Tämä on FBI:n tutkinta-asiakirja Epstein Files -aineistosta (FBI VOL00009). Teksti on purettu koneellisesti alkuperäisestä PDF-tiedostosta. Hae lisää asiakirjoja →
FBI VOL00009
EFTA00230208
229 sivua
Sivu 61 / 229
12/28/07
FRI 14:27 FAX 305 530 6440
EXECUTIVE OFFICE
e)001
Dear Jay,
On September 24, 2007, your client, Jeffrey Epstein and two of his lawyers,
Gerald Lefcourt, Esq. and Lily Ann Sanchez, Esq., in consultation with numerous
other experienced and highly regarded lawyers, entered into a Non-Prosecution
Agreement ("the Agreement") with the United States Attorney's Office for the
Southern District of Florida ("SDFL"). The crux of the Agreement was that the
SDFL would defer federal prosecution of Mr. Epstein for illicit sexual conduct by
Mr. Epstein involving minor victims in exchange for his guilty plea to solicitation
of prostitution (Fl. Stat. Section 796.07) and an offense that requires him to
register as a sex offender, that is, siriettatten o f minors to engage in prostitution
(Fl. Stat. Section 796.03). The Agremplitilsp_requ
required him .:iosirervecat3Moatli j —
sentence - 18 months' in county jail - an to cragAnsge'the victims pulstiant to '18
U.S.C. Section 2255 just as if this matter had been successfully prosecuted
federally.
After the Agreement was executed, you and, subsequently, Dean Starr
began taking issue with the implementation of the 2255 provision. In response, I
offered, in my opinion, numerous and various reasonable modifications and
accommodations. These are well documented and do not need to be recounted
here. Suffice to say, these modifications and accommodations were not
satisfactory to your client. At our December 15, 2007 meeting, counsel for Mr.
Epstein announced, inter alio, that it was a "profound injustice" to require Mr.
Epstein to register as a sex offender and reiterated that no federal crime, especially
18 U.S.C. Section 2422(b), had been committed since the statute is only violated if
a telephone or means of interstate commerce is used to do the persuading or
inducing. As you know, this attack on the theory of federal prosecution ha been
previously raised' and thceusbly considered and rejected by the SDFL andfahild
Exploitation and ObscenitykCEOS) in Washington, D.C. prior to the execution of
the Agreement.
In addition to your continued attack on the contemplated federal statutes,
your December 17th correspondence claimed, for the first time since the execution
of the Agreement, that Mr. Epstein's conduct does not meet the requirements of
solicitation of minors to engage in prostitution (Fl. Stat. Section 796.03). This
combined with your December 26th correspondence, wherein you state that "we
have reiterated in previous submissions that Mr. Epstein does not believe he is
'See July 6, 2007 letter from Gerald B. Lefcourt, Esq. and Alan Dershowitz.
Case No. 08-80736-CV-MARRA
P-013363
EFTA00230268
Sivu 62 / 229
12/28/07 FRI 14:27 FAX 305 530 6440 EXECUTIVE OFFICE 1002 guilty of the federal charges enumerated under section 2255", clearly prevents Mr. Epstein from fulfilling the material terms and conditions the Agreement. As you know, this is not, and has never been, an Alford plea situation (see North Carolina I Alford, 400 U.S. 25, 91 S.Ct. 160 (1970)). Your reference to requiring "Mr. Epstein to in essence admit guilt, though he believes he did not commit the requisite offense" is inapplicable here. Case No. 08-80736-CV-MARRA P-013364 EFTA00230269
Sivu 63 / 229
12/28/07 FRI 14:27 FAX 305 530 8440
EXECUTIVE OFFICE
Dear Jay,
On September 24, 2007, your client, Jeffrey Epstein and two of his lawyers,
Gerald Lefcourt, Esq. and Lily Ann Sanchez, Esq., in consultation with numerous
other experienced and highly regarded lawyers, entered into a Non-Prosecution
Agreement ("the Agreement") with the United States Attorney's Office for the
Southern District of Florida ("SDFL"). The crux of the Agreement was that the
SDFL would defer federal prosecution of Mr. Epstein for illicit sexual conduct by
Mr. Epstein involving minor victims in exchange for his guilty plea to solicitation
of prostitution (Fl. Stat. Section 796.07) and an offense that requires him to
register as a sex offender, that is, solicitation of minors to engage in prostitution
(Fl. Stat. Section 796.03). The Agreement also required him to serve a :30 month
sentence - 18 months' in county jail - and to compensate the victims pursuant to 18
U.S.C. Section 2255 just as if this matter had been successfully prosecuted
federally.
After the Agreement was executed, you and, subsequently, Dean Starr
began taking issue with the implementation of the 2255 provision. In response, I
offered, in my opinion, numerous and various reasonable modifications; and
accommodations. These are well documented and do not need to be recounted
here. Suffice to say, these modifications and accommodations were not
satisfactory to your client. At our December 15, 2007 meeting, counsel' for Mr.
Epstein announced, inter alia, that it was a "profound injustice" to require Mr.
Epstein to register as a sex offender and reiterated that no federal crime, especially
18 U.S.C. Section 2422(b), had been committed since the statute is only violated if
a telephone or means of interstate commerce is used to do the persuading or
inducing. As you know, this attack on the theory of federal prosecution had been
previously raised' and thoroughly considered and rejected by the SDFL, and Child
Exploitation and Obscenity (CEOS) in Washington, D.C. prior to the execution of
the Agreement.
