Court Records
Filing # 198551891 E-Filed 05/17/2024 11:40:36 AM
IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF THE
FIFTEENTH JUDICIAL CIRCUIT IN AND
FOR PALM BEACH COUNTY, FLORIDA
CA FLORIDA HOLDINGS, LLC,
Publisher of THE PALM BEACH POST, CASE NO.: 50-2019-CA-014681-XXXX-
MB Div.: AG
Plaintiff,
v.
ABRUZZO, as Clerk and
Comptroller of Palm Beach County, Florida,
Defendant.
SECOND AMENDED COMP
A Cos
CA Florida Holdings, LLC, publisher of The P ea r Post, for its Second Amended
Complaint against Abruzzo, the Clerk rt and Comptroller for Palm Beach
qcCounty, Florida, in his official capacity ("C Cle ), alleges as follows:
ICTION
I. This is an action}r4tlI jE exclusive jurisdiction of the Circuit Court pursuant to
Fla. Stat. Sections 26.012(2Xa) .011 et seq.
PARTIES
2. Beach Post is a daily community newspaper published by Plaintiff CA
Florida H C, with offices located at 2751 S. Dixie Highway, West Palm Beach, Florida. ,. .
3. Defendant Abruzzo is the duly elected Clerk and Comptroller of Palm
Beach County, Florida. He is sued herein in his official capacity as his office is in possession
and/or control of documents that are the subject of this action.
ACTIVE 696232185v3
FILED: PALM BEACH COUNTY. FL. ABRUZZO. CLERK. 05/17/2024 11:40:36 AM
EFTA02736900
INTRODUCTION
4. In what is now widely if belatedly recognized as a colossal miscarriage of justice —
which led to the further needless victimization of countless young girls and women — a wealthy,
politically connected, and powerful financier was not held accountable for, nor even forced to
confront, allegations of serious sex trafficking crimes. While it is clear that Jeffrey Epstein's 2008
deal with the State of Florida was not consistent with the evidence gathered a im, what
remains shrouded in mystery is how that evidence was presented — and the o which it was
presented — to the grand jury that returned an indictment far more li pe than expected
and deserved.
5. Through this action, The Palm Beach Pos lic access to the testimony,
Ils eminutes, and other evidence presented in 2006 to ch County grand jury empaneled
during the first Epstein sex abuse investigatio , access to such materials is limited, for
example, in order to prevent the flight o
ability to conceal or destroy evide
accused who is later exonerate
expressly authorizes the • losure of grand jury proceedings under certain circumstances,
including, as here furthe ng justice, which can encompass furthering a public interest. Fla. Stat.
§ 905.27(1)(
se indictment may be contemplated and their
re jurors' candor in deliberations; and to protect an
er, these factors are inapplicable here. Also, Florida law
t can no longer credibly be maintained that continued blanket secrecy over the
proceedings that led to the egregiously flawed 2006 Epstein indictment is warranted under the law.
To the contrary, transparency is required to promote public understanding of the criminal justice
system and public confidence in the fair administration of justice. As detailed below, Epstein was
accused of sexually abusing and trafficking dozens of women and girls in south Florida (among
other locations) over a period of several years while exploiting his wealth and political connections
2
ACTIVE 696232185v3
EFTA02736901
to obstruct the administration of justice at every turn. Public disclosure of the Epstein grand jury
proceedings will shed light on the extent to which those in our government entrusted with the
solemn responsibility of enforcing our criminal laws equally as to all citizens fulfilled their duties
in this instance. Justice will be furthered where it is either (1) demonstrated that Epstein was treated
like others accused of similar heinous crimes, or (2) as appears more likely to be the case, those
who chose to give Epstein favorable — "unusual," in the words of the Town of Pa h Police
Chief — treatment, are exposed and held accountable. From what limited inf is now in the
public domain, the State Attorney's referral of Epstein's case to the
out of the ordinary for this type of case — gives rise to a i) s in'T nce of favoritism and
corresponding disregard for the rights of the minor victim 's sex trafficking. Access to
inner the grand jury materials will allow the public to dete the grand jury process, and the
Ssecrecy that comes with it, was used to furthe • e , instead, operated to shield Epstein and s te
his co-conspirators from the conseque of it criminal activities. Accordingly, Fla. Stat.
Section 905.27 authorizes the disci yb pstein's 2006 grand jury proceedings.
FACTUAL BACKGROUND
which would be
7. The folio acts were gathered, in large part, from documents obtained by The
Palm Beach Post ugh rious Florida Public Records Law requests, documents unsealed or
publicly ava ther related judicial proceedings, and information and documents in the
public
A. First Epstein Sex Crimes Investigation, Indictment, and Plea tut -cement:
2005-2008.
8. The investigation into Epstein's sex crimes began more than fourteen years ago,
when a 14-year-old girl's stepmother reported to police in the Town of Palm Beach, Florida, that
Epstein and others who worked for him arranged for her to give Epstein a "massage." Epstein
3
ACTIVE 696232185v3
EFTA02736902
required the girl to strip, exposed himself, and masturbated while touching her. The girl was paid
$300. Epstein was 52 years old at the time.
9. Following this initial report in 2005, the Town of Palm Beach Police, and later, in
2006, the FBI, investigated Epstein. Interviews under oath with five additional alleged victims and
seventeen witnesses revealed that the events described by the 14-year-old girl occurred, with
disturbingly similar details, with each of the other victims.
10. Both the victim/witness interviews, as well as evidence retri owing a search
of Epstein's home, showed that some of the girls involved were un of 18. The police
search of Epstein's residence also found two hidden cameras ghout the house, large O
numbers of nude photos of girls, including victims who eA e had not interviewed in the
course of their investigation.
11. In March 2006, a State grand
s•
eeduled at which all of the victims were 84c
expected to testify. The proceeding was tpon , however, due to meetings between the State
( od
Attorney's office and Epstein's pr4pjn minal defense lawyer and personal friend, Alan
Dershowitz.
12. Another gr> jyljy was convened in April 2006, but canceled the day before it was
to begin receivin
(1) Police Chief Reiter's Letter to the State Attorney.
n May I, 2006, Town of Palm Beach Police Chief Michael Reiter wrote a
"personal and confidential" letter to then Palm Beach County State Attorney, Barry Krischer,
stating:
I must renew my prior observation to you that I continue to find your office's
treatment of [the Epstein] cases highly unusual. It is regrettable that I am forced to
communicate in this manner, but my most recent telephone calls to you and those
of the lead detective to your assigned attorneys have been unanswered and
messages remain unreturned. After giving this much thought and consideration, I
4
ACTIVE 696232185v3
EFTA02736903
must urge you to examine the unusual course that your office's handling of this
matter has taken and consider if good and sufficient reason exists to require your
disqualification from the prosecution of these cases. (Emphasis supplied)
14. Chief Reiter's letter to State Attorney Krischer enclosed the Town of Palm Beach
Police Department's probable cause affidavits charging Epstein and two of his assistants with
multiple counts of unlawful sex acts with a minor and one count of sexual abuse, and requested
that either an arrest warrant be issued for Epstein or the State Attorney directly ini
against him, which would be public.
(2) The July 2006 State Grand Jun Presentati
15. Instead, State Attorney Krischer elected to refer cas‘itit4 grand jury, which is
mandatory for capital cases but rarely used for all of c . According to an official
spokesperson, this was the first time that a sex crime, presented to a grand jury in Palm
Beach County.
16. In July 2006, after State ine aischer presented testimony and evidence from
one victim, the grand jury return n n ent on a sole count of solicitation of prostitution.
There is no mention in the indi en the victim being a minor.
17. On info • and belief, a second of Epstein's victims was supposed to testify mic i
before the grand j , but z unable to attend because of a school exam.
18. m asbnable explanation has been provided as to why the numerous other known
victim t presented as witnesses and crime victims to the grand jury convened in July 2006.
Nor has an reasonable explanation been provided as to why State Attorney Krischer, who was
initially eager to investigate and prosecute Epstein for his crimes, over time lost the desire to do
charges
so.
19. On information and belief, during the grand jury appearance of the single victim
who testified, the State Attorney presented evidence that vilified the victim and attacked her
5
ACTIVE 696232185v3
EFTA02736904
credibility, including soliciting testimony regarding underage drinking and questionable personal
behavior that was unrelated to the charges against Epstein. Further upon information and belief,
this information was initially brought to the attention of the State Attorney's office by Epstein's
defense counsel.
(3) The FBI's Investigation and Epstein's Non-Prosecution
Agreement With Federal Authorities.
20. On information and belief, following the deficient July 2006 i and with
Chief Reiter's encouragement, the FBI began its own investigation of E
21. Records unsealed in 2015 revealed that the FBI comp rts on "34 confirmed
minors" that were victims of Epstein's sexual predations. B idence gathered by the FBI,
a 53-page indictment was prepared by the U.S. Attorn in June 2007. However, at the \
CCI ,,request of Epstein's lawyers, the indictment was re nted to a federal grand jury. \ th
22. Instead, then U.S. Attorney e So ern District of Florida, Alexander Acosta,
negotiated a plea deal with Epstein's wyers to grant immunity to Epstein (along with
four named co-conspirators and ed potential co-conspirators) from all federal criminal
charges.
23. Thro remainder of 2007 and through the first half of 2008, Epstein's
lawyers and th mey continued negotiating the plea arrangement. Upon information and
belief, E wyers insisted that (I) the victims not be notified, (2) the deal be kept
confidentt d under seal, and (3) all grand jury subpoenas (including one that had already been
issued for Epstein's computers) be withdrawn.
24. On June 30, 2008, Epstein pled guilty to State charges: one count of solicitation of
prostitution and one count of solicitation of prostitution with a minor under the age of 18. He was
6
ACTIVE 696232185v3
EFTA02736905
sentenced to 18 months in jail, followed by a year of community control or house arrest, and was
adjudicated as a convicted sex offender required to register twice a year in Florida.
25. The plea deal, called a non-prosecution agreement ("NPA"), allowed Epstein to
receive immunity from federal sex-trafficking charges that could have sent him to prison for life.
On information and belief, based on public records, former State Attorney Krischer conlmtunicated
with then U.S. Attorney Acosta concerning the NPA's negotiation with Epstein's
26. Indeed, Epstein was not incarcerated in a Florida prison f to crimes for IO
which he was convicted. Instead, he was placed in a private wing m Beach County
Stockade, where, after 3 la months, he was allowed to leave t' ork release" for up to
12 hours a day, 6 days a week. His private driver provide ( t l b 'nation to and from "work." 3 )
27. Epstein was released five months ear .t i
14s ,28. Upon information and belief, t lated the terms of his probation, but was c,
not prosecuted.
(4) The Ctj P.V,hims' Rights Act I itioatioti.
29. Epstein's victin4onlylldarned after the fact about his plea in State court and filed
an emergency petition to il federal prosecutors to comply with the Crime Victims' Rights Act
(18 U.S.C. § 377 VRA , which mandates certain rights for crime victims, including the right
to be inform lea agreements and the right to appear at sentencing. U.S. District Judge
Kenne recently ruled that federal prosecutors violated the CVRA by failing to notify
Epstein's victims before allowing him to plead guilty to only the two State offenses.
30. The prosecution's failure to keep the victims apprised, among other things, also
contravenes the Florida Constitution, Article I, § 16(b) and Fla. Stat. § 960.001.
31. Following publicity exposing the extraordinary leniency of the plea deal, dozens of
civil suits were brought against Epstein, most of which Epstein's lawyers settled out-of-court.
7
ACTIVE 696232185v3
EFTA02736906
32. In 2010, Epstein was registered as a "level three" (i.e., high risk of repeat offense)
sex offender in New York, a lifelong designation. In 2011, the New York County District
Attorney's office unsuccessfully sought to lower his registration to low-risk "level one."
33. Upon information and belief, during the course of the Town of Palm Beach and FBI
investigations, Epstein retained private investigators to follow, harass, and photograph his victims
and their families, as well as Chief Reiter and the Town of Palm Beach detective wl vestigated
the case against Epstein. AS
34. Upon information and belief, Epstein's victims were t
with law enforcement and told that they would be compensated if did not cooperate with
law enforcement.
B. Second Epstein Sex Crimes Investin S i ment. Suicide: 2019.
35. On July 6, 2019, Epstein was a ederal sex trafficking charges.
36. Upon information and be ited States government's investigation of new
allegations and charges stemmed, • continued press investigations into and reporting
on the mishandling of the 2006 harg and the civil suits that followed.
r,37. In a July 9, letter to the federal district court by the U.S. Attorney for the
Southern District ew rk, Epstein was described as "a serial sexual predator who preyed on
dozens of mi or g s over a period of years." The letter emphasized that "the Government has real
conce nded in past experience with this defendant — that if allowed to remain out on bail,
the defendant could attempt to pressure and intimidate witnesses and potential witnesses in this
case, including victims and their families, and otherwise attempt to obstruct justice." It also
described the results of the FBI's search of Epstein's Manhattan townhouse: evidence of sex
trafficking in the form of "hundreds — and perhaps thousands - of sexually suggestive photographs
of fully- or partially-nude females," including underage females. In a locked safe, compact discs
8
Qainst cooperating
ACTIVE 696232185v3
EFTA02736907
were found with handwritten labels including the descriptions: "Young [Name] + [Name]," "Misc
nudes 1," and "Girl pies nude."
38. On July 8, 2019, prosecutors with the Public Corruption Unit of the U.S. Attorney's
office for the Southern District of New York charged Epstein with sex trafficking and conspiracy
to traffic minors for sex. The grand jury indictment alleges that "dozens" of underag girls were
brought into Epstein's mansions for sexual encounters. A few days later, owin lic outcry
over the NPA with Epstein entered into by the U.S. Attorney for the Sout
I
j ct of Florida,
Alexander Acosta, who by then was serving as U.S. Secre r in the Trump
administration, resigned from office.
I I,)39. Epstein was denied bail and was place n C o ial detention at the federal
Metropolitan Correction Center in lower Manhatta t
Ss ,S r40. On or about August 6, 2019, F n . Ron DeSantis ordered a state criminal
probe into the actions of the Palm B hen and former State Attorney Krischer for their
handling of the Epstein underage s ng case.
41. On August 10, pstein was found dead in his cell at the Metropolitan
Correctional Center. His f death was determined to be suicide.
C. The st 27. 019. SDNY Hearing: Epstein's Victims Speak.
42. On ccount of his death, prosecutors sought to dismiss the indictment against
Epstei aintaining that they would continue to investigate his co-conspirators.
43. United States Senior District Judge Richard M. Berman ordered a hearing on
August 27, 2019, on the prosecutors' decision to dismiss the indictment and allowed victims to
speak at the hearing.
9
ACTIVE 696232185v3
EFTA02736908
44. In the course of the hearing, more than two dozen victims delivered their personal
stories of pain, frustration, and sexual abuse at the hands of Epstein. Several victims spoke of
violent rape by Epstein. Many more victims were present in the courtroom but did not testify.
45. While some questioned the reasoning behind the court's decision to give the victims
voice after Epstein's death, District Judge Berman noted that "a public hearing is [thy] preferred
vehicle of resolution," emphasizing that "public hearings are exactly what jud Hearings
promote transparency and they provide the court with insights and info ich the court
may not otherwise be aware of." Indeed, even Epstein's defense laµ t the hearing that
the court "is the institution that most people have confidence in ' e ery troubled times."
46. At the August 27th hearing, the girls, now o e ke about their "exploitation
Sand coercion," and to the fact that many of them "we 'nive ulnerable situations and in extreme
Avpoverty, circumstances where [they] didn't ne on [their] side, to speak on [their]
behalf...." One victim lamented that " icti she] never got to see what the agreement was
or why the special treatment got n the Florida case years earlier. Another noted how
"completely different" the inv tiga leading to the 2019 federal indictment were from the
prosecutors in the Flori g , both in their treatment of her and their investigation of her
victimization by em.
47. er federal judge in attendance at the August 27th hearing emphasized that
"trans one of the overriding objectives in our criminal justice system."
48. Nearly all of the victims expressed the conviction that the secrecy that shielded
Epstein has caused them "irreparable harm" and that an opportunity to address his criminal
wrongdoings, and those of the individuals who enabled his sexual racketeering, would allow for
at least some measure of justice to be served after his death. Indeed, one victim stated: "Any efforts
10
ACTIVE 696232185v3
EFTA02736909
made to protect Epstein's name and legacy send a message to the victims that he wins and that he
is untouchable." Another victim expressed fear that this is a world "where there are predators in
power, a world where people can avoid justice if their pockets run deep enough." In short, the
"unusual" treatment Epstein received in Florida in 2006 based on his wealth, social status, and
connections severely eroded the public's faith in the integrity and impartiality of tjre criminal
justice system.
D. The Palm Beach Post's Standing and the Public Interest.
1(1) The Palm Beach Post Has Reported ENO's'0 n
Epstein's Crimes For Nearly 15 Years.1/4. )
49. Plaintiff, The Palm Beach Post, is a communi aper serving readers in Palm
Beach County and the Treasure Coast vicinity.
