
|
@ -43,7 +43,7 @@ Epstein met Steven Hoffenberg in London in the 1980s. Hoffenberg said the two we
|
|||
|
||||
A Towers press release on the proposed 1987 Pan Am acquisition stated: "Jeffrey Epstein, chairman of the board of directors of Intercontinental Asset Group, is a financial advisor who has been familiar with Pan Am for approximately six years. Epstein serves as an advisor to Towers/United's management with respect to the proposed transaction." Towers attempted to use 3 million dollars from its insurance holding company, [[United Diversified Corporation]], to finance the bid. A 1991 suit by the [[Illinois Department of Insurance]] listed "a series of checks payable to Jeff Epstein or Jeff Epstein & Co. totaling $215,000" among improper disbursements from the United Fire and United Diversified accounts; Epstein was not a defendant.[^3]
|
||||
|
||||
Hoffenberg later swore that Epstein used money taken in the Towers scheme "as start-up capital for his corporations, including [[Financial Trust Company|The Financial Trust Company]]," the St. Thomas company Epstein incorporated in 1998. Epstein denied any dealings with the Towers insurers and was never charged; Vanity Fair noted that much of Hoffenberg's testimony in his criminal case "has proven to be false."[^1][^2]
|
||||
Hoffenberg later swore that Epstein used money taken in the Towers scheme "as start-up capital for his corporations, including [[Financial Trust Company|The Financial Trust Company]]," the [[St. Thomas]] company Epstein incorporated in 1998. Epstein denied any dealings with the Towers insurers and was never charged; Vanity Fair noted that much of Hoffenberg's testimony in his criminal case "has proven to be false."[^1][^2]
|
||||
|
||||
### Footnotes
|
||||
|
||||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
@ -51,7 +51,7 @@ A May 2003 due-diligence report stated that "Jeffrey Epstein, through the tradin
|
|||
|
||||
After the 2006 arrest the bank's Rapid Response Team met on October 17, 2006 and, "after internal discussion with Jes Staley, Mary Erdoes, Catherine Keating, John Duffy and Mary Casey," decided to "keep Mr. Epstein solely as a banking client and on a 'reactive', client service basis," not proactively soliciting new investment business from him. His balances rose from about 32 million dollars in October 2006 to about 121.5 million dollars by July 2008 and 156 million dollars in September 2008. An August 28, 2008 email from Casey counted his assets as a probable outflow "as I can't imagine it will stay (pending Dimon review)." A 2009 due-diligence report recorded that after his conviction "Jes Staley conferred with Stephen Cutler and the decision was made to keep Mr. Epstein as a PB client," for "banking and custody only," with brokerage execution withdrawn.[^4][^7] In 2005 the bank had approved a one million dollar standby letter of credit in Epstein's name backing a [[Mellon United National Bank]] loan to [[MC2 Model Management]], the agency of [[Jean-Luc Brunel]], and renewed it on annual review; a 2011 report by the bank's Global Corporate Security division said it was "unknown if the money was given as a secret investment or payment for services as a procurer."[^4][^7]
|
||||
|
||||
The chronological log of the [[Operation Leap Year]] investigation kept by the [[U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Florida]] records a grand jury subpoena to Chase returnable August 18, 2006, issued alongside subpoenas to [[Colonial Bank]], [[Washington Mutual]] and [[Capital One]] and to Epstein's aviation companies Hyperion Air, Inc. and JEGE, Inc.; a subpoena to "JP Morgan Chase" returnable March 6, 2007; and a subpoena to Chase Bank USA, N.A. returnable April 24, 2007. The same log lists subpoenas to [[Financial Trust Company]], Inc., returnable June 12, 2007, and to [[Bear Stearns]], returnable September 4, 2007, and an April 2007 email between Assistant U.S. Attorney [[Ann Marie Villafana]] and the Justice Department's money-laundering specialist [[Stefan Cassella]] "re money laundering question."[^9] On September 21, 2012 Epstein's bookkeeper Harry Beller faxed JPMorgan a memorandum directing it to wire 5,000 dollars from Epstein's account, for further credit to the St. Thomas law firm Kellerhals Ferguson LLP, referenced to the Southern Trust Company application fee; Epstein's September 2012 JPMorgan statement records the debit as "Southern Trust Company Application Fee." [[Southern Trust Company]] applied for its Virgin Islands tax benefits the following month.[^10]
|
||||
The chronological log of the [[Operation Leap Year]] investigation kept by the [[U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Florida]] records a grand jury subpoena to Chase returnable August 18, 2006, issued alongside subpoenas to [[Colonial Bank]], [[Washington Mutual]] and [[Capital One]] and to Epstein's aviation companies Hyperion Air, Inc. and JEGE, Inc.; a subpoena to "JP Morgan Chase" returnable March 6, 2007; and a subpoena to Chase Bank USA, N.A. returnable April 24, 2007. The same log lists subpoenas to [[Financial Trust Company]], Inc., returnable June 12, 2007, and to [[Bear Stearns]], returnable September 4, 2007, and an April 2007 email between Assistant U.S. Attorney [[Ann Marie Villafana]] and the Justice Department's money-laundering specialist [[Stefan Cassella]] "re money laundering question."[^9] On September 21, 2012 Epstein's bookkeeper Harry Beller faxed JPMorgan a memorandum directing it to wire 5,000 dollars from Epstein's account, for further credit to the [[St. Thomas]] law firm Kellerhals Ferguson LLP, referenced to the Southern Trust Company application fee; Epstein's September 2012 JPMorgan statement records the debit as "Southern Trust Company Application Fee." [[Southern Trust Company]] applied for its Virgin Islands tax benefits the following month.[^10]
|
||||
|
||||
In December 2010 anti-money-laundering official [[Philip DeLuca]] wrote to the bank's AML director [[William Langford]] about "that scum Epstein," and Langford replied, "Let me know if McCleerey waffles on Epstein. No patience for this." In January 2011 Langford asked the private bank to re-evaluate its sponsorship of Epstein and "request re-approval from Steve Cutler if we wanted to retain"; the banker [[Paul Morris]] answered, "I thought we decided this was not necessary." A 2011 email recorded that AML operations had asked at a private-bank risk meeting "that we exit this relationship," that no one on a later call favored keeping him, "Seems it is all due to Jes's personal relationship," and that he had "about 212 mil in the bank." In August 2010 [[Alan Greenberg|Alan "Ace" Greenberg]], the former Bear Stearns chairman who had mentored Epstein there, asked Cutler for an exception to the bank's felon policy to keep doing business with him.[^4][^7]
|
||||
|
||||
|
|
@ -75,7 +75,7 @@ The Virgin Islands' forensic accountant found that Epstein withdrew more than 7
|
|||
|
||||
### The 2023 Litigation Before Judge Rakoff
|
||||
|
||||
Two suits proceeded against JPMorgan in the Southern District of New York before Judge Rakoff. One was brought by a survivor identified as Jane Doe 1 on behalf of a class of women abused by Epstein, alleging the bank knowingly benefited from and facilitated his sex trafficking.[^2] The other was brought by the Government of the United States Virgin Islands, where Epstein owned [[Little Saint James]], alleging the bank ignored red flags about his conduct on the island.[^3] Both suits asserted that JPMorgan kept Epstein despite documented internal concern and processed transactions that supported the abuse.[^2][^3]
|
||||
Two suits proceeded against JPMorgan in the [[U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York|Southern District of New York]] before Judge Rakoff. One was brought by a survivor identified as Jane Doe 1 on behalf of a class of women abused by Epstein, alleging the bank knowingly benefited from and facilitated his sex trafficking.[^2] The other was brought by the Government of the [[U.S. Virgin Islands|United States Virgin Islands]], where Epstein owned [[Little Saint James]], alleging the bank ignored red flags about his conduct on the island.[^3] Both suits asserted that JPMorgan kept Epstein despite documented internal concern and processed transactions that supported the abuse.[^2][^3]
|
||||
|
||||
On March 9, 2023 JPMorgan filed a third-party complaint against Staley within the Virgin Islands action, asserting indemnification, contribution, breach of fiduciary duty, and "faithless servant" claims and seeking to recover compensation paid to him from at least 2006 through 2013.[^18] The complaint alleged Staley had concealed his personal activities with Epstein and misrepresented Epstein's character to the bank.[^18] Staley moved to dismiss, contending the bank was using him as a "shield" for its own failures.[^19]
|
||||
|
||||
|
|
@ -87,7 +87,7 @@ Dimon was deposed on May 26, 2023 at the bank's Madison Avenue offices. He testi
|
|||
|
||||
On July 22, 2019, the day *[[The New York Times]]* published "Jeffrey Epstein's Deep Ties to Top Wall Street Figures," Peter Neilson, the bank's Global Head of Financial Crimes Compliance, wrote to two chief compliance officers: "Have been working on this (Epstein et al) today. Top of house requested that we expand our analysis to related parties and put together slides. Should have in a few days. We are treating it as a project at this point. There is a highbridge angle and one dating back to Bear." The project was named Project Jeep. On October 27, 2019 a compliance officer circulated a 22-page "summary of the e-comms review that Trade Surveillance conducted regarding Epstein and Staley," with a note that a colleague had built "a timeline combining the e-comms with the relevant transactional activity"; compliance manager Howard Maleton forwarded it the next day under the subject "Project Jeep Current Review."[^22][^23]
|
||||
|
||||
The summary grouped the emails by topic. Its headings stated that "Jes Staley appears to have a close relationship with Jeffrey Epstein, regularly communicating with him and seeking advice from him including while Epstein is incarcerated"; that Epstein "appears to maintain relationships with a number of senior business executives and senior government officials globally"; that he "appears to maintain a particularly close relationship with [[Prince Andrew]] ... and Lord Peter Mandelson, a senior member of the British Government. He also appears to have a close relationship with [[Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem|Sultan Ahmed Bin Sulayem]] who is a senior [[United Arab Emirates|UAE]] official involved in ownership of the Dubai Ports"; that "Beginning in 2011 Jes Staley and Mary Erdoes have regular communication with Jeffrey Epstein relating to certain strategic initiatives and business proposals"; and that certain messages concerned "lawsuits and litigation involving Epstein, JPMC, Bear Stearns, Highbridge, Zwirn etc." Under the heading on "inappropriate behavior with one reference between Epstein and Staley to a modeling agency," the reviewers paired an August 27 to 29, 2009 exchange, in which Staley wrote that he would be "In London with Jamie, mid week," Epstein asked "Do you need anything there?" and Staley replied "Yep," with a 3,000 dollar wire sent from Epstein's JPMorgan account on August 29, 2009 to a woman in [[Lithuania]] associated with a ballet company there, who had received 2,000 dollars from Epstein on January 8, 2009.[^22][^23] The Government of the United States Virgin Islands told the court that the summary set out "more than four pages of Epstein referrals to JPMorgan," including [[Andrew Farkas]], Nikolic, Gates and Mandelson, and that Dimon had testified, "We did not need introductions to anybody."[^22]
|
||||
The summary grouped the emails by topic. Its headings stated that "Jes Staley appears to have a close relationship with Jeffrey Epstein, regularly communicating with him and seeking advice from him including while Epstein is incarcerated"; that Epstein "appears to maintain relationships with a number of senior business executives and senior government officials globally"; that he "appears to maintain a particularly close relationship with [[Prince Andrew]] ... and Lord Peter Mandelson, a senior member of the British Government. He also appears to have a close relationship with [[Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem|Sultan Ahmed Bin Sulayem]] who is a senior [[United Arab Emirates|UAE]] official involved in ownership of the [[DP World|Dubai Ports]]"; that "Beginning in 2011 Jes Staley and Mary Erdoes have regular communication with Jeffrey Epstein relating to certain strategic initiatives and business proposals"; and that certain messages concerned "lawsuits and litigation involving Epstein, JPMC, Bear Stearns, Highbridge, Zwirn etc." Under the heading on "inappropriate behavior with one reference between Epstein and Staley to a modeling agency," the reviewers paired an August 27 to 29, 2009 exchange, in which Staley wrote that he would be "In London with Jamie, mid week," Epstein asked "Do you need anything there?" and Staley replied "Yep," with a 3,000 dollar wire sent from Epstein's JPMorgan account on August 29, 2009 to a woman in [[Lithuania]] associated with a ballet company there, who had received 2,000 dollars from Epstein on January 8, 2009.[^22][^23] The Government of the United States Virgin Islands told the court that the summary set out "more than four pages of Epstein referrals to JPMorgan," including [[Andrew Farkas]], Nikolic, Gates and Mandelson, and that Dimon had testified, "We did not need introductions to anybody."[^22]
|
||||
|
||||
JPMorgan produced the summary on May 28, 2023, near the close of discovery. The Virgin Islands' counsel, [[Motley Rice]], moved on June 7, 2023 to recall Dimon, depose Maleton and compel production of Bear Stearns records, citing late-produced emails showing that Alan "Ace" Greenberg had gone to general counsel Stephen Cutler "for an exception to the felony policy" for Epstein, a January 19, 2011 message from a JPMorgan Securities employee to Epstein ("Ace would love to speak to Jeffrey") that the bank had not produced as outside the "negotiated scope of search," and a 2008 email stating that "JPM requires top of the house ok for clients who are convicted felons. (ie PCS Legal to Asset Mgt Legal to Cutler to Jaime Daimnon [sic])."[^22] The bank's counsel, [[WilmerHale]], answered on June 9, 2023 that the summary was compiled after Epstein's death by employees with "no contemporaneous knowledge" of the relationship, that 216 of its 222 underlying emails had been produced months earlier, that Dimon had testified he did not recognize the name "Project Jeep" and had instructed the general counsel to "do everything" to establish the facts, that the author of the 2019 email had confirmed "top of house" meant then general counsel [[Stacey Friedman]], and that a follow-up sent eight minutes after the 2008 email showed "top of the house" there referred to Cutler. It confirmed that after Epstein's 2008 plea "people from legacy Bear Stearns, including Mr. Greenberg," may have approached Cutler about the policy requiring general counsel approval to keep a brokerage account for a felon, a decision "made by Mr. Cutler," and said there was "no evidence that Mr. Greenberg had anything to do with Epstein's accounts at the Private Bank."[^24] In August 2023, on a separate motion filed July 18, 2023, Judge Rakoff ordered the bank to produce financial records for newly identified women Epstein had paid, and denied the request "to compel production of all documents and information concerning 'Project Jeep' or other investigations by JPMorgan that occurred after Epstein's 2019 arrest."[^25]
|
||||
|
||||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
@ -44,7 +44,7 @@ Southern Trust Company was a [[U.S. Virgin Islands]] corporation controlled by [
|
|||
|
||||
### Formation and the Economic Development Commission Benefits
|
||||
|
||||
Epstein's territorial operation began with Financial Trust Company, incorporated in St. Thomas on November 6, 1998 (a 2018 investor complaint gave the year as 1996), which received territorial tax exemptions from 1999 and was the principal company managing his wealth and client investments. Southern Trust Company, incorporated in November 2011, followed after Epstein registered as a sex offender in the Virgin Islands; the territory alleged that most of his Virgin Islands companies were created in 2011 and 2012.[^1][^4] The company applied to the Virgin Islands Economic Development Authority in October 2012 and received a package running from February 1, 2013 through January 31, 2023 that included a 90 percent exemption from income taxes and 100 percent exemptions from gross-receipts, excise, and withholding taxes.[^2][^5] At a public hearing of the Economic Development Commission on November 15, 2012, Epstein and his lawyer [[Erika Kellerhals]] testified under oath that the company would provide "cutting edge consulting services" in "biomedical and financial informatics."[^1] The certificate itself is dated January 24, 2014 and signed by the commission's chairman, [[Albert Bryan]], then also Governor [[John de Jongh]]'s Commissioner of Labor, and by Epstein as president. That day [[Cecile de Jongh]] asked Epstein to match 15,000 dollars she had raised for the governor's State of the Territory reception, and an hour later emailed Epstein's accountant [[Richard Kahn]]: "Hi Rich, Can you please prepare a check for $15,000 made payable to Governor's Special Events Fund." Bryan had also signed the 2012 amendment to Financial Trust Company's certificate, and was elected governor in 2018.[^4][^6]
|
||||
Epstein's territorial operation began with Financial Trust Company, incorporated in [[St. Thomas]] on November 6, 1998 (a 2018 investor complaint gave the year as 1996), which received territorial tax exemptions from 1999 and was the principal company managing his wealth and client investments. Southern Trust Company, incorporated in November 2011, followed after Epstein registered as a sex offender in the Virgin Islands; the territory alleged that most of his Virgin Islands companies were created in 2011 and 2012.[^1][^4] The company applied to the Virgin Islands Economic Development Authority in October 2012 and received a package running from February 1, 2013 through January 31, 2023 that included a 90 percent exemption from income taxes and 100 percent exemptions from gross-receipts, excise, and withholding taxes.[^2][^5] At a public hearing of the Economic Development Commission on November 15, 2012, Epstein and his lawyer [[Erika Kellerhals]] testified under oath that the company would provide "cutting edge consulting services" in "biomedical and financial informatics."[^1] The certificate itself is dated January 24, 2014 and signed by the commission's chairman, [[Albert Bryan]], then also Governor [[John de Jongh]]'s Commissioner of Labor, and by Epstein as president. That day [[Cecile de Jongh]] asked Epstein to match 15,000 dollars she had raised for the governor's State of the Territory reception, and an hour later emailed Epstein's accountant [[Richard Kahn]]: "Hi Rich, Can you please prepare a check for $15,000 made payable to Governor's Special Events Fund." Bryan had also signed the 2012 amendment to Financial Trust Company's certificate, and was elected governor in 2018.[^4][^6]
