Latest / The Vault: The Epstein Files / Mega Edition: The OIG Report Detailing The Investigation Into Epstein's NPA (Part 24-27) (7/3/26)
Transcript
- 0:00Speaker 1: What's up, everyone, and welcome back to the Epstein Chronicles.
- 0:03In this episode, we're picking up where we left off
- 0:06with the OIG report into Jeffrey Epstein's NPA. Part nine
- 0:11February through June two thousand and eight. The Department's review.
- 0:16Epstein's defense attorneys sought a broad review from the department,
- 0:20one that would encompass the defense complaints about federal jurisdiction,
- 0:23specific terms of the NPA, and the various allegations of
- 0:27professional misconduct by USAO attorneys and other personnel. The Department, however,
- 0:32only reviewed the issue of federal jurisdiction and never reviewed
- 0:36the NPA or any specific provisions. Nonetheless, the process took
- 0:40several months, as the defense appealed the first two CEOs
- 0:44and the department's Criminal Division, and then to the Office
- 0:47of the Deputy Attorney General. The chart set forth on
- 0:50the following page shows the positions and relationship among the
- 0:54individuals in those offices involved in communicating with the USAO
- 0:58or Defense beginning in November two thousand and seven, or
- 1:01in those offices reviews which continued through June of two
- 1:06thousand and eight. Part A February through May fifteenth, two
- 1:10thousand and eight review by CEOs and Criminal Division. On
- 1:14February twenty first, two thousand and eight, soon after the
- 1:17CEO's trial attorney met with victims, oster Bond spoke with
- 1:21left Kowitz about CEO's role. In a subsequent email to Villafauna,
- 1:25Sloman and Signor, Osterbon explained, I told left Kowitz that
- 1:29all I wanted to do is help the process move forward,
- 1:32and if they think we best help the process by
- 1:34taking a fresh and objective look at the case and
- 1:37their arguments, then that is what I want to do.
- 1:40I told them that if that's what they want, if
- 1:42that's what will help the process to move forward, then
- 1:45I don't think it's advisable for CEO's partner with the
- 1:48USAO on the case. He wants to think about that
- 1:51and probably talk to his co council about whether it's
- 1:54better to have US partnered in the case or just
- 1:56serve as a review function, and he said he'd get
- 1:59back to me later time. Osterbon told OPR that this
- 2:03email reflects that he likely told Acosta that he intended
- 2:06to limit CEO's role to review only, and Acosta asked
- 2:10to make sure the defense is okay with that to
- 2:12preempt the possible defense complain about CEO's involvement in the review.
- 2:17Osterbon explained to OPR the defense kept bringing up new
- 2:21arguments and new problems, and the USAO was saying, look,
- 2:25if we're going to do this, if you've got a
- 2:27problem with it, tell us now. By February twenty fifth,
- 2:30two thousand and eight, Leftkowitz told Osterbon, who informed Slowman
- 2:34that the CEO's role should be review only. Lori had
- 2:39just left the department to enter private practice, and Osterbon
- 2:42continued to keep his direct supervisor. Deputy Assistant Attorney General
- 2:46Mandelker informed of the defense team contacts. Sloman email left
- 2:50Kowitz that CEOs was ready to proceed immediately with a
- 2:55review of the matter. Sloman advised left Kowitz that in
- 2:58the event CEOs decides that that federal prosecution should not
- 3:01be undertaken against mister Epstein, this office will close its investigation,
- 3:06but that should CEOs disagree with mister Epstein's position, mister
- 3:10Epstein shall have one week to abide by the NPA.
- 3:13Sloman forwarded this email to Villa Fauna, who responded, why
- 3:17would we possibly let him keep the same deal, after
- 3:20all he has put us through and after we've discovered
- 3:22six new girls. The defense soon signaled that the CEO's
- 3:26review would not end the Epstein requests for the department's involvement.
- 3:29On February twenty ninth, two thousand and eight, left Kowitz
- 3:32requested a defense meeting with osterbon On March twelfth, two
- 3:36thousand and eight, Star spoke to assist an Attorney General
- 3:39Fisher and made it clear that the defense team would
- 3:42want an audience with her if CEOs decided to support
- 3:45the prosecution. On March six, two thousand and eight, Acosta
- 3:49alerted Slowman and Ostrabon that Star in left Kowitz had
- 3:52called him to express concern about Osterbond's participation in the
- 3:56case and indicated that they may ask for more senior involvement.
- 4:00A Costa informed them that they certainly have the right
- 4:03to ask whomever they wanted for whatever they thought appropriate,
- 4:06and whatever process would be given to them was up
- 4:09to whomever they asked. The next day, left Kowitz followed
- 4:13up with a Costa in an email. We appreciate that
- 4:15you will afford us as much time as Main Justice
- 4:18determines as appropriate for it to conduct a review of
- 4:21this matter. As you have suggested, we will initiate the
- 4:24review process with Drew Osterbond and engage in a discussion
- 4:27with them about all the facts and circumstances, as well
- 4:30as the legal and policy issues associated with the case. However,
- 4:34due to our misgivings engendered because Drew has told us
- 4:38that he sees himself as a prosecutor and has already
- 4:41made clear he would be ready and willing to prosecute
- 4:44this case himself, we may well find it necessary to
- 4:48appeal an adverse determination by them within the DOJ. Can
- 4:51Starr and I appreciate that you understand this and have
- 4:54no objection to our seeking appellate review within the DOJ.