50. The Palm Beach Post has been a
three other times.
51. Beginning in 2004, The ch Post has extensively investigated and reported
on the allegations against, the I ment investigation of, and the crimes committed by,
Epstein and his co-conspirato e Newspaper's reportage has included publication of the
following articles:
Er P ie winner and nominated as a finalist
• "Th- 4 o Had Everything: Jeffrey Epstein Craved Big Homes, Elite Friends
a gators Say, Underage Girls.," published on August 14, 2006, reporting that:
Aikobson, a local community college student, admitted in a sworn statement to
*ce that "she had taken at least six girls to visit Epstein, all between the ages of 14
d 16;" Palm Beach Police "interviewed five alleged victims and 17 witnesses;"
Dershowitz, the Harvard law professor, traveled to West Palm Beach with information
about the girls," including social media discussions about "their use of alcohol and
marijuana;" after meeting with Epstein's legal team, "prosecutors postponed their
decision to take the case to a grand jury;" Palm Beach Police subsequently "received
complaints that two of the victims or their families had been harassed or threatened;"
"relations between police and prosecutors were fraying" as the investigation continued;
and "one girl who was subpoenaed — the one who said she had sexual intercourse with
Epstein — never showed up" to testify before the grand jury.
II
ACTIVE 696232185v3
EFTA02736910
• "Trump Snags Gosman Estate for $41 Million" published on November 16, 2004,
reporting on the bidding war between Donald Trump and Jeffrey Epstein for the
purchase of a "43,000-square-foot, seven-bedroom estate on 6 oceanfront acres along
the storied 'Raider's Row' " in Palm Beach.
• "Indictment: Billionaire Solicited 3 Times" published on July 25, 2006, reporting that
"Billionaire money manager and Palm Beach part-time resident Jeffrey Epstein
solicited or procured prostitutes three or more times between Aug. 1 and Oct. 31 of last
year, according to an indictment charging him with felony solicitation of prostitution."
The article further reported that "Epstein's case is unusual in that suspect rostitution
johns are usually charged with a misdemeanor, and even a felony ch typically
made in a criminal information — an alternative to an indictment ch n with
the commission of a crime."
• "After Long Probe, Billionaire Faces Solicitation Charge" n July 26, 2006,
reporting that "Palm Beach police thought there was prob le c use to charge Epstein
with unlawful sex acts with a minor and lewd and las estation." The article
further reported that "Police Chief Michael Reit • angry with State Attorney
Barry Krischer's handling of the case that he mo suggesting the county's
top prosecutor disqualify himself," and ide year-old on-the-record female
source who said "she gave Epstein a nude, then brought him six girls,
ages 14 to 16, for massage and sex-ting st s at his home."
• "Police Say Lawyer Tried to D nage Girls" published on July 29, 2006,
reporting that "[f]amed Harv: fessor Alan Dershowitz met with the Palm
Beach County State Atto ice and provided damaging information about
teenage girls who say his client, Palm Beach billionaire Jeffrey Epstein,
sexually charged mas that "[t]he state attorney's office said it presented the
Epstein case to a c' d jury this month rather than directly charging Epstein
because of concerns the girls' credibility."
• rye f Age Isn't Defense In Sex Cases" published on August 5, 2006,
at ather than file charges, the state attorney's office presented the case
grand jury" which "indicted Epstein last week on a single, less serious
f ony solicitation of prostitution," and that "[t]he case raised eyebrows
he state attorney's office rarely, if ever, kicks such charges to a grand jury."
"Expert: Igno
reporti
to a u
tein Camp Calls Female Accusers Liars" published on August 8, 2006, reporting
at "[a] state attorney's spokesman would say only that the office refers cases to the
grand jury when there are issues with the viability of the evidence or witnesses'
credibility."
• "Palm Beach Chief Focus of Fire In Epstein Case" published on August 14, 2006,
reporting that Chief Reiter "pressed for Epstein to be charged with the more serious
crimes of sexual activity with minors" and "slammed State Attorney Barry Krischer in
blunt language seldom used by one law enforcement official with another because of
what he perceived as that office's mishandling of the case."
12
ACTIVE 696232185v3
EFTA02736911
• "Delays In Epstein Case Unusual, Lawyers Say" published on March 13, 2007,
reporting that "[n]early eight months after Palm Beach tycoon Jeffrey Epstein was
charged with felony solicitation of prostitution, there has been no discernible progress
in his case."
• "Woman Sues Billionaire Investor, Says They Had Sex When She Was 16" published
on October 18, 2007, reporting on a lawsuit brought in New York State court against
Epstein "by a young woman who says he had sex with her when she was 16 and had
sought his help becoming a model."
• "Palm Beacher Pleads In Sex Case" published on July I, 2008, reporti t "Epstein,
55, pleaded guilty ... to felony solicitation of prostitution and procu r a pe n under
the age of 18 for prostitution," resulting in "a lifelong obligati
offender," and that "[a]s part of the plea deal, federal investiga
investigation of Epstein, which they had taken to a grand j
• "Jeffrey Epstein: Scientist, Stuntman, 'Sex Slave' Visit J ycoon" published on
August 13 2008 reporting that "[d]uring his first f confinement" Epstein was
visited by , who allegedly escort pon their arrival at his Palm
Beach waterfront home to an upstairs room, repared the masse e table and
provided the oils for their encounters" p n, and by "a
young woman whom Epstein purport as his Yugoslavian sex slave."
gister as a sex
to drop their
• "Billionaire Sex Offender Leave ays a Week For Work" published on July
I, 2008, reporting that Epstein' a ed to leave the Palm Beach County Stockade
six days a week on a work-
• "Women Want Epste* al Unsealed" published on June 10, 2009, reporting
that attorneys for w ens g Epstein in various courts "want his [non-prosecution]
agreement [NPA] f eral prosecutors unsealed" and were moving to unseal the
agreement in 'rcuit ourt of the Fifteenth Judicial Circuit, and that "Epstein now faces
at least a doze lawsuits in federal and state courts filed by young women who
said they'had s with him and now are seeking damages." On that date, The Palm
Beach Past moved to intervene in the matter for the purpose of obtaining public access
to c N PA. which was ordered disclosed by this Court on June 25, 2009. to
• stein's Secret Pact With Feds Reveals 'Highly Unusual' Terms" published on
ember 19, 2009, reporting that, owing to Epstein's non-prosecution agreement,
eral prosecutors backed down and agreed to recall grand jury subpoenas if Epstein
pleaded guilty to prostitution-related felonies in state court" and "also a reed not to
charge any of E stein's ssible co-conspirators: ==, Lesley
Groff and " The article further reported that, according to an
attorney representing three of Epstein's victims, "none of the 30 to 40 wom[e]n
identified as victims in the federal investigation" were informed ahead of time about
the NPA.
13
ACTIVE 696232185v3
EFTA02736912
• "Judge Rules Epstein Attorneys Can Subpoena Abortion Records" published on
January 27, 2010, reporting that "a judge . . . gave lawyers representing multi-
millionaire sex offender Jeffrey Epstein the right to subpoena abortion records from
women who are seeking millions in damages from the part-time Palm Beach resident."
• "Epstein Journal's Findings Could Resurrect Abuse Case" published on March 20,
2010, reporting that "[a] purloined journal that is said to contain the names of
`hundreds' of victims of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein could be used to reopen
the investigation into the multi-millionaire's appetite for teenage girls."
• "Epstein Paid Three Women $5.5 Million to End Underage Sex Law published
on October 4, 2017, reporting that, according to court documents, "yelled out
$5.5 million to settle lawsuits with three of more than two dozen ho sued him."
• "Judge Rules Feds' Agreement With Jeffrey Epstein Pa Teen Victims'
Rights" published on February 22, 2019, reporting on a ling y U.S. District Judge
Kenneth Marra that "Federal prosecutors violated the of Jeffrey Epstein's
teenage victims [under the Crime Victims' Right .y failing to reveal they had
dropped plans to prosecute the billionaire on d decal charges in connection
with the girls' claims that he paid them for s m Beach mansion."
• "Epstein Indicted On Sex Charges/P i Beacher Pleads Not Guilty to Sex
Trafficking, Conspiracy Charges In a ourt In Manhattan" published on July 9,
2019, reporting on Epstein's ap ce .S. District Court for the Southern District
of New York in which he "plea n ilty to charges accusing him of creating a vast
network of girls as young at e exploited for his sexual pleasure at his homes
in Palm Beach and
A true and correct copy of the a articles, in either the computerized format in which they
are maintained in The P r Beac z Post's electronic archives or the news print edition in which
originally publishe ann ed hereto as Exhibit 1.
52. e filing of the initial Complaint in this matter, The Palm Beach Post — along
with m is ide — has continued to report on Epstein's crimes and the ongoing official
proceeding resulting from those crimes.
(2) The Palm Beach Post's Standing and the Public Interest.
53. The press has a constitutional right of access to criminal proceedings, see, e.g.,
Richmond Newspapers, Inc. v. Virginia, 448 U.S. 555, 573 (1980), including pre-trial criminal
proceedings. v. Graddick, 696 F.2d 796 (11th Cir. 1983). Indeed, "the integrity of the
14
ACTIVE 696232185v3
EFTA02736913
judicial process, which public scrutiny is supposed to safeguard, is just as much at issue in
proceedings of this kind [pre- and post-trial] as at trial." Id. at 801; see also Miami Herald Publ.
Co. v. M, 426 So. 2d 1,6-7 (Ha. 1982) (identifying the news media as a "public surrogate" in
matters concerning the closure of judicial proceedings). The press also has a First Amendment
interest in receiving information from willing speakers. See Va. Pharmacy Bd. v. Va. Consumer
Council, 425 U.S. 748, 756-57 (1976) ("Where a speaker exists . . . the protecti Th orded [by
the First Amendment] is to the communication, to its source and to its reci • h."); Pittman
v. M, 267 F.3d 1269, 1283 n.12 (11th Cir. 2001) ("The Supreme ognized that the
First Amendment offers protection to both speakers and those receive speech."); see
also Stephens v. Cry. ofAlbemarle, Va., 524 F.3d 485,492 t C 1 08) (providing that a plaintiff
4c, has "standing to assert a right to receive speech" by ' o S that there exists a speaker willing
to convey the information to her").
54. Because of the unique ro rfo by the press as a "public surrogate" (M,
426 So. 2d at 6-7) in protecting t ccess and its interest in reporting information about
criminal proceedings, news or s "presumptively have a right to access judicial records,"
0,74,Comm ir, Ala. Dep't of C dvance Local Media, LLC, 918 F.3d 1161, 1166 (11th Cir. 2019),
and "standing to lion t e validity of an order restricting publicity because its ability to gather
news is dire 'red or curtailed." 426 So. 2d at 4; see also Carlson v. United States,
837 F. 57-58 (7th Cir. 2016) ("[a]s a member of the public, [the Reporters Committee]
has standing to assert [its] claim" to grand jury materials because such materials are "public records
to which the public may seek access, even if that effort is ultimately unsuccessful").
55. Here, the continued denial of access to information The Palm Beach Post seeks on
behalf of its journalists and the public it serves "unquestionably constitutes irreparable injury."
15
ACTIVE 696232185v3
EFTA02736914
Gainesville Woman Care, LLC v. State of Florida, 210 So. 3d 1243, 1263 (Fla. 2017); see also
Zerilli v. 656 F.2d 705, 711 (D.C. Cir. 1981) (noting that "the press' function as a vital
source of information is weakened whenever the ability of journalists to gather information is
impaired," as it is by Attorney General's refusal to disclose unredacted report and underlying grand
jury materials).
56. The Palm Beach Post has the right to maintain this private right o • because
the furtherance of justice, an express legislative exception to grand jury intended for
the public benefit, and The Palm Beach Post seeks access on be Ct, public. Fla. Stat.
§ 905.27(1Xc). It is further expressed in Fla. Stat. § 905.27 the 1 ature in amending Fla.
release of the Jeffrey Epstein
Stat. § 905.27(1)(c) and (2)(c) in 2024, intended for this t e Jeffrey Epstein grand jury
materials. In other words, the legislature cleared all
grand July materials.
K e\-
(3) The Court's Jurisdiction "I o Declare Rights And
Constru }times.
,"
57. This Court has C• to declare rights, status, and other equitable or legal
relations whether or not further • is or could be claimed. Florida Stat. Section 86.011.
58. Flori a law pe ifically provides that a declaration may be sought from the Court
concerning a rights under a statute. Florida Stat. Section 86.021 ("Any person...whose
rights, sta er equitable or legal relations are affected by a statute, or any regulation made
under sta ry authority,... may have determined any question of construction or validity arising
under such statute,...or any part thereof, and obtain a declaration of rights, status, or other equitable
or legal relations thereunder.").
59. The Court's exercise of its power to declare rights "is to be liberally administered
and construed." Florida Stat. Section 86.101.
16
ACTIVE 696232185v3
EFTA02736915
COUNT I
(Declaratory Relief - Florida Stat. Sections 86.011 et seq.)
60. The allegations set forth in paragraphs 1 through 59 are incorporated by reference
as if fully set forth herein.
61. This is an action for Declaratory Relief pursuant to Chapter 86. Florida Statutes,
and other supplemental relief.
Ailk"
62. The Palm Beach Post respectfully requests that the Court uant to Fla.
Stat. Sections 905.27(1) and (2)(c) that it is entitled access to the t tmo mutes, and other
evidence presented in 2006 to the Palm Beach County grand ' b se such disclosure and c to
access would be furthering justice in the public interest. F ta 5.27(1)(c).
63. The Palm Beach Post has sought o7fhe testimony, minutes, and other
evidence presented in 2006 to the Palm Beac nd jury. A good-faith dispute exists.
64. Through this Complaint, Pal each Post presently has a justiciable question
concerning its rights to obtain t
905.27(1) (c) and (2Xc).
65. In an appe the final judgment entered on December 21, 2022 in this case,
the Fourth Distri Appeal reversed the trial court's decision that Florida courts lack
authority to e release of grand jury materials. Rejecting the trial court's determination, the
appell eld that trial courts have inherent authority over grand juries and have the right to
order release of grand jury materials if such would further justice as defined in Fla. Stat. section
905.27. CA Fla. Holdings, LLC v. Aronberg, 360 So. 3d 1149 (Fla. 4th DCA 2023). Therefore, this
court has inherent authority to release the Epstein grand jury materials in addition to the statutory
authority granted by the 2024 amendments to Fla. Stat. section 905.27.
nd jury materials pursuant to Fla. Stat. Sections
17
ACTIVE 696232185v3
EFTA02736916
66. A bona fide, actual, present, and practical need for the declaration exists in order to
further justice in the public interest by the release of the 2006 Epstein grand jury materials.
WHEREFORE, The Palm Beach Post respectfully requests that the Court determine the
rights and obligations of the parties by declaring that pursuant to Fla. Stat. Sections 905.27(1)(c)
and (2)(c). The Palm Beach Post and the public may gain access to the testimony.
COUNT II,
atk"
(Florida Stat. Section 905.27)
67. The allegations set forth in paragraphs I through 66 a i gr ted by reference
as if fully set forth herein.
t 68. Based on information learned by The Pal a ost through its Florida Public
/SS, Records Law requests, law enforcement sources wit i owledge of the grand jury evidence
and proceedings, judicial documents obtained • endent but related court proceedings, and
,
S
documents otherwise available in the *c rd, the 2006 State Attorney for Palm Beach
t o
County, Barry Krischer, present t evidence of Epstein's criminal wrongdoing to the
2006 grand jury in a manne luded Epstein's indictment for the serious crimes he
committed, including sex ing and sexual assault.
69. t to lorida Stat. Section 905.27, as amended in 2024, in order to further
justice for E u tein victims and the public, and to provide public disclosure to illuminate whether
Epstei unjustifiably lenient treatment based on the available evidence, The Palm Beach
Post requests that it and the public be granted immediate access to the testimony, minutes, and
other evidence presented in 2006 to the Palm Beach County grand jury.
70. In 2024, the Florida legislature amended Fla. Stat. Sections 905.27 (1)(c) and (2Xc)
for the express purpose of removing all legal impediments to the release of the Jeffrey Epstein
18
ACTIVE 696232185v3
EFTA02736917
grand jury materials. Therefore, other than for limited redactions to protect witness and victim
identities, Fla. Stat. Sections 905.27 (1)(c) and (2Xc) compel disclosure of the Epstein 2006 grand
jury materials.
WHEREFORE, The Palm Beach Post respectfully requests that this Court, pursuant to Fla.
Stat. Sections 905.27(1)(c) and (2)(c), as amended, order the Clerk of the Court to provide copies
of the testimony, minutes, and other evidence presented in 2006 to the Palm Beaty grand
jury during the first Epstein sex abuse investigation so that, following a . a inspection,
these materials are immediately disclosed to the newspaper, and an C 0 other and further
equitable or legal relief the Court deems just and proper.
