This is an FBI investigation document from the Epstein Files collection (FBI VOL00009). Text has been machine-extracted from the original PDF file. Search more documents →
FBI VOL00009
EFTA00230786
1131 pages
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objectivity in its response to hearing the District Attorney disavow the reliability of the Board's recommendation, in receiving the arguments of counsel for Appellant, and in rendering its Order as a whole. First, although the SORA statute clearly contemplates that the District Attorney may depart from the Board's recommendation based upon its own evaluation of the evidence,15 see Correction Law §§ 168- 16 For example, SORA expressly provides, "If the district attorney seeks a determination that differs from the recommendation submitted by the board, at least ten days prior to the determination proceeding the district attorney shall provide to the court and the sex offender a statement setting forth the determinations sought by the district attorney together with the reasons for seeking such determinations." Correction Law §§ 168-k(2), 168-n(2). While the more common application of this provision involves the People seeking a higher risk level than the Board, the provision clearly encompasses any deviation from the Board's recommendation, including the People's discretion to recommend a lower risk level. See, e.g., People v. Ferguson, 53 A.D.3d 571, 572 (2d Dep't 2008) (holding that 10- day notice requirement applies not only to changes in RAI scoring, but to changes in factual predicates for RAI scoring). Incidentally, it bears noting that the People failed to comply with these procedural mandates, constituting a further procedural flaw in these proceedings. See Correction Law §§ 168-k(2), 168-n(2). While the People provided Appellant with a written alternative RAI immediately prior to the SORA hearing -- and not ten days prior to the hearing, as required by SORA -- it appears that the People failed to submit their RAI to the Court at all. See Appendix generally. Before rejecting out of hand the People's stance that a Level 3 determination could not be supported by sufficient evidence, the Court should have adjourned the matter to receive and review a written statement of the People's recommended determination and order where defendant and court did not receive proper 10-day notice of People's revised RAI); cf. People v. Jordan, 31 A.D.3d 1196, 1196 (4th Dep't 2006) (holding People's failure to provide sufficient notice of revised RAI was cured where Court adjourned matter to allow meaningful opportunity to consider revised RAI). The Court's failure to enforce the procedural mandates of the SORA statute was prejudicial to Appellant, in that the Court did not have sufficient opportunity to 39 EFTA00231586
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k(2), 168-n(2), here, the Court rejected the investigation and advocacy of the People. Indeed, the Court went so far as to express "shock" that the People would support a lower risk level determination than that recommended by the Board, almost as a matter of principle. See A.86:9 (Tr.). The Court disregarded the detailed evidentiary investigation and careful parsing of allegations that the People undertook in evaluating the Board's recommendation. Ignoring the record at issue concerning Appellant and the evidence pertaining to him, the Court focused instead on the irrelevant facts of some unidentified case completely unrelated to Appellant's: I have to tell you, I am a little overwhelmed because I have never seen the prosecutor's office do anything like this. I have never seen it. I had a case with one instance it was a marine who went to a bar, and I wish I had the case before me, but he went to a bar and a 17 year old, he was an adult obviously, he was a Marine, a 17 year old came up to him and one thing lead [sic] to another and he had sex with her and the People would not agree to a downward modification on that. understand the compelling reasons for the alternative RAI calculation that the People promoted. See id. 40 EFTA00231587
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So I am a little overwhelmed here because I see -- I mean I read everything here, I am just a little overwhelmed that the People are making this application. I could cite many many, I have done many SORAs much less troubling than this one where the People would never make a downward departure like this.16 A.84:21-85:10 (Tr.). Later, when Appellant's counsel disputed that there were any credible -- much less prosecuted -- allegations that Appellant ever used force, the Court again began comparing Appellant's case to the same irrelevant case about "a marine" -- a matter completely unknown to Appellant and having no connection whatsoever to Appellant's case -- seemingly to suggest that Appellant should nevertheless be scored as Level 3 under SORA: There was no allegation of force in the marine either, who met a girl in a bar, a young girl 17, there was no force there. 16 Notably, the People were not asking the Court to make a downward departure from the RAI calculation, but were advising the Court that the evidence required a recalculation of Appellant's risk level based on the RAI factors. See Sex Offender Registration Act: Risk Assessment Guidelines and Commentary, Commentary (2006) at 4-5, ¶¶ 5, 6. 41 EFTA00231588
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A.90:13-15 (Tr.).17 The Court's subjective comparison of Appellant's
case to some unidentified, unrelated case was improper and highly
irregular, and it clearly interfered with the Court's duty to make an
assessment based on the law.