|
||||
|
||||
To qualify, Southern Trust represented that it would operate a consulting service mining DNA and financial data for a global clientele, a database that, according to the application, would let pharmaceutical companies and physicians use Epstein's mathematical models to test drug protocols. The Economic Development Commission program conditions large tax reductions on a beneficiary maintaining a qualifying business and meeting employment and investment requirements in the territory. The Virgin Islands later alleged that the company never built or operated the represented informatics business.[^2][^5]
|
||||
|
||||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
@ -61,7 +61,7 @@ Money raised from new investors was used to pay returns and redemptions to earli
|
|||
|
||||
The Securities and Exchange Commission sued Towers, Hoffenberg, the chief operating officer [[Mitchell Brater]] and [[Arthur J. Ferro]] in February 1993 (SEC v. Towers Financial Corporation, 93 Civ. 0744 (WK), S.D.N.Y., before Judge [[Whitman Knapp]]), and in March 1993 the company filed for protection under Chapter 11 of the Bankruptcy Code (In re Towers Financial Corporation, No. 93-B41558). The Commission later sued Marvin E. Basson and Charles H. Chugerman in 1994, obtained a consent judgment against Hoffenberg, and in September 1996 charged [[Michael Rosoff]], Towers's chief legal officer since 1980, with participating in the fraudulent note sales. The SEC regional director whose office brought the charges, Richard Walker, declined to discuss the case in 2019.[^1][^2][^5][^6] Corrigan turned his committee's investigation over to the SEC, whose charges did not involve Epstein.[^6] The matter became one of the largest financial frauds in the [[United States]] before that of [[Bernard Madoff]].[^6]
|
||||
|
||||
Hoffenberg was indicted in the Northern District of Illinois on April 19, 1994 and in the Southern District of New York on April 20, 1994; the Illinois case was transferred to New York in April 1995. He pleaded guilty on April 20, 1995 to conspiracy to commit securities fraud, mail fraud, conspiracy to obstruct justice and tax evasion (United States v. Hoffenberg, 94 Cr. 213 (RWS) and 95 Cr. 321 (RWS)). Judge [[Robert W. Sweet]] issued his sentencing opinion on March 4, 1997 and entered judgment on March 7, 1997: 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release, a one million dollar fine and restitution of 475,157,340 dollars, the figure the Bankruptcy Court had fixed in April 1996 as the valid claims of the noteholders and bondholders, which with interest the investors put at about one billion dollars by 2018. Brater and Rosoff received prison sentences of seven to nine years. Hoffenberg was released from federal custody on October 11, 2013.[^1][^5][^6][^8] The 1993 prosecution was led by Daniel Nardello, who went into private practice soon afterward.[^6]
|
||||
Hoffenberg was indicted in the Northern District of Illinois on April 19, 1994 and in the [[U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York|Southern District of New York]] on April 20, 1994; the Illinois case was transferred to New York in April 1995. He pleaded guilty on April 20, 1995 to conspiracy to commit securities fraud, mail fraud, conspiracy to obstruct justice and tax evasion (United States v. Hoffenberg, 94 Cr. 213 (RWS) and 95 Cr. 321 (RWS)). Judge [[Robert W. Sweet]] issued his sentencing opinion on March 4, 1997 and entered judgment on March 7, 1997: 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release, a one million dollar fine and restitution of 475,157,340 dollars, the figure the Bankruptcy Court had fixed in April 1996 as the valid claims of the noteholders and bondholders, which with interest the investors put at about one billion dollars by 2018. Brater and Rosoff received prison sentences of seven to nine years. Hoffenberg was released from federal custody on October 11, 2013.[^1][^5][^6][^8] The 1993 prosecution was led by Daniel Nardello, who went into private practice soon afterward.[^6]
|
||||
|
||||
The attempted corporate takeovers drove much of the cash drain. Beginning in November 1987 Hoffenberg used Towers and the captive Illinois insurers to mount unsuccessful bids for [[Pan American World Airways|Pan Am]] and, in 1988, [[Emery Air Freight]], deploying Jeffrey Epstein as a financial adviser on the financing; a 1987 Towers press release said Towers would use 3 million dollars from United Diversified toward the Pan Am bid.[^4][^6] The Pan Am effort collapsed amid the airline's broader decline following the December 1988 bombing of [[Pan Am Flight 103]] over Lockerbie, and the failed raids left the insurers depleted and accelerated regulatory scrutiny of Towers.[^6] The Illinois Department of Insurance liquidated the insurers and sued Hoffenberg in 1991; he settled. The regulators' lawyer, Barry Gross, said of Epstein: "He was very elusive... It was hard to really track him down. There were a substantial number of checks for significant dollars that were paid to him, I remember... we presumed that he was involved with the Pan Am and Emery run that Hoffenberg made, but we never got a chance to depose him."[^4]
|
||||
|
||||
|
|
|
|||
91
20 - ORGANIZATIONS/PRIVATE/Wexner Foundation.md
Normal file
91
20 - ORGANIZATIONS/PRIVATE/Wexner Foundation.md
Normal file
|
|
@ -0,0 +1,91 @@
|
|||
---
|
||||
category: "Private Organization"
|
||||
tags:
|
||||
- Organization
|
||||
- WexnerFoundation
|
||||
- LeslieWexner
|
||||
- JeffreyEpstein
|
||||
- EhudBarak
|
||||
- Philanthropy
|
||||
- JewishLeadership
|
||||
- Israel
|
||||
alias:
|
||||
- The Wexner Foundation
|
||||
- Wexner Heritage Foundation
|
||||
- Leslie H. Wexner Foundation
|
||||
summary: "Ohio private foundation of the Wexner family, formed in 1973, on whose board Jeffrey Epstein sat from 1992 to 2007 and which paid Ehud Barak 2.3 million dollars between 2004 and 2006."
|
||||
start: 1973
|
||||
location: "New Albany, Ohio"
|
||||
relations:
|
||||
- type: founded
|
||||
with: "[[Leslie Wexner]]"
|
||||
reverse: true
|
||||
role: "founder, trustee since 1973, president 1973 to 1985"
|
||||
start: 1973
|
||||
fn: 1
|
||||
- type: head_of
|
||||
with: "[[Larry Moses]]"
|
||||
reverse: true
|
||||
role: "president"
|
||||
start: 1998
|
||||
end: 2011
|
||||
fn: 1
|
||||
- type: head_of
|
||||
with: "[[Elka Abrahamson]]"
|
||||
reverse: true
|
||||
role: "president"
|
||||
start: 2011
|
||||
fn: 1
|
||||
- type: funded
|
||||
with: "[[Interlochen Center for the Arts]]"
|
||||
role: "185,000 dollar organization gift recorded to the fund 'Epstein Lodge'"
|
||||
start: 1994-07-25
|
||||
fn: 10
|
||||
created: 2026-09-25
|
||||
updated: 2026-09-25
|
||||
---
|
||||
|
||||
The Wexner Foundation is an [[Ohio]] private charitable foundation formed in 1973 by the family of the retailer [[Leslie Wexner]] to develop Jewish communal leadership in [[North America]] and public-sector leadership in [[Israel]]. [[Jeffrey Epstein]], Wexner's money manager, was a trustee from December 15, 1992 until September 4, 2007, and was president of the Wexner family office, N.A. Property, Inc., which kept the foundation's books. Between 2004 and 2006 the foundation paid the former Israeli prime minister [[Ehud Barak]] 2.3 million dollars for two commissioned studies, a contract that Epstein's lawyer [[Darren Indyke]] wrote in 2005 he had negotiated. A February 2020 review commissioned by the foundation found no evidence that Epstein used it to commit any crime; the review does not mention Barak.[^1][^2][^3]
|
||||
|
||||
### Formation and Programs
|
||||
|
||||
The foundation's own review dates its formation to 1973, with Leslie Wexner as president until 1985; its later public history gives 1984. Wexner formed a separate Leslie H. Wexner Foundation on July 16, 1985, which merged into the Wexner Foundation in 1993, and founded the Wexner Heritage Foundation in 1985 with Rabbi [[Herbert A. Friedman]]; the Heritage Foundation merged into the Wexner Foundation in 2005. Rabbi Maurice Corson was president from 1985 to 1998, [[Larry Moses]] from 1998 to 2011 and Rabbi [[Elka Abrahamson]] from 2011. The foundation's offices are at 8000 Walton Parkway, [[New Albany, Ohio|New Albany]], Ohio.[^1][^4]
|
||||
|
||||
Its programs include the Wexner Graduate Fellowship, active since 1988, and the Wexner-Israel Fellowship, established in 1989 "to enable up to ten outstanding Israeli government officials each year" to study for a master's degree at [[Harvard University]]'s [[Harvard Kennedy School|John F. Kennedy School of Government]], "to provide Israel's next generation of leaders with advanced public management training"; the Wexner Heritage Program for Jewish lay leaders; and, from 2014, Wexner Senior Leaders for senior officials in the Israeli public sector. According to its 990-PF filings the foundation spent more than 321 million dollars from 1991 to 2018, about 90 percent of its funding coming from the Wexner family.[^1]
|
||||
|
||||
### Epstein as Trustee
|
||||
|
||||
*[[Vanity Fair]]* reported in 2003 that in 1992 Epstein persuaded Wexner to put him on the board in place of Wexner's ailing mother, [[Bella Wexner]], who recovered and demanded reinstatement; Epstein said the matter was settled by splitting the foundation in two. A source close to Wexner told the magazine that Wexner had given Epstein "the power of fiduciary over all of his private trusts and foundations."[^5]
|
||||
|
||||
The foundation's corporate records show Epstein elected a trustee on December 15, 1992. He signed the annual grants from the foundation to the Wexner Heritage Foundation from 1993 to 2004, signed board actions appointing officers and trustees, and signed the joint action approving the 1993 merger of the Leslie H. Wexner Foundation into it. He was named on the foundation's 990-PF filings as the person in whose care its books were kept, as president of N.A. Property, the family office whose accounting department handled the foundation's payroll, ledger, banking and tax filings, and was a co-trustee of the foundation's retirement plan. The 2001 filing recorded a contribution of 9,588,560 dollars from "Arts Interests Trust c/o Jeffrey Epstein," a charitable remainder trust created by Wexner on July 30, 1991 with Epstein as trustee. Epstein resigned from the board, from N.A. Property and "from all Wexner-related roles" in September 2007.[^1]
|
||||
|
||||
Epstein's lawyer Darren Indyke was listed as secretary of the foundation in SEC filings from 1998 to 2001 and on its tax forms through 2006, according to *[[The Daily Beast]]*.[^6]
|
||||
|
||||
### The Barak Payments
|
||||
|
||||
The foundation paid Barak 2.3 million dollars between 2004 and 2006, when he held no public office, for two studies. He completed a 267-page study on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict; for the second, on leadership, the foundation "received an abstract, but did not receive a full paper," and said in 2019 that its management at the time "decided that the work done and material received was enough to end the project and justify the payment."[^2][^7] After the 2019 Israeli election campaign raised the payments, Attorney General [[Avichai Mandelblit]] declined to investigate, and the [[Supreme Court of Israel|High Court of Justice]] rejected a [[Likud]] petition in 2020 after the foundation told the court that Epstein was not involved in the decision to make the payments.[^3]
|
||||
|
||||
Among the documents released by the [[Department of Justice|Justice Department]] on January 30, 2026 was a December 2005 chain in which Barak's wife, [[Nili Priel]], asked Moses about a payment due "according to the contract." The family office's Peg Ugland asked Indyke, "Are you or Jeffrey handling the terms of the contract?" Indyke wrote to Epstein: "I was involved in the negotiation and execution of the document, but have not been involved in overseeing performance," and asked, "Please advise what you want Peg to tell Larry Moses." Epstein replied on December 8, 2005: "Get a copy of what he sent." In a 2026 statement the foundation said Barak was "paid in full over the years 2004-06" and that the payments "were properly reported in the foundation's 990s." On March 1, 2026 a Likud member of the [[Knesset]], Avihai Boaron, and the organization LAVI filed a criminal complaint asking the [[Israel Police]] to investigate Barak and the foundation, alleging that the emails "completely contradict the report that the Wexner Foundation submitted to the High Court."[^3]
|
||||
|
||||
### The 2020 Review
|
||||
|
||||
The foundation commissioned Charles J. Kegler and Loriann E. Fuhrer of the Columbus law firm [[Kegler Brown Hill + Ritter]] to review Epstein's involvement. Their report, dated February 24, 2020, examined the foundation's records and 990-PF filings for 1991 to 2018, more than 3,600 pages of documents on related entities, and interviews with Leslie and [[Abigail Wexner]], all four presidents, trustees and the treasurer; the foundation's email archive did not reach back to Epstein's tenure. It found that Epstein "was absent from the organizational life" of the foundation, in Moses's words, "played no meaningful role in the Foundation's budget, finances or accounting," made no contribution to it, and had no contact with it after his resignation, and concluded: "we found no evidence that Epstein ever used his ties to the Foundation to commit any assault or sexual misconduct, or to otherwise perpetrate any crime." The report does not mention Barak, the 2004 to 2006 payments, or Indyke.[^1]
|
||||
|
||||
The review addressed the 46 million dollars that media reports had described as transferred by Epstein to "a foundation related to the Wexners." It stated that "Epstein did not transfer any assets to the Wexner Foundation." On January 1, 2008 Epstein's C.O.U.Q. Foundation transferred 12,377,844 dollars, and [[Financial Trust Company]] 201,939 shares of Apple stock worth 34,280,154 dollars, to the YLK Charitable Fund, formed by Abigail Wexner on December 20, 2007. The reviewers found that C.O.U.Q.'s endowment had been funded almost entirely by transfers of Wexner family money, more than 11 million dollars from the Wexner Children's Trust in 2001 and 10 million from the Leslie H. Wexner Charitable Fund in 2003, which the Wexners said they "never knew about or authorized." YLK dissolved on December 27, 2010 and passed about 35 million dollars to the Wexner Family Charitable Fund.[^1] Wexner wrote to the foundation's community in August 2019 that Epstein "had misappropriated vast sums of money" from his family and that the payments "represented a portion of the returned monies. All of that money, every dollar of it, was originally Wexner family money."[^8][^9]
|
||||
|
||||
### The Interlochen Gift
|
||||
|
||||
The review examined contributions to the foundation, not grants made by it. A donor record of the [[Interlochen Center for the Arts]] in [[Michigan]], printed on February 12, 2020 and found in the [[Epstein Files|Epstein files]], lists "Wexner Foundation $185000.00 Single Donation 07/25/1994," recorded as an organization gift with the Wexner Foundation as donor, credited to the fund "Epstein Lodge ($185.000.00)" and attached to the constituent record of "Mr. Jeffrey Epstein."[^10]
|
||||
|
||||
### Footnotes
|
||||
|
||||
[^1]: Kegler, Charles J., and Loriann E. Fuhrer. *Independent Review of Jeffrey Epstein's Involvement and Interactions with The Wexner Foundation.* Kegler Brown Hill + Ritter Co., LPA, February 24, 2020, pp. 1-18. https://www.wexnerfoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/Wexner-Foundation-Report-Following-Independent-Review4.pdf
|
||||
[^2]: *The Times of Israel,* on the Wexner Foundation's statement that its 2.3 million dollars to Barak paid for two reports, one unfinished. https://www.timesofisrael.com/wexner-foundation-2-3-million-to-barak-was-for-2-reports-1-wasnt-finished/
|
||||
[^3]: Lefkovits, Etgar. "Complaint seeks police probe into Ehud Barak and Wexner Foundation." *JNS,* March 17, 2026. https://www.jns.org/complaint-seeks-police-probe-into-barak-and-wexner-foundation/
|
||||
[^4]: "Our Story," *The Wexner Foundation.* https://www.wexnerfoundation.org/our-story/
|
||||
[^5]: Vicky Ward, "The Talented Mr. Epstein," *Vanity Fair,* March 2003, as republished by the author. https://vickyward.com/article/the-talented-mr-epstein/
|
||||
[^6]: U.S. Department of Justice, Epstein Library, EFTA00163119, DataSet 9, press printout: Kate Briquelet and William Bredderman, "Jeffrey Epstein's Right-Hand Mystery Men: The Lawyer and the Accountant," *The Daily Beast,* August 30, 2020. https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/DataSet%209/EFTA00163119.pdf
|
||||
[^7]: "Ehud Barak Received $2.3 Million for Two Studies, One Was Not Completed, Wexner Foundation Says." *Haaretz,* 2019. https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/.premium-ehud-barak-received-2-3-million-for-two-studies-one-was-not-completed-wexner-foun-1.8983735
|
||||
[^8]: Leslie Wexner, "Letter from Les," *The Wexner Foundation,* August 2019. https://www.wexnerfoundation.org/letter-from-les/
|
||||
[^9]: "Victoria's Secret owner says disgraced financier Epstein stole $46M from him," *CBC,* 2019. https://amp.cbc.ca/lite/story/1.5240145
|
||||
[^10]: U.S. Department of Justice, Epstein Library, EFTA01265496, DataSet 10, Interlochen Center for the Arts donor database printouts for constituent "Mr. Jeffrey Epstein," printed February 12, 2020, at EFTA01265692 (duplicate EFTA00102702, DataSet 9). https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/DataSet%2010/EFTA01265496.pdf
|
||||
117
40 - EVENTS/Doe v. United States.md
Normal file
117
40 - EVENTS/Doe v. United States.md
Normal file
|
|
@ -0,0 +1,117 @@
|
|||
---
|
||||
category: "Law Enforcement & Legal"
|
||||
tags:
|
||||
- Event
|
||||
- FederalCase
|
||||
- CrimeVictimsRightsAct
|
||||
- JeffreyEpstein
|
||||
- NonProsecutionAgreement
|
||||
- SouthernDistrictOfFlorida
|
||||
- EleventhCircuit
|
||||
alias:
|
||||
- In re Wild
|
||||
- In re Courtney Wild
|
||||
- In re Wild (en banc)
|
||||
- Jane Doe 1 and Jane Doe 2 v. United States
|
||||
- Does v. United States
|
||||
- Doe v. United States (CVRA)
|
||||
summary: "Crime Victims' Rights Act case filed in 2008 by Epstein victims over his secret non-prosecution agreement, which won a 2019 violation finding but no remedy, and failed 7-4 before the en banc Eleventh Circuit."