Dated: May 17, 2024 Respectfid s b ,
RAURIG, P.A.
f CA Florida Holdings, LLC,
of The Palm Beach Post
hen A. Mendelsohn, Esq.
5100 Town Center Circle, Suite 400
oca Raton, Florida 33486
Telephone: ([Phone Redacted]
Facsimile: ([Phone Redacted]
/s/ Stephen A. Mendelsohn
STEPHEN A. MENDELSOHN
Florida Bar No. 849324
mendelsohns law.com
[Email Redacted]
By: /s/ Michael J Grygiel
MICHAEL J GRYGIEL
(Pro Hac Vice application forthcoming)
54 State Street, 6th Floor
Albany, New York 12207
Telephone: ([Phone Redacted]
Facsimile: ([Phone Redacted]
[Email Redacted]
19
ACTIVE 696232185v3
EFTA02736918
Nina D. Boyajian
NINA D. BOYAJIAN
(Pro Hac Vice application forthcoming)
1840 Century Park East, Suite 1900
Los Angeles CA 90067
Telephone: (310) 586 -7700
Facsimile: (310) 586 -7800
boyajiatm®gtlaw.com
[Email Redacted]
Go
20
ACTIVE 696232185v3
EFTA02736919
+6s
EX
C")
' '''
EFTA02736920
The Palm Beach Post REAL NEWS STARTS HERE
The Man Who Had Everything: Jeffrey Epstein craved big
homes, elite friends and underage girls
By Andrew Marra
Posted Jul 17, 2019 at 6:02 AM
From the archives: When Palm Beach detectives start skmg
questions and teenage girls started talking, a wave
followed.
resistance
Editor's Note: This article appeared in The Palm Beach Post on , 2006, three weeks after
Jeffrey Epstein's arrest in Palm Beach County on a charge olicitation of prostitution.
WINGED GARGOYLES guarded the gate at Palm Beach mansion. Inside,
hidden cameras trolled two rooms, while t Is me and went.
For the police detectives who siftedfotTie garbage outside and kept records of visitors, it
was the lair of a troubling targe
Epstein, one of the most teriot s of the country's mega-rich, was known as much for his
secrecy as for his love of fi t ngs: magnificent homes, private jets, beautiful women,
friendships with ttk orld's elite.
But at Palm
regular a
favors.
lice headquarters, he was becoming known for something else: the
teenage girls he hired to give him massages and, police say, perform sexual
Epstein was different from most sexual abuse suspects; he was far more powerful. He counted
among his friends former President Bill Clinton, Donald Trump and Prince Andrew, along
with some of the most prominent legal, scientific and business minds in the country.
When detectives started asking questions and teenage girls started talking, a wave of legal
resistance followed.
EFTA02736921
» NEW: Jeffrey Epstein: Lawyer said financier had sex with woman during work -
release
If Palm Beach police didn't know quite who Jeffrey Epstein was, they found out soon enough.
Epstein, now 53, was a quintessential man of mystery. He amassed his fortune and friends
quietly, always in the background as he navigated New York high society.
When he first attracted notice in the early 1990s, it was on account of the woman e was
dating: Ghislaine Maxwell, daughter of the late British media tycoon Robe
In a lengthy article, headlined "The Mystery of Ghislaine Maxwell's Se , the British
Mail on Sunday tabloid laid out speculative stories that the socialit s beap was a CIA spook, a
math teacher, a concert pianist or a corporate headhunter.
A4c)cl"But what is the truth about him?" the newspaper won e % a e Maxwell, Epstein is both
'rJe le ter. In September 2002, Epstein was
flamboyant and intensely private."
The media frenzy did not begin in full until
flung into the limelight when he flew CI'
Africa on his private jet.
Suddenly everyone wanted to
published lengthy profiles. The
bachelors and began descr
and "reclusive."
actors Kevin Spacey and Chris Tucker to
Epstein was. New York magazine and Vanity Fair
ork Post listed him as one of the city's most eligible
im in its gossip columns with adjectives such as "mysterious"
Although E s a no interviews, the broad strokes of his past started to come into focus.
Building e of extravagance
He was born blue-collar in 1953, the son of a New York City department employee, and
raised in Brooklyn's Coney Island neighborhood. He left college without a bachelor's degree
but became a math teacher at the prestigious Dalton School in Manhattan.
The story goes that the father of one of Epstein's students was so impressed with the man that
he put him in touch with a senior partner at Bear Stearns, the global investment bank and
securities firm.
EFTA02736922
In 1976, Epstein left Dalton for a job at Bear Stearns. By the early 1980s, he had started J.
Epstein and Co. That is when he began making his millions in earnest.
Little is known or said about Epstein's business except this: He manages money for the
extremely wealthy. He is said to handle accounts only of $1 billion or greater.
It has been estimated he has roughly 15 clients, but their identities are the subject of only
speculation. All except for one: Leslie Wexner, founder of The Limited retail chai and a A ,
former Palm Beacher who is said to have been a mentor to Epstein.
Wexner sold Epstein one of his most lavish residences: a massive townh
block on Manhattan's Upper East Side. It is reported to have, amon • sc )
circuit television and a heated sidewalk to melt away fallen snow.
at dominates a
eatures, closed-
That townhouse, thought to be the largest private residen hattan, is only a piece of
the extravagant world Epstein built over time.
In New Mexico, he constructed a 27,000-square iltbp mansion on a 10,000-acre ranch
outside Santa Fe. Many believed it to be the e in the state.
In Palm Beach, he bought a waterfrontito n El Brillo Way. And he owns a 100-acre
private island in the Virgin Islands.
» PHOTOS: The players in t frey Epstein saga
Perhaps as remarkab
the highest echelo
media moguls
funds.
lavish homes is his extensive network of friends and associates at
ower. This includes not only socialites but also business tycoons,
ans, royalty and Nobel Prize-winning scientists whose research he often
'Just like other people collect art, he collects scientists," said Nowak, who directs the
Program for Evolutionary Dynamics at Harvard University and was reportedly the recipient of
a $30 million research donation from Epstein.
Epstein is said to have befriended former Harvard President Larry Summers, prominent law
Professor Alan Dershowitz, Donald Trump and New York Daily News Publisher Mort
Zuckerman.
EFTA02736923
And yet he managed for decades to maintain a low profile. He avoids eating out and was rarely
photographed.
"The odd thing is I never met him," said Dominick Dunne, the famous chronicler of the trials
and tribulations of the very rich. "I wasn't even aware of him," except for a Vanity Fair article.
Epstein's friendship with Clinton has attracted the most attention.
Epstein met Clinton as early as 1995, when he paid tens of thousands of dollars to in him at
an intimate fund-raising dinner in Palm Beach. But from all appearances, the i become
close friends until after Clinton left the Oval Office and moved to New Y
Epstein has donated more than $100,000 to Democratic candidates' igns, including John
Kerry's presidential bid, the reelection campaign of New Mexico Go 1 and the
Senate bids of Joe
Schumer.
Hillary Rodham Clinton,
Powerful friends and enemies
A Vanity Fair profile found cracks in the ve
left Bear Stearns in the wake of a fede
Commission violation. It also poi
million loan.
Dodd and Charles
Ia)oofEpstein's life story. The 2003 article said he
nd a possible Securities and Exchange
at Citibank once sued him for defaulting on a $20
The article suggested that phis business mentors and previous employers was Steven
Hoffenberg, now se g n term after "bilking investors out of more than $450 million
in one of the lar i schemes in American history."
As he amasse
man who i
ealth, Epstein made enemies in disputes both large and small. He sued the
90 sold him his multimillion -dollar Palm Beach home over a dispute about less
than $16,000 in furnishings.
A former friend claimed Epstein backed out of a promise to reimburse him hundreds of
thousands of dollars after their failed investment in Texas oil wells. A judge decided Epstein
owed him nothing.
» Jeffrey Epstein: Model prisoner who swept, mopped floors, official says
EFTA02736924
"It's a bad memory. I would rather not have ever met Jeffrey Epstein," said Michael Stroll, the
retired former president of Electronics and Sega Corp. "Suffice it to say I have
nothing good to say about him."
Among the characteristics most attributed to Epstein is a penchant for women.
He has been linked to Maxwell, a fixture on the high-society party circuits in both New York
and London. Previous girlfriends are said to include a former Ms. Sweden and a R manian
Aikmodel.
"He's a lot of fun to be with," Donald Trump told New York magazine i
that he likes beautiful women as much as I do, and many of them are
doubt about it, Jeffrey enjoys his social life."
c
It is even said
unger side. No
t
Although he was not a frequenter of the Palm Beac 'eC ifia: 49m ;eea,
Beach Police
made his presence felt.and
Among his charitable donations, he gave 390,0 q v\
$100,000 to Ballet Florida.
Investigation leads to Epstein
In Palm Beach, he lived in luxury. Th ercedes sat in his garage, alongside a
Harley-Davidson. His jet waited a at Palm Beach International Airport. At home, a
private chef and a small staff st d at e ready. From a window in his mansion, he could look
out on the Intracoastal W terwa nd the West Palm Beach skyline. lie seemed to be a man s ii",
who had everything.
But extraordin eaah can fuel extraordinary desires. 0
» Epste to leave jail for mansion in sex -trafficking case
In March 2005, a worried mother contacted Palm Beach police. She said another parent had
overheard a conversation between their children.
Now the mother was afraid her 14-year-old daughter had been molested by a man on the
island.
The phone call triggered an extensive investigation, one that would lead detectives to Epstein
but leave them frustrated.
EFTA02736925
Palm Beach police and the state attorney's office have declined to discuss the case. But a Palm
Beach police report detailing the criminal probe offers a window into what detectives faced as
they sought to close in on Epstein.
Detectives interviewed the girl, who told them a friend had invited her to a rich man's house to
perform a massage. She said the friend told her to say she was 18 if asked. At the house, she
said she was paid $300 after stripping to her panties and massaging the man while he
masturbated.
Police interview 5 alleged victims
The investigation began in full after the girl identified Epstein in a p
paid her. Police arranged for garbage trucks to set aside Epstein's t
through it. They set up a video camera to record the coming oings at his home. They c
monitored an airport hangar for signs of his private jet's NT d departures.
a d"
e man who had
police could sift
They quickly learned that the woman who took t 4 old girl to Epstein's house was
a Palm Beach Community Coll t from Loxahatchee. In a sworn
statement at police headquarters, 18, mitted she had taken at least six girls to
visit Epstein, all between the ages of 14 l6. pstein paid her for each visit, she said.
During the drive back to her ho n told detectives, "I'm like a Heidi Fleiss."
v
c ot)
Police interviewed five all ed ic ms and 17 witnesses. Their report shows some of the girls
said they had been in/ss~ttruct t ave sex with another woman in front of Epstein, and one said
she had direct inteplaurse ith him.
In October,t p. rched the Palm Beach mansion. They discovered photos of naked, young-
looking
found in the garage area and inside a clock on Epstein's desk, alongside a girl's high school
transcript.
just as several of the girls had described in interviews. Hidden cameras were
Two of Epstein's former employees told investigators that young-looking girls showed up to
perform massages two or three times a day when Epstein was in town.
They said the girls were permitted many indulgences. A chef cooked for them. Workers gave
them rides and handed out hundreds of dollars at a time.
EFTA02736926
One employee told detectives he was told to send a dozen roses to one teenage girl after a high
school drama performance. Others were given rental cars. One, according to police, received a
$200 Christmas bonus.
The cops moved to cement their case. But as they tried to tighten the noose, they encountered
other forces at work.
In Orlando they interviewed a possible victim who told them nothing inappropriate had
happened between her and Epstein. They asked her whether she had spoken toj j pne else.
She said yes, a private investigator had asked her the same questions.
» Jeffrey Epstein: Acosta, Krischer trade barbs over sweethea t
t
c
When they subpoenaed one of Epstein's former employees, he
and a private eye had met at a restaurant days earlier to go
investigators.
Detectives received complaints that private eyes
Epstein's local attorney, Guy Fronstin, he sa
high-powered Miami lawyer who has d
Kennedy
While the private eyes were co
professor, traveled to West Palm
profiles on the popular W
their use of alcoho
He took his
doubt o
"\ ng as police officers. When they told
stigators worked for Roy Black, the
likes of Rush Limbaugh and William
ld the same thing. He
at the man would tell
a parallel investigation, Dershowitz, the Harvard law
ach with information about the girls. From their own
MySpace.com, he obtained copies of their discussions about
o a meeting with prosecutors in early 2006, where he sought to cast
s' reliability.
The private eyes had dug up enough dirt on the girls to make prosecutors skeptical. Not only
did some of the girls have issues with drugs or alcohol but also some had criminal records and
other troubles, Epstein's legal team claimed. And at least one of them, they said, lied when she
told police she was younger than 18 when she started performing massages for Epstein.
After the meeting, prosecutors postponed their decision to take the case to a grand jury.
EFTA02736927
In the following weeks, police received complaints that two of the victims or their families had
been harassed or threatened. Epstein's legal team maintains that its private investigators did
nothing illegal or unethical during their research.
By then, relations between police and prosecutors were fraying. At a key meeting with
prosecutors and the defense, Detective Recarey, the lead investigator, was a no-show,
according to Epstein's attorney.
"The embarrassment on the prosecutor's face was evident when the police offi ver
showed up for the meeting," attorney Jack Goldberger said.
AS' caLater in April, Recarey walked into a prosecutor's office at the state office and
learned the case was taking an unexpected turn.
The prosecutor, Lanna Belohlavek, told Recarey the state j s office had offered Epstein
a plea deal that would not require him to serve jail tim
AccRecarey told her he disapproved of the plea offe .
The deal never came to pass, however.
? S'
Future unclear after charge
On May 1, the department aske ecutors to approve warrants to arrest Epstein on four
e a felony conviction.
counts of unlawful sexual
=, now 27, for alle ed role in arranging the visits. Police officials also wanted to
charge MB th s -described Heidi Fleiss, with lewd and lascivious acts.
By then, th
case. On t
yity with a minor and to charge his personal assistant,
ent was frustrated with the way the state attorney's office had handled the
same day the warrants were requested, Palm Beach Police Chief Michael Reiter
wrote a letter to State Attorney Barry Krischer suggesting he disqualify himself from the case if
he would not act.
Two weeks later, Recarey was told that prosecutors had decided once again to take the case to
the grand jury.
EFTA02736928
It is not known how many of the girls testified before the grand jury. But Epstein's defense
team said one girl who was subpoenaed - the one who said she had sexual intercourse with
Epstein - never showed up.
The grand jury's indictment was handed down in July. It was not the one the police
department had wanted.
Instead of being slapped with a charge of unlawful sexual activity with a minor, Ep tein was
charged with one count of felony solicitation of prostitution, which carries a tt um penalty
of five years in prison. He was booked into the Palm Beach County Jail ear 23 nd
released hours later.
O
Epstein's legal team "doesn't dispute that he had girls over for mass oldberger said. But
he said their claims that they had sexual encounters with hi cre ibility.
"They are incapable of being believed," he said. "They
accusations of theft made against them by their e
some of them."
( S ,What remains for Epstein is yet to be se t ame
al records. They had
ere was evidence of drug use by
The Palm Beach Police Departme d the FBI to investigate the case. It also has
returned the $90,000 Epstein d 2004.
In New York, candidates f gyernor and state attorney general have vowed to return a total
of at least $60,000 i mpa n contributions from Epstein. Meanwhile, Epstein's powerful
friends have re ent as tabloids and Internet blogs feast on the public details of the
police inves
Goldberge intains Epstein's innocence but says the legal team has not ruled out a future
plea deal. He insists Epstein will emerge in the end with his reputation untarnished.
"He will recover from this," he said.
Staff writer Larry and staff researchers Bridget Bulger, Angelica Corte; Amy Hanaway and
Melanie Mena contributed to this story.
[Email Redacted]
EFTA02736929
@AMarraPBPost
NITELLIGEN7 GRID
S)C
EFTA02736930
273 / 278 - Tuesday, November 16, 2004
Edition: FINAL
Section: A SECTION
Page: IA
Source: By PAUL OWERS Palm Beach Post Staff Writer
Illustration: PHOTO (C & 2 B&W) & MAP (B&W)
Memo: Ran all editions.
Dateline: WEST PALM BEACH
TRUMP SNAGS GOSMAN ESTATE FOR $41 MILLION
When it came time to bid Monday for the palatial Palm Beach digs of
Donald was not about to be trumped.
"Nobody was going to outbid me," the brash developer-turned- ality said from his
New York office.
Trump bested two other bidders with a $41.35 million off or 43,000-square-foot,
seven-bedroom estate on 6 oceanfront acres along the s rderts Row."