- 4:58Star Lefkowitz and Martin Weinberg attended the March twelve, two
- 5:02thousand and eight meeting, as well as the former Principal
- 5:04Deputy Chief of CEOs who had joined the Epstein defense team, Osterbon. Mandelker,
- 5:10and current CEO's deputy chief represented the department. The current
- 5:14CEO's deputy chief told OPR that he recalled some back
- 5:19and forth because the defense team was saying some outrageous things.
- 5:22Both Osterbon and his deputy chief were disturbed that the
- 5:26former CEO's principal deputy Chief, who had been an aggressive
- 5:29advocate for child exploitation prosecutions, was supporting the defense position,
- 5:34although according to the CEO's deputy chief, the former principal
- 5:38deputy Chief gave only a week pitch that was not effective.
- 5:42After the meeting, starn Lefkowitz made multiple written submissions to
- 5:46the Criminal Division. One submission provided a lengthy list of
- 5:50USAO actions that have caused US serious concern, including the
- 5:53following federal involvement in state criminal prosecution without any communication
- 5:58with state authorities, the issuance of legal process and document
- 6:01requests for items that had no connection to conduct that issue,
- 6:05the nomination of an individual closely associated with one of
- 6:08the assistant United States Attorneys involved in the case to
- 6:11serve as the victim's attorney representative, the insistence on a
- 6:15victim notification letter inviting the victims to make sworn statements
- 6:19at Epstein's sentencing, and the reported existence of a relationship
- 6:23between Sloman and the law firm representing several of the
- 6:26alleged victims in civil suits against Epstein. In another letter,
- 6:30Star renewed the defense accusation that USAO improperly disclosed information
- 6:35about the case to the media and accused Slowman and
- 6:37Villa Fauna of encouraging civil litigation against Epstein. Finally, in
- 6:42a letter to Assistant Attorney General Fisher on May fourteenth,
- 6:45two thousand and eight, Starthankedor for having spoken to him
- 6:49the previous day, reiterated the defense team's various complaints, and
- 6:53asked her to meet with them Lefkowitz and Whitley. Meanwhile,
- 6:56Ostrabahd's deputy chief drafted a decision letter to be sent
- 6:59from from Osterbond to Leftkowitz, and over the course of
- 7:03several weeks, it was reviewed by and received input from
- 7:06Deputy Assistant Attorney General Mandelker and Assistant Attorney General Fisher,
- 7:11as well as the Criminal Division's Appellate Section regarding certain
- 7:15legal issues and Office of Enforcement operations regarding the petite policy.
- 7:20Osterband told OPR that, notwithstanding the defense submissions on a
- 7:24wide variety of issues and complaints, ceos's review was limited
- 7:28to determining whether there was a basis for a federal
- 7:31prosecution of Epstein. Osterbond's letter, sent to Lefkowitz on May fifteenth,
- 7:36two thousand and eight, notified the defense team that CEOs
- 7:40had completed its independent evaluation of whether prosecution of Epstein
- 7:44for federal criminal violations would contradict criminal enforcement policy interests.
- 7:49The letter specified that CEOs reviewed addressed the narrow question
- 7:54of whether a legitimate basis existed for a federal prosecution,
- 7:58and that CEOs did not conduct a denovo review of
- 8:01the facts, analyze issues relating to federal statutes that did
- 8:05not pertain to child exploitation, or review the terms of
- 8:08the NPA or the prosecutorial misconduct allegations. The letter stated that,
- 8:13based on its examination of the material relevant to its
- 8:17limited review of the matter, CEOs has concluded that federal
- 8:21prosecution in this case would not be improper or inappropriate,
- 8:25and that Acosta could properly use his discretion to authorize
- 8:28prosecution in the case. On May nineteenth, two thousand and eight,
- 8:31Lefkowitz reached out to Acosta to request a meeting and
- 8:35specifically asked that Acosta not shunt me off till one
- 8:38of your staff. Lefkowitz made several points in support of
- 8:42the requests for a meeting. One CEO's letter acknowledged that
- 8:45federal prosecution of Epstein would involve a novel application of
- 8:49relevant federal statutes. Two CEO's conclusion that federal prosecution would
- 8:55not be an abuse of discretion was hardly an endorsement
- 8:57of the case. Three CEOs did not address Epstein's prosecutorial
- 9:02misconduct allegations, and for critical new evidence in the form
- 9:06of recent Defense Council depositions of victims confirmed that federal
- 9:11prosecution is not appropriate in this case. Lefkowitz alluded to
- 9:15the possibility of seeking further review of the matter by
- 9:18the Deputy Attorney General or Attorney General should the defense
- 9:22be unable to resolve this matter directly with Acosta. Acosta
- 9:26declined the request to respond personally and directed Leftkowitz to
- 9:30communicate with the trial team. That same day, Sloman sent
- 9:34Lefkowitz a letter asking that all further communication about the
- 9:37case be made to Villa Fauna or her immediate supervisor,
- 9:40and reiterating that Acosta would not respond personally to council's
- 9:44email or calls. Sloman noted that the USAO had bent
- 9:48over backwards to exhaustively consider and reconsider Epstein's objections, but
- 9:53these objections have finally been exhausted. Sloman advised that the
- 9:56USAO would terminate the NPA unless Epstein implied with all
- 10:01of its terms by the close of business on June second,
- 10:04two thousand and eight, b May through June twenty third,
- 10:08two thousand and eight review by the Office of the
- 10:10Deputy Attorney General. Also on May nineteenth, two thousand and eight,
- 10:14Starn Whitley co authored a letter to Deputy Attorney General
- 10:17Mark Philippe asking for a review of the federal involvement
- 10:21in a quintessentially state matter. In the letter, they acknowledged
- 10:24that CEOs had recently completed a very limited review of
- 10:28the Epstein case, but contended that the full review of
- 10:31all the facts is urgently needed at senior levels of
- 10:34the Justice Department. They argued that federal prosecution of Epstein
- 10:38was unwarranted and that the irregularity of conduct by prosecutors
- 10:42and the unorthodox terms of the NPA are but beyond
- 10:45any reasonable interpretation of the scope of a prosecutor's responsibilities.