|
||||
start: 2008-07-07
|
||||
end: 2022-02-22
|
||||
location: "West Palm Beach, Florida"
|
||||
relations:
|
||||
- type: participant_in
|
||||
with: "[[Paul Cassell]]"
|
||||
reverse: true
|
||||
role: "petitioners' counsel"
|
||||
start: 2008-07-28
|
||||
fn: 2
|
||||
- type: participant_in
|
||||
with: "[[Jay Howell]]"
|
||||
reverse: true
|
||||
role: "petitioners' counsel"
|
||||
start: 2008-08-08
|
||||
fn: 2
|
||||
- type: participant_in
|
||||
with: "[[U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Florida]]"
|
||||
reverse: true
|
||||
role: "respondent's counsel"
|
||||
start: 2008-07-09
|
||||
fn: 2
|
||||
- type: participant_in
|
||||
with: "[[Jay Lefkowitz]]"
|
||||
reverse: true
|
||||
role: "proposed intervenor"
|
||||
start: 2011-04-07
|
||||
fn: 4
|
||||
- type: participant_in
|
||||
with: "[[Roy Black]]"
|
||||
reverse: true
|
||||
role: "proposed intervenor"
|
||||
start: 2011-04-07
|
||||
fn: 4
|
||||
- type: participant_in
|
||||
with: "[[Bruce Reinhart]]"
|
||||
reverse: true
|
||||
role: "proposed intervenor and movant for sanctions"
|
||||
start: 2011-05-03
|
||||
fn: 4
|
||||
- type: participant_in
|
||||
with: "[[Jeffrey Epstein]]"
|
||||
reverse: true
|
||||
role: "proposed limited intervenor"
|
||||
start: 2011-09-02
|
||||
fn: 4
|
||||
- type: participant_in
|
||||
with: "[[Kevin Newsom]]"
|
||||
reverse: true
|
||||
role: "author of the en banc majority opinion"
|
||||
start: 2021-04-15
|
||||
fn: 11
|
||||
created: 2026-09-25
|
||||
updated: 2026-09-25
|
||||
---
|
||||
|
||||
Doe v. United States (No. 9:08-cv-80736-KAM) is the case opened in the [[United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida]] on July 7, 2008 by an emergency petition under the [[Crime Victims' Rights Act]], 18 U.S.C. 3771, filed for the victim of [[Jeffrey Epstein]] then known as Jane Doe 1, later identified as [[Courtney Wild]], and joined by Jane Doe 2. It ran before Judge [[Kenneth Marra]] for eleven years. In February 2019 Marra held that federal prosecutors had violated the Act by concealing the [[Epstein non-prosecution agreement]]; after Epstein's death he denied every remedy. Wild's mandamus petition, In re Wild (No. 19-13843), was denied by the en banc [[United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit|Eleventh Circuit]] on April 15, 2021 by seven votes to four, and the [[Supreme Court of the United States|Supreme Court]] denied certiorari on February 22, 2022.[^1][^2][^3]
|
||||
|
||||
### The Petition
|
||||
|
||||
[[Bradley Edwards]] filed the petition a week after Epstein's June 30, 2008 state guilty plea. Marra ordered the [[U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Florida]] to respond by July 9. The government moved to file its response under seal, and its response, supported by a declaration of the line prosecutor, [[Ann Marie Villafana|A. Marie Villafaña]], was the first reference the petitioners saw to the agreement. Marra denied the sealing motion after a hearing on July 11. On July 28 [[Paul Cassell]], who had resigned as a federal judge in Utah the previous November, moved for a limited appearance for the petitioners, and on August 8 [[Jay Howell]] did the same. On August 21, 2008 Marra issued an order compelling production of the agreement under a protective order; on February 12, 2009 he denied the petitioners' motion to unseal it. Edwards litigated the case without fee for more than ten years.[^1][^2]
|
||||
|
||||
With the petitioners pursuing civil claims against Epstein, the case was administratively closed on September 8, 2010, and reopened on October 28, 2010 after an order to show cause for lack of prosecution. In March 2011 the petitioners moved for a finding of violations, for an order that the office not withhold evidence, and to use the plea correspondence between prosecutors and defense counsel as proof. On April 7, 2011 Epstein's lawyers [[Roy Black]], [[Martin Weinberg]] and [[Jay Lefkowitz]] moved to intervene in their own names; on May 3, 2011 the former prosecutor [[Bruce Reinhart]] moved to intervene and for sanctions; and on September 2, 2011 Epstein moved for limited intervention. On August 19, 2011 the government filed an opinion of the [[Department of Justice|Justice Department]]'s [[Office of Legal Counsel]].[^2][^4]
|
||||
|
||||
### Rulings
|
||||
|
||||
In 2011 Marra held that rights under the Act attach before the government files formal charges (Does v. United States, 817 F. Supp. 2d 1337), and in 2013 that the Act authorizes the rescission of a prosecutorial agreement, including a non-prosecution agreement, reached in violation of the conferral right (Doe v. United States, 950 F. Supp. 2d 1262). In December 2014 Edwards and Cassell moved to add a victim identified as Jane Doe 3, later publicly identified as [[Virginia Giuffre]], alleging that Epstein had trafficked her to [[Alan Dershowitz]] and others; Dershowitz denied it, and in April 2015 Marra struck the allegations as "immaterial and impertinent" without ruling on their truth. On February 10, 2016 the petitioners filed their consolidated statement of undisputed facts, with exhibits including the July 6, 2007 letter in which [[Gerald Lefcourt]] and Dershowitz cited the psychologist [[Steven Pinker]].[^1][^5][^6]
|
||||
|
||||
On February 21, 2019 Marra granted partial summary judgment (ECF No. 435, 359 F. Supp. 3d 1201). He wrote that "[p]articularly problematic was the Government's decision to conceal the existence of the NPA and mislead the victims to believe that federal prosecution was still a possibility," that "[w]hile the Government spent untold hours negotiating the terms and implications of the NPA with Epstein's attorneys, scant information was shared with victims," and that "[t]he Court is not ruling that the decision not to prosecute was improper." The Justice Department then recused the Southern District of Florida and assigned the [[U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Georgia]] to defend the case, and on February 6, 2019, after a December 2018 letter from Senator [[Ben Sasse]], the [[Office of Professional Responsibility]] had opened its review of the agreement, which it then expanded to cover the conduct on which Marra's findings rested.[^1][^7][^8]
|
||||
|
||||
Epstein was arrested in New York on July 6, 2019 and died in the [[Metropolitan Correctional Center, New York|Metropolitan Correctional Center]] on August 10. On September 16, 2019 Marra closed the case (ECF No. 478). He held the question whether the violation invalidated the agreement moot, denied rescission, sanctions, damages, a compelled meeting with former U.S. Attorney [[Alexander Acosta]] ("The Court has no jurisdiction over Alexander Acosta, the former U.S. Attorney, who is now a private citizen") and grand jury and internal documents, and refused attorney's fees because, "[a]lthough unsuccessful on the merits of the issue of whether there was a violation of the CVRA, the Government asserted legitimate and legally supportable positions throughout this litigation." He wrote that "despite Petitioners having demonstrated the Government violated their rights under the CVRA, in the end they are not receiving much, if any, of the relief they sought," and that the rulings "likely played some role, however small it may have been, in the initiation of criminal charges against Mr. Epstein in the [[U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York|Southern District of New York]] and that office's continuing investigation of others who may have been complicit with him."[^9][^10]
|
||||
|
||||
### In re Wild
|
||||
|
||||
Wild petitioned the Eleventh Circuit for mandamus in her own name. The government argued in its brief that "as a matter of law, the legal obligations under the CVRA do not attach prior to the government charging a case," while conceding at oral argument that the office had "made a mistake in causing her to believe that the case was ongoing when in fact the NPA had been signed." A divided panel denied the petition on April 14, 2020, holding that the rights do not attach before charges, and the full court vacated that decision and granted rehearing en banc on August 7, 2020.[^8]
|
||||
|
||||
On April 15, 2021 the en banc court (994 F.3d 1244) denied the petition. Judge [[Kevin Newsom]], writing for Chief Judge [[William Pryor]] and Judges Wilson, Lagoa, Brasher and [[Gerald Tjoflat|Tjoflat]], and in part Luck, wrote: "We have the profoundest sympathy for Ms. Wild and others like her, who suffered unspeakable horror at Epstein's hands, only to be left in the dark," and, "so it seems, affirmatively misled," by government attorneys: "Even so, we find ourselves constrained to deny Ms. Wild's petition." The Act permits a victim to move for relief within a preexisting proceeding, but "it does not authorize a victim to seek judicial enforcement of her CVRA rights in a freestanding civil action"; the majority stated that "we needn't decide whether, in the abstract, the rights to confer and to be treated with fairness might attach prior to the formal commencement of criminal proceedings." In a separate concurrence Newsom wrote that the prosecutors had, "by their own admission," affirmatively misled Wild and dozens of others: "Shameful all the way around. The whole thing makes me sick." Judge Elizabeth Branch, joined by Judges Martin, Jill Pryor and Hull, dissented, and Judge [[Frank Hull]] wrote separately: "Good gracious, there's nothing abstract about this case," and "[o]nce the ink was dry on the Agreement, the U.S. Attorney had exercised his discretion and made his charging decision."[^3][^11]
|
||||
|
||||
The Supreme Court denied certiorari on February 22, 2022 (No. 21-351), the Solicitor General opposing review. Wild wrote after the denial: "The government intentionally misled the victims but found a way to get away with it by working with a child molester to get around the law. And the Judges ruled in their favor. How?" Representatives [[Jackie Speier]], [[Scott Perry]], [[Lois Frankel]] and [[Mo Brooks]] had introduced the Courtney Wild Crime Victims' Rights Reform Act of 2019 (H.R. 4729) to extend the conferral and notice rights to the pre-charge period; it was not enacted, nor were its successors in 2022 and later.[^3][^12]
|
||||
|
||||
### The Epstein Side
|
||||
|
||||
On February 25, 2018, while the case was pending, Epstein wrote to [[Kathryn Ruemmler]], the former [[White House]] Counsel, about a newly discovered "email trail" involving [[Scott Rothstein]]'s prosecutors and lawyer: "now the issue is how to use, it, CVRA? marie? Bar. USA[?]. scoff rothsteins prosecutors that w[i]thdrew his r[ule] 35 [ ] filing. nurik, rothsteins lawyer on some of t[h]e emails. Judge marra, cvra.? press? move f[o]r sanctions? strategy time." Ruemmler replied at 2:12 a.m. on February 26: "How did you discover it? Let's discuss in the a.m."[^13]
|
||||
|
||||
### Footnotes
|
||||
|
||||
[^1]: Opinion and Order, *Jane Doe 1 and Jane Doe 2 v. United States*, No. 9:08-cv-80736-KAM (S.D. Fla. Feb. 21, 2019), ECF No. 435 (Marra, J.), reported at 359 F. Supp. 3d 1201, at 2-3, 12-21, 26-33, citing *Does v. United States*, 817 F. Supp. 2d 1337 (S.D. Fla. 2011), and *Doe v. United States*, 950 F. Supp. 2d 1262 (S.D. Fla. 2013). https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.flsd.317867/gov.uscourts.flsd.317867.435.0.pdf
|
||||
[^2]: Docket, *Doe v. United States*, No. 9:08-cv-80736-KAM (S.D. Fla.), ECF Nos. 1, 3, 11-14, 16, 18, 20, 21, 26, 28, 36, 38, 40, 44, CourtListener docket 4502088. https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/4502088/doe-v-united-states/
|
||||
[^3]: *In re Wild*, No. 19-13843, 994 F.3d 1244 (11th Cir. Apr. 15, 2021) (en banc), opinion of Newsom, J., at 2-3, 13; Branch, J., dissenting; Hull, J., dissenting, at 156, 158. https://media.ca11.uscourts.gov/opinions/pub/files/201913843.enb.pdf ; Supreme Court of the United States, docket No. 21-351, order of February 22, 2022 denying certiorari. https://www.supremecourt.gov/search.aspx?filename=/docket/docketfiles/html/public/21-351.html
|
||||
[^4]: Docket, *Doe v. United States*, No. 9:08-cv-80736-KAM (S.D. Fla.), ECF Nos. 46-51, 55, 56, 68, 70, 79, 80, 83, 89, 90, 93, 94 (March to September 2011), CourtListener. https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/4502088/doe-v-united-states/
|
||||
[^5]: "Lawyers Call Sexual Misconduct Case Against Dershowitz 'A Mistake,'" *The Harvard Crimson,* April 11, 2016. https://www.thecrimson.com/article/2016/4/11/lawyers-drop-dershowitz-case/
|
||||
[^6]: Letter from Gerald B. Lefcourt and Alan M. Dershowitz to Jeffrey Sloman, Matthew Menchel, Andrew Lourie and A. Marie Villafaña, July 6, 2007, filed as Exhibit 46 to Jane Doe 1 and Jane Doe 2's Consolidated Statement of Undisputed Material Facts and Motion for Partial Summary Judgment, ECF No. 361-46 (entered February 10, 2016). https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.flsd.317867/gov.uscourts.flsd.317867.361.46.pdf
|
||||
[^7]: Opinion and Order, *Jane Doe 1 and Jane Doe 2 v. United States*, ECF No. 435 (note 1), quoting ECF No. 407 at paragraphs 33, 37, 52, 61, 63, 83, 90; U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Professional Responsibility, "Investigation into the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Florida's Resolution of Its 2006-2008 Federal Criminal Investigation of Jeffrey Epstein," November 2020. https://www.justice.gov/opr/page/file/1336471/dl
|
||||
[^8]: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Professional Responsibility, Executive Summary of the November 2020 report, pp. v-vii. https://www.justice.gov/opr/page/file/1336471/dl ; the same report as filed in CA Florida Holdings, LLC v. Aronberg: 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 Exhibit 3. 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
|
||||
[^9]: Opinion and Order, *Doe v. United States*, No. 9:08-cv-80736-KAM (S.D. Fla. Sept. 16, 2019), ECF No. 478 (Marra, J.). https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/USCOURTS-flsd-9_08-cv-80736/pdf/USCOURTS-flsd-9_08-cv-80736-2.pdf
|
||||
[^10]: 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. iii to iv. https://oig.justice.gov/sites/default/files/reports/23-085.pdf