But Trump, 58, proud possessor of Mar-a-Lago, has o o live in the Gosman home at
513 N. County Road. He wants to - what else? - s it • ake more money.
The star of the mega-hit The Apprentice said r s o redevelop the site into a "super
luxury house" that would be the "finest an e United States." He might build
another house before flipping the entire p
"I've known about this house for quite
of land in Florida - and probably
Althoutirump said he could s
Lesly said zoning regul
said she's not worried about T
"He's been a very good
projects very well. He's a
Monday's auctionjdbk pl
Gosman's Chat
distribution
The aucti
an atto
that T
," Trump said. "It's probably the best piece
for luxury real estate."
w for only two houses - and maybe a third.
e property into nine lots, Palm Beach Ma.
plans.
rty owner in the town of Palm Beach," she said. "He does his
ctionist."
at U.S. Bankruptcy Court in West Palm Beach as part of
ankruptcy case. Proceeds from the sale will go into escrow for eventual
ito
t exactly noon after Judge Steven dismissed an objection from
resenting money manager Jeffrey Epstein. The lawyer argued unsuccessfully
as not a qualified bidder because his contract stipulated that he would not close
on the sale unless title insurance was in place beforehand.
With Trump listening via conference call, Epstein began the bidding at $37.25 million -
$250,000 higher than Trump's initial offer.
Mark Pulte, son of the founder of home-building giant Pulte Homes, passed when his turn
came, letting lawyers for Trump and Esptein bid against each other until the price hit $38.85
million.
Pulte then bid $39.1 million, briefly raising the ire of Trump, who believed that Pulte had
given up his right to bid by passing the first time.
,0 4.4c
%gran, The
EFTA02736931
But allowed the offer to stand, and Pulte and Trump went back and forth until
Puke dropped out at $41.1 million. Epstein, a part-time Palm Beach resident, bowed out at
$38.6 million.
closed the bidding 10 minutes after it started, leaving Trump with the right to buy
the 29,000-square-foot home (a typical Palm Beach County single-family house is about
2,200 square feet). The property also has a tennis house, a pool house and 1930s-era service
quarters.
The closing could take place within a week but probably won't happen until next month.
Trustee Joe Luzinski and creditors said they were pleased with the outcome.
"We knew we were dealing with some substantial people . .. who were going it up a
bit," Luzinski said.
"The system worked," said Charles Tatelbaum, a lawyer for creditor JPM Chase Bank.
"In bankruptcy court, the idea is to get the most for creditors, and that' pened."
The auction proved to be a bonanza for creditors, Luzinski said, no e highest offer
former listing agent Sotheby's International Realty received was $ million. Sotheby's won't
receive a commission, he said.
Pulte, 42, of Boca Raton, said he figured Trump wouldn't Monday.
"I got the feeling he was willing to go a lot higher, and t to chase it," Pulte said.
Pulte said Gosman asked him before the auction wh uld be willing to let him stay
in the mansion after the closing until he decides w is to move. Trump and
Luzinski said they have had no such discussio man.
Gosman, 75, had the house built after payin I lion for the land in 1986.
The former health-care magnate declined • t ie requests before and after the auction
Monday. He was at the courthouse but befo the auction took place.
The $41.35 million price tag eclips 5 million sale of Lowell "Bud" Paxson's Palm
Beach home and guest house but of the $45 million that Virginia home builder
Dwight Schar paid for Ron Pe 6,000-square-foot estate, Casa Apava, a designated
landmark.
Schar also paid $18.6 m" ion for lakefront lot across the street from the main house, for a
total of $63.6 million. In y Schar spent a total of $70 million for his new property,
making it the price res tial sale in U.S. history.
Gosman once ha rtune that Forbes magazine estimated at $480 million. He voluntarily
filed for Chat bikruptcy protection in 2001, listing assets of $250 million and
liabilities c million.
When ed that Gosman had to give up all of his exempt assets to creditors if he
wanted to organize under Chapter 11, Gosman converted the case to Chapter 7 liquidation.
Last year, .S. Bankruptcy Judge Larry Lessen ruled that Abe and Lin Gosman's marriage is
invalid because Florida law does not recognize a Dominican Republic divorce that Lin
Gosman tried to obtain from another man, Michael Castre.
The judge's decision was a huge victory for creditors because it prevents Abe Gosman from
protecting assets by claiming joint ownership with his wife. Gosman's assets, which include
an extensive collection of artwork, could total as much as $70 million and will be sold later.
Without Lessen's ruling, Luzinski would have had a much harder time selling Gosman's
estate, said David Cimo, special counsel for the trustee.
"We would have been thwarted . .. or at least substantially impaired," Cimo said.
EFTA02736932
The trustee alleged during a weeklong trial in May that Gosman fraudulently gave his wife
an ownership interest in his home and other belongings only to avoid losing them in
bankruptcy. Gosman has denied any wrongdoing, saying he made the property transfers in
1999, well before he filed for bankruptcy.
Lessen is expected to rule in the next two months whether Gosman made improper transfers,
a decision that will affect how much money will be available to creditors.
Cimo acknowledged that Monday wasn't the best of days for the Gosmans but said they were
willing to move forward, in part because the upkeep of the estate now exceeds their means.
"This is not a happy occasion for them, but at least we're moving to the next level ' Cimo
said. "That's not a house you want to live in unless you're making large amounS o money
like Donald Trump."
[Email Redacted]
EFTA02736933
11/11/2019 Indictment: Billionaire Solicited 3 Times - News - The Palm Beach Post - West Palm Beach. FL
The Palm Beach Post REAL NEWS STARTS HERE
Indictment: Billionaire Solicited 3 Times Posted Jul 1, 2008 at 12:01 AM
Updated Oct 2, 2019 at 2:30 PM
(EDITORS NOTE: This story originally published in The Palm Beach Post on July 25,
2006)
Billionaire money manager and Palm Beach part-time resident Jeffre
solicited or procured prostitutes three or more times between n3 Oct. 31
of last year, according to an indictment charging him with lony so icitation of
prostitution.
Epstein, 53, was booked at the Palm Beach Cou t :45 a.m. Sunday. He
was released on $3,000
S I Ai ll‘ r,o 'tution johns are usually charged
ge is typically made in a criminal
ment charging a person with the
bond.
Epstein's case is unusual in that suspe
with a misdemeanor, and even a fel
information - an alternative t
commission of a crime.
His attorney, Jack Goldb , declined to discuss the charge.
State attorneys offi spokesman Mike Edmondson also had little to say.
"Gener ea ng, there is a case that has a number of different aspects to it,"
aid of a prostitution -related charge being submitted to a grand jury.
became aware of the case months ago by Palm Beach police."
Prosecutors and police worked together to bring the case to the grand jury, he
said.
https:/Awiwpalmbeachpost.corninews/20080701/indictment-billionaire-solicited-3.times 12
EFTA02736934
11111/2019 Indictment: Billionaire Solicited 3 Times - News - The Palm Beach Post - West Palm Beach, FL
Palm Beach police confirmed that and said the department will release a report
today regarding its investigation.
Epstein has owned a five-bedroom, 7 1/2 -bath, 7,234-square-foot h ith a
pool and a boat dock on the Intracoastal Waterway since 1990, n to
property records. A man answering the door there Monday pstein
wasn't home. A Cadillac Escalade registered to him was ark the driveway,
which is flanked by two massive gargoyles.
sis ciEpstein sued Property Appraiser Gary Nikoli , contending that the
assessment of his home exceeded its fair va e. He dismissed his lawsuit
(ES'
in December 2002.
A profile of Epstein in Vanity F fine said he owns what are believed to
be the largest private home attan - 51,000 square feet - and in New
Mexico - a 7,500-acre r ch. se are in addition to his 70-acre island in the
U.S. Virgin Islands and f aircraft.
Epstein's Erie dmirers, according to the magazine, include prominent
businessm demics and scientists and famed Harvard law professor Alan
Ders
lar er@pbpostcom
https://www.palmbeachpostcomMews/20080701/indictment-billionaire-solicited-3-times 2/2
EFTA02736935
11/11/2019 After long probe, billionaire faces solicitation charge - News - The Palm Beach Post • West Palm Beach. FL
The Palm Beach Post REAL NEWS STARTS HERE
After long probe, billionaire faces solicitation
charge Posted Jul 27, 2006 at 12:01 AM
Updated Oct 3, 2019 at 3:11 PM
(EDITOR'S NOTE: This story originally published in The Palm Beach Post o 26,
2086)
Palm Beach billionaire Jeffrey Epstein paid to have underage oung
women brought to his home, where he received massages a so etimes sex,
according to an investigation by the Palm Beach Poli rtment.
Palm Beach police spent months sifting throu tet s trash and watching his
waterfront home and Palm Beach Internat port to keep tabs on his
private jet. An indictment charging Ep a was unsealed Monday, charging
him with one count of felony solicit of rostitution.
Palm Beach police thought t probable cause to charge Epstein with
unlawful sex acts with a lewd and lascivious molestation.
Police Chief Mich Reiter was so angry with State Attorney Barry Krischer's
handling of the case a
prosecutor ualify himself.
e wrote a memo suggesting the county's top
ou to examine the unusual course that your office's handling of this
taken and consider if good and sufficient reason exists to require your
disqualification from the prosecution of these cases," Reiter wrote in a May I
memo to Krischer.
While not commenting specifically on the Epstein case, Mike Edmondson,
spokesman for the state attorney, said his office presents cases other than
murders to a grand jury when there are questions about witnesses' credibility and
their ability to testify.
httpsIN/wwpalmbeachpost.cominews/20060727/after-long-probe-billionaire-faces-solicitation-charge 1/5
EFTA02736936
11/11/2019 After long probe. billionaire faces solicitation charge - News - The Palm Beach Post - West Palm Beach, FL
By the nature of their jobs, police officers look at evidence from a "one-sided
perspective," Edmondson said. "A prosecutor has to look at it in a much broader
fashion," weighing the veracity of witnesses and how they may fare under
defense attorneys' questioning, he said.
Epstein's attorney, Jack Goldberger, said his client committed no crimes.
"The reports and statements in question refer to false accusations that were not
charged because the Palm Beach County state attorney questioned the credibility
of the witnesses," Goldberger said. A county grand jury "found the alleg s
diwholly unsubstantiated and not credible," and that's why his client w,t t
charged with sexual activity with minors, he said.
O Goldberger said Epstein passed a lie detector test administe d by reputable
polygraph examiner in which he said he did not know tr s were minors.
Also, a search warrant served on Epstein's home f9en. . vidence to
corroborate the girls' allegations, Goldberger s
According to police documents:
- A Palm Beach Community Coll
the nude, then brought him s
sessions at his home.
t said she gave Epstein a massage in
es 14 to 16, for massage and sex-tinged
- A 27-year-old woman worked as Epstein's personal assistant also
facilitated the liaiso oning the PBCC student to arrange for girls when
Epstein was ming town. And she escorted the girls upstairs when they
arrived,c n esh sheets on a massage table and placing massage oils nearby. )
o sworn statements from five alleged victims and 17 witnesses. They
cont7gd that on three occasions, Epstein had sex with the girls.
A money manager for the ultra-rich, Epstein was named one of New York's most
eligible bachelors in 2003 by The New York Post. He reportedly hobnobs with
the likes of former President Clinton, former Harvard University President
Summers and Donald Trump, and has lavish homes in Manhattan,
New Mexico and the Virgin Islands.
https../Nomv.palmbeachpost.corrVnews/20060727/after-long-probe-billionaire-faces-solicitation•charge 2/5
EFTA02736937
11/11/2019 After long probe, billionaire faces solicitation charge - News - The Palm Beach Post - West Palm Beath, FL
He has contributed tens of thousands of dollars to Democratic Party candidates
and organizations, including Sen. John Kerry's presidential bid, and the Senate
campaigns of Joe , Hillary Clinton, Dodd and Charles
Schumer.
4 7
Goldberger is one of five attorneys Ep t i etained since he became the
subject of an investigation, Edmond id. Among the others: Alan
Dershowitz, the well-known H w professor and author, who is a friend
of Epstein. Dershowitz could hle eached for comment.
Police said the woman
20, of Palm
Wellington a
College w
phon
sted young girls for Epstein was
has worked at an Olive Garden restaurant in
e was a journalism major at Palm Beach Community
was questioned by police last October. She has an unlisted
r and could not be reached for comment.
Rob3pn said she met Epstein when, at age 17, a friend asked her if she would like
to make money giving him a massage. She said she was driven to his five-
bedroom, 7 1/2 -bath home on the Intracoastal Waterway, then escorted upstairs
to a bedroom with a massage table and oils. Epstein and were both naked
during the massage, she said, but when he grabbed her buttocks, she said she
didn't want to be touched.
httpe/Awrwpalmbeachposteom/news/20060727/afteplong-probe-bilhonaire-faces-solicitation-charge 3/5
EFTA02736938
11/11/2019 After long probe, billionaire laces solicitation charge - News - The Palm Beach Post - West Palm Beach, FL
Epstein said he'd pay her to bring him more girls - the younger the better,
told police. When she tried once to bring a 23-year-old woman to him,
Epstein said she was too old, said.
who has not been charged in the case, said she eventually brought six
girls to Epstein who were paid $200 each time, said. "I'm like a Heidi
Fleiss," police quoted her as saying. The girls knew what to expect when they
were taken to Epstein's home, said. Give a massage - maybe naked - and
allow some touching.
One 14-year-old girl took to meet Epstein led police to start
investigation of him in March 2005. A relative of the girl called t
thought the child had recently engaged in sex with a Palm B he girl
then got into a fight with a classmate who accused her of be a rostitute, and
she couldn't explain why she had $300 in her purse.
The girl gave police this account of her meetin stein:
She accompanied and a second t stein's house on a Sunday in
February 2005. Once there, a woma e th ght was Epstein's assistant told the
girl to follow her upstairs to a ro ng a mural of a naked woman, several
photographs of naked wome elf, a hot pink and sofa and a massage
table.
She stripped to her ra and panties and gave him a massage.
Epstein gav ar-old $300 and she and the other girls left, she said. She
said Ro to er that Epstein paid her $200 that day. 0
olO ' s d similar stories. In most accounts, Epstein's personal assistant at
the ti e, now 27, escorted the girls to Epstein's bedroom.
whose most recent known address is in North Carolina, has not been
charged in the case.
Palm Beach police often conducted surveillance of Epstein's home, and at Palm
Beach International Airport to see if his private jet was there, so they would
know when he was in town. Police also arranged repeatedly to receive his trash
https:/Anwepalmbeadmostcom/news/20060727/after-long-probe-billionaire-faces-solicitation-charge 4/5
EFTA02736939
11/11/2019 After long probe, billionaire faces solicitation charge - News - The Palm Beach Post - West Palm Beach, FL
from Palm Beach sanitation workers, collecting papers with names and phone
numbers, sex toys and female hygiene products.
One note stated that a female could not come over at 7 p.m. because of soccer.
Another said a girl had to work Sunday - "Monday after school?" And still
another note contained the work hours of a girl, saying she leaves school at 11:30
a.m. and would come over the next day at 10:30 a.m.
Only three months before the police department probe began, Epstein donated
$90,000 to the department for the purchase of a firearms simulator, sai
Struder, town finance director. The purchase was never made. The y w s
CO
returned to Epstein on Monday, she said.
https://www.palmbeachpostcorninewst20060727/after-long-probe-biUlonaire-faces-solicitation-charge 5/5
EFTA02736940
11/11/2019 Police say lawyer tried to discredit teenage girls - News - Palm Beach Deity News - Palm Beach, FL
Palm Beach Daily News
Police say lawyer tried to discredit teenage
girls Posted Jul 29, 2006 at 12:01 AM
Updated Oct 3, 2019 at 2:00 PM
(EDITOR'S NOTE: This story originally was published in The Palm Beach P July
29, 2000
S
Famed Harvard law professor Alan Dershowitz met with the 0 ch County
State Attorney's Office and provided damaging information ou teenage girls
who say they gave his client, Palm Beach billionaire J=y y pstein, sexually
charged massages, according to police reports.
The reports also state that another Epstein
would have allowed Epstein to have no
denies this happened.
And the documents also reve
private investigators agg
chased off visitors.
greed to a plea bargain that
record. His current attorney
e father of at least one girl complained that
Bowed his car, photographed his home and
Police also talked to ody who said she was offered money if she refused to
cooperate '(the P Im Beach Police Department probe of Epstein.
The a ney's office said it presented the Epstein case to a county grand
ju onth rather than directly charging Epstein because of concerns about
the gi s' credibility. The grand jury indicted Epstein, 53, on a single count of
felony solicitation of prostitution, which carries a maximum penalty of five years
in prison.
Police believed there was probable cause to charge Epstein with the more serious
crimes of unlawful sex acts with a minor and lewd and lascivious molestation.
Police Chief Michael Reiter was so angry that he wrote State Attorney Barry
Krischer a memo in May suggesting he disqualify himself from the case.
httpt/Nrww.palmbeachdailynews.comiarticle/20060729ThEVVS/190917573 1/4
EFTA02736941
11/11/2019 Police say lawyer tried to discredit teenage girls - News - Palm Beach Daily News - Palm Beach. FL
The case originally was going to be presented to the grand jury in February, but
was postponed after Dershowitz produced information gleaned from the Web
site myspace.com showing some of the alleged victims commenting on alcohol
and marijuana use, according to the police report prepared by Detective
Recarey.
a 20-year-old Palm Beach woman who told police she
recruited girls for Epstein, also is profiled on myspace.com. Her page includes
photos of her and her friends, including one using the name "Pimpin' Mad EZ."