In addition to your continued attack on the contemplated federal statutes,
your December 17th correspondence claimed, for the first time since the execution
of the Agreement, that Mr. Epstein's conduct does not meet the requirements of
solicitation of minors to engage in prostitution (Fl. Stat. Section 796.03). This
combined with your December 26th correspondence, wherein you states that "we
have reiterated in previous submissions that Mr. Epstein does not believe he is
'See July 6, 2007 letter from Gerald B. Lefcourt, Esq. and Alan Dershowitz.
Case No. 08-80736-CV-MARRA
P-013365
EFTA00230270
Sivu 64 / 229
12/28/07 FRI 14:27 FAX 305 530 6440 EXECUTIVE OFFICE 1J 002 guilty of the federal charges enumerated under section 2255", clearly prevents Mr, Epstein from fulfilling the material terms and conditions the Agreement. As you know, this is not, and has never been, an Alford plea situation (see North Carolina I Alford, 400 U.S. 25, 91 S.Ct. 160 (1970)). Your reference to requiring "Mr. Epstein to in essence admit guilt, though he believes he did not commit the requisite offense" is inapplicable here. Case No. 08-80736-CV-MARRA P-013366 EFTA00230271
Sivu 65 / 229
S Case No. 08-80736-CV-MARRA P-013367 EFTA00230272
Sivu 66 / 229
U.S. Department of Justice
United States Attorney
Southern District of Florida
First Assistant U.S. Attorney
DELIVERY BY FACSIMILE
Jay P. Leflcowitz, Esq.
Kirkland & Ellis LLP
Citigroup Center
153 East 53rd Street
New York, New York 10022-4675
Re:
Jeffrey Epstein
Dear Mr. Leflcowitz,
99 N.E. 4 Street
Miami. Ft 33131
(305) 961-9100
April , 2008
n Sentember 24. 2007, your client, Jeffrey Epstein, in consultation with Gerald Lefcourt,
Esq. and I
, Esq., as well as numerous other nationally-renowned lawyers, including
but not limited to Harvard Law Professor Alan Dershowitz, former Independent Counsel and
Solicitor General of the United States Kenneth Starr, just to name a few, entered into a Non-
Prosecution Agreement ("the Agreement") with the United States Attorney's Office for the Southern
District of Florida ("SDFL"). Although you and other members of the defense team have since
claimed that the Agreement was the product of adhesion, the following facts demonstrate that
Epstein knowingly and voluntarily entered into the Agreement in order to avoid a federal indictment
regarding his sexual conduct involving minor victims. Despite the fact that by signing the
Agreement, Epstein gave up the right to object to its provisions, the SDFL bent over backwards to
exhaustively consider and re-consider your objections. Since these objections have finally been
exhausted and Epstein has failed to comply with several conditions of the Agreement as set forth
below, the SDFL hereby notifies you that unless you comply with all of the terms and conditions of
the Agreement, including plea, sentence, and incarceration, as modified by the United States
Attorney's December 19, 2007 letter to Ms. Sanchez by
the SDFL will elect to terminate the
Agreement.
background
The Agreement was the product of months of negotiations. Specifically, you requested and
received numerous meetings, at the highest levels of the SDFL and DOD's Child Exploitation and
Obscenity Section (CEOS) concerning claims that (a) the investigation merely produced evidence
of relatively innocuous sexual conduct with some minors who, unbeknownst to Epstein,
misrepresented their ages; (b) the authorities investigating Epstein engaged in misconduct; (c) the
contemplated federal statutes have no applicability to this matter; and (d) the federal authorities
disregarded the fundamental policy against federal intervention with state criminal proceedings.
After careful review, the SDFL ultimately rejected those claims. Subsequent to its decision, however,
but before proceeding any further, the SDFL provided you with 30 days to appeal the decision to the
Case No. 08-80736-CV-MARRA
P-013368
EFTA00230273
Sivu 67 / 229
JAY P. LEFKOWITZ, ESQ. , 2008 PAGE 2 OF S Assistant Attorney General of the United States, Alice Fisher. As you recall, you chose to forego an appeal to AAG Fisher, and instead pursued a negotiated resolution which, ultimately, resulted in the execution of the Agreement. The Negotiation Phase During negotiations, you tried to avoid a resolution that called for incarceration and registration as a sexual offender — both of which would be triggered by a successful federal prosecution. The SDFL believed and continues to believe that should this matter proceed to trial, your client would be convicted of the federal statutes identified in the Agreement. In order to achieve a global resolution, the SDFL indicated a willingness to compromise the length of incarceration; however, it remained adamant that Epstein register as a sex offender and that all victims identified during the investigation remain eligible for compensation. In order to achieve this result, the parties considered two alternatives, a plea to federal charges that limited Epstein's sentencing exposure, or, as suggested by you, a plea to state charges encompassing Epstein's conduct. Ultimately, the parties agreed to, inter alia, a plea to the state charges outlined in the Agreement, registration and a method of compensation. The Agreement The crux of the Agreement defers federal prosecution of Epstein for his sexual conduct involving those minor victims identified as of September 24, 2007, in exchange for a guilty plea to a state offense that requires registration as a sex offender; a sufficient term of imprisonment; and a method of compensation for the victims such that they would be placed in the same position as if Epstein had been convicted of one of the enumerated offenses set forth in Title 18, United States Code, Section 2255. Specifically, the Agreement mandates, inter alia, (1) a guilty plea in Palm Beach County Circuit Court to solicitation ofprostitution (Fl. Stat. Section 796.07) and procurement of minors to engage in prostitution (Fl. Stat. Section 796.03) (an offense that requires him to register as a sex offender); (2) a 30-month sentence including 18 months' incarceration in county jail; (3) a methodology to compensate the victims identified by the United States; (4) entry of the guilty plea and sentence no later than October 26, 2007; and (5) the start of the above-mentioned sentence no later than January 4, 2008. Furthermore, and significantly, Epstein agreed that he had the burden of ensuring compliance of the Agreement with the Palm Beach County State Attorney's Office and the Judge of the 151h Judicial Circuit and "that the failure to do so will be a breach of the agreement" (emphasis added). Post-Execution of the Agreement Within weeks of the execution of the Agreement, you sought to delay the entry of Epstein's guilty plea and sentence. After the SDFL agreed to accommodate your request, counsel for Epstein began taking issue with the methodology of compensation, notification to the victims, and the issues Case No. 08-80736-CV-MARRA P-013369 EFTA00230274
Sivu 68 / 229
JAY P. LEPKOW1TZ, ESQ.