- 10:50They followed up with the second letter on May twenty seventh,
- 10:52two thousand and eight, in which they asserted the bedrock
- 10:55need for integrity in the enforcement of federal criminal laws
- 10:59and the profound raised by the unprecedented extension of federal
- 11:03laws to a prominent public figure who has close ties
- 11:07to President Clinton required department review. On this latter point,
- 11:11they argued that Epstein entered the public arena only by
- 11:14virtue of his close personal association with former President Bill Clinton,
- 11:18and that there is little doubt that the USAO never
- 11:21would have contemplated a prosecution in the case if mister
- 11:24Ebstein were just another John. This was the first defense
- 11:27submission mentioning Epstein's connection to President Clinton and raising the
- 11:31insinuation that the federal involvement in the investigation was due
- 11:35to politics. In the May twenty seventh, two thousand and
- 11:38eight letter to the Deputy Attorney General, Starr and Whitley
- 11:41use the existing June second, two thousand and eight deadline
- 11:44for the entry of Epstein's guilty plea to argue that
- 11:47it made the need for review of the case all
- 11:49that more exigent. John Roth, a senior Associate Deputy Attorney
- 11:53General who was handling the matter, instructed the USAO to
- 11:56rescind the deadline, and on May twenty eighth, two thousand
- 11:59and eight, Slowman notified Lefkowitz that the USAO had postponed
- 12:03the deadline pending completion of the review by the Deputy
- 12:06Attorney General's office. Meanwhile, the Criminal Division forwarded to Roth
- 12:11the prior defense emissions, describing them as an enormous amount
- 12:14of material regarding the Epstein matter. On June three, two
- 12:18thousand and eight, Slowman sent to Roth a lengthy letter
- 12:21from Sloman to the Deputy Attorney General, recounting detail the
- 12:24history of negotiations with Epstein's council, culminating in the NPA,
- 12:29and addressing Epstein's claims a professional misconduct. Among the documents
- 12:33omitted with the letter were the prosecution memorandum, one of
- 12:36the proposed charging documents, and the NPA with its addendum,
- 12:40and Acosta's December nineteenth, two thousand seven, letter to Sanchez.
- 12:44As the review was ongoing in the office of the
- 12:46Deputy Attorney General, State Attorney Krisher mentioned to the usao's
- 12:50West Palm Beach manager that Krisher and Epstein's local defense attorney,
- 12:54Jack Goldberger, had arrived at a resolution of Epstein's case
- 12:58that would involve A ninety eight eight, but Krisher provided
- 13:01no further information. Upon learning of this, Villa Fauna wrote
- 13:05to her immediate supervisor please tell me that you're joking.
- 13:09Maybe we should throw him a party and tell him
- 13:11that we're sorry to have bothered him talking about Epstein.
- 13:14Villa Fauna and her immediate supervisor later had phoned an
- 13:17email exchange with Krisher and with Epstein's local council to
- 13:21insist that the state plea comply with the terms of
- 13:24the NPA, or we will consider it a breach of
- 13:27the agreement and proceed accordingly. Deputy Attorney General Philippe told
- 13:31OPR he had never heard of Epstein before receiving Star's letter.
- 13:35Following the office's standard protocol, stars letter was handled by
- 13:39John Roth, an experienced federal prosecutor who had served some
- 13:43years before as a USA in the USAO. Roth had
- 13:47told OPR that he had never heard of Epstein. Roth
- 13:50explained to OPR that he did not conduct an independent investigation,
- 13:54interview witnesses, or meet with Epstein's counsel, and instead limited
- 13:58his review to written material submitted by Epstein's attorneys and
- 14:02by Sloman to the Deputy Attorney General's office, as well
- 14:05as materials that the defense team and the USAO had
- 14:08previously provided to CEOs and the Criminal Division Front Office
- 14:12and that CEOs furnished to him. Roth discussed the matter
- 14:16with two senior staff colleagues as well as with Deputy
- 14:19Attorney General, who also reviewed the submissions. Roth told OPR
- 14:23that it was his understanding that Epstein had reneged on
- 14:25the NPA, and because he believed the NPA was a
- 14:28dead letter, that he did not review the terms of
- 14:31the agreement or ratify at post Hawk. On the other hand,
- 14:34Deputy Attorney General Philippe told OPR he understood that the
- 14:38NPA was still in effect and that Epstein was trying
- 14:40to undermine the federal jurisdictional basis for the agreement. Apart
- 14:45from addressing Epstein's federalism arguments. However, Deputy Attorney General Philippe
- 14:50did not believe it was the mission of the office
- 14:52of the Deputy Attorney General to review the Epstein case Denovo,
- 14:56to examine the NPA's terms or determine whether the NPA
- 15:00reach of the right balance between state and federal punishment.