, who was not charged in the case, is a potential prosecution wi
According to Recarey, prosecutor Lanna Belohlavek offered Eps eys
Dershowitz and Guy Fronstin a plea deal in April. Fronstin, ing with
Epstein, accepted the deal, in which Epstein would plead gu tt one count of
aggravated assault with intent to commit a felony, be on five years'
probation and have no criminal record. The deal s c. , for Epstein to submit
to a psychiatric and sexual evaluation and hav o pervised visits with
minors, according to Recarey's report. T b gain was made in connection
with only one of the five alleged victit t r on states.
Fronstin - who declined to co
veteran defense attorney Ja
agreement by any of Ep
e case - was subsequently fired and
rger was hired. He denies there was any
neys to a plea deal.
"We absolutely di a ree to a plea in this case," he said. Neither Belohlavek
nor a state at rney pokesman could be reached for comment.
The pa p rents of alleged victims who complained of being harassed by
priva igators provided license tag numbers of two of the men. Police
fou t e vehicles were registered to a private eye in West Palm Beach and
another in Jupiter, according to Recarey's report.
"I have no knowledge of it," defense attorney Goldberger said.
The report also says a woman connected to the Epstein case was contacted by
somebody who was still in touch with Epstein. That person told her she would
be compensated if she didn't cooperate with police, Recarey's report says. Those
https:/Avww palmbeachdailynews.corrVa rticle/20060729/NEWS/ 190917573 2/4
EFTA02736942
II/11/2019 Police say lawyer tried to discredit teenage girls - News - Palm Beach Daily News - Palm Beach. FL
who did talk "will be dealt with," the woman said she was told. Phone records
show the woman talked with the person who allegedly intimidated her around
the time she said, Recarey reported.
Phone records also show that the person said to have made the threat then
placed a call to Epstein's personal assistant, who in turn called a New York
corporation affiliated with Epstein, the report states.
.....\, The issue in the Epstein case is not whether females came to his waterfr2 nt
home, but whether he knew their ages.
SI "He's never denied girls came to the house," Goldberger said. Bu pstein
was given a polygraph test, "he passed on knowledge of age, rney said.
After the indictment against Epstein was unsealed t Police Chief Reiter
referred the matter to the FBI. "We've received t and we're reviewing
it," said FBI spokeswoman Judy Orihuela in
The chief himself has come under atta m stein's lawyers and friends in
New York, where he has a home. T work Post quoted Epstein's
prominent New York lawyer, court, as saying his client was indicted
only "because of the crazin olice chief."
Reiter has declined to cobunedit on the case.
Prosecutors h ve nd4'pfesented a sex-related case like Epstein's to a grand jury
before, sai ' e Edmondson, spokesman for the state attorney's office. "That's
what y vte it a case that falls into a gray area," he said.
TR attorney's office did not recommend a particular criminal charge on
whit to indict Epstein, Edmondson said. The grand jury was presented with a
list of charges from highest to lowest, then deliberated with the prosecutor out of
the room, he said.
"People are surprised at the grand jury proceeding," West Palm Beach defense
attorney Richard Tendler said. "It's a way for the prosecutor's office to not take
the full responsibility for not filing the (charge), and not doing what the Palm
Beach Police Department wanted. I think something fell apart with those
underage witnesses."
https:/Awew.palrnbeachdailynews.comfarticle/20060729/NEWS/190917573 3/4
EFTA02736943
11/11/2019 Police say lawyer tried to discredit teenage girls - News - Palm Beach Daily News - Palm Beach. FL.
Defense attorney Robert Gershman was a prosecutor for six years. "Those girls
must have been incredible or untrustworthy, I don't know," he said.
Other attorneys said Epstein's case raises the issue of whether wealthy, connected
defendants like Epstein - whose friends include former President Clinton and
Donald Trump - are treated differently from others. Once he knew he was the
subject of a criminal probe, Epstein hired a phalanx of powerful attorneys such as
Dershowitz and Lefcourt, who is a past president of the National Association of
Criminal Defense Lawyers.
liMiami lawyer Roy Black - who became nationally known when he s tfu
defended William Kennedy on a rape charge in Palm Bea
involved at one point.
Said defense attorney Suskauer: "I think it's u
get the perception that with power, you may be tr e
average Joe."
as
una e the public may
ently than the
https://wwepalmbeachdailynews.com/article/20060729/NEVVS/190917573 4/4
EFTA02736944
The Palm Beach Post REAL NEWS STARTS IERE
Expert: Ignorance of age isn't
defense in sex cases Posted Aug 5, 2006 at 12:01 AM
Updated Oct 3, 2019 at 1:38 PM
(EDITOR'S NOTE: This story originally published in The
Palm Beach Post on Aug. 5, 2W6)
Even if Palm Beach money manager Jeffrey Epstein di
know that girls who police say gave him sexual m
his Intracoastal home were under the legal age, t
wouldn't have exempted him from crimin :es of
sexual activity with minors.
"Ignorance is not a valid defense
skills professor who was a
30 years, half of that time p
children.
element as far as the age is "There is no k
concerned," id.
'S< c )lip Dekle, a legal
rosecutor for nearly
ng in sex crimes against
After an M-lWonth investigation, Palm Beach police said
was probable cause to charge Epstein, 53, with
Oa ul sex acts with a minor and lewd and lascivious
lestation. They contend that Epstein - friend of the rich
and famous and financial patron of Democratic Party
organizations and candidates - committed those acts with
five underage girls.
In the past week, New York Attorney General and
gubernatorial candidate Eliot Spitzer has returned about
$50,000 in campaign contributions he received from
Epstein, and Mark , a candidate to replace Spitzer in
EFTA02736945
his current job, has returned $10,000 to him because of the
Palm Beach scandal, the New York Daily News has
reported.
Rather than file charges, the state attorney's office
presented the case to a county grand jury. The panel
indicted Epstein last week on a single, less serious charge of
felony solicitation of prostitution.
The case raised eyebrows because the state attorney's office
rarely, if ever, kicks such charges to a grand jury. And it
increases the difficulty of prosecuting child sex abuse case
especially when the defendant is enormously wealthy
can hire high-priced, top-tier lawyers. 0
At least one of Epstein's alleged victims tol
she was underage when the two of the
ice heknew
d for
massages and sexual activity. She w e s old at the
time and said Epstein asked her ti about her high
school, according to police ilic
A girl who said she
told her if she to
bad things co
sstei when she was 15 said he
what happened at his house,
the police reports state.
Epstein' oungest alleged victim was 14 when she says she
gavg him rifassage that included some sexual activity. She
16. The girl's father says he doesn't know whether
told Epstein her age.
"My daughter has kept a lot of what happened from me
because of sheer embarrassment: he said. But she very
much looked 14. Any prudent man would have had second
thoughts about that."
Defense attorney Jack Goldberger maintains that not only
did Epstein pass a polygraph test showing he did not know
the girls were minors, but their stories weren't credible.
The state attorney's office also implied that their credibility
was an issue when it decided not to charge Epstein directly,
but instead give the case to the grand jury.
EFTA02736946
"A prosecutor has to look at it in a much broader fashion," a
state attorney's spokesman said last week.
CO
Epstein hired Harvard law Professor Al witz
14 444;when he became aware he was uncle 44
44;
• tion, and As tor
Dershowitz gave prosecutors in that some of the
alleged victims had spoke of 1ohol and marijuana on
a popular Web site, acco i to alm Beach police
report.
Prosecutors sider two things in deciding
whether to ch mebody with sex-related offenses
against - whether there is sufficient evidence and
her t re is a public interest in doing so, Dekle said.
teens are in a sexual relationship and the boy turns
+ before the girl, he could be charged with a sex crime if
the sex continues. There would be no public interest in
pursuing that, Dekle said.
But where there is a large gap in ages - and especially in
cases of teachers with students - there is a public interest in
prosecuting, he said. Likewise if the accused has a track
record of sex with minors.
EFTA02736947
Still there is a "universal constant" in prosecuting these
cases, Dekle said. Men who exploit underage children for
sex often carefully choose their victims in ways that will
minimize the risk to them, he said.
Victims usually are from a lower social status, and they may
suffer from psychological problems, Dekle said.
"Lots of child sexual abuse victims have been victimized by
multiple people over a period of time. Then the act of abuse
produces behavior in the victims that further damages their
„S ycredibility." Examples include promiscuous behavior and
drug abuse.
0 Some of the alleged victims in the Epstein case re me to
his home multiple times for the massage se an the
$200 to $300 he typically paid them per at would ( Ini id
be a definite problem for the prosec o sa Betty Resch,
who prosecuted crimes against dcjFe •n Palm Beach
County for five years and sn e ivate practice in Lake
Worth.
"The victim beco
"But she's a vi
Most m
nor al,
pathetic" to a jury, Resch said.
heless. She's a kid."
charged with sex crimes against minors look
said. A jury expecting to see a monster
will. And the victims' ages work against them and in
r of the defendant in a trial, Dekle said.
If a child and an adult tell different stories and both swear
they're telling the truth, adult jurors are more likely to
believe the adult, Dekle said.
"You have all these things working against you in a child
sex abuse case. Prosecutors normally try to be very careful
in filing those cases because they know what they're getting
into. There is no such thing as an iron -clad child sexual
abuse case."
EFTA02736948
The Palm Beach Post REAL NEWS STARTS HERE
Epstein camp calls female accusers
liars Posted Aug 8, 2006 at 12:01 AM
Updated Oct 3, 2019 at 3:35 PM
(EDITOR'S NOTE: This story originally published in The
Palm Beach Post on Aug. 8, 2006)
Attorneys and publicists for Palm Beach financier Jeff
Epstein went on the offensive Monday, contendi
teenage girls who have accused Epstein of sexual
shenanigans at his waterfront home are li saying
that the Palm Beach Police Departmen sh."
"There never was any sex betwe SV pstein and any
underage women," his lead e ack Goldberger, said
from Idaho where he wa no mg with his family.
Epstein did have y men come to his house to give
him massages 1 er said. "Mr. Epstein absolutely
insisted anyb w o came to his house be over the age of
18. Ho erified that, I don't know. The question is, did
anything gal occur. The law was not violated here."
ha8 no explanation as to why Epstein would pay girls or
+ men with no massage training - as the alleged victims
said was the case - $200 to $300 for their visits. "The
credibility of these witnesses has been seriously
questioned," Goldberger said.
Epstein, 53, was indicted by a county grand jury last month
on a charge of felony solicitation of prostitution. After an
11-month investigation that included sifting through
Epstein's trash and surveilling his home, Palm Beach police
concluded there was enough evidence to charge him with
sexual activity with minors. When the grand jury indicted
EFTA02736949
Epstein on the less serious charge, Police Chief Michael
Reiter referred the case to the FBI to determine whether
there were federal law violations.
After a spate of stories about the case last week, New York
publicist Dan Klores - whose client list has included Paris
Hilton and Jennifer - said on Saturday that Epstein's
camp was ready "to get their story out."
They did that Monday via Goldberger and a Los Angeles
publicist for Miami criminal defense attorney Roy Black,
who also has represented Epstein in the case. 7%
"We just think there has been a distorted view of
in the media presented by the Palm Beach police,
Goldberger said.
Reiter has consistently declined to a do the case
and did not respond to a requester nt Monday.
The implication that State Attorney Barry Krischer was
easy on Epstein by presenting the case to a grand jury
rather than filing charges directly against him is wrong,
Goldberger said.
EFTA02736950
The Palm Beach Police Department was "happy and
ecstatic" that the panel was going to review the evidence. "I
think what happened is they weren't happy with the result.
They decided to use the press to embarrass Mr. Epstein."
But records show that Reiter wrote Krischer on May I -
well before the case went to the grand jury - suggesting that
Krischer "consider if good and sufficient reason exists to
require your disqualification from the prosecution of these
cases."
Rather than flat-out decline to charge Epstein, Krischer
referred the case to the grand jury to "appease" the ch'
Goldberger said.
A state attorney's spokesman would say on
refers cases to the grand jury when they
viability of the evidence or witness
t e office
s with the
Both the state attorney and t r d jury concluded there
was not sufficient eviden at tein had sex with
minors, according to t , ber r. "It was just a childish
performance by t et Pil t each Police Department,"
Goldberger s
The def e attorney said one of the alleged victims who
clai ed s e as a minor was in fact over the age of 18.
er alleged victim who was subpoenaed to testify to
g and jury failed to do so. Epstein's accusers, he added,
ve histories of drug abuse and thefts. "These women are
liars. We've established that."
But why would they all invent their stories about meeting
Epstein for sexual massages?
"I don't have an answer as to what was the motivation for
these women to come forward and make these allegations,"
Goldberger said.
EFTA02736951
News(,. , )
;, ancestr - •
The Palm Beach Pool (West Palm Beach, Florida) • 14 Aug 2006, Mon • Page 7
Donnbaceci on Vov II. 20 , 9
Palm Beach chief focus
of fire in Epstein case strps.
nilizr • emedn
a is me I wean a+
= ~Sag Nos adl his
katM.bM1krflMWMA N.
slanYekYMIMM.a.
Mew ~inn el ~Se
WeNtIMEK neared ea
~ SI Is an.: me
SSW ea
Innad • NSW sea
—1
l= •ntlll-an
bada ~MS
I* heir Os ~Ca/ la • IMM,10. *
=c1 Mat . 4% nape dal Pa', ane Na Nab ip eataaNkiea
asap/era Sat Ima sable Nast we le• In USIA
Pont Naha a. Ser asciano omanikble tgek. al •
N stenisanalaa 0 ~ 3* &SS ~ea Minn • fro Oln I*
PM Ens et en Los /ran Mal Or
M. no nun
nt na Son
tir a ~Oda Wens on 514' «. n
anl airseSona
der Nam
rams ara. anao are ki
we sus es be son N Nal•
le ~pa sills are ~Ms el it ilenaii. ~Fa ~Seer sin Ine wan es
nail Son win ~en Nast It In ~as slain 01
Moe Nay Sly Nan • MIS Inaaana Sea
ens nabs Ye re — Maw ~SS •
Nam« en ran Nan vend* fame Yak le end. narearinedrang Naas& a In nee PORM din In ~kg .
In bak ia teden Ailla ~Mrs
le • Inn be Maw Ss Mad Lae neaseen
'114kandflenadal ~I MS* le
a ~SW enceed
sner se sienrer=
la adonis'
See bin WS or
io mold. me It 11., ~le
lr
peassaea• Snase SSA.
enn kelene Sonaa NS SI .1
Sown~
IMmem Irene San Ls
am« One e, Ow nu es ~a» W
rzWièr=tan Kano
'1 Ns Is ykr
benake OS • in IV se•
sash un IS se SINN
Memo Se Arpm itcniko IleNt •
Reiter focus
Clipped By:
C• rata Sat Apr 22 2017
"
CcopIght 02019
+0
Pedeleall
h.*
did d dr e.;;;IF,I• se milldam MONS 0. to at
7k Will dine One Nee=
send -v Sets We PO
bw Iken Net OM Ctit; Kan. le nOta nd seed
sea Sae Y Yells Pan eats
Si an Me a anenaa se.
Sawa Mew 1.• as us in be
wen ••• memo Saida
~1~ cla Me Inn Ian N
SSW le ImM • ~es
~beg tw ants WSW* be•
~Ian cassadnia ~as
szt t1.1 4~m. ..i. Ise es a
MY* mMed mreMe•
IN ~MS MoMS IsImmbrol
et. Wee doh aid lanareca le
14Illof fire i case
C
t irII Rights Reserved.
EFTA02736952
The Palm Beach Post REAL NEWS MARTS IDE
Delays in Epstein case unusual,
lawyers say Posted Mar 13, 2007 al 12:01 AM
Updated Oct 3, 2019 at 3:48 PM
(EDITORS NOTE: This story originally published in The Palm
Beach Post March 13, 2007)
A federal probe or a plea deal could explain the wait ii1'tlI\
Palm Beacher's solicitation case.
Nearly eight months after Palm Beach tyco. ffci
Epstein was charged with felony solicit o ostitution,
there has been no discernible progr s t case. No
witnesses deposed. No trial date ng, save for
routine court hearings reset xplanation.
"Usually that would b
attorney Glenn
case.
said criminal defense
o has no involvement in the
"As a ge ral rule, it would be unusual for nothing to have
hap ene a Michael Dutko, a criminal defense
ey in Fort Lauderdale. He represents
o Palm Beach, potentially a key witness in the
A routine hearing for Epstein was pulled from the court
docket last week and reset for May 16. The delays and
inaction could be due to a potential federal probe of Epstein
or because a plea deal is in the works, attorneys say.
Unusual is the word that best describes everything about
the case against Epstein, 54, an enigmatic money manager
in New York City who counts Bill Clinton and Donald
Trump among his friends.