, 2008
PAGE 3 OF 5
that had been previously considered and rejected during negotiations, i.e., that the conduct does not
require registration and the contemplated state and federal statutes have no applicability to the instant
matter.
A.
Delay.
The Agreement required that "Epstein shall use his best efforts to enter his guilty plea and
be sentenced not later than October 26, 2007. The United States has no objection to Epstein self-
reporting to begin serving his sentence not later than January 4, 2008." Agreement, pages 4-5,
paragraph 11 (emphasis added). After the Agreement was executed, the SDFL accommodated your
request to extend the October 26th plea deadline to November 20th based upon, what seemed to be,
reasonable scheduling conflict issues.' By early November, you represented that the presiding state
court judge would not "stagger the plea and sentencing as contemplated in the Agreement."Although
the Agreement clearly did not contemplate a staggered "plea and sentencing," the SDFL again agreed
to accommodate Epstein's request to appear in state court for plea and sentencing on January 4,
2008.2
B.
Method of Compensation and Notification.
During this same time period, you and others, including the former Solicitor General of the
United States Kenneth Starr, took issue with the implementation of the methodology of
compensation (hereinafter "the 2255 provision")? and the SDFL's intention to notify the victims
under 18 U.S.C. Section 3771 (you objected to victims being notified of time and place of Epstein's
"Accordingly, I have now confirmed with Mr. Epstein's Florida counsel that the state's
attorney's office and the court will be available to have him enter his plea on November 20. So we will
plan to proceed on one that date." October 18, 2007 email from Jay Lefkowitz to USA It. Alexander
Acosta.
On the same day, Mr. Lefkowitz confirmed with First Assistant Jeffrey H. Sloman that this
postponement " will not affect when Epstein begins serving his sentence."
2 Correspondence from Jay Lefkowitz to FAUSA Sloman dated November 8, 2007 ("the judge
has invited the parties to appear for the plea and sentencing on January 4", we do not anticipate any delay
beyond that date.')
3 Prior to any issues arising concerning the implementation of the 2255 provision, the SDFL
unilaterally agreed to assign its responsibility to select the attorney representative for the alleged victims
to an independent third-party. This was done to avoid even the appearance of favoritism in the selection
of the attorney representative. As a result, on October 29, 2007, the parties executed an Addendum
wherein it was mutually agreed that former United States District Court Judge Edward B. Davis would
serve as the independent third-party. Judge Davis selected the venerable law firm of Podhurst and
Josefsberg to represent the approximately 34 alleged identified victims.
Case No. 08-80736-CV-MARRA
P-013370
EFTA00230275
Sivu 69 / 229
JAY P. LEFKOWITZ, ESQ. , 2008 PAGE 4 OF 5 state court sentencing hearing). In response, the SDFL offered, in my opinion, numerous and various reasonable modifications and accommodations which ultimatel resulted in United States Attorney R. Alexander Acosta's December 19, 2007 letter to . In that letter, the United States Attorney tried to eliminate all concerns which, quite y, e DFL was not obligated to address, let alone consider. He proposed the following language regarding the 2255 provision: "Any person, who while a minor, was a victim of a violation of an offense enumerated in Title 18, United States Code, Section 2255, will have the same rights to proceed under Section 2255 as she would have had, if Mr. Epstein been tried federally and convicted of an enumerated offense. For purposes of implementing this paragraph, the United States shall provide Mr. Epstein's attorneys with a list of individuals whom it was prepared to name in an Indictment as victims of an enumerated offense by Mr. Epstein. Any judicial authority interpreting this provision, including any authority determining which evidentiary burdens if any a plaintiff must meet, shall consider that it is the intent of the parties to place these identified victims in the same position as they would have been had Mr. Epstein been convicted at trial. No more; no less." Regarding the issue of notice to the victims, USA Acosta proposed to notify them of the federal resolution as required by law; however, "[wje will defer to the discretion of the State Attorney regarding whether he wishes to provide victims with notice of the state proceedings, although we will provide him with the information necessary to do so if he wishes." As you know, you rejected these proposals as well. See December 26, 2007 correspondence from Jay Leficowitz to USA Acosta. C. "Mr. Epstein Does Not Believe He Is Guilty Of The Federal Charges Enumerated Under Section 2255." At our December 14, 2007 meeting at the U.S. Attorney's Office in Miami, counsel for Epstein announced, inter alia, that it was a "profound injustice" to require Epstein to register as a sex offender and reiterated that no federal crime, especially 18 U.S.C. Section 2422(b), had been committed since the statute is only violated if a telephone or means of interstate commerce is used to do the persuading or inducing. This particular attack on this statute had been previously raised and thoroughly considered and rejected by the SDFL and CEOS prior to the execution of the Agreement. You also argued that the facts were inapplicable to the contemplated state statutes and that Epstein should not have been allowed to have been induced into the Agreement because the facts were not what he understood them to be. It should be noted that the SDFL has never provided you with any evidence supporting its investigation. This is not, and has never been, an Alford plea situation (see North Carolina v. Alford, 400 U.S. 25, 91 S.Ct. 160 (1970)). Ultimately, you requested an independent review. Subsequent to the above-mentioned meeting, the SDFL received three letters from you and/or Mr. Stan which expanded on some of the themes announced in the December 14th meeting. Case No. 08-80736-CV-MARRA P-013371 EFTA00230276
Sivu 70 / 229