Similarly, in response to an argument by counsel regarding the
implications that a Level 3 assignment would have on Appellant, who
does not actually reside in New York, the Court abandoned any
semblance of judicial objectivity by dismissively suggesting that he
should "give up his New York home if he does not want to come every 90
days." A.93:18-19 (Pr.). Rather than giving reasoned consideration to
whether Appellant's residence outside of New York might be a relevant
factor in its overall risk assessment (such as for a downward departure
from an RAI calculation), the Court improperly allowed its judgment to
be clouded by apparent personal disdain for Appellant.
Furthermore, the Court's apparent distaste for Appellant has
eliminated any likelihood that Appellant will receive a fair
redetermination hearing should this matter be remanded back to the
'7
Significantly, the Court in fact scored 10 points against Appellant for forcible
compulsion, despite the parties' agreement that there was no legitimate evidentiary
basis to score Appellant for the use of force or violence. See A.94:7-8 ('Fr.).
42
EFTA00231589
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same Justice. Indeed, this Court has recognized that reassignment of a matter to a different Justice following appeal is warranted and appropriate where the apparent impartiality of the lower court has been legitimately questioned, as it most certainly has here. See, e.g., People v. Rampino, 55 A.D.3d 348, 349 (1st Dep't 2008) (remanding resentencing matter to a different Justice where the "appearance of fairness and impartiality [was] compromised by the actions of the Justice to whom defendant's application was assigned"); Fresh Del Monte Produce N.V. v. Eastbrook Caribe, 40 A.D.3d 415, 421 (1st Dep't 2007) (remanding matter to a different Justice where "a reasonable concern about the appearance of impartiality" had been raised on appeal). Accordingly, should this Court deem remand the only appropriate mechanism for recalculating Appellant's risk assessment level, Appellant respectfully asks that the SORA proceeding be reassigned to a different Justice. In sum, a court only has discretion to go beyond the factors outlined in the SORA guidelines in evaluating a person's risk level where justified by clear and convincing evidence. See People v. Sherard, 73 A.D.3d 537, 537 (1st Dep't 2010) (citing People v. Miller, 854 N.Y.2d 43 EFTA00231590
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138 (2008), lv. denied 10 N.Y.3d 711, 860 N.Y.S.2d 483 (2008)) (holding that where a court exercises discretion to depart from the evidence- based scoring of an RAI, the court must base such departure on "clear and convincing evidence of aggravating factors to a degree not taken into account" in the RAI); see also Sex Offender Registration Act: Risk Assessment Guidelines and Commentary, Commentary (2006) at 4-5, ¶¶ 5, 6. Here, the Court's SORA determination, made in the express absence of clear and convincing evidence, 18 constituted an abuse of discretion, warranting reversal of the Court's Level 3 determination and Order. Moreover, given the Court's demonstrated lack of judicial objectivity toward Appellant, should remand be required, Appellant respectfully requests that this matter be reassigned to a different Justice in the Supreme Court. le The Court did not -- and could not -- cite any factors within or outside of the Revnyl's ennsirieratinn, prriven by Clear and convincing evitionen, flint would justify .a Level 3 determination under RAI scoring or constitute lawful grounds for an upward departure. See A.82 (Tr. generally). Instead, the Court fully adopted the Board's calculation, scoring Appellant a presumptive rating of Level 3, without meaningful inquiry into any of the underlying allegations or any consideration of other evidence which could bear upon Appellant's risk level. See A.93:21, 94:6-95:9, 96:11.13 (Tr.). 44 EFTA00231591
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III. THE COURTS ORDER DOES NOT COMPLY WITH THE MANDATES OF SORA AND CONSTITUTIONAL DUE PROCESS AND MUST BE VACATED. Finally, the Court's Order determining Appellant to be a Level 3 sex offender is itself facially defective in numerous regards and should be vacated as legally invalid. In addition, the Court's failure to set forth any factual basis for its Level 3 determination renders the Order constitutionally infirm, warranting reversal on federal due process grounds as well. SORA provides that it is the "duty of the court" to determine, pursuant to the SORA guidelines, both the "level of notification" required of an offender and whether any designations defined in section 168-a(7) apply. Correction Law §§ 168-k(2), 168-n(2). In addition, SORA mandates that the court "render an order" which sets forth "its determinations and the findings of fact and conclusions of law on which the determinations are based." Correction Law §§ 168-k, 168-n. Here, the Court's compliance with these requirements fell woefully short. The only order issued by the Court in this matter was a standard boilerplate form where the Court circled a pre-printed number and provided a signature and date. See A.4 (Order Appealed From, 45 EFTA00231592