|
||||
[^11]: *In re Wild*, No. 19-13843 (11th Cir. Apr. 15, 2021) (en banc), Newsom, J., concurring. https://media.ca11.uscourts.gov/opinions/pub/files/201913843.enb.pdf
|
||||
[^12]: "Supreme Court Turns Away Jeffrey Epstein Victim's Petition on Dead Predator's Infamous Non-Prosecution Agreement," *Law & Crime,* February 22, 2022. https://lawandcrime.com/jeffrey-epstein-2/supreme-court-turns-away-jeffrey-epstein-victims-petition-on-dead-predators-infamous-non-prosecution-agreement/ ; H.R. 4729, 116th Congress. https://www.congress.gov/bill/116th-congress/house-bill/4729/text ; H.R. 9444, 117th Congress. https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/9444
|
||||
[^13]: U.S. Department of Justice, Epstein Library, EFTA02522534, DataSet 11, email chain, Jeffrey Epstein and Kathy Ruemmler, "Re: this email trail was discovered today," February 25 to 26, 2018 (duplicate at EFTA02522094). https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/DataSet%2011/EFTA02522534.pdf
|
||||
|
|
@ -107,7 +107,7 @@ On November 29, 2007 Sloman forwarded an exchange with Lourie recording that the
|
|||
|
||||
### The Terms
|
||||
|
||||
The agreement required Epstein to plead guilty in state court to the pending solicitation indictment and to a new information charging procurement of minors for prostitution under Florida Statute 796.03, an offense requiring sex offender registration, and to make a binding joint recommendation of 18 months in county jail followed by 12 months of community control. In exchange the office agreed not to prosecute him in the Southern District of Florida.[^2]
|
||||
The agreement required Epstein to plead guilty in state court to the pending solicitation indictment and to a new information charging procurement of minors for prostitution under Florida Statute 796.03, an offense requiring sex offender registration, and to make a binding joint recommendation of 18 months in county jail followed by 12 months of community control. In exchange the office agreed not to prosecute him in the [[U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Florida|Southern District of Florida]].[^2]
|
||||
|
||||
The immunity clause read: "the United States also agrees that it will not institute any criminal charges against any potential co-conspirators of Epstein, including but not limited to [[Sarah Kellen]], [[Adriana Ross]], [[Lesley Groff]], or [[Nadia Marcinkova]]." A confidentiality clause provided that "[t]he parties anticipate that this agreement will not be made part of any public record," and that if the government received a [[Freedom of Information Act]] request or compulsory process for the agreement, "it will provide notice to Epstein before making that disclosure."[^1]
|
||||
|
||||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
@ -0,0 +1,121 @@
|
|||
---
|
||||
category: "Law Enforcement & Legal"
|
||||
tags:
|
||||
- Event
|
||||
- FederalCase
|
||||
- JeffreyEpstein
|
||||
- JPMorganChase
|
||||
- VirginIslands
|
||||
- JesStaley
|
||||
- ProjectJeep
|
||||
- SouthernDistrictOfNewYork
|
||||
alias:
|
||||
- Government of the United States Virgin Islands v. JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A.
|
||||
- USVI v. JPMorgan
|
||||
- USVI v. JPMorgan Chase
|
||||
- Virgin Islands v. JPMorgan
|
||||
- Government of the U.S. Virgin Islands v. JPMorgan Chase Bank
|
||||
summary: "The Virgin Islands' 2022 federal suit accusing JPMorgan of facilitating Jeffrey Epstein's trafficking, heard by Judge Jed Rakoff with two victims' bank suits and settled in 2023 for 75 million dollars."
|
||||
start: 2022-12-27
|
||||
end: 2023-10-18
|
||||
location: "New York, New York"
|
||||
relations:
|
||||
- type: participant_in
|
||||
with: "[[Government of the United States Virgin Islands]]"
|
||||
reverse: true
|
||||
role: "plaintiff"
|
||||
start: 2022-12-27
|
||||
end: 2023-10-18
|
||||
fn: 1
|
||||
- type: participant_in
|
||||
with: "[[JPMorgan Chase]]"
|
||||
reverse: true
|
||||
role: "defendant and third-party plaintiff"
|
||||
start: 2022-12-27
|
||||
end: 2023-10-18
|
||||
fn: 1
|
||||
- type: participant_in
|
||||
with: "[[Jed Rakoff]]"
|
||||
reverse: true
|
||||
role: "presiding judge"
|
||||
start: 2022-12-27
|
||||
fn: 1
|
||||
- type: participant_in
|
||||
with: "[[Jes Staley]]"
|
||||
reverse: true
|
||||
role: "third-party defendant"
|
||||
start: 2023-03-08
|
||||
end: 2023-10-18
|
||||
fn: 1
|
||||
- type: participant_in
|
||||
with: "[[Motley Rice]]"
|
||||
reverse: true
|
||||
role: "counsel for the Virgin Islands"
|
||||
start: 2022-12-27
|
||||
end: 2023-10-18
|
||||
fn: 4
|
||||
- type: participant_in
|
||||
with: "[[WilmerHale]]"
|
||||
reverse: true
|
||||
role: "counsel for JPMorgan"
|
||||
fn: 7
|
||||
- type: participant_in
|
||||
with: "[[Denise George]]"
|
||||
reverse: true
|
||||
role: "Attorney General who filed the suit"
|
||||
start: 2022-12-27
|
||||
end: 2022-12-31
|
||||
fn: 2
|
||||
- type: participant_in
|
||||
with: "[[Carol Thomas-Jacobs]]"
|
||||
reverse: true
|
||||
role: "counsel for the Virgin Islands; Acting Attorney General"
|
||||
start: 2022-12-30
|
||||
fn: 1
|
||||
created: 2026-09-25
|
||||
updated: 2026-09-25
|
||||
---
|
||||
|
||||
Government of the [[U.S. Virgin Islands|United States Virgin Islands]] v. JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A. (No. 1:22-cv-10904-JSR) was a suit filed on December 27, 2022 in the [[U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York]] by the [[Government of the United States Virgin Islands]], which alleged that [[JPMorgan Chase]] had knowingly facilitated and profited from [[Jeffrey Epstein]]'s sex trafficking while keeping him as a private bank client from 1998 to 2013. Attorney General [[Denise George]] filed it; Governor [[Albert Bryan]] removed her four days later. Judge [[Jed Rakoff]] consolidated it for pretrial purposes with two suits by a victim against JPMorgan and [[Deutsche Bank]], and JPMorgan brought a third-party claim against its former executive [[Jes Staley]]. The bank settled with the territory in September 2023 for 75 million dollars, 20 million of which went to the territory's outside counsel, [[Motley Rice]].[^1][^2][^3][^4]
|
||||
|
||||
### Filing and the Removal of the Attorney General
|
||||
|
||||
The complaint (ECF No. 1) invoked federal question jurisdiction and demanded a jury; its first amended version attached, as Exhibit 1, the Second Amended Complaint in the territory's separate Superior Court suit against Epstein's estate and co-executors, [[Darren Indyke]] and [[Richard Kahn]], which had settled on November 30, 2022 for 105 million dollars in cash and other terms. George had brought that estate case in January 2020. Bryan removed George on December 31, 2022. His office gave no reason and said reports tying the removal to the JPMorgan suit were "not entirely accurate." [[Carol Thomas-Jacobs]], who had moved for admission pro hac vice in the case on December 30, became Acting Attorney General effective January 1, 2023, and on January 20, 2023 signed the territory's 62.5 million dollar settlement with the financier [[Leon Black]]. The territory's lawyers of record included [[Linda Singer]] and Elizabeth Paige Boggs of Motley Rice.[^1][^2][^5]
|
||||
|
||||
George told the [[Federal Bureau of Investigation]] in an October 2023 interview, according to agents' notes released in January 2026, that Bryan had asked her in 2019 to waive the territory's 21-day travel-notice rule for Epstein, had told her after Epstein's death, "He's dead go for it," and had later pressed her to settle with the estate for 80 million dollars through a mediator of his choosing. Bryan has said Epstein received no special privilege from his administration.[^6]
|
||||
|
||||
### Consolidation and Rulings
|
||||
|
||||
On December 29, 2022 Rakoff consolidated the case "for all pretrial purposes" with Doe v. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft (22-cv-10018) and Doe v. JP Morgan Chase & Co. (22-cv-10019), suits brought by pseudonymous victims, under a single case management plan. On March 8, 2023 JPMorgan filed a third-party complaint against its former executive James Edward Staley, seeking to shift liability for his relationship with Epstein. On March 20, 2023 Rakoff issued a single "bottom-line" order granting in part and denying in part the motions to dismiss in all three cases (ECF No. 90), explained in an opinion of May 1 (ECF No. 130). On April 10 he refused to sever Staley's claims, and on May 2 he admitted [[Paul Cassell]] pro hac vice in the Jane Doe case against JPMorgan. On August 18, 2023 he denied Staley's motion to dismiss "in its entirety" (ECF No. 293).[^1]
|
||||
|
||||
### Discovery and Project Jeep
|
||||
|
||||
In February 2023 Motley Rice sought to subpoena [[Leslie Wexner]]; his Columbus lawyers would not accept service, and the territory moved on February 17 for leave to serve him by certified mail. JPMorgan's chief executive, [[Jamie Dimon]], was deposed on May 26, 2023; examining him for the territory, Singer objected on the record to "counsel coaching the witness on answers," and Dimon testified that the bank "did not need introductions to anybody."[^7][^8]
|
||||
|
||||
On May 28, 2023, near the close of discovery, JPMorgan produced a 22-page summary from an internal review, code-named "Project Jeep," begun after Epstein's 2019 arrest. It stated that "Jes Staley appears to have a close relationship with Jeffrey Epstein, regularly communicating with him and seeking advice from him including while Epstein is incarcerated," and that Epstein "appears to maintain a particularly close relationship with [[Prince Andrew]] the [Duke] of York and Lord Peter Mandelson, a senior member of the British Government," and "a close relationship with [[Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem|Sultan Ahmed Bin Sulayem]]." On June 7, 2023 Motley Rice asked Rakoff to reopen depositions, citing the summary's "more than four pages of Epstein referrals to JPMorgan," including [[Andrew Farkas]], [[Boris Nikolic]], [[Bill Gates]] and [[Peter Mandelson]]; emails showing that the former [[Bear Stearns]] chairman [[Alan Greenberg]] had gone to general counsel [[Stephen Cutler]] "for an exception to the felony policy" for Epstein; and a 2008 email stating that "JPM requires top of the house ok for clients who are convicted felons. (ie PCS Legal to Asset Mgt Legal to Cutler to Jaime Daimnon [sic])." [[WilmerHale]], for JPMorgan, answered on June 9 that "top of the house" meant Cutler, that Dimon did not recognize the name "Project Jeep," and that there was "no evidence that Mr. Greenberg had anything to do with Epstein's accounts at the Private Bank." In August 2023 Rakoff ordered production of records concerning newly identified women Epstein had paid, but denied the request "to compel production of all documents and information concerning 'Project Jeep' or other investigations by JPMorgan that occurred after Epstein's 2019 arrest."[^7][^9]
|
||||
|
||||
On July 24, 2023 the territory filed its statement of material facts (ECF No. 221), which recorded that in March 2011 the investment bank's general counsel had reported to Cutler a conversation with [[Jay Lefkowitz]], who "represented Epstein in state plea/fed NPA process" and believed "any pre-plea conduct is subsumed within plea/NPA." A June 2023 expert report for the territory, filed as ECF No. 238-31, found that Epstein held "at least 134 accounts" at the bank and cited among its sources Judge [[Richard M. Berman]]'s August 27, 2019 hearing in [[United States v. Epstein]].[^10][^11]
|
||||
|
||||
### Settlement
|
||||
|
||||
On September 26, 2023, with summary judgment motions pending, JPMorgan agreed to pay the territory 75 million dollars without admitting wrongdoing: 30 million dollars to organizations combating human trafficking, 25 million dollars to strengthen the territory's law enforcement, and 20 million dollars in attorneys' fees. JPMorgan had agreed in June to pay 290 million dollars to settle the Jane Doe class, which Rakoff approved in November. The territory dismissed its claims with prejudice on October 2, 2023 (ECF No. 344, after a deficient filing on September 29), JPMorgan dismissed its claims against Staley on October 6 (ECF No. 345), and Rakoff closed the case on October 18, 2023 (ECF No. 348). On November 22, 2023 he ordered JPMorgan and Deutsche Bank to pay the [[Epstein Victims' Compensation Program]] 563,365.51 dollars and 187,788.50 dollars respectively for its costs of complying with their subpoenas. The territory received about 180 million dollars from its Epstein settlements after Motley Rice's fees and, as of January 2026, had not filed the accounting of the money that a 2024 territorial law requires.[^3][^4][^6][^12]
|
||||
|
||||
### After Termination
|
||||
|
||||
On April 4, 2024 six women identified as Jane Doe 1 through Jane Doe 6 moved to intervene and for disclosure of sealed filings for use in a related case, Doe v. USVI (23-cv-10301); the territory opposed, and Rakoff denied the motion on June 28, 2024 (ECF No. 366). On a motion by [[The New York Times]], he unsealed part of the summary judgment record on July 30, 2024 (ECF No. 367), and on October 24, 2025, on motions by the Times and [[The Wall Street Journal]], he ordered further exhibits unsealed, subject to redactions to protect victims' identities, which the parties filed on the public docket on October 31, 2025 (ECF Nos. 381-384). The November 2020 report of the [[Department of Justice|Justice Department]]'s [[Office of Professional Responsibility]] on the Florida [[Epstein non-prosecution agreement|non-prosecution agreement]] was also filed as an exhibit in the case.[^1][^13]
|
||||
|
||||
### Footnotes
|
||||
|
||||
[^1]: Docket, Government of the United States Virgin Islands v. JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A., No. 1:22-cv-10904-JSR (S.D.N.Y.), ECF Nos. 1, 5, 6, 7, 17, 70, 90, 117, 120, 130, 131, 293, 343-348, 351, 358-369, 381-384, CourtListener docket 66683865. https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/66683865/government-of-the-united-states-virgin-islands-v-jpmorgan-chase-bank-na/
|
||||