JAY P. LEFKOWITZ, ESQ. , 2008 PAGE 5 OF 5 Essentially, you portrayed the SDFL as trying to coerce a plea to unknown allegations and incoherent theories. On December 17, 2007, you decreed that Epstein's conduct did not meet the requirements of solicitation of minors to engage in prostitution (FL Stat. Section 796.03) one of the enumerated crimes Epstein had previously agreed to plead guilty to; that Epstein's conduct does not require registration under Florida law; and the State Attorney's Office does not believe the conduct is registrable. On December 21, 2007, you rejected the USA's proposed resolution of the 2255 provision because you "strongly believe that the provable conduct of Mr. Epstein with respect to these individuals fails to satisfy the requisite elements of either 18 U.S.C. Section[s] 2422(b) ... or 2423(b)." In your December 26, 2007 correspondence you stated that "we have reiterated in previous submissions that Mr. Epstein does not believe he is guilty of the federal charges enumerated under section 2255" and requiring "Mr. Epstein to in essence admit guilt, though he believes he did not commit the requisite offense." As the SDFL has reiterated time and time again, it does not want nor does it expect Epstein to plead guilty to a charge he does not believe he committed. As a result, we obliged your request for an independent de novo review of the investigation and facilitated such a review at the highest levels of the Department of Justice. It is our understanding that that independent review is now complete and a determination has been made that there are no impediments to a federal prosecution by the SDFL. Conclusion Therefore, as I proposed in my email to you on February 25, 2008, you shall have until to comply with all of the terms and conditions of the Agreement, including plea, sentence, and incarceration, as modified by the USA's December 19th letter to Ms. Sanchez. Sincerely, R. Alexander Acosta United States Attorney By: Jeffrey H. Sloman First Assistant United States Attorney cc: R. Alexander Acosta United States Attorney A. Assistant U.S. Attorney Case No. 08-80736-CV-MARRA P-013372 EFTA00230277
Sivu 71 / 229
4/,/ce. .510414 54vemissiom 70 VIC blet Case No. 08-80736-CV-MARRA P-013373 EFTA00230278
Sivu 72 / 229
U.S. Department of Justice United States Attorney Southern District of Florida First Assistant U.S. Attorney 991V.E. 4th Street Miami, FL 33132 (303) 961-9100 DELIVERY BY FEDERAL_ EXPRESS June 3, 2008 honorable Mark Filip Office of the Deputy Attorney General United States Department of Justice 950 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W. Washington, D.C. 20530 Re: Jeffrey Epstein Dear Judge Filip, Jeffrey Epstein was a part-time resident of Palm Beach County, Florida.' In 2006, the Federal Bureau of Investigation began investigating allegations that, over a two-year period, Epstein paid approximately 28 minor females from Royal Palm Beach High School to come to his house for sexual favors.' In July 2006, the matter was presented to AUSA A. . of our West Palm Beach branch office to pursue a forrnal criminal investigation. 1 n resulted in the discovery of approximately one dozen additional minor victims. Over the last several months, approximately six more minor victims have been identified. AUSA Villafaila has been ready to present an indictment to a West Palm Beach federal grand jury since May 2007. The prosecution memorandum and proposed indictment have been extensively reviewed and re-reviewed by Southern District of Florida (SDFL) Deputy Chief of the Criminal Epstein has not resided in Palm Beach since he learned of the instant investigation. 2 Epstein's sexual conduct with the victims included: instructing them to massage and pinch his nipples, masturbating in their presence, digitally penetrating them, using a vibrator on their vaginas, engaging in oral sex with them, having the victims perform oral sex on Epstein's adult girlfriend, and engaging in sexual intercourse, all in exchange for money, ranging from $200 to $1,000 per session. Confidential and Privileged — Attorney Work Product Case No. 08-80736-CV-MARRA P-013374 EFTA00230279
Sivu 73 / 229
Division MEM Chief of the Criminal Division Matthew MencheP, First Assistant United States Attorney Jeffrey H. Sloman', United States Attorney R. Alexander Acosta as well as various members of the Child Exploitation and Eenity Section (CEOS) at the Department of Justice including, but not limited to its Chief, a. Oosterbahn. Many of these legal and factual issues have been discussed and approved by Deputy Assistant Attorney General for the Criminal Division (DAAG) Sigel Mandelker and the Assistant Attorney General for the Criminal Division (AAG) Alice S. Fisher, as well as the Criminal Division's Appellate Section and the Office of Enforcement Operations regarding the petit policy. By May 2007, AUSA Villafaitalitea appr om her supervisors to indict Epstein. Her immediate supervisor was Mr. had served as the Chief of the Public Integrity Section at DOJ as well as in several supervisory positions in the SDFL. By mid- 2006, he had returned to his position as the Deputy Chief of the Criminal Division in West Palm Beach (head of the West Palm Beach branch office), after serving as the interim iallifiLof the Public Integrity Section at DOJ at the request of AAG Fisher. By October 2007. Mr. UM would leave the SDFL to become AAG Fisher's Chief of Staff.' Above Mr. in the SDFL's chain of command were 1 Criminal Division Chief, First Assistant USA Sloman and finally, U.S. Attorney Acosta. Prior to seeking approval to return an indictment, Epstein's legal team had been actively working to convince this Office that such action was not warranted. For example, at the end of 2006, former SDFL U.S. Attorney and EOUSA Executivelir Guy Lewis contacted former colleagues AUSA and, later Deputy Criminal Chief when he learned that they were handling or involved in supervising the federal investigation of EpsteirSecember, former SDFL AUSA land Gerald Lefcourt also contacted AUSA to set a meeting. In advance of that meeting, AUSA llafalla requested documents but that request was refused. Ms. Sanchez then contacted AUSA who agreed to meet with Mit an as well as a member fcourt. On February 1, 2007, Ms. Sanchez and Mr. Lefcourt met with AUSAs of the FBI, and presented defense counsel's view of the case and proms a willingness to assist in the investigation. The SDFL was unpetsuaded by their presentation and the investigation continued. By the late Spring and early Summer, the focus of the investigation shifted from investigating the facts of the victims' claims to Epstein's background, his asserted defenses, co-conspirators, and possible witnesses who could corroborate the victims' statements. The investigation also began to look into financial aspects of the case, requiring the issuance of several subpoenas. At the time, Mr. Lefcourt began leveling accusations of improprieties with the investigation and sought a meeting 3Mr. Menchel resigned for private practice on August 3, 2007 and was replaced by Robert Senior. 'Although I, Jeffrey H. Sloman, am writing this letter, I will continue to refer to myself as "First Assistant USA Sloman" or "FAUSA Sloman" to help reduce any confusion. 'Rolando Garcia replaced Mr. as the Deputy Chief of the Criminal Division. Confidential and Privileged — Attorney Work Product Case No. 08-80736-CV-MARRA P-013375 EFTA00230280