EFTA02736953
"Highly unusual" is how Palm Beach Police Chief Michael
Reiter described State Attorney Barry Krischer's handling
of the case in a bluntly critical letter to Krischer last year
before Epstein was indicted.
Reiter referred the matter to the FBI to determine whether
any federal laws had been violated. Epstein's allies
countered by attacking the chief personally and
professionally.
Reiter's department investigated Epstein for 11 months.
Police sifted repeatedly through his trash and conducted
surveillance on his five-bedroom, 7 1/2 -bath, 7,234-s
foot home on the Intracoastal Waterway.
Police said Epstein paid women and girls as g as 14 to
give him erotic massages at his home. P ght there
was probable cause to charge him /
w' ul sex acts
with a minor and lewd and lasc. ous estation.
Epstein responded by hiri h mc of lawyers. One of
them, Harvard law pr d author Alan Dershowitz,
provided the scat tt rn 's office with information about
alcohol and m lua se by some of the girls who said
they were wit eM.
Pro ut s then referred the case to the grand jury rather
de charges directly against Epstein.
+ ein's attorneys deny he had sex with underage girls.
The lawyers say the girls' stories are not credible. But if the
court file is any indicator, they've made no effort to depose
the girls.
Neither prosecutors nor defense attorneys have sought to
question , said Dutko, her attorney. She recruited
teenage girls to visit Epstein for massages and sexual
activity, Palm Beach police said, and presumably would be a
key witness.
EFTA02736954
Epstein's attorney Jack Goldberger did not return phone
messages.
A source close to the case suggested it is languishing
pending a decision by the FBI on whether to refer it to
federal prosecutors.
"We still have a pending case," FBI spokeswoman Judy
Orihuela said Monday.
State Attorney Krischer did not return a call for comment.
His spokesman, Mike Edmondson, declined to say whether
federal investigators are delaying the Epstein case. But,
added, "if another agency is looking at something
wouldn't want to step on their toes."
Attorneys say inertia in a criminal case o_ s to a
pending plea deal.
"It would not surprise me if so
not reflected in the court fi
agreement that will be
\ as happened that's
utko, such as an
later.
Defense attorne ner said defense attorneys
sometimes pu off o ly conducting discovery -- deposing
witnesses, requ g documents and the like -- because
doing so more work for harried prosecutors who
beco e angry and not offer a plea deal.
etimes defense lawyers, knowing that, will try and do
iscovery without taking depositions," said Shiner, a former
prosecutor for 13 years.
Instead, they may conduct a below-the -radar probe such as
having a private investigator check out leads, he said.
Shiner and others say a plea deal for Epstein probably
would result in pretrial intervention, in which a defendant
may be ordered to undergo a psychological evaluation,
counseling or other conditions in return for dropping the
charge.
EFTA02736955
Edmondson, spokesman for State Attorney Krischer, said
there is no plea offer and no request for the prosecution to
show its cards.
"To my knowledge, it's never happened before on a filed
case," he said.
EFTA02736956
252 / 278 - Thursday, October 18, 2007
Edition: FINAL
Section: LOCAL
Page: 5B
Source: The Associated Press
Illustration: PHOTO (B&W)
Memo: Ran all editions.
Dateline: NEW YORK
WOMAN SUES BILLIONAIRE INVESTOR, SAYS THEY HAD SEX WHEN . WAS 16
A billionaire investor, already facing jail in Palm Beach County on charges of ingbnderage
prostitutes, is being sued by a young woman who says he had sex with her syhi was 16 and had
sought his help becoming a model.
The lawsuit, filed late Tuesday in Manhattan's state Supreme Court, sa finlhei€r Jeffrey Epstein had
the teen perform a sex act when she brought photographs of herself for review in his Upper
East Side mansion sometime in 2000.
Epstein, 54, a money manager, told the teen he managed fin ictoria's Secret and "could get
you into the catalog" if she were "nice" to him, court pape a papers say being "nice"
included massages and other favors.
When the girl told Epstein, "I am 16 years old and ju odel," he replied, "Don't worry, I
won't tell anybody," court papers say.
Epstein, said by London's Mail on Sunday to end of England's Prince Andrew, has been
indicted in Palm Beach on charges of solici e prostitutes. That case is pending.
The girl visited Epstein "several times ov a ral months and engaged in bizarre and unnatural
sex acts" while she was a minor, the la
Epstein "repeatedly requested that with her 14-, 15-, and 16-year-old girlfriends,
stating, 'Come by with your frien young e next time. Don't bring Sherrie (a mutual friend in her
40s). I love girls your age.' "
The young woman, now 23, returning to Epstein because she has "mental issues," said her
lawyer, William J. U • h. H ei sed to elaborate, but court papers say she was "disabled as a result
of severe mental dise and d ect."
Epstein's lawyer
read a newspape
Lefcourt also
and will a
He refused to c
k, Gerald Lefcourt, said, "The girl has admitted she is insane, but she can
cognize the word 'rich.'"
to of limitations has expired for the woman's case criminally and civilly,
ainly be dismissed.
ment on Epstein's Florida charges.
Meanwhile, Unroch, 57, also acknowledged that his client was living with him and was at the center
of a $10 million lawsuit he filed last year against a neighbor who said he was having sex with
underage girls. That case is pending.
"What she was doing at 22 is irrelevant to what happened to her when she was 16," Unroch said
Wednesday. He went on the say he hoped Epstein would agree to "do right" by his client and resolve
the case out of court.
EFTA02736957
The Palm Beach Post REAL NEWS STARTS HERE
Palm Beacher pleads in sex case Posted Jul 1, 2008 at 12:01 AM
Updated Oct 3, 2019 at 1:47 PM
(EDITOR'S NOTE: This story originally published in The
Palm Beach Post on July 1, 2008)
Jeffrey Epstein will serve 1 1/2 years on teen solicitation
charges.
CHe lives in a Palm Beach waterfront mansion and as
company with the likes of President Clinton, Prin
Andrew and Donald Trump, but investm t ba er Jeffrey
Epstein will call the Palm Beach Coutut a for the
< 46\ felony solicitation of
next 18 months.
Epstein, 55, pleaded guilty
prostitution and procur son under the age of 18 for
prostitution. After months in jail, he will be
under house arr ear. And he will have a lifelong
obligation to gist r as a sex offender. He must submit to
an HIV st wit in 48 hours, with the results being
provided s victims or their parents.
of the plea deal, federal investigators agreed to drop
+ ir investigation of Epstein, which they had taken to a
grand jury, two law enforcement sources said.
Epstein was indicted two years ago after an 11-month
investigation by Palm Beach police. They received a
complaint from a relative of a 14-year-old girl who had
given Epstein a naked massage at his five-bedroom, 7,234-
square-foot, S8.5 million Intracoastal home.
Police concluded that there were several other girls brought
in 2004 and 2005 to an upstairs room at the home for
similar massages and sexual touching.
EFTA02736958
The indictment charged Epstein only with felony
solicitation of prostitution. The state attorney's office later
added the charge of procuring underage girls for that
purpose.
Prosecutor Lanna Belohlavek said of the plea: "I took into
consideration the length the trial would have been and
witnesses having to testify" about sometimes embarrassing
incidents.
Epstein may have made a serious mistake soon after he was
Scharged. He rejected an offer to plead guilty to one count
aggravated assault with intent to commit a felony,
according to police documents. He would have go
years' probation, had no criminal record and not
registered sex offender, the documents in
Epstein arrived in court Monday w' three
attorneys. He wore a blue blaze e 'rt, blue jeans and
and gray sneakers. A Judge Deborah Dale
Pucillo accepted the plea, ngerprinted. Epstein
then removed his bla
jail while his atto
photographe
as handcuffed for the trip to
d to shield him from
When h tually is released to house arrest, Epstein will
h. too rve a 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. curfew, have no
used contact with anyone younger than 18 and
her own nor possess pornographic or sexual materials
that are relevant to your deviant behavior," the judge said.
Epstein will be allowed to leave home for work. The New
York-based money manager told the judge he has formed
the not -for-profit Florida Science Foundation to finance
scientific research. "I'm there every day," Epstein said.
The foundation was incorporated in November. Epstein
said he already has awarded money to Harvard and MIT.
EFTA02736959
When he is released from jail, there is a chance that Epstein
will be forced to move. Sex offenders are not allowed to live
within 1,000 feet of a school, park or other areas where
children may gather. No determination has been made as to
whether Epstein's home complies, but attorneys said it
likely does.
Sex offenders also typically must attend counseling sessions.
Belohlavek said that was waived for Epstein because his
private psychiatrist is working with him. The judge was A
skeptical but agreed to it.
Epstein's legal woes don't end with Monday's plea. T AS.
are four pending federal civil lawsuits and one in
related to his behavior. At least one woman has st d hi4n in
,VNew York, where he owns a 51,000-squar M anhattan
mansion.
"It's validation of what we're sa 'SACS? civil cases," said
Miami attorney Jeffrey He w represents the alleged
victims in the federal law i W st Palm Beach attorney
Ted Leopold represe eged victim in a civil suit in
state court. He a cipates amending that lawsuit to
add "a few other s as well.
In the case, police went so far as to scour Epstein's
tr and nduct surveillance at Palm Beach International
where they watched for his private jet so they
uld know when he was in town. They concluded that
+ pstein paid girls $200 to $300 each after the massage
sessions.
"I'm like a Heidi Fleiss," now 22, told police
about her efforts in recruiting girls for Epstein.
There was probable cause to charge Epstein with unlawful
sex acts with a minor and lewd and lascivious molestation,
police concluded.
EFTA02736960
The state attorney's office said questions about the girls'
credibility led it to take the unprecedented step of
presenting the evidence against Epstein to a grand jury,
rather than directly charging him.
Palm Beach Police Chief Michael Reiter was furious with
State Attorney Barry Krischer, saying in a May 2006 letter
that the prosecutor should disqualify himself. "I continue to
find your office's treatment of these cases highly unusual,"
he wrote. He then asked for and got a federal investigation. A
Epstein hired a phalanx of high-priced lawyers - includin
Harvard law professor and author Alan Dershowitz -
public relations people who questioned Reiter's c
and the victims' truthfulness.
In addition to mansions in Palm Beach d r attan,
Epstein owns homes in New Mexic a irgin Islands. Q
He's a frequent contributor to D cid,k Party candidates.
He also donated $30 million.tooa rd in 2003.
Former New York G Spitzer returned a $50,000
campaign contrib t Epstein after his indictment,
then resigned t y wring his own sex scandal. And the
same Palm Be lice Department that vigorously
investig returned his $90,000 donation for the
a firearms simulator.
f writer Eliot Kleinberg and former staff researcher
ichelle Quigley contributed to this story.
EFTA02736961
The Palm Beach Post REAL NEWS STARTS HERE
Jeffrey Epstein: Scientist,
stuntman, `sex slave' visit jailed
tycoon By LARRY / Palm Beach Post Staff Writer
Posted Aug 13, 2008 at 12:01 AM
Updated Jul 16, 2019 at 4:54 PM
Tycoon Jeffrey Epstein mingled with an eclectic mix of 4041
people, including beautiful young women, before he
into trouble for paying teenage girls to give him s xualb%
massages at his Palm Beach mansion.
Not much has changed, even though h n vdlys1des in a
dorm at the Palm Beach County S ce's 17-acre, 4
967-bed stockade near the fair\
During his first month of
by the female assistan
them to the roo
naked massag
Also tre
ptisite
ealthy financier and science wonk also has been
+ ited by an expert on artificial intelligence, as well as a
man who is a mixed martial arts aficionado and sometime
movie stuntman.
ne ent, Epstein was visited
rls told police, had escorted
nsion where they gave him
to the jail was a young woman whom Epstein
described as his Yugoslavian sex slave.
The only other people to visit him at the jail, according to
records, are a Island man and an individual who
listed Epstein's Palm Beach address as his own.
Epstein, 55, pleaded guilty on June 30 to two prostitution -
related charges and was sentenced to 18 months in jail,
followed by a year of house arrest. Epstein paid teenage
EFTA02736962
girls $200 to $300 in 2004 and 2005 for massages in his
home that sometimes included sexual touching, Palm Beach
police said.
His jail visitors in July included:
29, who some of the teen masseuses said
phoned them when Epstein was in town and escorted them
upon their arrival at his Palm Beach waterfront home to an
upstairs room, where she prepared the massage table and
provided the oils for their encounters with him.
visited Epstein three times in July, according to a jail
visitor's log. lists a Manhattan home address.
Reached by telephone, she declined to discuss Eps
23, whose family in Y avia
Epstein paid money to so that he could in to the
United States to be his "sex slave," o e girls told o n
police. One girl told police that s i • structed
and her to kiss a sex while he watched
and masturbated. Anothe s engaged in sex with
at Epste g. visited Epstein
in jail four time s. She lists her address as on the
Upper East si a of hattan, not far from Epstein's
enormous apar nt.
er S ank, 62, founder of the Institute for Learning
e at Northwestern University and an expert on
ficial intelligence, paid one visit to Epstein. Schank has
written numerous books on that subject and has a doctorate
degree from Yale University in linguistics. He was one of 19
people who applied to be president of Florida Atlantic
University in 2003. He became "chief learning officer" at the
online Trump University in 2005. Schank listed his address
as being in Stuart, and records show he also owns a home
in Lake Worth.
EFTA02736963
Epstein has financed a number of scientists over the years,
including Nobel Prize winners. He gave $30 million to
Harvard University in 2003. In November, he formed the
not -for-profit Florida Science Foundation, which he said
finances scientific research.
- Igor Zinoviev, a Russian mixed martial arts fighter, who
coaches a Chicago team in the International Fight League.
He also has worked as a personal trainer, celebrity
bodyguard and movie stuntman, according to the league's
Web site. The New Jersey resident visited Epstein seven
(S S
times in July.
Zinoviev, Schank and
comment.
could not be r
Staff researcher Niels Heimeriks contri s story.
EFTA02736964
Palm Beach Daily News
Billionaire sex offender leaves jail
six days a week for work Posted Jul 1, 2008 at 12:01 AM
Updated Oct 4, 2019 at 9:27 AM
Palm Beach billionaire Jeffrey Epstein, who's serving 18
months in jail for soliciting an underage girl for
prostitution, is allowed to leave the Palm Beach County
Stockade six days a week on a work -release program.
Teri Barbera, spokeswoman for the Palm Beach
Sheriffs Office, confirmed that Epstein, 55 Veen m ee the
work -release program since Oct. 10.
eS4/AS"He works six days a week: Frida
4?
ednesday 10 i t
a.m. to 10 p.m.," Barbera said ' ai . "(He) works at his
local West Palm Beach of1mo tored on an active GPS
system (he wears an
permit deputy, at
workplace du
et). Mr. Epstein hires a
se, for his own security at his
e he is out."
Miami a rney Jeffrey Herman represents six young
women io 1 e sued Epstein, claiming he sexually abused
at his Palm Beach home when they were minors.
+Or man said he received a letter about the work -release
pro= from the U.S. Attorney's Office within the past
few days. But Herman says Epstein had been out on work -
release for several weeks before the notification.
"My clients expressed shock and disappointment," Herman
said. "I find it incredible that he's on work -release in the
community and my clients aren't notified of this and we get
this letter weeks after the fact."
Jack Goldberger, Epstein's criminal attorney, said the
EFTA02736965
arrangement is not unusual.
"He goes to work every single day and goes back to jail at
night, just like everybody else (in the program),"
Goldberger said.
Epstein pleaded guilty June 30 to two felony counts:
soliciting prostitution and procuring a person under 18 for
prostitution. As part of the plea agreement, Epstein must
serve one year of house arrest and register as a lifelong sex
offender.
C I5 A4HA
iS 4/)9
? S'
r ic S 17.1ir
psi
EFTA02736966
The Palm Beach Post REAL NEWS SARIS HERE
Women want Epstein sex plea deal
unsealed Posted Jul 1, 2008 at 12:01 AM
Updated Oct 2, 2019 at 2:23 PM
(EDITOR'S NOTE: This story originally published in The
Palm Beach Post June 10, 2W9)
Their attorneys will ask a judge to open Jeffrey Epstei '0
records.
When wealthy money manager Jeffrey Eps f
Beach pleaded guilty last year to procur for 4prostitution, his case detoured arou nd state rules \
qt ,regarding the sealing of court d e
At a plea conference on t ate arges, a judge, a defense
lawyer and a prosecut udd at the bench and decided
that a deal Epstei c with federal prosecutors to
avoid chargesylfau sealed, according to a transcript of
the hearing.
And so it
t l rida rules of judicial administration, as well as rules
of he Palm Beach County court system, require public +
notification that a court document has been or will be
sealed, meaning kept from public view. The rules also
require a judge to find a significant reason to seal, such as
protecting a trade secret or a compelling government
interest.
Yet no notification or reason occurred in Epstein's case,
according to court records.
