[43:40]We're gonna start in five minutes.
[43:42]I'll turn around the visual.
[47:44]Good morning.
[47:45]I'm Jeff Berman, United States Attorney
[47:48]for the Southern District of New York.
[47:50]Today, we announce the unsealing
[47:52]of sex trafficking charges against Jeffrey Epstein.
[47:57]The charges allege that Epstein sexually abused
[48:00]young girls by enticing them
[48:02]to engage in sex acts for money.
[48:06]Epstein was arrested this past Saturday evening
[48:09]at Teterboro Airport aboard his private jet
[48:13]that had just landed from Paris, France.
[48:16]Epstein was taken
[48:17]to the Metropolitan Correctional Center in Manhattan.
[48:22]And later today, he will be presented
[48:24]before Magistrate Judge Pittman
[48:27]and later a conference before District Court Judge Berman.
[48:32]The United States Attorney's Office
[48:34]will take the position at that presentment
[48:36]and that conference that Epstein
[48:39]should be detained pending trial.
[48:43]Epstein is charged in a two count indictment.
[48:46]First, conspiracy to commit sex trafficking
[48:49]and second, the substantive crime
[48:51]of sex trafficking of underage girls.
[48:55]Beginning in at least 2002 and continuing until 2005,
[48:59]Epstein is alleged to have abused dozens of victims
[49:02]by causing them to engage in sex acts with him
[49:06]at his mansion in New York
[49:08]and at his estate in Palm Beach, Florida.
[49:12]The victims, all underage girls
[49:14]at the time of the alleged conduct,
[49:17]were given hundreds of dollars in cash
[49:19]after each encounter, either by Epstein
[49:22]or by one of Epstein's employees.
[49:26]The underage girls were initially recruited
[49:28]to provide Epstein with massages
[49:31]and often did so nude or partially nude.
[49:35]These massages became increasingly sexual in nature
[49:38]and would typically include one or more sex acts
[49:41]as specified in the indictment.
[49:44]As alleged, Epstein also paid certain victims
[49:47]to recruit additional girls to be similarly abused.
[49:52]This allowed Epstein to create
[49:54]an ever-expanding web of new victims.
[49:59]This conduct, as alleged, went on for years
[50:04]and it involved dozens of young girls,
[50:06]some as young as 14 years old
[50:08]at the time that they were allegedly abused.
[50:11]As alleged, Epstein was well aware
[50:14]that many of his victims were minors
[50:17]and not surprisingly, many of the underage girls
[50:20]that Epstein allegedly victimized
[50:22]were particularly vulnerable to exploitation.
[50:27]The alleged behavior shocks the conscience
[50:30]and while the charge conduct
[50:32]is from a number of years ago,
[50:35]it is still profoundly important
[50:37]to the many alleged victims, now young women.
[50:42]They deserve their day in court
[50:45]and we are proud to be standing up for them
[50:47]by bringing this indictment.
[50:51]Combating sex trafficking and exploitation of children
[50:54]is a priority for this office
[50:56]and for the Department of Justice,
[50:58]as the sexual abuse of a minor
[51:00]can have devastating effects on victims,
[51:03]often lasting for years.
[51:05]That is why my office will not rest
[51:08]until perpetrators of these types of crimes
[51:10]are brought to justice.
[51:12]Victims' voices, including the many voices
[51:15]of Epstein's alleged victims, must be heard.
[51:20]To that end, I want to say to anyone
[51:24]who is watching this or hearing about our prosecution,
[51:31]if you believe you are a victim of this man,
[51:34]Jeffrey Epstein, or you have evidence or information
[51:39]relating to the conduct alleged
[51:41]in the indictment unsealed today,
[51:43]we want to hear from you.
[51:45]Please call 1-800-CALL-FBI.
[51:50]That's 1-800-CALL-FBI.