Sivu 74 / 229
with Criminal Division Chief B that time, the proposed initial indictment package had been reviewed and approved by Mr. in West Palm Beach and by attorneys with CEOS; however, it awaited review by Mr. Menchel and FAUSA Sloman. The SDFL deferred presenting the indictment to the grand jury to accommodate the Epstein legal team's request for a meeting. We also agreed to wait several weeks for that meeting to occur to allow four of Epstein's attorneys to be present and also provided counsel with a list of the statutes that were the subject of the investigation. On June 26, 2007, Mr. Menchel, Mr. M, AUSA a, and FAUSA Sloman and two FBI agents met with Alan l)ershowitz, Roy Black, Gerald Lefcourt, and I. During that meeting, Professor Dershowitz and other members of the defense team presented legal and factual arguments against a federal indictment. Counsel for the defense also requested the opportunity to present written arguments, which was granted. The arguments and written materials provided by the defense were examined by the SDFL and rejected. On July 31, 2007, Mr. Menchel, Mr. AUSA and FAUSA Sloman, and two FBI agents met with Roy Black, Gerald Lefcourt, and . On that date, the SDFL presented a written sheet of terms that would satisfy the SDFL's federal interest in the case and discussed the substance of those terms. See Tab A. One of those terms was: Epstein agrees that, if any of the victims identified in the federal investigation file suit pursuant to 18 U.S.C. § 2255, Epstein will not contest the jurisdiction of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida over his person and the subject matter. Epstein will not contest that the identified victims are persons who, while minors, were victims of violations of Title 18, United States Code, §§ 2422 and/or 2423. During that meeting, the focus was on Mr. Epstein's unwillingness to spend time in prison, and various suggestions were raised by defense counsel, including the proposal that he could serve a sentence of home confinement or probation. This was repeatedly mentioned by counsel for Epstein as being equivalent to a term of imprisonment in a state or federal prison. Epstein's counsel mentioned their concerns about his safety in prison, and the SDFL offered to explore a plea to a federal charge to allow Epstein to serve his time in a federal facility. Counsel were also presented with a conservative estimate of the sentence that Epstein would face if he were convicted: an advisory guideline range of 188 - 235 months' incarceration with a five-year mandatory minimum prison term, to be followed by lifetime supervised release. Counsel was told that Epstein had two weeks to accept or reject the proposal. It is critical to note that Ms. Sanchez, one of Epstein's local lawyers, seized upon this method of restitution as a condition of deferring federal prosecution. In referring to the 18 U.S.C. § 2255 method of compensation, Ms. Sanchez stated: [t]his would allow the victims to be able to promptly put this behind them and go forward with their lives. If given the opportunity to opine as to the appropriateness Confidential and Privileged — Attorney Work Product -3- Case No. 08-80736-CV-MARRA P-013376 EFTA00230281
Sivu 75 / 229
of Mr. Epstein's proposal, in my extensive experience in these types of cases, the victims prefer a quick resolution with compensation for damages and will always support any disposition that eliminates the need for trial. See attached Tab B, August 2, 2007 letter from to SDFL Criminal Division Chief Menchel, p.2, fit 1. Ironically, it is Epstein's "national" attorneys who are now representing to the Deputy Attorney General of the United States in their May 19, 2008 letter that: Perhaps most troubling, the USAO in Miami, as a condition of deferring prosecution, required a commingling of substantive federal criminal law with a proposed civil remedy engineered in a way that appears intended to profit particular lawyers in private practice in South Florida with personal relationships to some of the prosecutors involved. Not only did Epstein's lawyers like the idea of using 18 U.S.C. § 2255 to compensate the victims but, they also sought to make their non-incarcerative state proposal even more attractive by offering payments to "a charitable organization benefitting victims of sexual assault," "law enforcement investigative costs" and "Court and probationary costs." Id. at p. 2. Epstein's counsel, still dissatisfied with the Office's review of the case, demanded to meet with U.S. Attorney Acosta and to have the opportunity to meet with someone in Washington, D.C. To accommodate Roy Black, the meeting was put off until September 7, 2007, deirite i te fact that the indictment was ready for presentation to the grand jury. In the interim, AUSA and the investigators met with CEOS Chief Oosterbahn, to review, yet again, the evidence and legal theories of prosecution. Chief Oosterbahn strongly supported the proposed indictment and even offered to join the trial team and provide additional support from CEOS. On September 7, 2007, U.S. Attorney Acosta met with Kirkland & Ellis partners Jay Lefkowitz and former Solicitor General Ken Starr and Ms. Sanchez, along with Chief Oosterbahn and AUSAs» John McMillan, and FAUSA Sloman, Messrs. Starr and Lefkowitz presented arguments regarding the sufficiency of the federal interest in the case and other legal and factual issues. We discussed those legal arguments and the unanimous opinion of all of the attorneys present was in favor of prosecution. During that meeting, Mr. Lefkowitz also offered a plea resolution. His offer, in essence, was that Epstein be subjected to home confinement at his Palm Beach home, using private security officers who would serve as his "wardens," if necessary. Mr. Lefkowitz expressed the belief that such a sentence would be particularly appropriate because, as a wealthy white man, he may be the subject of violence or extortion in prison. Finally, Messrs. Starr and Lefkowitz expressed the belief that Epstein's extensive philanthropy should be considered in our prosecution decision. U.S. Attorney Acosta summarily rejected these proposals, and indicated that the 24-month offer presented previously by the SDFL stood. 