- 15:03He told OPR, we heard an appeal. Epstein wanted a
- 15:06meeting to argue for relief. We didn't give him a meeting,
- 15:09and we didn't give him any relief. Deputy Attorney General
- 15:12Philippe told OPR that no one in his office who
- 15:16looked at Epstein's arguments felt that it was sympathetic appeal.
- 15:20In particular, he told OPR that Defense Counsel's argument that
- 15:23there was no basis for a federal prosecution was ludicrous,
- 15:27and the assertion that the usao's investigation of Epstein was
- 15:30politically motivated just seemed unserious. On Monday, June twenty three,
- 15:35two thousand and eight, Ross sent a brief letter to
- 15:37Starr and Leftkwitz, informing them that the office had completed
- 15:41a thorough review of the usao's handling of the Epstein
- 15:44matter and did not believe intervention by the Deputy Attorney
- 15:48General was warranted in view of the considerable discretion vested
- 15:51by the Department in the US attorneys. He added, even
- 15:55if we were to substitute our judgment for that of
- 15:57the US Attorney, we believe the federal process acution of
- 16:00this case is appropriate. Immediately after receiving a copy of
- 16:04Roth's letter, Villa Fauna notified Defense counsel that Epstein would
- 16:07have until close of business on Monday, June thirtieth, two
- 16:10thousand and eight to comply with the NPA by entering
- 16:13his guilty plea, being sentenced, and surrendering to begin serving
- 16:17his sentence. On June twenty six, two thousand and eight,
- 16:21Roth alerted the Office of the Attorney General that Epstein's
- 16:23counsel might try to contact the Attorney General to request
- 16:26additional review and urge the Attorney General not to take
- 16:30defense Council's calls. Roth told OPR that he was concerned
- 16:34that Epstein's team would try to take further appeal in
- 16:37order to delay resolution in the case. Meanwhile, Starr sent
- 16:41a concluding email to Alcosta, acknowledging that they had reached
- 16:44the end of a long and arduous road and adding,
- 16:47while I am obviously very unhappy at what I believe
- 16:50is the government's treatment of my client, a man whom
- 16:53I have come to deeply admire, I recognize that we
- 16:55have filed and argued are appellate motions and lost. I
- 16:59would like to have some closure with you on this matter,
- 17:01so that in the years to come, neither of us
- 17:03will harbor any will or ill will over this matter.
- 17:07All Right, we're gonna wrap up right there, and in
- 17:09the next episode we're going to pick up with part
- 17:11ten June two thousand and eight through June two thousand
- 17:14and nine. All of the information that goes with this
- 17:17episode can be found in the description box. What's up everyone,
- 17:20and welcome back to the Epstein Chronicles. In this episode,
- 17:24we're getting right back to DOIG report into the Non
- 17:28Prosecution Agreement Part ten. June two thousand and eight through
- 17:33June two thousand and nine. Epstein enters as pleas and
- 17:36serves his custodial sentence. On Friday, June twenty seventh, two
- 17:40thousand and eight, Villa Fauna renewed her request to Epstein's
- 17:43local attorneys, Goldberger and Black, for a copy of this
- 17:46date plea agreement reached with the State Attorney's office, noting
- 17:50that their failure to provide it was a material breach
- 17:53of the NPA. After receiving and reviewing the plea agreement form,
- 17:57which was not yet signed, Villa Fauna sent another other
- 18:00letter to Goldberger and Black informing them that the proposed
- 18:03sentence provision did not comply with the requirements of the NPA. Specifically,
- 18:08as written, the plea agreement called for a sentence of
- 18:11twelve months in the Palm Beach County Detention facility, followed
- 18:14consecutively by eighteen months community control, with a special condition
- 18:19that the defendants served the first six months of community
- 18:22control in the Palm Beach County Detention Facility. Villa Fauna
- 18:26objected to the community control provision, reminding Goldberger and Black
- 18:30that the NPA required Epstein to make a binding recommendation
- 18:34of eighteen months imprisonment, which meant confinement twenty four hours
- 18:38a day at the county jail. In a subsequent email
- 18:41to Sloman, Villa Fauna recounted that she had spoken about
- 18:44the issue with Goldberger, who swore that Epstein would be
- 18:47in custody twenty four hours a day during the community
- 18:50confinement portion of his sentence. Villa Fauna added that Goldberger
- 18:54let it slip that Epstein would not be at the jail,
- 18:57he would be at the stockade. Since we specifically discus
- 19:00this at a meeting with the state attorney months ago,
- 19:02that Epstein would be at the jail, this certainly violates
- 19:05the spirit of the NPA agreement, Villa Fauna told Sloman,
- 19:08something smells very bad. The next day, Villa Fauna asked
- 19:12Goldberger to change the plea agreement by inserting the word
- 19:15imprisoned after six months, and Goldberger agreed to do so. Villafauna, however,
- 19:21did not ask the agreement to be amended to clarify
- 19:23that the reference to the Palm Beach County Detention Facility
- 19:26meant the jail rather than the stockade. The final signed
- 19:30plea agreement form further clarified the sentence, providing that after
- 19:34serving twelve months in the pom Beach County Detention Facility,
- 19:37Epstein would be sentenced to six months in the pom
- 19:39Beach County Detention Facility, to be served consecutive to the
- 19:43twelve month sentence, followed by twelve months community control. The
- 19:46word imprisoned was handwritten after six months, but then crossed
- 19:50out and replaced by jail sentence Part A. June thirtieth,
- 19:54two thousand and eight. Epstein enters as guilty pleased in
- 19:57state court. Epstein, with his attorney g At Goldberger, appeared
- 20:01in Palm Beach County Court on June thirtieth, two thousand
- 20:04and eight, and entered guilty pleas to the indictment charging
- 20:07him with one felony account of solicitation a prostitution and
- 20:10to a criminal information charging him with one felony account
- 20:13of procurement of a minor to engage in prostitution. At
- 20:17the plea hearing, which Villafauna and the FBI case agent
- 20:20attended as spectators, Assistant State Attorney Bellohovlk did not profer
- 20:25the facts of the case. Instead, she only recited the
- 20:28charging language and the indictment and the criminal information. Between
- 20:32August first, two thousand and four and October thirty first,
- 20:34two thousand and five, the defendant in Palm Beach County
- 20:37did solicit or procure someone to commit prostitution on three
- 20:41or more occasions, and between August first, two thousand and
- 20:44four and October ninth, two thousand and five, the defendant
- 20:47did procure a minor under the age of eighteen to
- 20:50commit prostitution in Palm Beach County. Also, the Court found
- 20:54this to be sufficient factual basis to support the pleas
- 20:57and engaged in a colloquy with Bellohovely regarding Epstein's victims,
- 21:02the Court are there more than one victim, Miss Bellehovlik,
- 21:05there are several. The Court are all the victims in
- 21:08both the cases in agreement with the terms of the plea.