[52:00]The charges unsealed today reflect the hard work
[52:04]not only of this office
[52:05]but by our law enforcement partners
[52:07]of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
[52:10]To my left is Bill Sweeney,
[52:11]the Assistant Director in Charge
[52:13]of the New York Field Office of the FBI,
[52:16]and I wish to thank him and his team
[52:18]for their dedication and professionalism
[52:21]in seeing this investigation through.
[52:24]I also want to thank the New York City Police Department,
[52:26]represented here today by Chief Jason Wilcox,
[52:30]and Customs and Border Patrol
[52:32]for their assistance in this investigation.
[52:36]And I want to thank and acknowledge
[52:38]the career prosecutors of my office
[52:41]handling the investigation and prosecution of this case.
[52:44]To my right, Alex Ross Miller,
[52:47]Alison Moe, Maureen Coney,
[52:50]and their supervisors in the Public Corruption Unit,
[52:53]Russell Capone, and Edward Diskamp.
[52:57]It is a privilege for me every day
[52:59]to work with these bright, talented,
[53:03]and dedicated public servants.
[53:05]The talent is unbelievable.
[53:07]We will continue to devote significant resources
[53:11]to investigating these crimes
[53:12]that's protecting young people from sexual predators.
[53:17]And now I would like to invite Bill Sweeney up to the podium.
[53:20]Thanks, Chef. Good morning.
[53:25]Preserving the innocence of children
[53:28]is one of the most important responsibilities
[53:30]we carry as adults.
[53:32]Purposely failing children in any way is not an option.
[53:37]And yet there are some in society
[53:38]who have chosen to blatantly disregard this responsibility
[53:42]using whatever means they have at their disposal
[53:45]to lure children into a life
[53:47]which they should never have been exposed.
[53:49]As we allege today, Jeffrey Epstein is one of those people.
[53:54]At approximately 5.30 p.m. on Saturday evening,
[53:57]we arrested him at Teterboro Airport without incident.
[54:00]Epstein has been charged with one count each
[54:02]of sex trafficking and sex trafficking conspiracy.
[54:06]For at least a four-year period
[54:08]covering the entirety of 2002 through 2005,
[54:12]he is alleged to have sexually exploited
[54:15]and abused dozens of minor girls
[54:17]at his homes in New York City
[54:19]and in Palm Beach, Florida.
[54:21]The girls were recruited in a variety of ways,
[54:24]usually by employees of Epstein
[54:26]and sometimes by fellow victims.
[54:29]The victims typically received hundreds of dollars in cash.
[54:32]The estimated dozens of victims were as young as 14 years old
[54:37]at time of recruitment.
[54:39]Children who provided Epstein massages
[54:42]while they were nude or partially nude.
[54:44]Children who were asked to engage
[54:46]in direct and indirect sex acts for money.
[54:49]Children who were enticed to do all these things
[54:51]at the hands of a man more than
[54:53]or nearly three times their age.
[54:56]Those who have been victimized
[54:57]by child sexual predators are frequently haunted
[55:00]by memories of these crimes well into their adulthood,
[55:04]often for the rest of their lives.
[55:06]They bear the burden of someone else's criminal behavior.
[55:10]Too often, adults in our society
[55:12]have turned a blind eye
[55:14]to this type of criminal behavior alleged here.
[55:16]We have seen the excuses,
[55:19]the ignorance of many who didn't even bother
[55:20]to understand that this behavior
[55:23]is just persistent scourge
[55:24]against our society's vulnerable youth
[55:26]and the willful blindness
[55:27]as to who the real villains are
[55:29]in this type of outrageous crime.
[55:32]The villains are the adult perpetrators,
[55:34]not the children.
[55:36]Victims of child sex trafficking
[55:38]come from all walks of life.
[55:40]They are our neighbors, our students,
[55:42]young adults looking for help,
[55:44]vulnerable foster children.
[55:46]The list goes on and on and on.