[^2]: "U.S. Virgin Islands fires attorney general in Jeffrey Epstein cases," *PBS NewsHour / Associated Press,* January 2023. https://www.pbs.org/newshour/nation/u-s-virgin-islands-fires-attorney-general-in-jeffrey-epstein-cases ; "Attorney General Denise George Has Been Terminated," *The Virgin Islands Consortium,* December 31, 2022. https://viconsortium.com/vi-government/virgin-islands-attorneygeneral-denise-george-has-been-terminated-
|
||||
[^3]: "JPMorgan Chase settles Jeffrey Epstein sex trafficking suit by U.S. Virgin Islands for $75 million," *CNBC,* September 26, 2023. https://www.cnbc.com/2023/09/26/jpmorgan-to-settle-jeffrey-epstein-suit-by-virgin-islands.html
|
||||
[^4]: Carlson, Suzanne. "Court filings show V.I. First Lady's loyalty to Epstein." *Virgin Islands Daily News,* June 21, 2023. https://www.virginislandsdailynews.com/news/court-filings-show-v-i-first-ladys-loyalty-to-epstein/article_c2dca0a7-a243-5365-88c0-389c576ad022.html ; "U.S. Virgin Islands Attorney General Settles Sex Trafficking Case Against Estate Of Jeffrey Epstein And Co-Defendants For Over $105 Million," *U.S. Virgin Islands Department of Justice,* December 1, 2022. https://usvidoj.com/u-s-virgin-islands-attorney-general-settles-sex-trafficking-case-against-estate-of-jeffrey-epstein-and-co-defendants-for-over-105-million/
|
||||
[^5]: Settlement Agreement and Release between the Government of the United States Virgin Islands and Leon Black, executed January 20, 2023 (as published by the U.S. Senate Committee on Finance). https://www.finance.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/usvi_black_settlement_agreement_-_executedpdf.pdf ; Government of the United States Virgin Islands v. Darren K. Indyke et al., No. ST-20-CV-14 (V.I. Super. Ct.), Second Amended Complaint, reproduced as ECF No. 1-1 in No. 1:22-cv-10904-JSR. https://web.archive.org/web/20260117011558/https://www.justice.gov/multimedia/Court%20Records/Government%20of%20the%20United%20States%20Virgin%20Islands%20v.%20JPMorgan%20Chase%20Bank,%20N.A.,%20No.%20122-cv-10904%20(S.D.N.Y.%202022)/001-01.pdf
|
||||
[^6]: Carlson, Suzanne. "Docs confirm Bryan pressed for special treatment of sex offender." *Virgin Islands Daily News,* February 2, 2026, reporting four pages of FBI notes of an October 2, 2023 interview with Denise George released January 30, 2026. https://www.virginislandsdailynews.com/news/docs-confirm-bryan-pressed-for-special-treatment-of-sex-offender/article_5e9483c9-38d2-406c-8bb0-e5757ce287f2.html
|
||||
[^7]: Deposition of James Dimon, May 26, 2023, Government of the United States Virgin Islands v. JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A., No. 1:22-cv-10904-JSR (S.D.N.Y.). https://assets.bwbx.io/documents/users/iqjWHBFdfxIU/rQOuhi8KqiM0/v0 ; U.S. Department of Justice, Epstein Library, EFTA02808625, Court Records (Government of the United States Virgin Islands v. JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A., No. 1:22-cv-10904), letter of John J. Butts, WilmerHale, ECF No. 187, June 9, 2023. https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/Court%20Records/Government%20of%20the%20United%20States%20Virgin%20Islands%20v.%20JPMorgan%20Chase%20Bank%2C%20N.A.%2C%20No.%20122-cv-10904%20(S.D.N.Y.%202022)/EFTA02808625.pdf
|
||||
[^8]: U.S. Department of Justice, Epstein Library, EFTA02806221, Court Records (Government of the United States Virgin Islands v. JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A., No. 1:22-cv-10904), Declaration in support of motion for alternative service of subpoena upon Leslie Wexner, ECF No. 50-4, February 17, 2023. https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/Court%20Records/Government%20of%20the%20United%20States%20Virgin%20Islands%20v.%20JPMorgan%20Chase%20Bank%2C%20N.A.%2C%20No.%20122-cv-10904%20(S.D.N.Y.%202022)/EFTA02806221.pdf
|
||||
[^9]: U.S. Department of Justice, Epstein Library, EFTA02808715, Court Records (Government of the United States Virgin Islands v. JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A., No. 1:22-cv-10904), letter motion of Motley Rice to Judge Jed S. Rakoff seeking leave to reopen depositions, ECF No. 191, June 7, 2023, pp. 3-5. https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/Court%20Records/Government%20of%20the%20United%20States%20Virgin%20Islands%20v.%20JPMorgan%20Chase%20Bank%2C%20N.A.%2C%20No.%20122-cv-10904%20(S.D.N.Y.%202022)/EFTA02808715.pdf ; U.S. Department of Justice, Epstein Library, EFTA02814941, Court Records (same case), Order of Judge Jed S. Rakoff on Dkt. 212, August 2023. https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/Court%20Records/Government%20of%20the%20United%20States%20Virgin%20Islands%20v.%20JPMorgan%20Chase%20Bank%2C%20N.A.%2C%20No.%20122-cv-10904%20(S.D.N.Y.%202022)/EFTA02814941.pdf
|
||||
[^10]: Government of the United States Virgin Islands v. JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A., No. 1:22-cv-10904-JSR (S.D.N.Y.), Plaintiff's Statement of Material Facts, ECF No. 221 (filed July 24, 2023), paras. 123-124, 374. https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.nysd.591653/gov.uscourts.nysd.591653.221.0.pdf
|
||||
[^11]: U.S. Department of Justice, Epstein Library, EFTA02810827, Court Records (Government of the United States Virgin Islands v. JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A., No. 1:22-cv-10904), Expert Report of Jorge Amador, Asia Advisors, LLC, June 16, 2023, Document 238-31, n. 53. https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/Court%20Records/Government%20of%20the%20United%20States%20Virgin%20Islands%20v.%20JPMorgan%20Chase%20Bank%2C%20N.A.%2C%20No.%20122-cv-10904%20(S.D.N.Y.%202022)/EFTA02810827.pdf
|
||||
[^12]: "JPMorgan Chase and Epstein survivor Jane Doe 1 reach $290 million settlement," *NPR,* June 12, 2023. https://www.npr.org/2023/06/12/1181675580/epstein-jane-doe-1-290-million-settlement-jpmorgan-chase ; "JPMorgan's $290 million settlement with Epstein accusers wins approval by U.S. judge," *CNBC / Reuters,* November 9, 2023. https://www.cnbc.com/2023/11/09/jpmorgans-290-million-settlement-with-epstein-accusers-wins-approval-by-us-judge.html
|
||||
[^13]: U.S. Department of Justice, Epstein Library, EFTA02809635, Court Records (Government of the United States Virgin Islands v. JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A., No. 1:22-cv-10904), Office of Professional Responsibility report of November 2020 as filed in the case. https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/Court%20Records/Government%20of%20the%20United%20States%20Virgin%20Islands%20v.%20JPMorgan%20Chase%20Bank%2C%20N.A.%2C%20No.%20122-cv-10904%20(S.D.N.Y.%202022)/EFTA02809635.pdf
|
||||
|
|
@ -12,7 +12,7 @@ tags:
|
|||
- Iran
|
||||
- Israel
|
||||
- USCustoms
|
||||
summary: "The Hashemi Sting was a 1986 U.S. Customs undercover operation targeting illegal arms sales to Iran, prosecuted by U.S. Attorney Rudolph Giuliani's Southern District of New York office, which resulted in indictments of arms dealers including former Israeli general Avraham Bar-Am; it intersected directly with the Iran-Contra network and the October Surprise investigations, and its key informant Cyrus Hashemi died in London under disputed circumstances shortly after the sting concluded."
|
||||
summary: "The Hashemi Sting was a 1986 U.S. Customs undercover operation against arms sales to Iran, prosecuted by Rudolph Giuliani's Southern District of New York office; its informant Cyrus Hashemi died in London that year."
|
||||
created: 2026-05-15
|
||||
updated: 2026-05-17
|
||||
start: 1985-01-01
|
||||
|
|
@ -20,7 +20,7 @@ end: 1986-12-31
|
|||
location: "New York"
|
||||
---
|
||||
|
||||
The Hashemi Sting was a joint U.S. Customs Service and FBI undercover operation conducted in 1985-1986 targeting illegal arms trafficking to [[Iran]], an operation that became entangled with the parallel [[Iran-Contra Affair]] and the [[October Surprise]] network through its principal informant, Iranian-American arms dealer Cyrus Hashemi. The operation resulted in indictments prosecuted by then-U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York [[Rudolph Giuliani]], and its aftermath raised serious questions about the relationship between legitimate law enforcement, intelligence operations, and the covert arms pipeline to Iran authorized at the highest levels of the [[Ronald Reagan|Reagan]] administration.[^1]
|
||||
The Hashemi Sting was a joint U.S. Customs Service and FBI undercover operation conducted in 1985-1986 targeting illegal arms trafficking to [[Iran]], an operation that became entangled with the parallel [[Iran-Contra Affair]] and the [[October Surprise]] network through its principal informant, Iranian-American arms dealer Cyrus Hashemi. The operation resulted in indictments prosecuted by then-U.S. Attorney for the [[U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York|Southern District of New York]] [[Rudolph Giuliani]], and its aftermath raised serious questions about the relationship between legitimate law enforcement, intelligence operations, and the covert arms pipeline to Iran authorized at the highest levels of the [[Ronald Reagan|Reagan]] administration.[^1]
|
||||
|
||||
### Cyrus Hashemi
|
||||
|
||||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
@ -15,7 +15,7 @@ tags:
|
|||
- DoJ
|
||||
- Software
|
||||
- OctoberSurprise
|
||||
summary: "The INSLAW Affair was a protracted legal and political scandal arising from allegations that the U.S. Department of Justice stole the PROMIS case management software from its developer, drove the company into bankruptcy, and distributed the software internationally, with intelligence agencies reportedly embedding a surveillance backdoor."
|
||||
summary: "The INSLAW Affair was a legal and political scandal over allegations that the U.S. Department of Justice stole the PROMIS case management software from its developer and distributed it internationally with a surveillance backdoor."
|
||||
start: 1982-03-01
|
||||
end: 1998-08-31
|
||||
location: "Washington, D.C."
|
||||
|
|
@ -42,7 +42,7 @@ Bason's non-reappointment in 1988, when his four-year term expired after he soug
|
|||
|
||||
The Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations (PSI) examined the INSLAW matter in 1989 and found "no proof" that [[Lowell Jensen]] and [[Edwin Meese]] had conspired to ruin INSLAW or steal its product, and "no proof of any connection between [[Earl Brian]] or [[Hadron]] and the Department with regard to the INSLAW contract." The Senate report did find, however, that DOJ official Thomas Stanton had "improperly tried to get special handling for Inslaw's bankruptcy" and criticized the Department for placing Brewer, a former INSLAW employee, in charge of the implementation contract.[^3]
|
||||
|
||||
The [[House Committee on the Judiciary|House Judiciary Committee]], chaired by Representative [[Jack Brooks]], conducted a three-year investigation from 1989 to 1992. Its September 10, 1992 report (House Report 102-857) reached substantially more damaging conclusions. The committee found "strong evidence...that the Department of Justice 'acted willfully and fraudulently,' and 'took, converted and stole,' Inslaw's Enhanced PROMIS by 'trickery fraud and deceit.'"[^1] The report cited an admission from Deputy Attorney General [[Arnold Burns]], who told DOJ Office of Professional Responsibility investigators in 1986 that INSLAW's proprietary rights claim was "legitimate" and that the government "would probably lose the case in court on this issue" - yet DOJ continued litigating against INSLAW.[^1]
|
||||
The [[House Committee on the Judiciary|House Judiciary Committee]], chaired by Representative [[Jack Brooks]], conducted a three-year investigation from 1989 to 1992. Its September 10, 1992 report (House Report 102-857) reached substantially more damaging conclusions. The committee found "strong evidence...that the Department of Justice 'acted willfully and fraudulently,' and 'took, converted and stole,' Inslaw's Enhanced PROMIS by 'trickery fraud and deceit.'"[^1] The report cited an admission from Deputy Attorney General [[Arnold Burns]], who told [[Office of Professional Responsibility|DOJ Office of Professional Responsibility]] investigators in 1986 that INSLAW's proprietary rights claim was "legitimate" and that the government "would probably lose the case in court on this issue" - yet DOJ continued litigating against INSLAW.[^1]
|
||||
|
||||
The House Committee specifically examined the roles of Lowell Jensen and Edwin Meese in the affair. Jensen had developed DALITE (District Attorney's Automated Legal Information System), a competing case management software, while serving as Alameda County District Attorney; he was a member of the contract oversight committee at INSLAW's inception and later became Associate Attorney General and then Deputy Attorney General under Meese. The Committee found it "incredible that the Department, having made this determination [that INSLAW's proprietary rights claim was legitimate], would continue to pursue its litigation."[^1] Meese had served alongside Earl Brian in Governor [[Ronald Reagan|Reagan's]] California cabinet; Meese's wife purchased stock in a Brian-controlled company; Meese reportedly recused himself from PROMIS matters upon becoming Attorney General in February 1985, leaving Jensen to handle the issue.[^4]
|
||||
|
||||
|
|
|
|||
109
40 - EVENTS/United States v. Maxwell.md
Normal file
109
40 - EVENTS/United States v. Maxwell.md
Normal file
|
|
@ -0,0 +1,109 @@
|
|||
---
|
||||
category: "Law Enforcement & Legal"
|
||||
tags:
|
||||
- Event
|
||||
- FederalCase
|
||||
- CriminalCase
|
||||
- GhislaineMaxwell
|
||||
- JeffreyEpstein
|
||||
- SexTrafficking
|
||||
- SouthernDistrictOfNewYork
|
||||
- EpsteinFilesTransparencyAct
|
||||
alias:
|
||||
- US v. Maxwell
|
||||
- U.S. v. Maxwell
|
||||
- United States v. Ghislaine Maxwell
|
||||
- United States v. Maxwell (2020)
|
||||
- Maxwell v. United States
|
||||
summary: "Federal sex-trafficking prosecution of Ghislaine Maxwell in the Southern District of New York, ending in a 2021 conviction and 20-year sentence, whose grand jury record was unsealed under the Epstein Files Transparency Act."