- 21:11Miss Bellohovlik I have spoken to several myself and I
- 21:14have spoken to Council through Council as to the other victims,
- 21:17and I believe yes, the court and with regard to
- 21:20the victims under age eighteen, is that victim's parents or
- 21:23guardian in agreement with the plea. Miss Bellehovlik. The victim
- 21:27is not under the age of eighteen anymore, and that's
- 21:29why we spoke to Council the court and she's in
- 21:32agreement with the plea. Miss Bellehovelk yes. When the court
- 21:36asked if the plea was in any way tied to
- 21:38any promises or representations by any civil attorneys or other jurisdictions,
- 21:44Goldberger and Bellehovelk, with Epstein present, spoke with the judge
- 21:48at sidebar and disclosed the existence of the confidential non
- 21:51prosecution agreement with the USAO, and the court ordered that
- 21:54a copy of it be filed under seal with the court.
- 21:57After the court accepted Epstein's guilty plea and imposed sentence
- 22:01on him pursue it to the plea agreement, Epstein was
- 22:03taken into custody to begin serving his sentence immediately. In
- 22:07the aftermath of the plea, numerous Individuals familiar with the
- 22:10investigation expressed positive reactions to the outcome, and Villa Fauna
- 22:15received several congratulatory messages. Osterbahn wrote, congratulations, Marie, at long last.
- 22:21Your work on this matter was truly exceptional, and you
- 22:23obtained a very significant result that will serve the victims well.
- 22:27One senior colleague who was familiar with the case noted
- 22:30the case only resolved with the filthy, rich, bad guy
- 22:33going to jail because of your dedication and determination. Another wrote,
- 22:37if it had not been for you, he would have
- 22:39gotten away with it. The CEO's trial attorney, who worked
- 22:43briefly with Villa Fana, told her, but for your tenacity,
- 22:47he'd be somewhere ruining another child's life. One victim's attorney stated,
- 22:51great job of not letting this guy off the hook.
- 22:53But Villa Fauna was not satisfied with the outcome, responding
- 22:56to one colleague, after all the hell they put me through,
- 23:00I don't feel like celebrating eighteen months. He should be
- 23:02spending eighteen years in jail. Acosta later publicly stated that
- 23:07the FBI Special Agent in charge called them to offer
- 23:10congratulations and to praise prosecutors for holding firm against the
- 23:14attorneys that Epstein brought on. In the same later public statement,
- 23:18Acosta noted that he received communications from Dershowitz, Star and Leftkwitz,
- 23:22who all sought to make peace with them. A Costa
- 23:25referred to it as a proud moment. On July seventh,
- 23:28two thousand and eight, and Epstein victim filed an emergency
- 23:31petition against the department in federal court in Miami, alleging
- 23:35a violation of her rights under the CVRA. A second
- 23:38victim joined the petition soon thereafter. The History of the
- 23:41litigation and issues relating to it are discussed in Chapter
- 23:45three of this report. B Epstein is placed on work
- 23:49release a few days after Epstein's guilty plea, Villa Fauna
- 23:53reported to Sloman that Epstein was incarcerated at the low
- 23:56security stockade, rather than the main detention center, where a
- 23:59county print listeners were usually housed. She also told Sloman that,
- 24:03according to the Sheriff's office, Epstein was eligible for work release.
- 24:07Although the USAO had made clear that it expected Epstein
- 24:10to be incarcerated twenty four hours a day, every day,
- 24:14the subject of the work release had not been addressed explicitly.