[55:50]To the victims who may be listening
[55:52]or get word of today's charges,
[55:54]the team standing here before you
[55:56]represents FBI special agents,
[55:58]NYPD detectives, analysts,
[56:01]victim specialists, prosecutors
[56:04]who make it their mission
[56:05]to listen to every individual
[56:07]who's been exploited
[56:08]and to advocate for the most vulnerable among us.
[56:11]We are parents, we are community members,
[56:13]we are human beings.
[56:15]But as an FBI special agent
[56:17]and the head of this office,
[56:18]I have the privilege to represent
[56:20]and stand among many
[56:21]who make it our mission
[56:22]to put prior predators behind bars
[56:24]where they belong.
[56:25]Regardless of the predator's power,
[56:28]wealth, or perceived connections.
[56:31]Today I'm asking everyone
[56:32]to take a good look at this man.
[56:34]If you have been victimized in any way
[56:37]or if you are somebody
[56:38]who has any additional information
[56:39]about his alleged illegal behavior,
[56:41]we want to hear from you.
[56:43]Whatever age you are now,
[56:45]whatever age you were then,
[56:47]no matter where or when
[56:48]the incident or incidents took place.
[56:51]The number to call is 1-800-CALL-FBI.
[56:55]I'd like to take a moment
[56:56]to speak directly to the victims
[56:58]who will call that number.
[56:59]When you call that number,
[57:01]you'll receive a series of prompts.
[57:03]You'll be asked if this is representing
[57:05]a major case in the country.
[57:07]The answer is yes, it's number four.
[57:10]You will then be driven to the top of the list
[57:12]and the Jeffrey Epstein matter is number one
[57:14]on the major case list in the country
[57:16]when you call that 1-800-CALL-FBI number.
[57:19]Your bravery might just empower others
[57:22]to speak out about crimes
[57:23]committed against them.
[57:25]It's important to remember there never was
[57:28]or will there be an excuse
[57:29]for this kind of behavior.
[57:31]We know that reliving these events
[57:33]can be brutal.
[57:34]We are here to work side by side with you
[57:36]as you go through this process.
[57:38]You should know that in the eyes of the FBI,
[57:41]you come first.
[57:43]Many thanks as always to our partners
[57:45]from the Southern District.
[57:47]Our partnership with the NYPD on this case
[57:48]and so many others has been phenomenal.
[57:50]Thank you also to the professionals at CVP
[57:53]and to the Port Authority Police Department
[57:55]who helped us with the arrest on Saturday evening.
[57:58]Last but not least,
[57:59]I want to extend my thanks to the FY NYPD
[58:02]Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force.
[58:05]The public should know that to be on this task force,
[58:07]you must volunteer.
[58:09]The work is agonizing
[58:10]but it is one of the most noble missions
[58:12]our agencies can engage in
[58:14]and we engage in it together.
[58:15]Thank you.
[58:16]We're going to take some questions
[58:21]but first let me preface it by saying
[58:22]that there's been a lot of speculation in the media
[58:25]about individuals affiliated or associated
[58:28]with the defendant Jeffrey Epstein.
[58:30]As you know, Justice Department guidelines
[58:33]prohibit us from talking about such individuals
[58:37]and so I just want to let you know
[58:39]that if that question comes up about any individual,
[58:41]my answer will be no comment
[58:44]and that will be across the board.
[58:46]No comment.
[58:47]I urge you not to read anything into that
[58:50]one way or the other.
[58:52]Are there any questions?
[58:53]Why is it being handled by the Public Corruption Office?
[58:56]Could you give us any insight into why these charges
[59:00]are not covered by the immunity agreement
[59:03]that Epstein engaged with the U.S. Attorney in Florida
[59:06]some years ago?
[59:07]Yes.
[59:07]Jeffrey Epstein entered into a non-prosecution agreement
[59:10]with the Southern District of Florida.
[59:13]That agreement only binds, by its terms,
[59:15]only binds the Southern District of Florida,
[59:18]the Southern District of New York,
[59:20]is not bound by that agreement
[59:21]and is not a signatory to that agreement.