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dated Jan. 18, 2011). Indeed, upon close examination of the only "order" in this matter, it appears that the form Order is actually intended to be a cover sheet to accompany a more formal order, with written findings of fact and conclusions of law, upon submission to the Division. See A.4 (Order Appealed From, dated Jan. 18, 2011) (stating, "A copy of the order setting forth the risk level and designation determinations, and the findings and conclusions of law on which such determinations are based, shall be submitted to the Division of Criminal Justice Services' Sex Offender Registry Unit by the Court. In addition, please complete and attach this form indicating the offender's risk level and designation to the Court's order."). Yet this legally insufficient Order was served on Appellant following the SORA proceeding and was sent to the Division so that the Level 3 determination could be executed and enforced. See A.78 (Letter of Supreme Court, dated Jan. 19, 2011). The appellate courts have consistently held that cursory, non- specific "findings" issued after SORA hearings -- including the wholesale adoption of a Board recommendation or recitation of RAI factors without further explanation, as the Court offered here -- are 46 EFTA00231593
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legally insufficient under SORA. See, e.g. People v. Strong, 77 A.D.3d 717, 717-18 (2d Dep't 2010) (reversing SORA order issued without findings of fact and conclusions of law, where court relied on RAI but failed to introduce the RAI in evidence or indicate any evidence relied upon); People v. Gilbert, 78 A.D.3d 1584, 1584 (4th Dep't 2010) (holding that the SORA court's conclusory recitation that it reviewed the parties' submissions and was adopting the Board's case summary and recommendation was insufficient to fulfill SORA's statutory mandate); People v. Miranda, 24 A.D.3d 909, 910-11 (3d Dep't 2005) (holding that the court's adoption of the Board's RAI scores and "generic listing of factors" failed to "fulfill the statutory mandate" of SORA and precluded "meaningful appellate review of the propriety of the court's risk level assessment"). In addition, the Order in this case is constitutionally deficient, in that the Court's failure to set forth any factual or legal bases for its Level 3 determination falls short of the minimum due process rights guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution. In the landmark case of Goldberg v. Kelly, the U.S. Supreme Court held that, in relevant part, to demonstrate compliance with the procedural due process requirement 47 EFTA00231594
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that the decision maker's conclusion rest solely on the legal rules and evidence adduced at hearing, "[the] decision maker should state reasons for his determination and indicate evidence he relied on, though his statement need not amount to a full opinion or even formal fmdings of fact and conclusions of law." Goldberg v. Kelly, 397 U.S. 254, 271 (1970) (internal citations omitted).19 In short, the minimal due process requirement that the order set forth the basis for the court's determination is designed to provide some assurance that the court's conclusion rested on sufficient reliable evidence--which in Appellant's case, it did not. The utterly deficient Order issued by the Court in this matter itself provides an independent basis for reversal of the Court's Level 3 determination, on both state statutory and federal constitutional grounds. 19 SORA, by specifically requiring the Court to issue findings of fact and conclusions of law to support its determination, therefore sets forth a higher standard than is required by federal due process. See Correction Law if 168-k, 168- n (requiring the court to "render an order setting forth its determinations and the findings of fact and conclusions of law on which the determinations are based"). 48 EFTA00231595