- 24:17During the NPA negotiations, and the NPA itself was silent
- 24:21on the issue. Epstein's acceptance into the work release program
- 24:25as a convicted sexual offender was seen by many as
- 24:28another special benefit given to Epstein. Because the decision to
- 24:32allow Epstein into the work release program was made by
- 24:35the Palm Beach Sheriff's Office, OPR did not investigate whether
- 24:38any state, county or sheriff office rules were violated. OPR
- 24:43did examine the usao's consideration of work release prior to
- 24:46signing the NPA and its subsequent unsuccessful efforts to ensure
- 24:50that Epstein remained incarcerated twenty four hours a day. The
- 24:54first specific reference to work release was made weeks after
- 24:58the NPA was signed, when left Kwitz asserted in his
- 25:01October twenty three, two thousand seven, letter to Acosta that
- 25:04so long as mister Epstein's sentence does not explicitly violate
- 25:07the terms of the NPA, he's entitled to any type
- 25:10of sentence available to him, including, but not limited to
- 25:13gain time and work release. In November two thousand and seven,
- 25:17Slowman had an exchange of letters with left Kwitz about
- 25:20the usao's understanding that Epstein had agreed to serve as
- 25:23full jail term in continuous confinement. Pointing out that the
- 25:27NPA clearly indicates that mister Epstein is to be incarcerated.
- 25:31Sloman noted the Florida Department of Corrections rules did not
- 25:34allow individuals registered as sexual offenders to participate in work release,
- 25:39and thus Epstein would not be eligible for work release program.
- 25:42Sloman concluded that the USAO is putting you on notice
- 25:46that it intends to make certain that mister Epstein is
- 25:48treated no better and no worse than anyone else convicted
- 25:52of the same offense, and that if Epstein were to
- 25:54be granted work release, the USAO would investigate the reasons
- 25:58why an exception was granted in mister Epstein's case. However,
- 26:02also in November, State attorney Krisher told Sloman that Epstein
- 26:06was in fact eligible to petition for work release because
- 26:09the sexual offender registration would not take place until after
- 26:13Epstein completed the sentence, but that Krisher would oppose such
- 26:16a petition if it's in the agreement. On November sixteenth,
- 26:19two thousand and seven, the case agents met with Bellehovlk
- 26:23and asked if the State Attorney's office would oppose a
- 26:25request that Epstein be granted work release. Bellohovlk was noncommittal,
- 26:30and when the agents asked what she included language in
- 26:33the state's plea agreement prohibiting Epstein from participating in work release,
- 26:37she responded that she would have to discuss the issue
- 26:39with the state attorney. Krisher later told OPR that work
- 26:43release was within the control of the Sheriff's office, not
- 26:45my office. The state's plea agreement with Epstein did not
- 26:49address the issue of work release. The day after Epstein
- 26:53entered his June thirtieth, two thousand and eight, plea, Villa
- 26:55Fauna and her immediate supervisor and met with Pombe Sheriff's
- 26:58Office officials today discuss work release. According to Villa Fauna,
- 27:02the official told them Epstein would be eligible for work
- 27:05release and will be placed on work release, a statement
- 27:08that contradicted the information the case agents had been given
- 27:12by the jail supervisor the previous November, as well as
- 27:15statements made by the defense attorney Jack Goldberger to Villa
- 27:18Fauna just days before the plea was entered, when he
- 27:21specifically told Villa Fauna that Epstein would not get work release.
- 27:25Villa Fauna alerted the Sheriff's Office official that although Epstein
- 27:29told the court during his plea proceeding that he had
- 27:32worked every day for a couple of years at the
- 27:34Florida Science Foundation, that entity did not even exist until
- 27:38November two thousand and seven. Moreover, the address Epstein provided
- 27:42to the court for the Florida Science Foundation was the
- 27:44office of Epstein's attorney, Jack Goldberger. Villa Fauna and her
- 27:48supervisor asked the Sheriff's Office notify the USAO if Epstein
- 27:52applied for work release. Acosta told OPR that he was
- 27:56aware of Villa Fauna was trying to ensure that Epstein
- 27:58did not get work release, and he would not have
- 28:01contradicted or efforts. Acosta explained that the USAO expected Epstein
- 28:05would be treated like everyone else, but that, as shown
- 28:09by our subsequent communications with the State Attorney's Office, having
- 28:12Epstein on work release was not what our office envisioned.
- 28:16All Right, we're gonna wrap up right here, and in
- 28:18the next episode, we're going to pick up where we
- 28:20left off. All of the information that goes with this
- 28:22episode can be found in the description box. What's Up everyone,
- 28:26and welcome back to the Epstein Chronicles. In this episode,
- 28:30we're going to get back to the OIG report into
- 28:33Jeffrey Epstein's non prosecution agreement. In August two thousand and eight,
- 28:37Villa Fauna spoke with defense attorney Black about ensuring Epstein's
- 28:41compliance with the NPA and raise the issue of work release.
- 28:45Villa Fauna later reported to Acosta and Slowman that Black
- 28:49assured her that he had reminded the team that eighteen
- 28:51months in jail is a material term of the agreement.
- 28:54The USAO never received notice of Epstein's work release application.