EFTA02736967
Epstein's own attorneys, in federal filings, have referred to
his confidential deferred prosecution agreement with the
U.S. attorney's office, struck in September 2007, as
"unprecedented" and "highly unusual." And it was "a
significant inducement" for Epstein to accept the state's
deal, observed the state judge who accepted his plea,
County Judge Deborah Dale Pucillo.
Epstein now faces at least a dozen civil lawsuits in federal
and state courts filed by young women who said they had A
sex with him and now are seeking damages.
Attorneys for some of those women want his agreem
with federal prosecutors unsealed and will ask Cir
Jeffrey Colbath to do so today.
"It is against public policy for these doc a be have
been sealed and hidden from public r y s a member
of the public, E.W. has a right t a ey¢se documents
unsealed," wrote former Cir Bill Berger, now in
private practice and repre en 1 g one of the women.
The Palm Beac
agreement. P
will ask Colbath to unseal the
rney Deanna Shullman will argue that
the publi as a right to know the specifics of Epstein's deal.
ding fo various media accounts, Epstein moved in
le at included President Clinton, Donald Trump and
+ ce Andrew. "International Moneyman of Mystery,"
declared a 2002 New York magazine profile of Epstein.
Epstein, 56, is in the Palm Beach County Stockade, serving
an 18-month sentence after pleading guilty nearly a year
ago to felony solicitation of prostitution and procuring
teenagers for prostitution.
He is allowed out from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m., escorted by a
deputy, said Palm Beach County Sheriffs Office
spokeswoman Teri Barbera.
EFTA02736968
During a Palm Beach Police Department investigation, five
victims and 17 witnesses gave statements. They told of
young women brought by his assistants to Epstein's
mansion on El Brillo Way for massages and sexual activity,
and then being paid afterward.
At Epstein's plea conference last year, his attorney, Jack
Goldberger, and then -Assistant State Attorney Lanna
Belohlavek approached Pucillo in a sidebar conference.
Pucillo, who had left the bench nine years earlier, was
filling in temporarily as a senior judge.
According to a transcript, Goldberger told Pucillo tha
Epstein had entered a confidential agreement wit riti
attorney's office in which federal prosecutors broktacOnot
pursuing charges against him if he pleade in state
court. Pucillo then said she wanted a s of the
agreement filed in his case, and G concurred that
he wanted it sealed. Belohlave\fsiehed off on it.
The Florida Supreme Co s e pressed "serious concern"
and launched an all- ry into sealing procedures
across the state edia reports in 2006 of entire
cases being s led ap disappearing from court records.
"The pu nstitutional right of access to court records
mySt rem n inviolate, and this court is fully committed to
rding this right," justices wrote in their final report.
Ad÷office on Tuesday referred any questions to
Goldberger, who declined to comment. Pucillo also has
declined to comment.
EFTA02736969
The Palm Beach Post REAL NEWS STARTS HERE
Epstein secret pact with Feds
reveals "highly unusual" terms
Posted Jun 10, 2009 at 12:01 AM
Updated Oct 4, 2019 at 9:23 AM
(EDITOR'S NOTE: This story originally published in The
Palm Beach Post on September 19, 2009)
A secret non-prosecution agreement multimillionaire
financier Jeffrey Epstein struck with federal prose
being called "highly unusual" by former federal p
and downright outrageous by attorneys no resenting
young women who serviced him.
The deal reveals that the FBI an ASS Attorney's Office
investigated him for several a rimes, including
engaging minors in com e I s . The crimes are
punishable by anywhe 0 years to life in prison.
But federal pr backed down and agreed to recall
grand jury su s if Epstein pleaded guilty to
prostitu -related felonies in state court, which he
ul atel id. He received an 18-month jail sentence, of
he served 13 months.
+ e U.S. Attorney's Office also agreed not to charge any of
Epstein's possible co-conspirators: ==,
, Lesley Groff and
The deal was negotiated in part by heavyweight New York
criminal defense attorney Gerald Lefcourt.
Unsealed on Friday after attorneys for some of Epstein's
victims and The Palm Beach Post sought its release, it offers
the first public look at the deal Epstein's high-powered legal
counsel brokered on his behalf.
EFTA02736970
Mark of Stuart, a former federal prosecutor,
described the disparity in potential sentences as unusual,
but even more so a provision on attorney payment.
The first draft of the agreement in September 2007
required that Epstein pay an attorney -- tapped by the U.S.
Attorney's Office and approved by Epstein -- to represent
some of the victims. That attorney is prominent Miami
lawyer Bob Josefsberg.
But an addendum to the agreement signed the following
ASmonth struck Epstein's duty to pay Josefsberg if he and th
victims did not accept settlements -- capped at $150,0
and instead pursued lawsuits.
said it appears the government w. ct )
balance the lesser sentence for Epstein ering
$150,000 for each victim. "I've neve e s n anything
like that in my life," he said. "It's usual."
The deal does not say wh andvictims were contacted
or consulted before t made.
Attorney Brad
three of the y
f Fort Lauderdale, who represents
omen, believes that none of the 30 to
40 wom identified as victims in the federal investigation
werE told of time. said his clients received
from the U.S. Attorney's Office months after the deal
O signed, assuring them Epstein would be prosecuted.
"Never consulting the victims is probably the most
outrageous aspect of it," said. "It taught them that
someone with money can buy his way out of anything. It's
outrageous and embarrassing for United States Attorney's
Office and the State Attorney's Office."
Epstein now faces many civil lawsuits filed by the women,
who are represented by a variety of attorneys. In many, the
allegations are the same: that Epstein had a predilection for
teenage girls, identified poor, vulnerable ones and used
EFTA02736971
other young women to lure them to his Palm Beach
mansion. They walked away with between $200 and
$1,000.
Former Circuit Judge Bill Berger, also representing victims,
called the agreement a "sweetheart deal."
"Why was it so important for the government to make this
deal?" Berger asked rhetorically. "We have not yet had an
honest explanation by any public official as to why it was
made ... and why the victims were sold down the river."
4,4 1
Former federal prosecutor Ryon McCabe described th
agreement as "very unorthodox." Such agreements
are usually reserved for corporations, not individ
"It's very, very rare. I've never seen or h
procedure that was set up here," said who has no
involvement in any Epstein litig
"He's essentially avoiding f eralkdsecution because he
can afford to pay that y la ers to help those victims
review their cases. on has no money, he couldn't
be able to stri e this and avoid federal
prosecution.
The ba deal with federal prosecutors is all the more
in light of the legal powerhouses who have
C)rk for Epstein, including Harvard professor Alan
+ rshowitz and Bill Clinton investigator Kenneth Starr.
Lefcourt is a past president of the National Association of
Criminal Defense Lawyers.
Epstein's local defense attorney, Jack Goldberger, issued a
statement Friday saying he had fought the release of the
sealed agreement to protect the third parties named there.
"Mr. Epstein has fully abided by all of its terms and
conditions. He is looking forward to putting this difficult
period in his life behind him. He is continuing his long-
standing history of science philanthropy."
EFTA02736972
The investigation triggered tensions between police and
prosecutors, with then -Palm Beach Chief Michael Reiter
saying in a May 2006 letter to then -State Attorney Barry
Krischer that the chief prosecutor should disqualify himself.
"I continue to find your office's treatment of these cases
highly unusual," Reiter wrote. He then asked for and got
the federal investigation that ended in the sealed deal.
"The Jeffrey Epstein matter was an experience of what a
Amany-million -dollar defense can accomplish," Reiter told
the Palm Beach Daily News upon his retirement.
COS
EFTA02736973
187 / 278 - Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Edition: FINAL
Section: LOCAL & BUSINESS
Page: 3B
Source: By JANE MUSGRAVE Palm Beach Post Staff Writer
Dateline: WEST PALM BEACH
JUDGE RULES EPSTEIN ATTORNEYS CAN SUBPOENA ABORTION RECORDS
In a decision that could spark a constitutional showdown over privacy righ
Tuesday gave lawyers representing multimillionaire sex offender Jeffrey T n the right to
subpoena abortion records from women who are seeking millions in m the part-
time Palm Beach resident.
Palm Beach County Circuit Judge Donald Hafele said the records uld elp Epstein rebut
the women's claims that they suffered psychological ills after ng to give him
sexually-charged massages at his Palm Beach mansion w were as young as 14.
Hafele told Epstein's attorneys they couldn't go on a fis ition. The medical records,
he said, can't be sought until the women are asked w have ever had an abortion,
how many and where. Further, he said, the recor be made public and might not
be admissible during trial.
But, he said, since the women claim Epste s responsible for their emotional
distress, his attorneys can explore the impdo o er events. Medical records, Hafele said,
are a better source of information th rson memory.
Attorney Louis Silver, who represe idential Women's Health Center, a West Palm
Beach clinic where abortions , warned Hafele that he was stepping on shaky
constitutional grounds.
"These records are protected b onstitutional right of privacy," he said, referring to the
Florida Constitution.
After the hearing, Silver jiur appeal won't be necessary until Epstein attorneys seek the
records.
In another rulin
can't be rel
complain
becam
Critton b
esday, Hafele also said that videos from depositions in the state cases
'th t a court order. The ruling came after Epstein attorney Robert Critton
deo of Epstein being asked whether he had an "egg-shaped" penis
.com sensation. It first appeared on The Palm Beach Post Web site.
ed attorney Spencer Kuvin for releasing it. Kuvin said it was public record.
The civil stfits began mounting after Epstein agreed to plead guilty to two state charges:
procuring a minor for prostitution and soliciting prostitution. He served 13 months of an 18-
month sentence. As part of the deal brokered with federal prosecutors, he agreed not to
contest the accusations in the civil lawsuits. He can argue the women don't deserve the
millions they are seeking.
—[Email Redacted]
EFTA02736974
The Palm Beach Post REAL NEWS STARTS HERE
Epstein Journal's Findings Could
Resurrect Case By Jane Musgrave
Posted Sep 17, 2019 at 12:01 AM
Updated Oct 1, 2019 at 10:51 AM
464'
(EDITOR'S NOTE: This story originally published in The
Palm Beach Post on March 20, 2010)
A purloined journal that is said to contain the nam
"hundreds" of victims of convicted sex offender
Epstein could be used to reopen the invest into the
multi-millionaire's appetite for teenage~girl ttorney
representing seven of the victims s
New details about the conte t fl journal were released
this week when Alfredo l gu , who worked as a
property manager fo PalIt......, Beach resident, pleaded
guilty to obstruct n f tice for lying to federal agents
when asked if e a y information about his former
boss' criminal ty. He later tried to sell the journal he
apfrstole fro tein for $50,000 to an unidentified person,
alertt authorities, according to court records.
part of the plea agreement, federal prosecutors said the
urnal "contains information material to the Epstein
investigation, including the names of material witnesses
and additional victims."
"Had the items been produced in response to the inquiries
of state or federal authorities ... the materials would have
been presented to the federal grand jury," federal
prosecutors wrote.
EFTA02736975
Instead, prosecutors short-circuited the grand jury
investigation and cut a deal with Epstein. They agreed not
to pursue federal charges if he didn't contest prostitution -
related felonies in state court. The money manager pleaded
guilty in July 2008 to procuring a minor for prostitution
and soliciting prostitution. He served 13 months of an 18-
month sentence.
Attorney Adam Horowitz, who represents seven of the
roughly 18 women who have filed civil suits against
Epstein, said the new information could trump the so-
called non-prosecution agreement.
The multifaceted agreement, he said, deals only w,
list of victims that the U.S. Attorney's Of ew
about when it penned the deal in 2007. If al victims
are listed in the journal Rodriguez sto or. tz said
federal prosecutors could reopen t ation.
"It opens the door for furth p se tion," he said.
the'In addition to turning journal to federal agents,
Rodriguez told th e ew his former boss was having
sex with unde g g hen he worked for him in 2004
and 2005. He en naked girls, who looked like minors,
in the p pstein's $8.6 million mansion. He had seen
pcyftogra lc images of young girls on Epstein's computer,
to court records.
Neither Epstein's criminal defense attorney, Jack
Goldberger, nor attorney Robert Critton, who represents
Epstein in the civil lawsuits, could be reached. Federal
prosecutors have consistently declined comment.
The wording of the controversial agreement is unclear. It
says federal prosecutors would provide Epstein's attorneys
"with a list of individuals whom it has identified as victims."
Miami attorney Robert Josefsberg was appointed to
EFTA02736976
represent any of the victims on the list who wanted to
pursue Epstein in civil court. As part of the agreement,
Epstein is to pay for Josefsberg to represent the women.
Some of the women, most identified as Jane Doe in
lawsuits, had already hired attorneys to represent them.
Some have since settled their suits with Epstein, although
terms were not disclosed.
Horowitz said he has filed court papers to get the journal
that Rodriguez stole. "It's another piece of evidence that
shows our clients were at Epstein's mansion: he said.
Rodriguez told prosecutors he didn't turn over the'
when both FBI and Palm Beach police asked for i eca se
he wanted money for it. He also said he w d Epstein
would make him "disappear." The infogttah e told
investigators, was his "insurance p
He faces a maximum 20 yea when he is
sentenced on June 18.
jane_musgrave@p
@pbpcourts
.1 1141"i
EFTA02736977
The Palm Beach Post REAL NEWS STARTS HERE
Epstein paid three women $5.5 million to end underage-
sex lawsuits By Jane Musgrave
Posted Oct 3, 2017 at 12:01 AM
Updated Oct 4, 2017 at 12:46 AM
Ending years of speculation about how much Palm Beach billionaire Jef
women who claimed he used them as sex toys, court documents file
out $5.5 million to settle lawsuits with three of more than two do
Responding to requests from Epstein's attorneys in a corn
sex scandal, attorney said the politi
offender paid more than $1 million to each of the
Identified in court papers only by their initi
allegations and their youthful ages, L.M
$2.5 million, said of the se is
\lipor donyms because of the nature of the
$1 million, E.W. $2 million and Jane Doe
e negotiated with Epstein to end the lawsuits.
tein paid young
k show he shelled
s who sued him.
uit that was spawned by the
ed 64-year-old convicted sex
represented.
Jack Goldberger, one of Epstei s c al defense attorneys, on Tuesday declined comment on
the revelations, citing co identia agreements that were part of the settlements. For the
same reason, he declined t a hether Epstein paid similar amounts to settle roughly two
dozen lawsuits fil y othe young women against Epstein, claiming he paid them for sex
when some w=ems otlftg as 14 years old.
Attorne arola, who is representing , said his client was compelled to divulge
the confiders 'al settlements to answer questions posed by Epstein's attorneys. "Brilliant move
on their part," he said.
Even if Epstein's attorneys hadn't opened the door, Scarola said the information would have
likely come out. He says the information will help him undermine Epstein's claims that
"ginned up" the allegations to help his former law partner, imprisoned and disbarred
Fort Lauderdale lawyer Scott Rothstein, perpetuate a $1.2 billion Ponzi scheme.
EFTA02736978
The revelations of the settlements came as part of an ongoing lawsuit that started as a dispute
between Epstein and Rothstein, both billionaires.
A year after Epstein in 2008 pleaded guilty to solicitation of prostitution and procuring a
minor for prostitution, he sued Rothstein and , claiming they trumped up the
allegations of sexual molestation to perpetuate the Ponzi scheme.
Rothstein was sentenced to 50 years in prison in 2010 after admitting he had built his wildly
successful law firm by forging the names of federal judges and others to persua it vestors he
,,ill<thad negotiated settlements in lawsuits against high-profile people. Investor e t61 they
could get a cut of the cash.
O
One of the high-profile people Rothstein used to lure investors wa Epst in, according to a
lawsuit West Palm Beach attorney Robert Critton filed on E s e alf. According to the
lawsuit, Rothstein told investors Epstein, a money mana to settle the lawsuits
with the teens for $200 million — a claim Critton des a complete fabrication."
\ itAfter Epstein dropped the lawsuit in 2012, Edw d rned the tables on him. accused
Epstein of filing the lawsuit maliciously to *sh for representing the young women.
Although was a partner in Ro in's ow defunct firm, Scarola claims Epstein had
no evidence was involved e nzi scheme. Federal prosecutors successfully
charged other attorneys and me e firm, but was never implicated, Scarola
said in the malicious prosecutio uit.
The revelations abou the y Epstein paid to three of the young woman came last week in
documents filed fo4 earing Tuesday in preparation for a December trial on the lawsuit.
Attorney ToLja Haddad Coleman, who represents Epstein, on Tuesday sought a delay of the
trial, in part, because she claimed she has been unable to talk to her client since his estate on his
private island in the U.S. Virgin Islands was devastated last month by Hurricane Irma. "I've had
no ability to communicate with Mr. Epstein," she said.
EFTA02736979
Pointing out Epstein's enormous wealth and his private jet, Palm Beach County Circuit Judge
Donald Hafele rejected her request. While saying he didn't want to appear insensitive to those
victimized by the storm that hammered the Caribbean and roared through South Florida, he
said Coleman offered no proof, such as an affidavit from Epstein, to shore up her claims.
Still, Hafele gave Coleman extra time to respond to various motions that he will have to decide
before the case goes to trial.