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CONCLUSION For the reasons stated herein, Appellant Jeffrey E. Epstein respectfully submits that the January 18, 2011 Order of the New York Supreme Court determining Appellant Jeffrey E. Epstein to be a Level 3 sex offender, without designation, should be vacated, and Appellant's SORA level should be recalculated -- either by this Court based on the present record or upon remand to a different Justice in the lower court -- in accordance with the law, based solely on the evidence that can be proven by clear and convincing evidence, to wit, the undisputed conduct encompassed by Appellant's registerable crime of conviction. February 22, 2011 Respectfully submitted, Sandra nn Musumeci kland.com KIRKLAND & ELLIS LLP 601 Lexington Avenue New York, New York 10022 Telephone: Facsimile: Counsel for Defendant-Appellant Jeffrey E. Epstein EFTA00231596
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PRINTING SPECIFICATION STATEMENT This computer generated brief was prepared using a proportionally spaced typeface. Name of Typeface: Century Schoolbook Point Size: 14-point type Line Spacing: Double-spaced The total number of words in the brief, inclusive of point headings and footnotes and exclusive of pages containing the table of contents, table of authorities, and printing specification statement is 10,522. 50 EFTA00231597
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CERTIFICATE OF DIGITAL-SUBMISSION COMPLIANCE The undersigned hereby certifies that: (1) all required privacy redactions have been made and, with the exception of those redactions, every document submitted in Digital Form or scanned PDF format is an exact copy of the written document filed with the Clerk; and (2) the digital submissions have been scanned for viruses with the most recent version of a commercial virus scanning program (McAfee Enterprise 8.5 Virus Scan, updated as of March 9, 2009) and, according to the program, are free of viruses. Jay PJLefkowitz, P.C. Sandra Lynn Musumeci KIRKLAND & ELLIS LLP 601 Lexington Avenue New York, New York 10022 Telephone: Facsimile: EFTA00231598
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SUPREME COURT FOR THE STATE OF NEW YORK COUNTY OF NEW YORK PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, Plaintiff-Respondent, - against - JEFFREY E. EPSTEIN, Defendant-Appellant. Index No.: 30129-2010 PRE-ARGUMENT STATEMENT 1. TITLE OF ACTION: As set forth in caption. 2. FULL NAMES OF ORIGINAL PARTIES AND ANY CHANGE IN THE PARTIES: As set forth in caption. There has been no change in the parties. 3. NAME, ADDRESS, AND TELEPHONE NUMBER OF COUNSEL FOR APPELLANT OR PETITIONER: Jay P. Lefkowitz, P.C. Sandra Lynn Musumeci KIRKLAND & ELLIS LLP 601 Lexington Avenue New York, Neirri4611 Telephone: Facsimile: 4. NAME, ADDRESS, AND TELEPHONE NUMBER OF COUNSEL FOR RESPONDENT: Cyrus R. Vance, Jr. NEW YORK DISTRICT ATTORNEY'S OFFICE One Hogan Place New York, NYilli m Telephone: 5. COURT AND COUNTY, OR ADMINISTRATIVE BODY, FROM WHICH APPEAL IS TAKEN: New York Supreme Court (Criminal Term), New York County. 6. THENATURE AND OBJECTOF THE CAUSE OF-ACTION OR SPECIAL PROCEEDING: Sex Offender Registration Act (SORA) hearing, pursuant to Article 6-C of the Correction Law. 7. RESULT REACHED IN THE COURT OF ADMINISTRATIVE BODY BELOW: Supreme Court, New York County, adjudged appellant Jeffrey E. Epstein to be a Level 3 sexual offender, without additional designation. 8. GROUNDS FOR SEEKING REVERSAL, ANNULMENT, OR MODIFICATION: The Court's designation of appellant Jeffrey E. Epstein as a Level 3 sexual offender was an abuse of EFTA00231599
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discretion and constituted reversible legal error based, in part, on the following: (1) the Court improperly relied on untrustworthy double and triple hearsay contained in the recommendation of the Board of Examiners of Sex Offenders, even though the District Attorney, as the party appearing on behalf of the State, rejected much of the Board's recommendation as not constituting clear and convincing evidence to support a Level 3 designation where such hearsay allegations were rejected as a basis for state prosecution; (2) the Court failed to provide the parties with an opportunity to present evidence on contested issues, as required by statute, and instead relied wholesale upon the recommendation of the Board, over the objection of the District Attorney, without any inquiry; (3) the Court did not apply the guidelines established by the Board, as required by statute; and (4) the Court failed to set forth the findings of fact and conclusions of law on which its determinations in support of a Level 3 designation were based, as required by statute. 9. THERE IS NO RELATED ACTION OR PROCEEDING NOW PENDING IN ANY COURT OF THIS OR ANY OTHER JURISDICTION. 10. THERE IS NO ADDITIONAL APPEAL PENDING IN THIS ACTION. Dated: February 9, 2011 Ja . Lefkowitz, P.C. S dra Lynn Musumeci KIRKLAND & ELLIS LLP 601 Lexington Avenue New York, Nellii4611 Telephone: Facsimile: Attorneys for Defendant-Appellant Jeffrey E. Esptein. -2- EFTA00231600