'Roy Black did not attend. Confidential and Privileged — Attorney Work Product -4- Case No. 08-80736-CV-MARRA P-013377 EFTA00230282
Sivu 76 / 229
The issue of the inclusion of a restitution-type remedy for the victims pursuant to 18 U.S.C. § 2255 'litany raised and discussed at the and Mt. Stan thanked AUSA for bringing it to his attention as a novel approach to allowing the victims to receive essentially federal restitution while allowing a plea to a state charge. After considering everything said and written by Epstein's legal team, and after conferring with Chief Oosterbahn, U.S. Attorney Acosta informed Epstein's counsel that the SDFL still intended to proceed to indictment. Since counsel indicated a desire to appeal the matter to the Attorney General, the Deputy Attorney General, or the Assistant Attorney General for the Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney Acosta agreed to delay the presentation of the indictment for two weeks to allow them to speak with someone in Washington, D.C., if they so chose. Instead, Mr. Epstein elected to negotiate the Non-Prosesiiareement, and on September 12, 2007, counsel for the SDFL (AUSAs Garcia, and ) and counsel for Epstein (Messrs. Lefcourt, Lefkowitz, and Goldberger) met with Palm Beach County State Attorney Barry Krisher and Assistant State Attorney Larma Belohlavek to discuss a plea to an Information in the state court that would satisfy the federal interest in the case. As noted on the term sheet o fJuly 31m (Tab A), one of those essential terms was a guilty plea to a charge requiring sex offender registration. During that meeting, the issue of sex offender registration was raised, and Mr. Goldberger told the federal prosecutors that there was no problem, Mr. Epstein would plead guilty to the charge of procurement of minors for prostitution (Fl. Stat. 796.03), which was one of the statutes listed on the original term sheet. Although the SDFL had wanted Epstein to plead guilty to three different offenses, we agreed to this compromise.' Of course, the SDFL later learned that, at the time Mr. Goldberger made that statement, he incorrectly believed, based upon a statement from ASA Belohlavek, that Fl. Stat. § 796.03 did not require sex offender registration. The parties then began working first on a plea agreement to a federal charge and, when it was clear that there was no guarantee that Epstein would serve his sentence in a minimum security prison camp, the discussion turned to a Non-Prosecution Agreement. Both the federal plea agreement and the Non-Prosecution Agreement included references to § 2255 because neither the contemplated federal charges nor the proposed state charges encompassed all of the identified victims. If Epstein had been prosecuted under the planned indictment, the identified victims would have been eligible for restitution and damages under § 2255. As explained above, one of our interests, which had to be satisfied by the Non-Prosecution Agreement, was providing appropriate compensation to the victims. This provision of the Agreement was heavily negotiated. As Mr. Lefkowitz wrote in his November 29th e-mail to FAUSA Sloman, Epstein "offered to provide a restitution fund for the alleged victims in this matter; however, that option was rejected by [our] Office." That option was rejected for several reasons. First, the SDFL does not serve as legal representatives to the victims and has no authority to bind victims, nor could it provide a monetary figure that would represent a "loss" amount for restitution purposes. Second, there would be no legal basis for federal restitution without 7 Another significant compromise reached at the meeting was a reduction in the amount of jail time - from 24 months down to 18 months, which would be served at the Palm Beach County Jail rather than a state prison facility. Confidential and Privileged — Attorney Work Product -5- Case No. 08-80736-CV-MARRA P-013378 EFTA00230283
Sivu 77 / 229
a conviction for a federal offense. And, third, it was the U.S. Attorney's belief that the SDFL should not be put in the position of administering a restitution fund. Our § 2255 proposal put the victims in the same position that they would have been in if we had proceeded to trial and convicted Epstein of his crimes, with the exception that the victims were provided with counsel. The appointment of counsel was not such a benefit to the victims but, rather, was done, in part, to benefit Epstein by allowing him to try to privately negotiate a group resolution of all claims with one attorney. Epstein and his lawyers agreed with this alternative. The negotiation of the Agreement was lengthy and difficult. Mr. Lefkowitz and AUSA went through several drafts of both a federal plea agreement and a Non-Prosecution Agreement. Throughout these negotiations, when a member of the defense team was dissatisfied with the SDFL's position, it was repeatedly appealed throughout the Office. So several members of the defense team spoke with the chain of command regarding the terms of the Agreement, including the § 2255 provisions. At the eleventh hour, when Epstein's legal team realized that El. Stat. 796.03 would require him to register as a sex offender, they sought to change the most essential term of the agreement - a term that Messrs. Goldberger, Lefkowitz, and Lefcourt had specifically agreed to at the September 121h meeting with the State Attorney's Office - asking to allow Epstein to plead to a charge that would not require registration. When this