[59:24]Mr. Burke?
[59:25]Why is it being handled by the Public Corruption Unit
[59:27]if it's just sex trafficking charges at the moment?
[59:30]Well, I'm not getting into the staffing decisions
[59:33]at the U.S. Attorney's Office.
[59:35]I will say that I have confidence
[59:36]that the Public Corruption Unit
[59:38]is able and can ably handle this investigation
[59:41]and prosecution as it has so many other matters.
[59:44]I will again urge you not to read into the unit assignment
[59:50]anything one way or another with respect to the investigation.
[59:53]Mr. Judge, looking at the evidence,
[59:55]how confident are you that Jeffrey Epstein
[59:57]is going to spend the next several decades
[59:59]of his life behind bars?
[1:00:01]I'm not going to comment right now on the evidence.
[1:00:03]I will say that we are going to request detention
[1:00:08]pending the trial in this case.
[1:00:11]I was just wondering, reading this assignment,
[1:00:14]as someone has already asked,
[1:00:16]wasn't the activity related to the assignment
[1:00:17]already on the Department of Justice's radar way back in 2008
[1:00:21]when Miami's U.S. Attorney General Alexander Acosta,
[1:00:24]now Secretary of Labor, brokered a state plea bargain?
[1:00:26]Why is there no accounting for the very robust participation
[1:00:30]of DOJ at the time?
[1:00:32]And is there new information that you have or new evidence?
[1:00:34]I'm not going into any dealings with main justice,
[1:00:38]nor am I going to go into any aspects
[1:00:41]of how our investigation originated.
[1:00:44]I will say that we were assisted
[1:00:46]from some excellent investigative journalism.
[1:00:48]So for the FBI, for the Assistant Director,
[1:00:52]I just wanted to ask you,
[1:00:53]the FBI tried to get him years ago, first time.
[1:00:56]How important was it to get back at this,
[1:00:59]to try and bring charges against him,
[1:01:00]and given everything that transpired?
[1:01:03]I wouldn't comment on getting back at anybody or anything.
[1:01:06]That's not the way we work.
[1:01:07]We work with facts.
[1:01:08]When the facts presented themselves,
[1:01:10]as Mr. Berman hinted at through investigative journalist work,
[1:01:15]we moved on it.
[1:01:15]Mr. Sweeney, you used the expression
[1:01:18]willful blindness.
[1:01:20]Is any of that directed at the government
[1:01:23]or investigators who handled this the first time around?
[1:01:26]No, I'm talking about society in the whole.
[1:01:28]We've seen sex trafficking cases all over the place.
[1:01:31]It's a very busy task force.
[1:01:33]And my opinion is often in society, we ignore it.
[1:01:35]We ignore the vulnerable victims.
[1:01:39]On Saturday night, you guys executed a search warrant
[1:01:43]for Mr. Epstein's evidence.
[1:01:44]There were cameras that showed your agents there.
[1:01:46]Where did you find them?
[1:01:48]Yes, contemporaneous with the arrest of Epstein
[1:01:51]at Teterboro Airport.
[1:01:53]Agents executed a search warrant on his mansion
[1:01:57]in New York City and recovered and seized.
[1:02:01]And that was a search pursuant to a valid warrant.
[1:02:05]Agents seized evidence, including nude photographs
[1:02:10]of what appeared to be underage girls.
[1:02:36]He flew into the jurisdiction and so we arrested him.
[1:02:40]And the victims stated in the non-custodian agreement
[1:02:43]or in the best-hated journalism.
[1:02:44]I have no comment with respect to the alleged victims.
[1:02:48]Do you use multiple homes, multiple aircraft?
[1:02:51]What kind of flight risk do you use?
[1:02:53]We think he's a significant flight risk
[1:02:55]and that is why we are seeking detention pending trial.