|
||||
start: 2020-06-29
|
||||
location: "New York, New York"
|
||||
relations:
|
||||
- type: participant_in
|
||||
with: "[[Ghislaine Maxwell]]"
|
||||
reverse: true
|
||||
role: "defendant"
|
||||
start: 2020-06-29
|
||||
fn: 1
|
||||
- type: participant_in
|
||||
with: "[[U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York]]"
|
||||
reverse: true
|
||||
role: "prosecutor"
|
||||
start: 2020-06-29
|
||||
fn: 1
|
||||
- type: participant_in
|
||||
with: "[[Alison Nathan]]"
|
||||
reverse: true
|
||||
role: "presiding judge"
|
||||
start: 2020-06-29
|
||||
end: 2022-06-29
|
||||
fn: 1
|
||||
- type: participant_in
|
||||
with: "[[Paul Engelmayer]]"
|
||||
reverse: true
|
||||
role: "presiding judge after reassignment"
|
||||
fn: 9
|
||||
- type: participant_in
|
||||
with: "[[Todd Blanche]]"
|
||||
reverse: true
|
||||
role: "counsel for the United States"
|
||||
start: 2025-07-18
|
||||
fn: 9
|
||||
- type: participant_in
|
||||
with: "[[Thomas Massie]]"
|
||||
reverse: true
|
||||
role: "proposed amicus curiae"
|
||||
start: 2026-01-13
|
||||
end: 2026-01-21
|
||||
fn: 11
|
||||
- type: participant_in
|
||||
with: "[[Ro Khanna]]"
|
||||
reverse: true
|
||||
role: "proposed amicus curiae"
|
||||
start: 2026-01-13
|
||||
end: 2026-01-21
|
||||
fn: 11
|
||||
created: 2026-09-25
|
||||
updated: 2026-09-25
|
||||
---
|
||||
|
||||
United States v. Maxwell (No. 1:20-cr-00330) is the federal criminal prosecution of [[Ghislaine Maxwell]] in the [[U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York]] for her part in [[Jeffrey Epstein]]'s sexual abuse of minors. A grand jury indicted her under seal on June 29, 2020, ten months after Epstein's death; a jury convicted her on December 29, 2021 on five of six counts, and Judge [[Alison Nathan]] sentenced her on June 28, 2022 to 240 months. The [[Second Circuit]] affirmed in 2024, rejecting her claim to immunity under the [[Epstein non-prosecution agreement]], and the [[Supreme Court of the United States|Supreme Court]] denied review in October 2025. Under Judge [[Paul Engelmayer]] the closed docket became, in 2025 and 2026, a forum for the release of the grand jury record under the [[Epstein Files Transparency Act]].[^1][^2][^3]
|
||||
|
||||
### Indictment and Pretrial
|
||||
|
||||
The indictment was unsealed on July 2, 2020, the day agents of the [[Federal Bureau of Investigation]] arrested Maxwell at a property in [[New Hampshire]]. Its six counts charged her with facilitating Epstein's abuse of minor victims "from around 1994 to 1997." A first superseding indictment of July 10, 2020 added two perjury counts drawn from her 2016 deposition in [[Giuffre v. Maxwell]]. A second, of March 29, 2021, added a sex trafficking conspiracy count and a count of sex trafficking of a minor, extended the charged conduct into the early 2000s, and renumbered the perjury counts as Seven and Eight. Nathan entered the protective order governing discovery (ECF No. 36) on July 30, 2020.[^1]
|
||||
|
||||
Maxwell's lawyers, Mark S. Cohen of [[Cohen & Gresser]], Jeffrey S. Pagliuca and [[Laura Menninger|Laura A. Menninger]] of [[Haddon, Morgan and Foreman]], and Bobbi C. Sternheim, moved to dismiss for breach of the 2007 agreement, whose co-conspirator clause provided that "the United States also agrees that it will not institute any criminal charges against any potential co-conspirators of Epstein." Nathan denied the motion with the other pretrial motions on April 16, 2021 (ECF No. 207). In an August 24, 2020 reply brief Pagliuca told Nathan that the government had subpoenaed from Giuffre's lawyers nearly 90,000 pages of civil discovery still under the Giuffre v. Maxwell protective order, more than half of the 165,000 pages of criminal discovery, while the Second Circuit and Judge [[Loretta Preska]] were deciding whether to unseal the same material; he asked leave to tell those courts under seal, warning that if they ordered Maxwell's deposition unsealed "without the benefit of this information," "the cat will be out of the bag."[^4][^5]
|
||||
|
||||
### Trial and Sentence
|
||||
|
||||
Trial began on November 29, 2021. Epstein's pilot [[Larry Visoski]] testified for the government; three accusers testified under pseudonyms and a fourth, [[Annie Farmer]], under her own name. On December 9 Nathan admitted Epstein's contact book as Government Exhibit 52 on the authentication of [[Juan Alessi]], the former [[Palm Beach, Florida|Palm Beach]] house manager (ECF No. 535). The jury of six women and six men deliberated about 40 hours over parts of six days and on December 29, 2021 convicted Maxwell of conspiracy to entice minors to travel to engage in illegal sex acts, conspiracy to transport minors, transportation of a minor, sex trafficking conspiracy and sex trafficking of a minor, acquitting her on Count Two. Nathan denied a new trial motion on April 1, 2022 after a juror's undisclosed history of childhood abuse, finding the omission "highly unfortunate, but not deliberate."[^1][^6]
|
||||
|
||||
At sentencing on June 28, 2022 Nathan calculated a Guidelines range of 188 to 235 months and imposed 240 months, as concurrent terms of 60 months on each conspiracy count, 120 months on the transportation count and 240 months on the count of sex trafficking of a minor, with 250,000 dollar fines on three counts, 750,000 dollars in all. She found that Maxwell had "directly, repeatedly, and over the course of many years participated in a horrific scheme to entice, transport, and traffic underage girls, some as young as 14, for sexual abuse by and with Jeffrey Epstein." The perjury counts were dismissed. A July 22, 2025 internal FBI email recorded that "[a]fter the conviction, the perjury charges were dropped to prevent the victims from testifying in another trial."[^6][^7]
|
||||
|
||||
### Appeal and Certiorari
|
||||
|
||||
A panel of Judges [[José A. Cabranes]], [[Richard C. Wesley]] and [[Raymond J. Lohier Jr.]] heard argument on March 12, 2024 and affirmed on September 17, 2024 (118 F.4th 256). Applying United States v. Annabi (1985), it held that "[a] plea agreement binds only the office of the United States Attorney for the district in which the plea is entered unless it affirmatively appears that the agreement contemplates a broader restriction," found that "[n]othing before us indicates that USAO-SDNY had been notified or had approved of Epstein's NPA," and acknowledged that the circuits "have been split on this issue for decades." Rehearing was denied on November 25, 2024. The November 2020 report of the [[Department of Justice|Justice Department]]'s [[Office of Professional Responsibility]] on the Florida agreement was filed in both the district court and the appellate record. Maxwell petitioned the Supreme Court on April 10, 2025 (No. 24-1073), asking whether a promise made on behalf of "the United States" by a U.S. Attorney in one district binds prosecutors in other districts; the Solicitor General opposed on July 14, 2025, and certiorari was denied on October 6, 2025.[^2][^3][^8]
|
||||
|
||||
### The 2025 Interview and the Grand Jury Record
|
||||
|
||||
On July 18, 2025 Deputy Attorney General [[Todd Blanche]], formerly [[Donald Trump]]'s personal criminal defense lawyer, entered an appearance for the United States in the closed case (ECF No. 784) and moved to unseal the grand jury transcripts (ECF No. 785). He questioned Maxwell under a grant of limited use immunity in [[Tallahassee, Florida|Tallahassee]] on July 24 and 25, and on August 1 she was moved to the minimum-security [[Federal Prison Camp Bryan]] in Texas. Engelmayer, to whom the case had passed after Nathan's elevation to the Second Circuit, denied the unsealing motion on August 11, 2025 (ECF No. 809, 794 F. Supp. 3d 215), holding that Rule 6(e) barred disclosure and that the "special circumstances" exception did not apply.[^9]
|
||||
|
||||
After the Epstein Files Transparency Act became law on November 19, 2025, Assistant U.S. Attorney Sean Buckley renewed the motion (ECF No. 810). Engelmayer took victim submissions through a dedicated Justice Department mailbox, docketed three redacted victim letters (ECF No. 818), and on December 9, 2025 granted the motion and modified the 2020 protective order, subject to the Act's victim-privacy provision (ECF No. 820). In the parallel docket of [[United States v. Epstein]], Judge [[Richard M. Berman]] reached the same two results a day apart from Engelmayer at each stage.[^9][^10]
|
||||
|
||||
On January 13, 2026 Representatives [[Thomas Massie]] and [[Ro Khanna]], the Act's sponsors, moved to appear as amici curiae and asked for "a special master or independent monitor," telling the court that the Department had "publicly released only 12,285 documents" of "more than 2 million documents potentially responsive to the Act" and that "DOJ cannot be trusted with making mandatory disclosures under the Act" (ECF Nos. 837, 838). Letters from victims, including one from [[Haley Robson]] transmitted by the government (ECF No. 843), were cited in support. Engelmayer denied the motion on January 21, 2026 (ECF No. 844): "This federal criminal case does not give the Court jurisdiction over, or authority to supervise, DOJ's compliance with the EFTA, a civil records-disclosure statute." He described the case as "effectively closed," with Maxwell's pro se motion under 28 U.S.C. 2255, filed December 17, 2025 (ECF No. 830), "the only outstanding item." Status letters over the name of the U.S. Attorney, [[Jay Clayton]], followed on January 15 and 31 (ECF Nos. 839, 847). The government's letters of February 12 and April 21, 2026 concerned the schedule for its response to the section 2255 motion, and the docket remained active on July 31, 2026 (ECF No. 866).[^11][^12]
|
||||
|
||||
### Footnotes
|
||||
|
||||
[^1]: United States v. Maxwell, No. 1:20-cr-00330 (S.D.N.Y.), Indictment (sealed June 29, 2020, unsealed July 2, 2020); S1 Superseding Indictment (July 10, 2020); S2 Superseding Indictment (March 29, 2021); Protective Order, ECF No. 36 (July 30, 2020); Opinion and Order, ECF No. 207 (April 16, 2021); Memorandum Opinion and Order, ECF No. 535 (Dec. 9, 2021), CourtListener docket 17318376. https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/17318376/united-states-v-maxwell/
|
||||
[^2]: United States v. Maxwell, No. 22-1426-cr, slip op. at 3-4, 6-12, 23-25 (2d Cir. Sept. 17, 2024) (Cabranes, Wesley, Lohier, JJ.), reported at 118 F.4th 256, quoting the NPA at A-178 and United States v. Annabi, 771 F.2d 670, 672 (2d Cir. 1985). https://storage.courtlistener.com/pdf/2024/09/17/united_states_v._maxwell.pdf
|
||||
[^3]: Maxwell v. United States, No. 24-1073 (U.S.), Petition for a Writ of Certiorari (April 10, 2025); Brief for the United States in Opposition (July 14, 2025); certiorari denied, 146 S. Ct. 93 (Oct. 6, 2025). https://www.supremecourt.gov/docket/docketfiles/html/public/24-1073.html ; https://www.justice.gov/epstein/doj-disclosures/court-records-maxwell-v-united-states-no-24-1073-us-2025-petition-cert
|
||||
[^4]: United States v. Maxwell, No. 1:20-cr-00330 (S.D.N.Y.), Notice of Motion to Dismiss Superseding Indictment for Breach of Non-Prosecution Agreement, ECF No. 141 (filed Feb. 4, 2021). https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.nysd.539612/gov.uscourts.nysd.539612.141.0.pdf
|
||||
[^5]: U.S. Department of Justice, Epstein Library, EFTA00088205, DataSet 9, letter, Jeffrey S. Pagliuca, Haddon, Morgan and Foreman, P.C., to Hon. Alison J. Nathan, "Re: Reply in Support of Request to Modify Protective Order (Under Seal), United States v. Ghislaine Maxwell, 20 Cr. 330 (AJN)," August 24, 2020. https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/DataSet%209/EFTA00088205.pdf
|
||||
[^6]: "Ghislaine Maxwell Sentenced To 20 Years In Prison," U.S. Attorney's Office, Southern District of New York, June 28, 2022. https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdny/pr/ghislaine-maxwell-sentenced-20-years-prison-conspiring-jeffrey-epstein-sexually-abuse ; "Ghislaine Maxwell trial: Jury finds she sex trafficked a minor for Jeffrey Epstein, guilty on five of six counts," *CNN,* December 29, 2021. https://www.cnn.com/2021/12/29/us/ghislaine-maxwell-trial-wednesday ; "Juror's omissions will not trigger Ghislaine Maxwell retrial," *Courthouse News Service,* April 2022. https://www.courthousenews.com/jurors-omissions-will-not-trigger-ghislaine-maxwell-retrial/
|
||||
[^7]: U.S. Department of Justice, Epstein Library, EFTA00161422, DataSet 9, internal email chain, "Re: Ghislaine Maxwell," July 22, 2025, EFTA00161422 to EFTA00161424. https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/DataSet%209/EFTA00161422.pdf
|
||||
[^8]: U.S. Department of Justice, Epstein Library, EFTA02830776, Court Records (United States v. Maxwell, No. 1:20-cr-00330 (S.D.N.Y. 2020)), Office of Professional Responsibility report of November 2020 as filed in the case. https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/Court%20Records/United%20States%20v.%20Maxwell%2C%20No.%20120-cr-00330%20(S.D.N.Y.%202020)/EFTA02830776.pdf ; U.S. Department of Justice, Epstein Library, EFTA02844213, Court Records (United States v. Maxwell, No. 22-1426 (2d Cir. 2022)), Document 1-1. https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/Court%20Records/United%20States%20v.%20Maxwell%2C%20No.%2022-1426%20(2d%20Cir.%202022)/EFTA02844213.pdf
|
||||
[^9]: United States v. Maxwell, No. 1:20-cr-00330 (S.D.N.Y.), ECF Nos. 784, 785 (July 18, 2025); Opinion and Order, ECF No. 809 (Aug. 11, 2025), reported at 794 F. Supp. 3d 215; Renewed Motion to Unseal, ECF No. 810 (Nov. 24, 2025); Order, ECF No. 811; victim letters, ECF No. 818 (Dec. 5, 2025); Opinion and Order, ECF No. 820 (Dec. 9, 2025), 2025 WL 3522378. https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/17318376/united-states-v-maxwell/ ; "Ghislaine Maxwell moved to federal prison camp in Texas," *CNN,* August 1, 2025. https://www.cnn.com/2025/08/01/politics/ghislaine-maxwell-federal-prison-texas
|
||||
[^10]: United States v. Epstein, No. 1:19-cr-00490 (S.D.N.Y.), Decision and Order, ECF No. 77 (Aug. 20, 2025); Decision and Order, ECF No. 92 (Dec. 10, 2025), CourtListener docket 15887848. https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/15887848/united-states-v-epstein/
|
||||
[^11]: United States v. Maxwell, No. 20 Cr. 330 (PAE) (S.D.N.Y. Jan. 21, 2026), Opinion and Order, ECF No. 844, denying motion of Reps. Massie and Khanna (ECF Nos. 837, 838). https://www.nysd.uscourts.gov/sites/default/files/2026-01/Maxwell%2020cr330%20-%20Opinion%20%26%20Order%201.21.26.pdf
|
||||
[^12]: United States v. Maxwell, No. 1:20-cr-00330 (S.D.N.Y.), Pro Se Motion to Vacate under 28 U.S.C. 2255, ECF No. 830 (Dec. 17, 2025); letters, ECF Nos. 839 (Jan. 15, 2026), 843 (Jan. 20, 2026), 847 (Jan. 31, 2026), 852 (Feb. 12, 2026), 856 (April 21, 2026), 866 (July 31, 2026). https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/17318376/united-states-v-maxwell/
|
||||
|
|
@ -50,7 +50,7 @@ The [[House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform]] subpoenaed the Epstei
|
|||
|
||||
### The Statute and the Clayton Investigation
|
||||
|
||||
On November 14, 2025, four days before the House vote on the transparency bill, Trump publicly asked the department to investigate Epstein's dealings with [[Bill Clinton]], [[Larry Summers]], [[Reid Hoffman]], [[JPMorgan Chase]] and "many other people and institutions." Bondi assigned the matter the same day to [[Jay Clayton]], the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York.[^10] The House passed the bill 427 to 1 on November 18, the Senate passed it by unanimous consent on November 19, and Trump signed it that day as Public Law 119-38. The statute allows the Attorney General to withhold records that "would jeopardize an active federal investigation or ongoing prosecution, provided that such withholding is narrowly tailored and temporary."[^11] Under a court order, Clayton was later required to certify that the production did not expose victims' identities.[^3][^4]