Despite Scarola's insistence that had nothing to do with Rothstein's P theme,
Coleman said the evidence indicates otherwise. Why else would he try to d Ep ein's
well-known friends, such as now President Donald Trump, former Pre a Clinton and
illusionist David Copperfield, she asked. He used the celebrities as a said.
"The Epstein cases were used to fleece money and defraud in , s e said. in
Edward's malicious prosecution case has been difficult des because both Epstein and
al. have refused to answer questions. As he n e MI lawsuits, Epstein has invoked
4‘his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimi11 'o hen questioned by Scarola.
has claimed that much of the information E eg cs 'n is7Seeking is protected by attorney -client
privilege.
The malicious prosecution laws *is e4f two hotly-contested lawsuits that continue to pit
against Epstein. Edwa als is suing the U.S. attorney's office, claiming it violated
the federal Crime Victims ' hts Act when it negotiated a non -prosecution agreement with
Epstein.
kvs or
( SiOnly after fede se tors agreed to drop their investigation of Epstein, did he agree to
plead guilty ostitution charges in Palm Beach County Circuit Court. In federal court
records, rs claim one of the key reasons they agreed to drop their case was Epstein's
agreement to settle lawsuits filed against him by dozens of his underage victims.
EFTA02736980
Palm Beach Daily News
Judge rules feds' agreement with
Jeffrey Epstein pact violated teen
victims' rights By Jane Musgrave
Posted Sep 17, 2019 at 4:02 PM
Updated Oct 8, 2019 at 12:31 PM
S(EDITOR'S NOTE: This story originally published in The
Palm Beach Post on February 22, 2019)
Federal prosecutors violated the rights of Jeffrey s
teenage victims by failing to reveal they dr. E ped plans
to prosecute the billionaire on dozens£ charges in
connection with the girls' claims ahke d them for sex 4. /
at his Palm Beach mansion, U .( Judge Kenneth \
Marra ruled on Thursday
In a blistering 33-p g, Marra meticulously and
methodically de numerous steps federal
prosecutors t k to h de the agreement from more than 40
young men o claim Epstein paid them for sex when
the wer s oung as 14.
the government spent untold hours negotiating the
+ to s and implications of the NPA with Epstein's attorneys,
scant information was shared with the victims," Marra
wrote. "Instead, the victims were told to be 'patient' while
the investigation proceeded."
By then, it was too late. A deal had already been cut with
then -South Florida U.S. Attorney Alex Acosta and Epstein's
attorneys to shelve a 52-page federal indictment against
Epstein, a former math teacher turned money manager
who counts Presidents Donald Trump and Bill Clinton
among his friends.
EFTA02736981
Prosecutors' failure to alert the young women about the
deal violated the Crime Victims' Rights Act, Marra ruled.
"At a bare minimum the (act) required the government to
inform (the young women) that it intended to enter into an
agreement not to prosecute Epstein," he wrote.
Still, Marra said he wasn't second-guessing prosecutors'
decision not to pursue Epstein on federal charges if he
pleaded guilty to minor state prostitution charges and
agreed to compensate his victims for the trauma he caused.
cS ,"The court is not ruling that the decision not to prosecut
was improper," Marra wrote. "The court is simply rul.
that, under the facts of this case, there was a viola
the CVRA."
Further, he made no decision about w edy
should be. He gave prosecutors and tt representing
the young women 15 days to m ide how to unravel
the complex legal web that anging over Epstein
and his young victims fo an a decade.
The chances an a be reached are slim, said
attorney Jack ca o
11
ho is representing the two Jane
Does who cha pd the prosecutors' actions.
Fu er, e said, there is no road map to follow. The
it attorney filed on behalf of the two
dentified young women, claiming prosecutors violated
e federal act, is unique, he said.
"We are treading on virgin ground, to use what is probably
an inappropriate phrase in this situation," he said.
Scarola said he and will ask that the non-
prosecution agreement be thrown out. That would open
the possibility that the long-shelved federal indictment
could be dusted off and filed against the 66-year-old
Epstein, who spends most of his time on a private island he
owns in the U.S. Virgin Islands.
EFTA02736982
"I don't see the government conceding to that remedy,"
Scarola admitted. Further, he said, it is likely Epstein will be
allowed to weigh in. Miami attorney Roy Black years ago
filed papers asking to intervene on Epstein's behalf.
The U.S. Attorney's Office said it wouldn't comment on
Marra's ruling. Neither Black nor New York City attorney
Jay Lefkowitz, who led efforts to bury the federal
indictment, responded to emails or phone calls for
comment. West Palm Beach attorney Jack Goldberger, who A
represents Epstein, also didn't respond.
Scarola said it is likely Epstein's star-studded legal tea
argue that Epstein fully complied with the terms fthL
agreement he made in 2007 with federal prosecut s a d
therefore the agreement can't be undone.
As he promised, Epstein pleaded g e 2008 to state
charges of soliciting a minor fo r ti on and soliciting
prostitution. He served 13 an 18-month jail term
in a vacant wing of the con tockade that he was allowed
to leave 12 hours a cja ys week.
Further, as ag
who sued him.
court re
in
aid settlements to the young women
le the settlements were confidential,
ow he paid three women a total of $5.5
eturn, federal prosecutors held up their end of the
rgain. Their investigation ceased.
Having done all that prosecutors asked of him, Scarola said
Epstein will make a simple argument: "You can't turn
around and deprive me of the benefits I bargained for."
However, Scarola said, using Marra's ruling, he will counter
that the contract Epstein signed was illegal and therefore
unenforceable.
EFTA02736983
Even if Marra agrees to toss out the non-prosecution
agreement, Scarola conceded that doesn't mean Epstein will
face federal charges.
"The contract can be set aside and the federal government
can attempt to enter into the same agreement," he said.
"Except the spotlight of public attention will be on them
and the 40 victims will be able to explain to the court why
this sweetheart deal should not be approved."
Scarola said that prosecutors may have had good reason not
to pursue Epstein. 'There may be a reasonable explanatioS
but we don't know what that reason may have been,
said.
In court papers, federal prosecutors have s t many of
the young women were afraid to cross ful,
politically connected money manag a si ply refused to
testify against him.
i\In other cases, they said, t om changed their stories.
ry it .....,Jane Doe 2, who is t ' to h e the non-prosecution
agreement throw o t, *tially described Epstein as "an
awesome ma prosecutors she hoped "nothing
)
happens" to hi hile she later agreed to testify against
Epstein, tutors said they feared Epstein's attorneys
wQQld us er words to destroy her if she ever took the
stand.
Ad÷arra, however, said the young woman's comments didn't
mean she wasn't entitled to know about the prosecutors'
plans to drop the charges. "There is no dispute that Epstein
sexually abused Jane Doe 2 while she was a minor," he
wrote. "Therefore, regardless of her comments to the
prosecutor, she was a victim."
Before the case is finally resolved, Scarola predicted that "a
lot of people are going to have to answer a lot of questions."
EFTA02736984
In his ruling, Marra detailed what appeared to be a cozy
relationship between Acosta, his line prosecutors and
Epstein's team of lawyers. His phalanx of lawyers included
noted Harvard law professor Alan Dershowitz and Kenneth
Starr, the former U.S. solicitor general whose investigation
led to the impeachment of President Clinton.
Marra describes an October 2007 breakfast meeting
between Acosta, who is now U.S. labor secretary, and
Lefkowitz shortly after the non-prosecution agreement was A
inked.
ASAfter the meeting, Lefkowitz sent Acosta a note than •
him for "the commitment you made to me durin
October 12 meeting in which you assured me tha
Office would not ... contact any of the ide
individuals, potential witnesses, or po claimants
and their respective counsel in thi
Marra quoted an equally ple najte then -Palm Beach
County State Attorney Bali ris her sent to Assistant U.S.
Attorney Vill o was the lead prosecutor in
Epstein's case. uld get this worked out for
reasons I wo riting," Krischer wrote, shortly
after the non -p cution agreement was signed. "After this
is resolve uld love to buy you a cup at Starbucks and
a con ersation."
y of the notes that were exchanged dealt with
,..÷prosecutors' and Epstein's lawyers' shared desire to keep the
deal secret from Epstein's accusers. In a September email,
Villafana asked Lefkowitz for guidance about what she
should reveal. "And can we have a conference call to discuss
what I may disclose to ... the girls regarding the
Agreement," she asked.
EFTA02736985
Such cooperation between prosecutors and defense
attorneys is unusual, Marra said. "It was a deviation from
the government's standard practice to negotiate with
defense counsel about the extent of crime victim
notifications," he wrote.
Further, he noted, that when and his two young
clients asked for information, they were repeatedly misled.
"The CRVA was designed to protect victims' right and
ensure their involvement in the criminal justice process,"
Marra wrote. "When the government gives information to
AS
victims it cannot be misleading."
Ultimately, the terms of the non-prosecution agr
were revealed only after and attorneys f
press successfully sued to make them publ'
[Email Redacted]
iS )
@pbpcourts
EFTA02736986
76 / 278 - Tuesday, July 9, 2019
Edition: Final
Section: A Section
Page: 1A
Source: By Jane Musgrave, The Palm Beach Post
Epstein indicted on sex charges
Part-time Palm Beacher pleads not guilty to se ,
trafficking, conspiracy charges in federal cj in
Manhattan
Dressed in a blue prison jumpsuit, billionaire Jeffrey Epstein on
to charges accusing him of creating a vast network of girls
for his sexual pleasure at his homes in Palm Beach and
The 66-year-old money manager's appearance in U.S
capped more than a decade of recriminations by y
claimed Epstein used his money and political i
Epstein's attorney Reid Weingarten dismisse
charges as "essentially a do-over" of alleg
County Jail for 13 months more than a
However, unlike in 2007 when then
shelve a 53-page federal indictm
prostitution charges, prosecute,
now U.S. labor secretary.
"The alleged behavior shocks
Berman said at a
morning news con
is still profound(
deserve their
At a deten
keep E tel
commit icking. Epstein paid dozens of young women to give him nude massages
that, for m t, led to sex, he said.
If convicted of exploitiiirens of young women, including many Palm Beach County girls
who were students at Palm Beach High School, Epstein faces a maximum 45-year
prison sentence.
Citing Epstein's enormous wealth, his homes in New York, Palm Beach, the U.S. Virgin
Islands, New Mexico and Paris and his ownership of two jets, Berman said there are few
conditions that could keep Epstein from fleeing to a foreign country to evade prosecution.
o.
rida U.S. Attorney Alex Acosta agreed to
stein agreed to plead guilty to two state
ork indicated they aren't willing to deal. Acosta is
pleaded not guilty
g as 14 that he exploited
ourt in New York City
n and their attorneys who
avoid federal prosecution.
ount indictment on sex trafficking
anded Epstein in the Palm Beach
nscience," New York City U.S. Attorney Geoffrey
And while the charged conduct is from a number of years ago, it
rtant to many of the alleged victims, now young women. They
scheduled for Monday, Berman said he will ask a federal judge to
d bars until he is tried on charges of sex trafficking and conspiracy to
EFTA02736987
"We think he's a significant flight risk," Berman said of the man who ferried Britain's Prince
Andrew, actor Kevin Spacey, famed Harvard law professor Alan Dershowitz and former
President Bill Clinton on his jet, dubbed the Lolita Express.
Berman's hard-line stance was welcomed by young women who for years have been told that
Epstein couldn't be touched because Acosta signed off on the nonprosecution agreement,
promising not to charge Epstein in federal court.
Former Palm Beach County resident Virginia Gunfire, who has accused Epstein of turning
her into his sex slave and forcing her to have sex with others, including Dershowitz and
Prince Andrew, praised Berman. He showed the case is "being taken in a serious ay," she
told the Associated Press. Dershowitz has vehemently denied Guiffre's claims.
New York prosecutors were able to ignore the controversial nonprosecutio
because it contained some significant fine print, said former federal Jude Cassell, who
for years has fought to get the agreement thrown out. It says only that could be
filed against Epstein in South Florida, he said.
Berman agreed. "That agreement only binds, by its terms, only bi Southern District of
Florida," he said. "The Southern District of New York is not min at agreement and
wasn't a signatory of it."
That means the sordid allegations that have been level
a federal indictment.
Contrary to Epstein's claims, he knew the women
Palm Beach were minors because they told hi
Epstein preyed on young girls because he
prosecutors added.
As part of a carefully orchestrated sex
he was in New York so they would
indictment says. The employees
"Employee-2" and "Employe
To ensure he had a steady str
recruiters. He would pa hem to ring new girls to his home on El Brillo Way along the
Intracoastal Waterway In Beach or to his palatial townhouse on New York's Upper East
Side.
"This allowed E to create an ever-expanding web of new victims," Berman said.
In both New o alm Beach, the lurid operation was similar. Unidentified employees
of Epstei scort the teens into a room. They were told to take off all or most of their
cloth wing the naked billionaire massages, according to the indictment.
"Epstein ould also typically masturbate during these encounters, ask victims to touch him
while he masturbated, and touch victims' genitals with his hands or with sex toys," the
indictment says.
As part of the criminal complaint, prosecutors are asking that Epstein be forced to turn over
his multimillion-dollar townhouse on East 71st Street. The complaint does not seek forfeiture
of Epstein's house in Palm Beach.
While heartened that Epstein now faces serious criminal charges in New York, Cassell said
he would continue to push a West Palm Beach-based federal judge to throw out the
nonprosecution agreement that Acosta forged with Epstein's star-studded legal team.
n for years are now part of
to his homes in New York and
according to the indictment.
ere "vulnerable to exploitation,"
Ep in or his associates would call girls while
e for sex once he returned to Palm Beach, the
ed. They were identified only as "Employee-1,"
young girls, Epstein would turn some victims into
EFTA02736988
U.S. District Judge Kenenth Marra has already ruled that Acosta violated the federal Crime
Victims' Rights Act by not telling Epstein's victims about the agreement before it was inked.
Coincidentally, Cassell and Epstein attorney Roy Black had to file papers by midnight
Monday, explaining what action Marra should take to redress that wrong.
Cassell insisted Epstein should face charges in federal court in West Palm Beach. "Florida
victims deserve justice in Florida," said Cassell, who is working on behalf of Epstein's
victims with attorneys and Jack Scarola.
Since it's likely Florida women will get to testify against Epstein in New York, Scarola said
he's not focused on whether Epstein will face charges here. Instead, he said he wars to know
how and why the agreement was reached.
"There's been no explanation as to how a deal like this could have been cut : oche
federal government could have been involved in a conspiracy to violate law," Scarola
said of his interest in continuing the legal battle over the nonprosecutio ent.
When Acosta agreed to drop the federal investigation, Epstein in 2 guilty to two
prostitution charges and served 13 months of an 18-month senten to a acant wing of the
Palm Beach County Jail - a cell he was allowed to leave 12 h , six days a week. He
was also forced to register as a sex offender and settle civi more than 30 young
women filed against him.
U.S. Rep. Lois Frankel, D-West Palm Beach, said s s carola's interest in finding out
how the agreement came to be."I am especially m ed in why Epstein got the deal
he got," Frankel said. "We need to know why h i n such an easy sentence.
While she has asked the House Oversight C o investigate Acosta, Frankel said she
is not sure that will happen. "It just seems as a travesty that this guy got off the
way he did and, without pre-judging i ha a proper court case," Frankel said.
Former Palm Beach Police Chief ter was inflamed in 2006 when then-State
Attorney Barry Krischer refused pstein with serious crimes. Reiter took the
information his officers had g ie m dozens of Epstein's victims to Acosta, believing
he would prosecute Epstein.
Reiter said he was heart
"Thankfully, U. S. Attom
judgment to inves kte an
Florida over a de
And, Scarola
Berman d
friends
investigat
While agents on Saturday were arresting Epstein aboard his private jet at the Teterboro
Airport in New Jersey after returning from Paris, other officers were searching his New York
City townhouse. Agents seized nude photos of young girls who appeared to be minors,
Berman said.
He said his focus was on finding more women who were exploited and abused by Epstein.
Turning to a poster, detailing the charges that had been filed against Epstein, he pointed a
finger at a photo of the convicted sex offender who was once described as "a man of
mystery."
t.
3 years later, Epstein will finally face justice.
an and the other authorities in New York have the good
prosecute Epstein in the way that should have occurred in
o," Reiter said in a statement.
are signals that Berman's investigation is far from over.
answer questions about whether others, such as Epstein's high-powered
be charged. He brushed off questions about the significance that the
was being handled by the Public Corruption Unit.
EFTA02736989
"If you believe you are a victim of this man, Jeffrey Epstein, we want to hear from you,"
Berman said. A special number, 1-800-CALLFBI, will link victims of authorities.
Bill Sweeney, assistant director of the FBI's New York office, said after years of being
ignored by federal agents, the victims' voices will be heard.
"The Jeffrey Epstein matter is No. 1 on the major case list in the country," Sweeney said.
Turning to address Epstein's victims directly, he said: "Your bravery may empower others to
speak out against crimes against them."
[Email Redacted]
Co SA
iS)/49
EFTA02736990