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March 20, 2011 To whom it may concern: I served as U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida from 2005 through 2009. Over the past weeks, I have read much regarding Mr. Jeffrey Epstein. Some appears true, some appears distorted. I thought it appropriate to provide some background, with two caveats: (i) under Justice Department guidelines, I cannot discuss privileged internal communications among Department attorneys and (ii) I no longer have access to the original documents, and as the matter is now nearly 4 years old, the precision of memory is reduced. The Epstein matter was originally presented to the Palm Beach County State Attorney. Palm Beach Police alleged that Epstein unlawfully hired underage high-school females to provide him sexually lewd and erotic massages. Police sought felony charges that would have resulted in a term of imprisonment. According to press reports, however, in 2006 the State Attorney, in part due to concerns regarding the quality of the evidence, agreed to charge Epstein only with one count of aggravated assault with no intent to commit a felony. That charge would have resulted in no jail time, no requirement to register as a sexual offender and no restitution for the underage victims. Local police were dissatisfied with the State Attorney's conclusions, and requested a federal investigation. Federal authorities received the State's evidence and engaged in additional investigation. Prosecutors weighed the quality of the evidence and the likelihood for success at trial. With a federal case, there were two additional considerations. First, a federal criminal prosecution requires that the crime be more than local; it must have an interstate nexus. Second, as the matter was initially charged by the state, the federal responsibility is, to some extent, to back-stop state authorities to ensure that there is no miscarriage of justice, and not to also prosecute federally that which has already been charged at the state level. After considering the quality of the evidence and the additional considerations, prosecutors concluded that the state charge was insufficient. In early summer 2007, the prosecutors and agents in this case met with Mr. Epstein's attorney, Roy Black. Mr. Black is perhaps best known for his successful defense of William Kennedy Smith. The prosecutors presented Epstein a choice: plead to more serious state felony charges (that would result in 2 years' imprisonment, registration as a sexual offender, and restitution for the victims) or else prepare for a federal felony trial. What followed was a year-long assault on the prosecution and the prosecutors. I use the word assault intentionally, as the defense in this case was more aggressive than any winch i, or the prosecutors in my office, had previously encountered. Mr. Epstein hired an army of legal superstars: Harvard Professor Alan Dershowitz, former Judge and then Pepperdine Law Dean Kenneth Starr, former Deputy Assistant to the President and then Kirkland & Ellis Partner Jay Lefkowitz, and several others, including prosecutors who had formally worked in the U.S. EFTA00231601
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Attorney's Office and in the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section of the Justice Department. Defense attorneys next requested a meeting with me to challenge the prosecution and the terms previously presented by the prosecutors in their meeting with Mr. Black. The prosecution team and I met with defense counsel in Fall 2007, and I reaffirmed the office's position: two years, registration and restitution, or trial. Over the next several months, the defense team presented argument after argument claiming that felony criminal proceedings against Epstein were unsupported by the evidence and lacked a basis in law, and that the office's insistence on jail-time was motivated by a zeal to overcharge a man merely because he is wealthy. They bolstered their arguments with legal opinions from well- known legal experts. One member of the defense team warned me that the office's excess zeal in forcing a good man to serve time in jail might be the subject of a book if we continued to proceed with this matter. My office systematically considered and rejected each argument, and when we did, my office's decisions were appealed to Washington. As to the warning, I ignored it. The defense strategy was not limited to legal issues. Defense counsel investigated individual prosecutors and their families, looking for personal peccadilloes that may provide a basis for disqualification. Disqualifying a