|
||||
On November 14, 2025, four days before the House vote on the transparency bill, Trump publicly asked the department to investigate Epstein's dealings with [[Bill Clinton]], [[Larry Summers]], [[Reid Hoffman]], [[JPMorgan Chase]] and "many other people and institutions." Bondi assigned the matter the same day to [[Jay Clayton]], the United States Attorney for the [[U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York|Southern District of New York]].[^10] The House passed the bill 427 to 1 on November 18, the Senate passed it by unanimous consent on November 19, and Trump signed it that day as Public Law 119-38. The statute allows the Attorney General to withhold records that "would jeopardize an active federal investigation or ongoing prosecution, provided that such withholding is narrowly tailored and temporary."[^11] Under a court order, Clayton was later required to certify that the production did not expose victims' identities.[^3][^4]
|
||||
|
||||
### The Production
|
||||
|
||||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
@ -54,7 +54,7 @@ The draft indictment prepared in 2007 in the [[United States Attorney's Office f
|
|||
|
||||
### The Flight Logs
|
||||
|
||||
Rodgers kept handwritten logs of the passengers on Epstein's aircraft, often listing them by initials. The logs surfaced in civil litigation brought by Epstein's victims between 2009 and 2015 and were entered as exhibits at Maxwell's 2021 trial; the [[Department of Justice]] republished them on February 27, 2025, as "Flight Log_Released in U.S. v. Maxwell," in six parts, in the first phase of its Epstein releases.[^2][^8] The [[Epstein Files Transparency Act]] of November 2025 required publication of all flight logs and pilot, customs and immigration records for "any aircraft, vessel, or vehicle owned, operated, or used by Jeffrey Epstein or any related entity."[^9]
|
||||
Rodgers kept handwritten logs of the passengers on Epstein's aircraft, often listing them by initials. The logs surfaced in civil litigation brought by Epstein's victims between 2009 and 2015 and were entered as exhibits at Maxwell's 2021 trial; the [[Department of Justice]] republished them on February 27, 2025, as "Flight Log_Released in [[United States v. Maxwell|U.S. v. Maxwell]]," in six parts, in the first phase of its Epstein releases.[^2][^8] The [[Epstein Files Transparency Act]] of November 2025 required publication of all flight logs and pilot, customs and immigration records for "any aircraft, vessel, or vehicle owned, operated, or used by Jeffrey Epstein or any related entity."[^9]
|
||||
|
||||
The logs list [[Bill Clinton]] on 26 flight segments comprising six trips between February 2002 and November 2003, including a September 2002 tour of Africa connected to the [[Clinton Foundation]] and a 2003 leg from Oslo to Novosibirsk on which the manifest listed Clinton, Epstein, the aide [[Doug Band]] and passengers recorded as "GM" and "SK." Clinton's spokesman acknowledged four trips; Clinton has denied knowledge of Epstein's crimes.[^10] [[Donald Trump]]'s name appears in the logs on domestic legs, and no log entry places him on [[Little St. James]].[^11]
|
||||
|
||||
|
|
|
|||
57
60 - PLACES/CITIES/Palm Beach, Florida.md
Normal file
57
60 - PLACES/CITIES/Palm Beach, Florida.md
Normal file
|
|
@ -0,0 +1,57 @@
|
|||
---
|
||||
category: "City"
|
||||
tags:
|
||||
- Place
|
||||
- PalmBeach
|
||||
- Florida
|
||||
- JeffreyEpstein
|
||||
- DonaldTrump
|
||||
- MarALago
|
||||
- NonProsecutionAgreement
|
||||
- PalmBeachPolice
|
||||
alias:
|
||||
- Palm Beach
|
||||
- Town of Palm Beach
|
||||
- Palm Beach, FL
|
||||
- Palm Beach, Fla.
|
||||
summary: "Barrier-island town in Palm Beach County, Florida, incorporated in 1911, home of Mar-a-Lago and of Jeffrey Epstein's house at 358 El Brillo Way, where the 2005 police investigation of Epstein began."
|
||||
start: 1911
|
||||
location: "Palm Beach County, Florida"
|
||||
created: 2026-09-25
|
||||
updated: 2026-09-25
|
||||
---
|
||||
|
||||
Palm Beach is a town in [[Palm Beach County]], [[Florida]], on the barrier island between Lake Worth and the Atlantic. It was incorporated by its first charter in 1911 and has its own police department. [[Donald Trump|Donald Trump's]] club [[Mar-a-Lago]] and, from 1990 to 2019, [[Jeffrey Epstein|Jeffrey Epstein's]] house at [[358 El Brillo Way]] stand in the town. A 2005 complaint to the town's police about the house produced the first criminal investigation of Epstein, which the county's State Attorney took to a grand jury and federal prosecutors ended with a [[Epstein non-prosecution agreement|non-prosecution agreement]].[^1][^2][^3]
|
||||
|
||||
### Town and Society
|
||||
|
||||
The 1911 charter created the office of town marshal. Joseph Borman, occasionally employed before his election by the first mayor, Captain Dimick, served as marshal, tax collector, tax assessor, fire chief, voter registrar, code enforcement officer, building official, mosquito control officer and secretary of the town caucus until 1946, and became the first police chief when the [[Palm Beach Police Department]] was formed on October 17, 1922. From 1911 until the Second World War, society baseball games between the New York "Police" and the Philadelphia "Convicts," played at the present site of the tennis courts of [[The Breakers]] with Palm Beach police officers on both sides, raised money for the police pension fund; players included [[Woolworth Donahue]], [[E. F. Hutton]] and [[Walter P. Chrysler]]. The town's police dispatched for [[West Palm Beach, Florida|West Palm Beach]] from 1933, and military police patrolled Palm Beach during the war as a rest point for servicemen.[^1]
|
||||
|
||||
Mar-a-Lago was built in the 1920s for [[Marjorie Merriweather Post]]; its tunnel under South Ocean Boulevard leads to a beach cabana beside the [[Bath and Tennis Club]]. When Trump opened it as a club in 1995, only one Palm Beach club was open to Jews. Trump had first sought to subdivide the estate; after a year of hearings the Town Council voted the plan down, Trump sued the town for 50 million dollars, and the council approved a club with restrictions on traffic and noise. In December 1996, when the council refused to lift the restrictions, Trump sued again, alleging that the town discriminated against Mar-a-Lago in part because it was open to Jews and African Americans; the town said it was deciding a zoning matter. In 2004 Trump and Epstein bid against each other for the town's oceanfront mansion [[Maison de l'Amitie]], sold out of bankruptcy to Trump for 41.35 million dollars.[^2][^4][^5]
|
||||
|
||||
### The Epstein Investigation
|
||||
|
||||
Epstein bought 358 El Brillo Way, a waterfront house on the Intracoastal side, in 1990 for about 2.5 million dollars. In March 2005 a woman reported to the town's police that her fourteen-year-old stepdaughter had been molested by a wealthy man who lived on El Brillo Way. Under Chief [[Michael Reiter]], chief from 2001 to 2009, Detective [[Joseph Recarey]] took sworn statements from victims and witnesses, obtained Epstein's household trash through the supervisor of the Town of Palm Beach sanitation bureau, and matched the calls of Epstein's assistant [[Sarah Kellen]] to the girls against the arrival records of Epstein's aircraft at [[Palm Beach International Airport]]; the calls clustered "in the days just prior to [Epstein's] arrival or during the time Epstein was in Palm Beach." Epstein had given the department 90,000 dollars before the investigation began, and the money was returned after his arrest.[^1][^3][^6][^7]
|
||||
|
||||
Recarey's affidavit of May 1, 2006 recommended five felony counts. The county's State Attorney, [[Barry Krischer]], instead took the case to a grand jury, which heard two of the girls on July 19, 2006 and returned one count of felony solicitation of prostitution; Reiter wrote to Krischer that his office's handling was "highly unusual" and referred the case to the [[Federal Bureau of Investigation]]. On September 21, 2007 Krischer wrote to the federal line prosecutor, "Glad we could get this worked out for reasons I won't put in writing," and the non-prosecution agreement was signed three days later. Epstein pleaded guilty in state court in 2008 and served about thirteen months in the county stockade with work release, during which deputies of the [[Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office]], paid through an off-duty permit for the "[[Florida Science Foundation]]," escorted him from the foundation's office to his house for midday visits. After Reiter left in 2009, the town's police were headed by a Director of Public Safety until 2018.[^1][^3][^8][^9][^10]
|
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|
||||
### Registration and Residence
|
||||
|
||||
Epstein registered as a sex offender in the [[U.S. Virgin Islands]], and his filings with the territory described the Palm Beach house as a "vacation home." In a privacy waiver his lawyer filed with the FBI in 2010, he gave a [[St. Thomas]] address as his current residence and 358 El Brillo Way as his prior one. On February 19, 2019, after he was detained and refused entry in the [[Dominican Republic]], he flew on "to his vacation home in Palm Beach, Florida," and his May 2019 travel notice to the territory listed a stay "at my vacation home in Palm Beach, Florida" before trips to New York, [[New Mexico]] and Paris. The Virgin Islands government, in its complaint against his estate, valued the Palm Beach house at 12 million dollars. The estate sold it in March 2021 for 18.5 million dollars to the developer [[Todd Michael Glaser]], who demolished it and changed the address to 360 El Brillo Way.[^11][^12][^13][^14]
|
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|
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### Footnotes
|
||||
|
||||
[^1]: Town of Palm Beach Police Department, "History of the Police Department," accessed September 25, 2026 (1911 charter; Joseph Borman; October 17, 1922; society baseball games; chiefs, including Michael S. Reiter, 2001 to 2009, and Kirk W. Blouin, Director of Public Safety, 2009 to 2018). https://www.townofpalmbeach.com/299/Historyof-thePolice-Department
|
||||
[^2]: "Trump did open Mar-a-Lago to blacks and Jews, but in a business move, not a crusade." *PolitiFact,* February 11, 2020. https://www.politifact.com/factchecks/2020/feb/11/viral-image/trump-did-open-mar-lago-blacks-and-jews-business-m/
|
||||
[^3]: Opinion and Order, *Jane Doe 1 and Jane Doe 2 v. United States*, No. 9:08-cv-80736-KAM (S.D. Fla. Feb. 21, 2019), ECF No. 435, at 7, 9 (Marra, J.), quoting ECF No. 407 at paragraphs 33, 52. https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.flsd.317867/gov.uscourts.flsd.317867.435.0.pdf
|
||||
[^4]: National Register of Historic Places Inventory Nomination Form, "Mar-A-Lago," 1100 South Ocean Boulevard, Palm Beach, Florida, National Park Service Southeast Regional Office, August 31, 1981, section 7. https://npgallery.nps.gov/NRHP/GetAsset/NHLS/80000961_text
|
||||
[^5]: Czopek, Madison, and Gabrielle Lazor. "The facts and timeline of Trump and Epstein's falling out." *PolitiFact,* republished by *PBS NewsHour,* July 31, 2025. https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/the-facts-and-timeline-of-trump-and-epsteins-falling-out
|
||||
[^6]: Palm Beach Police Department, probable cause affidavit of Detective Joseph Recarey regarding Jeffrey Epstein, sworn May 1, 2006 (redacted). https://archive.org/stream/JeffreyEpstein/Jeffrey%20Epstein%20Redacted%20Probable%20Cause%20Affadavit_djvu.txt
|
||||
[^7]: "Notorious Palm Beach mansion Jeffrey Epstein bought for $2.5M," *Palm Beach Post / Yahoo.* https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/notorious-palm-beach-mansion-jeffrey-202519748.html ; Hannah Phillips, "Congresswoman's claims about Epstein police probe were misleading," *Palm Beach Post* (via AOL), May 13, 2026. https://www.aol.com/articles/congresswomans-claims-epstein-police-probe-181112537.html ; "The Palm Beach cop who Jeffrey Epstein couldn't stop," *Union-Bulletin / Associated Press.* https://www.union-bulletin.com/news/national/the-palm-beach-cop-who-jeffrey-epstein-couldn-t-stop/article_699648e0-ce21-53fe-aaad-6e797deaeebf.html
|
||||
[^8]: Holly Baltz, "Who is Jeffrey Epstein's first prosecutor? It's not his first rodeo in the national glare," *Palm Beach Post* (via Yahoo News), July 10, 2024. https://www.yahoo.com/news/jeffrey-epsteins-first-prosecutor-not-090053542.html ; "Ex-Florida police chief: Epstein case 'the worst failure of the criminal justice system' in modern times," *NBC News,* 2019. https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/ex-florida-police-chief-epstein-case-worst-failure-criminal-justice-n1057226 ; U.S. Department of Justice, Epstein Library, EFTA01308629, DataSet 10, Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office Extra Duty Permits System overtime report forms, Permit No. 7804, "Florida Science Foundation," July 1 to 14, 2009. https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/DataSet%2010/EFTA01308629.pdf
|
||||
[^9]: "Judge releases Jeffrey Epstein grand jury investigation transcripts," *WUSF / Associated Press,* July 1, 2024. https://www.wusf.org/courts-law/2024-07-01/florida-judge-releases-transcripts-2006-grand-jury-investigation-jeffrey-epstein-sex-trafficking
|
||||
[^10]: Julie K. Brown, "Perversion of Justice," *Miami Herald,* 2018, on the 2008 state guilty plea and roughly thirteen-month sentence with work release. https://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/article220097825.html
|
||||
[^11]: U.S. Department of Justice, Epstein Library, EFTA00624683, DataSet 9, FBI Privacy Waiver and Certification of Identity signed by Jeffrey Epstein. https://www.justice.gov/epstein/files/DataSet%209/EFTA00624683.pdf
|
||||
[^12]: Government of the United States Virgin Islands v. JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A., No. 1:22-cv-10904-JSR (S.D.N.Y.), Exhibit 83, ECF No. 194-24 (filed June 20, 2023), pp. 7, 54 to 55 (Appendix 1 to the April 30, 2019 Kellerhals Ferguson Kroblin letter; Epstein travel notice of May 2019). https://web.archive.org/web/20260117011719/https://www.justice.gov/multimedia/Court%20Records/Government%20of%20the%20United%20States%20Virgin%20Islands%20v.%20JPMorgan%20Chase%20Bank,%20N.A.,%20No.%20122-cv-10904%20(S.D.N.Y.%202022)/194-24.pdf
|
||||
[^13]: Government of the United States Virgin Islands v. Darren K. Indyke et al., No. ST-20-CV-14 (V.I. Super. Ct.), Second Amended Complaint (filed November 30, 2022), estate asset allegations; reproduced as ECF No. 1-1 in Government of the United States Virgin Islands v. JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A., No. 1:22-cv-10904-JSR (S.D.N.Y., filed December 27, 2022). https://web.archive.org/web/20260117011558/https://www.justice.gov/multimedia/Court%20Records/Government%20of%20the%20United%20States%20Virgin%20Islands%20v.%20JPMorgan%20Chase%20Bank,%20N.A.,%20No.%20122-cv-10904%20(S.D.N.Y.%202022)/001-01.pdf
|
||||
[^14]: "EXCLUSIVE: Jeffrey Epstein house sold for $18.5M in Palm Beach," Darrell Hofheinz, *Palm Beach Daily News,* via Corcoran, and "Notorious Palm Beach mansion Jeffrey Epstein bought for $2.5M," *Palm Beach Post / Yahoo.* https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/notorious-palm-beach-mansion-jeffrey-202519748.html ; "Jeffrey Epstein's Palm Beach mansion is being demolished," *The Real Deal,* April 20, 2021. https://therealdeal.com/miami/2021/04/20/jeffrey-epsteins-palm-beach-mansion-is-being-demolished/
|
||||
|
|
@ -22,13 +22,13 @@ relations:
|
|||
fn: 2
|
||||
---
|
||||
|
||||
The house at 358 El Brillo Way was a waterfront mansion in the Town of Palm Beach, Florida, owned by [[Jeffrey Epstein]] from 1990 until his 2019 death. The 2005 investigation by the [[Palm Beach Police Department]] into conduct at the house produced the first criminal case against Epstein and identified dozens of teenage girls who said they had been abused there.[^1]