was rejected, several members of the defense team appealed directly to U.S. Attorney Acosta which also failed. When that failed, according to press reports, apparently Mr. Lefcourt "leaked" a letter intended for the U.S. Attorney to the press containing the reasons why he/Lefcourt did not believe Epstein should have to register. See October 9, 2007 New York Post article attached at Tab C. Prior to signir the Non-Prosec tion Agreement, Mr. Epstein's defense team included Ken Start, Jay Lefkowitz, , Alan Dershowitz, Gerald Lefcourt, Roy Black, Guy Lewis, Martin Weinberg, Jack Goldberger, Stephanie Thacker', and the associates at Kirkland & Ellis who conducted research on discrete issues. This impressive legal team reviewed the Agreement and counseled Epstein. Based upon that counsel, Epstein decided that it was in his best interest to execute the Non-Prosecution Agreement which was signed on September 24, 2007 by Mr. Lefcourt, Ms. Sanchez and Epstein. A copy of which is attached hereto as Tab D. The core principles of the Agreement are incarceration, registration as a sex offender and a method of compensation' Furthermore, and significantly, Epstein agreed that he had the burden of ensuring compliance of the 'Ms. Thacker had recently resigned from CEOS as a Trial Attorney and entered private practice. 9 Specifically, the Agreement mandates, inter alia, (1) a guilty plea in Palm Beach County Circuit Court to solicitation of prostitution (El. Stat. § 796.07) and procurement of minors to engage in prostitution (Fl. Stat. § 796.03) (an offense that requires him to register as a sex offender); (2) a 30- month sentence including 18 months' incarceration in county jail; (3) a methodology to compensate the victims identified by the United States utilizing 18 U.S.C. Section 2255 such that they would be placed in the same position as if Epstein had been convicted of one of the enumerated offenses set forth in Title IS, United States Code, § 2255; (4) entry of the guilty plea and sentence no later than October 26, 2007; and (5) the start of the above-mentioned sentence no later than January 4, 2008. Confidential and Privileged — Attorney Work Product -6- Case No. 08-80736-CV-MARRA P-013379 EFTA00230284
Sivu 78 / 229
Agreement with the Palm Beach County State Attorney's Office and the Judge of the 15th Judicial Circuit and "that the failure to'do so will be a breach of the agreement' (emphasis added). To this day, the SDFL has never divulged its evidence to Epstein's lawyers. Within a week of the execution of the Agreement, the SDFL unilaterally proposed to divest its right to select the attorney representative for the victims. Contrary to Messrs. Starr and Whitley's recent assertion that this was "engineered in a way that appears intended to profit particular lawyers in private practice in South Florida with personal relationships to some of the prosecutors involved," it was done to avoid even the appearance of favoritism in the selection of the attorney representative. As a result, the parties executed an addendum which documented the SDFL's right to assign the selection of an attorney representative to an independent third-party. A copy of the October 29,2007 Addendum is attached hereto as Tab E. The parties subsequently agreed that retired Federal District Court Judge Edward B. Davis should be that independent third-party/special master. Ultimately, Judge Davis selected Robert C. Josefsberg of the law firm of Podhurst, Orseck, Josefsberg, et at 10 During this same time frame, Epstein lawyer Jay Lefkowitz sought to delay the entry of his guilty plea and sentence. After the SDFL accommodated his request (from October 26th to November 20th), Mr. Stan• began taking issue with the methodology of compensation, notification to the victims, and the issues that had been previously considered and rejected during negotiations, i.e., that the conduct does not require registration and the contemplated state and federal statutes have no applicability to the instant matter. In response to Mr. Stan's protests, the SDFL offered numerous and various reasonable modifications and amturunndatinna which ultimately resulted in U.S. Attorney Acosta's December 19, 2007 letter to I I. See attached Tab F. In that letter, U.S. Attorney Acosta tried to eliminate all concerns which, quite frankly, the SDFL was not obligated to address, let alone consider. In consultation with DAAG Mandelker, Mr. Acosta proposed the following language regarding the 2255 provision: "Any person, who while a minor, was a victim of a violation of an offense enumerated in Title 18, United States Code, § 2255, will have the same rights to proceed under § 2255 as she would have had, if Mr. Epstein been tried federally and convicted of an enumerated offense. For purposes of implementing this paragraph, the United States shall provide Mr. Epstein's attorneys with a list of individuals whom it was prepared to name in an Indictment as victims of an enumerated offense by Mr. Epstein. Any judicial authority interpreting this provision, including any authority determining which evidentiary burdens if any a plaintiff must meet, shall consider that it is the intent of the parties to place these identified victims in the same position as they would have been had Mr. Epstein been convicted at trial. No more; no less." 10 Due to the subsequent objections raised by Epstein's counsel, Mr. Josefsberg was never given the opportunity to become the attorney representative. Confidential and Privileged — Attorney Work Product -7- Case No. 08-80736-CV-MARRA P-013380 EFTA00230285
Sivu 79 / 229