- 28:59On October tix, two thousand and eight, less than three
- 29:01and a half months after Epstein entered his guilty plea,
- 29:04the Pombeach Sheriff's Office placed him into the work release program,
- 29:08permitting him to leave the stockade for up to twelve
- 29:11hours per day, six days per week to work at
- 29:13the Florida Science Foundation office in West Palm Beach. In
- 29:17mid November two thousand and eight, Villa Fauna learned that
- 29:20Epstein was on work release. She notified Acosta, Sloman, and
- 29:24the USAO Criminal Division Chief of this development in an
- 29:27email and asked can I indict him now. On November
- 29:30twenty fourth, two thousand and eight, Villa Fauna sent Defense
- 29:33Attorney Black a letter notifying him that the USAO believed
- 29:37Epstein's application to in participation in the work release program
- 29:41constituted a material breach of the NPA. Villa Fauna reminded
- 29:45Black that she had more than a dozen emails expressing
- 29:48the usao's insistence that Epstein be incarcerated for eighteen months,
- 29:53and that her June twenty seventh, two thousand and eight
- 29:55letter to Council made it clear that this meant confinement
- 29:58for twenty four hours a day. Villafanna noted that Goldberger
- 30:02had not inserted the word imprisoned into the plea agreement,
- 30:05as he agreed to, but instead inserted the term jail sentence.
- 30:09Villa Fauna told Council the usao's agreement not to prosecute
- 30:13mister Epstein was based upon its determination that eighteen months
- 30:17incarceration confinement twenty four hours a day was sufficient to
- 30:21satisfy the federal interest in mister Epstein's crimes. Accordingly, the
- 30:25US Attorney's Office hereby gives notice that mister Epstein has
- 30:28violated the NPA by failing to remain incarcerated twenty four
- 30:32hours a day for the eighteen month term of imprisonment.
- 30:35The United States will exercise any and all rights it
- 30:38has under the NPA unless mister Epstein immediately ceases and
- 30:42desists from his breach of this agreement. According to Villa Fauna,
- 30:46the FBI case agent spoke with the stockade's work release
- 30:49coordinator and reported back that the work release coordinator told
- 30:52her he had been led to believe the government knew
- 30:54Epstein had applied for the program, and that he had
- 30:57been threatened with legal action if he did not allow
- 31:00Epstein to participate in work release. On November twenty sixth,
- 31:04two thousand and eight, the USAO advised the department that
- 31:07Acosta was recused from all matters involving the law firm
- 31:10of Kirkland Nellis, which was still heavily involved in the
- 31:14Epstein case, because Acosta was discussing with the firm the
- 31:17possibility of employment. As a result, Slowman became the senior
- 31:21USAO official responsible for making final decisions related to Epstein.
- 31:26Also on November twenty six, two thousand and eight, Black
- 31:29responded to Villa Fauna's letter acknowledging that Epstein was serving
- 31:32his sentence in the Palm Beach County work release program,
- 31:35but denying that Epstein was in breach of the NPA.
- 31:38Black noted that the NPA did not prohibit work release.
- 31:42The NPA expressly provided that Epstein was to be afforded
- 31:45the same benefits as any other inmate. Florida law treated
- 31:49work release as part of confinement, and the Palm Beach
- 31:52County Sheriff's Office had discretion to grant work release to
- 31:55any inmate. Black also claimed that Acosta recognized that mister
- 31:59Epstein might serve portion of his sentence through the work
- 32:01release program, and pointed out that the December sixth, two
- 32:04thousand and seven draft victim notification letter sent to Lefkowitz
- 32:08for review specifically referred to the victim's rights to be
- 32:11notified if Epstein is allowed to participate in a work
- 32:14release program. On December third, two thousand and eight, in
- 32:18advance of a scheduled meeting with Black, Villafanas and Sloman
- 32:22and Criminal Division Chiefs Senior and Email about Epstein's participation
- 32:26in the work release program. It appears that since day one,
- 32:29Goldberger and Krisher have been scheming to get Epstein out
- 32:32on work release. For example, the indictment incorrectly charges Epstein
- 32:36for an offense that would have made him ineligible for
- 32:39work release if it had been charged correctly. Remember that
- 32:42Krisher also went along with letting us believe that Epstein
- 32:45was pleading to a registrable offense when Epstein's folks and
- 32:49Krisher believed that the offense was not registrable. Krisher and
- 32:52Goldberger also told us that Epstein would be housed in
- 32:55the Palm Beach County Jail, not the stockade, but he
- 32:58would not have been eligible bull for work release at
- 33:01the jail. As part of his work release, Epstein has
- 33:04hired off duty sheriff's deputies to provide him with protection.
- 33:07It appears that he is paying between three thousand and
- 33:10forty one hundred per week for this service, despite the
- 33:13work release rules barring anyone from the Sheriff's office and
- 33:16Sheriff's office itself from having any business transactions with inmates
- 33:20while they are in the custody or supervision of the sheriff.
- 33:22Villa Fauna added that she and her immediate supervisor believed
- 33:26that the USAO should not budge on the twenty four
- 33:29hour a day incarceration requirement. Referring to the CVRA litigation,
- 33:34Villa Fauna also pointed out that two victims had brought
- 33:37suit against the USAO for failing to keep them informed
- 33:40about the investigation, and the office had no obligation to
- 33:43inform all the victims. Upon Epstein's release. On December eleventh,
- 33:48two thousand and eight, Villa Fauna wrote the Corrections Division
- 33:51of Upon Beach County Sheriff's Office to express the usao's
- 33:54view that Epstein was not eligible for work release and
- 33:57to alert the Sheriff's office that Epstein's work release application
- 34:01contained several inaccuracies and omitted relevant information. Villa Fauna pointed
- 34:06out that Epstein's application identified his place of employment as
- 34:10the Florida Science Foundation, and the telephone number listed in
- 34:13the application for the Florida Science Foundation was the telephone
- 34:17number to the law firm of Epstein's attorney, Jack Goldberger.