[1:03:00]He has enormous wealth.
[1:03:04]The charges are very serious and they carry with them
[1:03:06]a maximum sentence of 45 years in jail,
[1:03:09]which to someone of Epstein's age
[1:03:11]is basically a life sentence.
[1:03:12]So we think he has every incentive
[1:03:15]to try and flee the jurisdiction.
[1:03:16]And when you have two planes
[1:03:19]and you live much of the year abroad,
[1:03:22]we think that's a very real risk.
[1:03:24]Follow-up question.
[1:03:25]Can't we have seen a billionaire?
[1:03:27]No comment.
[1:03:28]All victims are underage.
[1:03:29]You referred to some of them as particularly vulnerable.
[1:03:32]Why is that the case?
[1:03:34]I can't go into the specifics
[1:03:36]with respect to any particular decision.
[1:03:37]Sir, in the indictment, there are three employees.
[1:03:42]Their names, why weren't they charged
[1:03:43]if you provided us only know about their role
[1:03:46]and whether they're cooperating
[1:03:47]or why weren't they charged against them?
[1:03:49]No comment.
[1:03:50]This is obviously a massive investigation.
[1:03:52]How do you compare this to other sex trafficking cases
[1:03:55]you've prosecuted in the past?
[1:03:56]Well, it's extremely significant
[1:03:58]because of the number of years
[1:04:00]and the number of victims.
[1:04:01]There are dozens of victims
[1:04:03]as alleged in the indictment in New York
[1:04:06]and dozens in Florida,
[1:04:08]and it maintained itself over several years.
[1:04:10]So this is very significant.
[1:04:11]Our office has handled this year, in fact,
[1:04:15]many significant sex trafficking cases,
[1:04:19]and this is one of them.
[1:04:20]Where did he find these women
[1:04:22]and how was he luring them to his mansion or his house?
[1:04:28]Well, as alleged in the indictment,
[1:04:31]these individuals, the underage girls
[1:04:34]were sometimes recruited by current victims,
[1:04:38]and the current victims were given cash payments
[1:04:41]if they could bring other underage girls
[1:04:45]to be similarly abused,
[1:04:46]and that's how he continued to expand
[1:04:49]the number of new victims that he had,
[1:04:51]and that's how it was able to maintain itself
[1:04:53]over several years.
[1:04:54]So would it be a word of mousing or an online, online?
[1:04:58]How would he do it?
[1:04:59]The indictment indicates that there were phone calls
[1:05:05]and contacts made not only with Mr. Epsom
[1:05:09]but his employees,
[1:05:10]between his employees and the life victims.
[1:05:12]Did you have access to a record
[1:05:14]from the defamation case that is associated
[1:05:17]that is now going to be in seal
[1:05:18]in a couple of weeks,
[1:05:19]but also to the subsequent federal court?
[1:05:22]No comment.
[1:05:23]Jeff, I get this.
[1:05:23]I mean, why is the case coming back now?
[1:05:27]If the charges all happen,
[1:05:29]the case is still a very important case,
[1:05:34]and it means a great deal to the alleged victims here
[1:05:37]that they have their day in court,
[1:05:38]and we want to ensure that they have their day in court
[1:05:42]by bringing these charges.
[1:05:53]We are certainly aware of that reporting.
[1:05:56]Thank you.
[1:06:27]Yeah.
[1:06:33]Southern sovereign district man.
[1:06:35]Well, I mean, she's happy.
[1:06:36]She doesn't have a lot of shit.
[1:06:38]I don't know why.
[1:06:46]Bears.
[1:06:47]I mean, he has a whole bear's crew.
[1:06:48]Yeah.
[1:06:51]I'm sure they'll send out a notice.
[1:06:52]That's going to happen.
[1:07:01]Hey, Beth.
[1:07:02]Can you just get a better shot of the poster for me?
[1:07:04]Sure.
[1:07:04]Thank you.
[1:07:06]Cool.