|
||||
The house at 358 El Brillo Way was a waterfront mansion in the Town of [[Palm Beach, Florida]], owned by [[Jeffrey Epstein]] from 1990 until his 2019 death. The 2005 investigation by the [[Palm Beach Police Department]] into conduct at the house produced the first criminal case against Epstein and identified dozens of teenage girls who said they had been abused there.[^1]
|
||||
|
||||
### Acquisition and the House
|
||||
|
||||
Epstein purchased 358 El Brillo Way in 1990 for about 2.5 million dollars.[^2] The roughly 14,000-square-foot, six-bedroom house sat on about eight-tenths of an acre fronting the Intracoastal Waterway and had been designed by the Palm Beach architect [[John Volk]].[^2] The previous long-term owner had been Owen Ray Skelton, a founder and chief engineer of Chrysler, who held the property until his death in 1969.[^3]
|
||||
|
||||
The house became Epstein's Florida residence, and he traveled frequently between it, the [[9 East 71st Street]] townhouse in Manhattan, his [[New Mexico]] ranch and his U.S. Virgin Islands island.[^1] Staff at the Palm Beach house arranged appointments described as massages, and visitors were directed to an upstairs room set up with a massage table.[^4]
|
||||
The house became Epstein's Florida residence, and he traveled frequently between it, the [[9 East 71st Street]] townhouse in Manhattan, his [[New Mexico]] ranch and his [[U.S. Virgin Islands]] island.[^1] Staff at the Palm Beach house arranged appointments described as massages, and visitors were directed to an upstairs room set up with a massage table.[^4]
|
||||
|
||||
The waterfront location placed the house a short distance from other prominent Palm Beach estates, and Epstein maintained it as a household with domestic and scheduling staff whose later statements and records became evidence in the police investigation.[^4]
|
||||
|
||||
|
|
@ -48,13 +48,13 @@ Recarey's probable cause affidavit, sworn May 1, 2006, recommended charging Epst
|
|||
|
||||
The grand jury heard the case on July 19, 2006. Recarey testified first, and Assistant State Attorney [[Lanna Belohlavek]] called two of the girls, out of the roughly two dozen police had interviewed, questioning them in terms that cast doubt on their credibility. The grand jury returned one count of felony solicitation of prostitution under Florida Statute 796.07.[^4][^9] Recarey and Reiter objected that the charge did not reflect the conduct against minors that detectives had documented, and the police chief's referral moved the matter into federal jurisdiction.[^6] The transcript remained sealed until Circuit Judge [[Luis Delgado]] released it on July 1, 2024 under a statute enacted that year.[^9]
|
||||
|
||||
Federal prosecutors in the Southern District of Florida, led by U.S. Attorney [[Alexander Acosta]], prepared a sex-trafficking case but in 2007 negotiated a [[Epstein non-prosecution agreement|non-prosecution agreement]] with Epstein's lawyers.[^10] On September 21, 2007 Krischer wrote to the federal line prosecutor: "Glad we could get this worked out for reasons I won't put in writing." The agreement was signed on September 24, 2007, and that day the line prosecutor wrote that the colleague calling Reiter "knows not to tell Chief Reiter about the money issue" and was "telling Chief Reiter not to disclose the outcome to anyone."[^11] Under the 2008 resolution Epstein pleaded guilty in state court to two prostitution-related charges, registered as a sex offender, and served about thirteen months in the Palm Beach County stockade with extensive work-release privileges, while the agreement also conferred immunity on potential co-conspirators and was not disclosed to the victims.[^10] During his incarceration Epstein spent his work-release days at the [[Florida Science Foundation]], an entity he had incorporated, co-located at the West Palm Beach office of one of his attorneys, and the foundation paid the [[Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office]] 128,136 dollars.[^12] In August 2019, after a letter from Sheriff [[Ric Bradshaw]], Governor [[Ron DeSantis]] ordered the [[Florida Department of Law Enforcement]] to investigate; its May 2021 reports found that Epstein "received differential treatment" in the sheriff's custody, that the off-duty deputies had been hired mainly for his protection rather than to monitor him, and that there was no evidence of bribery or influence or of any crime by sheriff's or prosecutors' staff.[^13] A federal judge later ruled that the failure to notify the victims violated the [[Crime Victims' Rights Act]].[^10][^11]
|
||||
Federal prosecutors in the [[U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Florida|Southern District of Florida]], led by U.S. Attorney [[Alexander Acosta]], prepared a sex-trafficking case but in 2007 negotiated a [[Epstein non-prosecution agreement|non-prosecution agreement]] with Epstein's lawyers.[^10] On September 21, 2007 Krischer wrote to the federal line prosecutor: "Glad we could get this worked out for reasons I won't put in writing." The agreement was signed on September 24, 2007, and that day the line prosecutor wrote that the colleague calling Reiter "knows not to tell Chief Reiter about the money issue" and was "telling Chief Reiter not to disclose the outcome to anyone."[^11] Under the 2008 resolution Epstein pleaded guilty in state court to two prostitution-related charges, registered as a sex offender, and served about thirteen months in the Palm Beach County stockade with extensive work-release privileges, while the agreement also conferred immunity on potential co-conspirators and was not disclosed to the victims.[^10] During his incarceration Epstein spent his work-release days at the [[Florida Science Foundation]], an entity he had incorporated, co-located at the West Palm Beach office of one of his attorneys, and the foundation paid the [[Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office]] 128,136 dollars.[^12] In August 2019, after a letter from Sheriff [[Ric Bradshaw]], Governor [[Ron DeSantis]] ordered the [[Florida Department of Law Enforcement]] to investigate; its May 2021 reports found that Epstein "received differential treatment" in the sheriff's custody, that the off-duty deputies had been hired mainly for his protection rather than to monitor him, and that there was no evidence of bribery or influence or of any crime by sheriff's or prosecutors' staff.[^13] A federal judge later ruled that the failure to notify the victims violated the [[Crime Victims' Rights Act]].[^10][^11]
|
||||
|
||||
### Work Release Visits and Home Detention
|
||||
|
||||
Epstein's work release ran through the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office Extra Duty Permits System, where the paid deputy detail was carried as Permit No. 7804, "Florida Science Foundation," with a "Plain Clothed Position" and an "Unmarked only - Plain Clothed Position," and a work summary reading "Provide security for Jeffrey Epstein." Deputies' July 2009 overtime reports record the midday trips to the house. On July 5, 2009 a deputy maintained front office security until 11 a.m., then "FOLLOWED MR. EPSTEIN TO HIS RESIDENCE" and kept security until 2:45 p.m. before following him back to the office. On July 11, 2009 the deputy on the day shift wrote that Epstein arrived at the office at about 7:15 a.m., that "At 1149 hours we departed the office and arrived at 1200 hours at his residence at 358 El Brillo Way, Palm Beach," that he "backed into the drive way and provided security to prevent unwelcome guest from entering his property. I did not go into the residence," and that Epstein left the house at 2:31 p.m.; he added that when he asked a sheriff's official about his duties "at the residence," he was told "the function is to provide security." Another report reads: "At approximately 1200, escorted Mr. Epstein to his residence. At approximately 1430, escorted Mr. Epstein back to the office." The sheriff's media relations office faxed the July reports on July 21, 2009, the day before Epstein's release from the stockade to home confinement.[^14][^15]
|
||||
|
||||
A retired deputy who escorted Epstein home told the [[Associated Press]] in 2019: "I didn't do an interior sweep of the residence. I followed instructions to the letter." In August 2009, during his home detention, Epstein was stopped by police while walking on the beach and said he was walking "to work" at an office nearly eight miles from his home. Michael Gauger, the sheriff's chief deputy during Epstein's incarceration, acknowledged coming to the mansion for dinner with Epstein; emails released in 2026 dated the dinner to September 2009. In the privacy waiver his lawyer filed with the FBI in 2010 for a records request, later reused for a request to the [[Central Intelligence Agency|CIA]], Epstein listed a St. Thomas address as his current residence and 358 El Brillo Way as his prior address.[^15][^16][^17][^18]
|
||||
A retired deputy who escorted Epstein home told the [[Associated Press]] in 2019: "I didn't do an interior sweep of the residence. I followed instructions to the letter." In August 2009, during his home detention, Epstein was stopped by police while walking on the beach and said he was walking "to work" at an office nearly eight miles from his home. Michael Gauger, the sheriff's chief deputy during Epstein's incarceration, acknowledged coming to the mansion for dinner with Epstein; emails released in 2026 dated the dinner to September 2009. In the privacy waiver his lawyer filed with the FBI in 2010 for a records request, later reused for a request to the [[Central Intelligence Agency|CIA]], Epstein listed a [[St. Thomas]] address as his current residence and 358 El Brillo Way as his prior address.[^15][^16][^17][^18]
|
||||
|
||||
The Palm Beach investigation and the non-prosecution agreement became the factual basis for the 2018 [[Miami Herald]] series that renewed national attention on Epstein, leading to his July 2019 federal indictment in New York on sex-trafficking charges.[^10]
|
||||
|
||||
|
|
|
|||
|
|
@ -46,11 +46,11 @@ The exterior was finished in limestone in the French neoclassical manner, set of
|
|||
|
||||
Leslie Wexner, the founder of The Limited and [[L Brands]], bought the townhouse through a trust in 1989 for a reported 13.2 million dollars. Wexner married Abigail Koppel in 1993 and the couple moved to Ohio; in 1996 Epstein moved into the house. Vanity Fair reported in 2003 that "public documents suggest that the house is still owned by the trust that bought it, but Epstein has said that he now owns the house."[^1] Epstein, who held a sweeping power of attorney over Wexner's finances granted in 1991, used the house as his Manhattan residence while title remained with Wexner-linked entities. A 1998 purchase and sale agreement for the house involved a 10 million dollar promissory note and a personal guaranty signed by Epstein.[^5] An [[Federal Bureau of Investigation|FBI]] internal memo released in 2026 stated that Epstein "controlled all of Wexner's personal finances with virtually no oversight" and described his sale to himself of a New York home that had belonged to Wexner at a discounted price; the financial mechanics of that transfer are detailed on the Leslie Wexner page.[^6]
|
||||
|
||||
By 2011 the house was held by Nine East 71st Street Corporation, which the Virgin Islands government described as "owned by Epstein." In November 2011, after registering as a sex offender in the Virgin Islands, Epstein formed three Virgin Islands corporations, [[Cypress Inc.|Cypress, Inc.]], Maple, Inc. and [[Laurel Inc.|Laurel, Inc.]], with himself as president and director, [[Darren Indyke]] as vice president, secretary and director, and [[Richard Kahn]] as treasurer and director. Maple acquired the townhouse from Nine East 71st Street Corporation "on or about December 23, 2011," a transfer between two companies Epstein controlled; Cypress took the [[Zorro Ranch]] and Laurel the Palm Beach house the same month. The territory alleged that Epstein "transferred ownership of them to the Virgin Islands, and then concealed this fact even from Virgin Islands authorities in an attempt to shield the properties from any judgment in the states where they are located."[^2]
|
||||
By 2011 the house was held by Nine East 71st Street Corporation, which the Virgin Islands government described as "owned by Epstein." In November 2011, after registering as a sex offender in the Virgin Islands, Epstein formed three Virgin Islands corporations, [[Cypress Inc.|Cypress, Inc.]], Maple, Inc. and [[Laurel Inc.|Laurel, Inc.]], with himself as president and director, [[Darren Indyke]] as vice president, secretary and director, and [[Richard Kahn]] as treasurer and director. Maple acquired the townhouse from Nine East 71st Street Corporation "on or about December 23, 2011," a transfer between two companies Epstein controlled; Cypress took the [[Zorro Ranch]] and Laurel the [[Palm Beach, Florida|Palm Beach]] house the same month. The territory alleged that Epstein "transferred ownership of them to the Virgin Islands, and then concealed this fact even from Virgin Islands authorities in an attempt to shield the properties from any judgment in the states where they are located."[^2]
|
||||
|
||||
Maple's annual reports to the Office of the [[Lieutenant Governor of the Virgin Islands]], signed by Epstein and Kahn under the attestation "ALL STATEMENTS CONTAINED IN THIS APPLICATION, AND ANY ACCOMPANYING DOCUMENTS, ARE TRUE AND CORRECT," never listed the house or its expenses for 2011 through 2016. For 2017 Maple reported cash of 18,281 dollars as its only asset and expenses of 150 dollars while paying 327,497.48 dollars and 6,487.04 dollars in New York City property taxes; for 2018 it reported cash of 21,265 dollars and expenses of 300 dollars while paying 336,471.87 dollars. The territory alleged that Indyke and Kahn "knew or should have known that their attestations were false" and that the transfers "were made for the sole purpose of sheltering these assets from collection." When Epstein died in August 2019, the estate valued its shares in the corporation holding the townhouse at 56 million dollars.[^2]
|
||||
|
||||
Epstein listed Manhattan as his residence in legal filings, and a 2018 federal complaint by investors in [[Towers Financial Corporation]] gave his residence as 9 East 71st Street; the townhouse functioned as the hub of his New York operations, with staff, a large household and the art and furnishings later catalogued during the federal search.[^7][^8] After his death a plaintiff identified as "VE" sued the estate's co-executors, Nine East 71st Street Corporation, [[Financial Trust Company]] and NES, LLC in the Southern District of New York (No. 1:19-cv-07625); all were represented by Troutman Sanders, the firm that had defended Epstein against Towers claims.[^9]
|
||||
Epstein listed Manhattan as his residence in legal filings, and a 2018 federal complaint by investors in [[Towers Financial Corporation]] gave his residence as 9 East 71st Street; the townhouse functioned as the hub of his New York operations, with staff, a large household and the art and furnishings later catalogued during the federal search.[^7][^8] After his death a plaintiff identified as "VE" sued the estate's co-executors, Nine East 71st Street Corporation, [[Financial Trust Company]] and NES, LLC in the [[U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York|Southern District of New York]] (No. 1:19-cv-07625); all were represented by Troutman Sanders, the firm that had defended Epstein against Towers claims.[^9]
|
||||
|
||||
### Interior Accounts and Surveillance
|
||||
|
||||
|
|
|
|||
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