U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York (2018-2020) who oversaw the 2019 federal indictment of Jeffrey Epstein on sex trafficking charges. Authorized the July 6, 2019 arrest at Teterboro Airport. Signed charging documents, grand jury subpoenas, and detention motions. Fired by AG William Barr in June 2020 under disputed circumstances — Barr announced Berman had resigned when he had not. Berman refused to leave until his deputy was confirmed as successor.
Key Findings
- EFTA00005718, EFTA00005740: Grand jury subpoenas signed by Geoffrey S. Berman as U.S. Attorney SDNY in Epstein case
- EFTA00009658: Agreed detention order signed by Berman — Epstein held without bail (July 24, 2019)
- EFTA00009809: Berman signed the sex trafficking indictment (United States v. Epstein, 19-cr-00490)
- EFTA02731082 (Dec 19, 2019): Received 86-page 'Investigation into Potential Co-Conspirators of Jeffrey Epstein' prosecution memorandum — statements from 24 women abused as minors, analyzing criminal liability of Epstein's associates
- EFTA00009747: Berman signed indictment of MCC guards Nicholas Tartaglione case — parallel SDNY prosecution
- June 2020: Fired by AG William Barr — Barr falsely announced Berman had 'stepped down'; Berman refused to leave until deputy Audrey Strauss confirmed as successor. Barr himself was named in two FBI victim reports as present at Epstein events
- Authored 'Holding the Line' (2022) detailing political interference from Trump DOJ in Epstein and other cases