prosecutor is an effective (though rarely used) strategy, as eliminating the individuals most familiar with the facts and thus most qualified to take a case to trial harms likelihood for success. Defense counsel tried to disqualify at least two prosecutors. I carefully reviewed, and then rejected, these arguments. Despite this army of attorneys, the office held firm to the terms first presented to Mr. Black in the original meeting. On June 30, 2008, after yet another last minute appeal to Washington D.C. was rejected, Epstein pled guilty in state court. He was to serve 18 months imprisonment, register as a sexual offender for life and provide restitution to the victims. Some may feel that the prosecution should have been tougher. Evidence that has come to light since 2007 may encourage that view. Many victims have since spoken out, filing detailed statements in civil cases seeking damages. Physical evidence has since been discovered. Had these additional statements and evidence been known, the outcome may have been different. But they were not known to us at the time. A prosecution decision must be based on admissible facts known at the time. In cases of this type, those arc unusually difficult because victims are frightened and often decline to testify or if they do speak, they give contradictory statements. Our judgment in this case, based on the evidence known at the time, was that it was better to have a billionaire serve time in jail, register as a sex offender and pay his victims restitution than risk a trial with a reduced likelihood of success. I supported that judgment then, and based on the state of the law as it then stood and the evidence known at that time, I would support that judgment again. Epstein's treatment, while in state custody, likewise may encourage the view that the office should have been tougher. Epstein appears to have received highly unusual treatment while in jail. Although the terms of confinement in a state prison are a matter appropriately left to the EFTA00231602
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State of Florida, and not federal authorities, without doubt, the treatment that he received while in state custody undermined the purpose of a jail sentence. Some may also believe that the prosecution should have been tougher in retaliation for the defense's tactics. The defense, arguably, often failed to negotiate in good faith. They would obtain concessions as part of a negotiation and agree to proceed, only to change their minds, and appeal the office's position to Washington. The investigations into the family lives of individual prosecutors were, in my opinion, uncalled for, as were the accusations of bias and / or misconduct against individual prosecutors. At times, some prosecutors felt that we should just go to trial, and at times I felt that frustration myself. What was right in the first meeting, however, remained right irrespective of defense tactics. Individuals have a constitutional right to a defense. The aggressive exercise of that right should not be punished, nor should a defense counsel's exercise of their right to appeal a U.S. Attorney to Washington, D.C. Prosecutors must be careful not to allow frustration and anger with defense counsel to influence their judgment. After the plea, I recall receiving several phone calls. One was from the FBI Special Agent-In- Charge. He called to offer congratulations. He had been at many of the meetings regarding this case. He was aware of the tactics of the defense, and he called to praise our prosecutors for holding firm against the likes of Messrs. Black, Dershowitz, Lefkowitz and Starr. It was a proud moment. I also received calls or communications from Messrs. Dershowitz, Le&owitz and Starr. I had known all three individuals previously, from my time in law school and at Kirkland & Ellis in the mid 90s. They all sought to make peace. I agreed to talk and meet with each of them after Epstein pled guilty, as I think it important that prosecutors battle defense attorneys in a case and then move on. I have tried, yet I confess that has been difficult to do fully in this case. The bottom line is this: Mr. Jeffrey Epstein, a billionaire, served time in jail and is now a registered sex offender. He has been required to pay his victims restitution, though restitution clearly cannot compensate for the crime. And we know much more today about his crimes because the victims have come forward to speak out. Some may disagree with the prosecutorial judgments made in this case, but those individuals are not the ones who at the time reviewed the evidence available for trial and assessed the likelihood of success. Respectfully, R. Alexander Acosta Former U.S. Attorney Sothern District of Florida EFTA00231603