Mr. Starr also objected to the SDFL's intention to notify the victims pursuant to 18 U.S.C. § 3771. In response to Mr. Starr's concerns, USA Acosta again consulted with DAAG Mandelker who advised him to make the following proposal: "[w]e will defer to the discretion of the State Attorney regarding whether he wishes to provide victims with notice of the state proceedings, although we will provide him with the information necessary to do so if he wishes." These proposals were immediately rejected by Epstein in Mr. Lefkowitz's December 26, 2007 correspondence to USA Acosta. At our December 14, 2007 meeting at the U.S. Attorney's Office in Miami, counsel for Epstein articulated that it was a "profound injustice" to require Epstein to register as a sex offender and reiterated that no federal crime, especially 18 U.S.C. § 2422(b), had been committed since the statute is only violated if a telephone or means of interstate commerce is used to do the persuading or inducing. This particular attack on this statute had been previously raised and thoroughly considered and rejected by the SDFL and CEOS prior to the execution of the Agreement. Epstein's lawyers also argued that the facts were inapplicable to the contemplated state statutes and that he should not have been allowed to have been induced into the Agreement because the facts were not what he understood them to be. To reiterate, the SDFL has never divulged its evidence to anyone on the Epstein legal team. Once counsel for Epstein failed to persuade us that federal involvement was inappropriate, they mounted an aggressive campaign to defer federal prosecution. When we refused to compromise on anything except the length of incarceration, they finally executed the Non- Prosecution Agreement. Subsequent to the December 14, 2007 meeting, the SDFL received three letters from Mr. Lefkowitz and/or Mr. Starr which expanded on some of the themes announced in the December 14°' meeting. Essentially, trying to portray the SDFL as trying to coerce a plea to unknown allegations and incoherent theories. In his December 17, 2007 correspondence, Mr. Lefkowitz decreed that Epstein's conduct did not meet the requirements of one of the state statutes Epstein agreed to plead guilty to - procurement of minors to engage in prostitution (Fl. Stat. § 796.03); that Epstein's conduct does not require registration under Florida law in contravention of the September 24th Agreement; and the State Attorney's Office does not believe the conduct is registrable. On December 21, 2007, Mr. Lefkowitz rejected the U.S. Attorney's proposed resolution of the 2255 provision because they "strongly believe that the provable conduct of Mr. Epstein with respect to these individuals fails to satisfy the requisite elements of either 18 U.S.C. Section[s] 2422(b) ... or ... 2423(b)." In his December 26, 2007 correspondence, he stated that "we have reiterated in previous submissions that Mr. Epstein does not believe he is guilty of the federal charges enumerated under section 2255" and requiring "Mr. Epstein to in essence admit guilt, though he believes he did not commit the requisite offense." The SDFL reiterated time and time again that it had never wanted nor expected Epstein to plead guilty to a charge he did not believe he committed and repeatedly offered to dissolve the agreement to allow Epstein to contest the charges in the court system. As a result, the SDFL obliged his request for an independent de novo review of the investigation and facilitated such a review at the highest levels of the Department of Justice. As you know, on May 15, 2008, after months of considering the matter, the Criminal Division considered whether there is a legitimate basis for the Confidential and Privileged — Attorney Work Product -8- Case No. 08-80736-CV-MARRA P-013381 EFTA00230286
Sivu 80 / 229
SDFL to proceed with a federal prosecution of Mr. Epstein. CEOS Section Chief Oosterbahn concluded that "federal prosecution would not be improper or inappropriate."See attached May IS, 2008 letter from CEOS Section Chief Oosterbahn to Jay Lefkowitz. On May 19, 2008,1 notified Mr. Lefkowitz that the SDFL would give Epstein a MI two weeks (close of business on Monday, June 2, 2008) to comply with the terms and conditions of the Non-Prosecution Agreement, as modified by the USA's December 19th letter to Ms. Sanchez." Therefore, despite the fact that the investigation has identified several more victims, the SDFL is still offering Epstein the opportunity to comply with the terms and conditions of the Non-Prosecution Agreement. The SDFL was recently notified that the Office of the Deputy Attorney General has agreed to consider additional allegations not considered by CEOS which were recently raised in correspondence by two former high-ranking members of the Department of Justice - Ken Stan and Joe Whitley. On May 28,2008, I notified Mr. Lefkowitz by e-mail that the SDFL has postponed the June 2, 2008 deadline until the DAG's Office has completed its review of this matter. Their correspondence to the DAG alleges that the SDFL's investigation lacks integrity because it has leaked "highly confidential aspects" of the investigation and negotiations to the New York Times and that FAUSA Sloman directed some of the victims to my former law firm. They also claim that the "unprecedented extension of federal law" by the SDFL suggests that this is politically motivated because Epstein is a prominent figure with "close ties to former President Clinton." Messrs. Starr and Whitley go on to claim that FAUSA Sloman unilaterally, arbitrarily and unnecessarily imposed a June 2, 2008 deadline in order to prevent Epstein from seeking your Office's review and that "the unnecessary deadline is even more problematic because Mr. Epstein's effort to reconcile the state charge and sentence with the terms of the Agreement requires an unusual and unprecedented threatened application of federal law." I . The Alleged "Leak" to the New York Times. AUS became involved in this matter in his capacity as back up for the District's Public Information Officer (NO). While the District's PIO was on annual leave, he was the acting PIO during the first week of January 2008. The entirety of his conduct in connection with the Epstein matter began on January 2, 2008 and ended on January 7, 2008." Specifically, his contact involved five telephone conversation with Landon Thomas, a reporter for the New York Times. These conversations occurred on 1) the morning of January 2, 2008, 2) the afternoon of January 2, 2008, 3) the afternoon of January 3, 2008, 4) the afternoon of January 4, 2008, and 5) the afternoon of January 7, 2008. II Mr. Lefkowitz was placed on notice on February 25, 2008, that in the event that CEOS disagreed with Epstein's position, Epstein would have one week to comply with the terms and conditions of the Agreement, as modified by the USA's December I9th letter to Ms. Sanchez. '2AUSA Weinstein has self-reported to the Office of Professional Responsibility. Confidential and Privileged — Attorney Work Product -9- Case No. 08-80736-CV-MARRA P-013382 EFTA00230287