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U S.J. QUINNEY COLLEGE OF LAW , THE UNIVERSITY OF UTAH Wifredo A. Ferrer United States Attorney Southern District of Florida 99 N.E.4th Street Miami, FL 33132 PAUL G. CASSELL Ronald N. Boyce Presidential Professor of Criminal Law Telephone: September 29, 2011 Re: Follow-up on leffre,y Epstein Dear Mr. Ferrer: As you know, Brad Edwards and I represent Jane Doe #1 and Jane Doe #2 in their efforts to protect their rights under the Crime Victims' Rights Act. You were nice enough to meet with Jane Doe #1 in December 2010 on that case, and we appreciate that. At the conclusion of that meeting I also provided you with a letter presenting my grave concerns about possible improper influences being brought to bear on your Office during its negotiation of the Jeffrey Epstein non-prosecution agreement. (For your convenience, I attach a copy of that letter.) It was my understanding that you deemed my allegations serious enough to forward my letter to the Office of Professional Responsibility (OPR) for further investigation, and it was my impression that 0PR was going to look into the allegations raised in my letter. I must say that I was surprised to receive a letter five months later from 0PR indicating that my concerns were not being investigated. On May 6, 2011, OPR stated that it was their policy "to refrain from investigating issues or allegations that were, are being, or could have been addressed in the court of litigation, unless a court has made a specific finding of misconduct by a DOJ attorney ... or there are present other circumstances." 0PR stated that my allegations fell into the category of allegations that were being litigated because Jane Doe #1 and Jane Doe #2 were raising these issues in their CVRA case. Accordingly, OPR indicated it was not going to review the allegations that I presented. I am writing now to request the opportunity to meet with you further and to pass along additional information in support of my concerns. I wanted to follow up with you to make sure that someone was looking into my allegations about improper influences affecting your Office's decision to accord Jeffrey Epstein an extraordinarily lenient plea. It may well be that 0PR has some policy precluding an investigation. But will your Office then investigate these issues? I am also writing to alert you to additional information that continues to lead me to believe that something was rotten with the way this case was handled. 1 www.law.utah.edu • Main Office • Facsimile 332 South 1400 East, Room 101 • Salt Lake City, Utah 84112-0730 EFTA00231604
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As you may know, was a senior prosecutor and supervisor in your Office when the non-prosecution agreement with Jeffrey Epstein was approved. It is our impression that he was directly involved in supervising the Epstein investigation as the former Chief of the Criminal Division of your Office. It has been our understanding for quite some time that he frequently corresponded with Epstein's attorneys, especially Lily Ann Sanchez, during the plea discussions, and it is our understanding that he left your Office around the time the non-prosecution agreement was signed. Our private investigator has recently learned that a left your office to work at a New York law firm representing white collar criminals. He also learned that M's quite expensive apartment in New York City is located in close proximity to real estate properties (specifically condos) owned by Jeffrey Epstein. The location of M's apartment, his role during the Epstein negotiations and his departure immediately after the NPA was signed, leads us to believe that and Epstein may have had a business or other relationship either during or after time in the Office. If that is the case, then we would appreciate you providing the information that you have in that regard voluntarily, as opposed to us having to conduct formal discovery to get it. As you also know, Judge Marra has recently ordered discovery to proceed in this case. We obviously would like for that process to go as smoothly as possible and want to avoid becoming involved in true adversary litigation with your Office. On behalf of our clients, we just want to get to the bottom of this, and we feel safe in assuming that you do too at this point For all these reasons, I am writing to request another chance to meet with you about our concerns and about making the discovery process go smoothly. Thank you in advance for considering this request I would be happy to provide any other additional information that would be useful to you. Sincerely, 4 Paul G. Casse I cc: Assistant U.S. Attorney cc: Assistant U.S. Attorney 2 EFTA00231605