- 34:20Villa Fauna also noted that the individual identified in the
- 34:23work release file as Epstein's supervisor at the Florida Science
- 34:27Foundation had submitted publicly available sworn filings to the Internal
- 34:31Revenue service, indicating that Epstein worked only one hour per
- 34:35week and earned no compensation, but that same individual had
- 34:38represented to the Sheriff's office that Epstein's duties required him
- 34:42to work six days a week for twelve hours per day. Finally,
- 34:46Villa Fauna pointed out that Epstein's purported supervisor, who as
- 34:50the foundation's vice president, was subordinate to Epstein. The foundation's
- 34:54president had promised to alert the Sheriff's office at Epstein
- 34:57failed to comply with his work schedule, but the supervisor
- 35:00lived and worked in New York and was unable to
- 35:03monitor Epstein's activities on a day to day basis. The
- 35:06Sheriff's office neither acknowledged nor responded to Villafana's letter. In
- 35:10March two thousand and nine, Slowman met in Miami with
- 35:13Dershowitz for, as Dershowitz characterized it, a subsequent email or
- 35:17relaxed drink and conversation, and included a discussion about the
- 35:21Epstein case. After that encounter, Dershowitz emailed Slowman expressing appreciation
- 35:26for Slowman's assurances that the FEDS will not interfere with
- 35:30how Pombeach Sheriff administers Epstein's sentence as long as he's
- 35:34treated like any similarly situated inmate. Sloman responded, regarding mister Epstein,
- 35:40the United States Attorney's Office will not interfere without the
- 35:43Pombeach Sheriff's Office administers the sentence imposed by the court.
- 35:46That being said, this does not mean that the USAO
- 35:49condones or encourages the PbSO to mitigate the terms and
- 35:53conditions of his sentence. Furthermore, it does not mean that
- 35:56if contacted for our position concerning alternative custody or in
- 36:01home detention, we would not object. To be clear, if contacted,
- 36:04we will object naturally. I also expect that no one
- 36:08on behalf of mister Epstein will use my assurance to
- 36:11you to affirmatively represent the PbSO that the USAO does
- 36:15not object to an alternative custody or home detention. A
- 36:20week later, Dershowitz emailed Sloman again, this time expressing appreciation
- 36:24for Sloman's willingness to call the sheriff and advise him
- 36:27that your office would take no position on how he
- 36:29handled Epstein's sentence as long as Epstein did not receive
- 36:32special treatment, but adding, let's put any call off for
- 36:35a while. Epstein's sentence required that he be confined to
- 36:39his home for a twelve month period following his release
- 36:42from prison. On July twenty second, two thousand and nine,
- 36:45almost thirteen months after we began serving a sentence, Epstein
- 36:48was released from the stockade and placed on home confinement.
- 36:52At this time, he registered as a sexual offender. Nine
- 36:55post release developments in the summer of two thousand and nine,
- 36:59allegations sir that Epstein had cooperated with the US Attorney's
- 37:03Office for the Eastern District of New York's investigation of
- 37:06investment bank bear Stearns, and that he had been released
- 37:09early from his eighteen month imprisonment term because of that.
- 37:12When Villa Fauna spoke with attorneys in the Eastern District
- 37:15of New York, however, an ausa told Villa Fauna that
- 37:19they never heard of Epstein and that he had not
- 37:21cooperated with the bear Stearns case. During her OPR interview,
- 37:24Villa Fauna told OPR that, to her knowledge, the rumor
- 37:28of Epstein's cooperation was completely false. Villa Fauna and the
- 37:32USAO continued to monitor Epstein's compliance with the terms of
- 37:35the NPA. In August two thousand and nine, Villa Fauna
- 37:38alerted her supervisors that Epstein was an apparent violation of
- 37:42his home detention. He had been spotted walking on the beach,
- 37:45and when stopped by the police, he claimed that he
- 37:47was walking to work at an office nearly eight miles
- 37:50from his home. Villa Fauna passed this information along to
- 37:53the Palm Beach County Probation Office. By letter dated September one,
- 37:57two thousand and nine, Black wrote to Sloman seeking the
- 37:59u usao's agreement transfer supervision of the community control phase
- 38:04of epstein sentence to the US Virgin Islands, where Epstein
- 38:07maintained its primary residence. In response, Villa Fauna notified Black
- 38:12that the USAO opposed such a request and would view
- 38:15it as a violation of the NPA. Three months later,
- 38:18Slowman met with Dershowitz and, among other issues, informed them
- 38:22that the USAO opposed early termination of Epstein's community control
- 38:26supervision and would object to request to transfer epstein supervision
- 38:30to the US Virgin Islands. After serving his year in
- 38:33home detention in Florida, Epstein completed his sentence on July
- 38:37twenty first, twenty ten. All right, we're going to wrap
- 38:40up here and in the next episode we're going to
- 38:42pick up with Chapter two, Part two, Applicable Standards. All
- 38:46of the information that goes with this episode can be
- 38:49found in the description box. What's up everyone, and welcome
- 38:53back to the Epstein Chronicles. In this episode, we're getting
- 38:56back to the OIG report into Jeffrey Epstein's non pro
- 39:00secution Agreement. Chapter two, Part two Applicable Standards one opr's
- 39:06analytical framework. OPR finds professional misconduct when an attorney intentionally
- 39:11violates or acts in reckless disregard of a known unambiguous
- 39:16obligation imposed by law, rule of professional conduct, or department
- 39:20regulation or policy. In determining whether an attorney has engaged
- 39:25in a professional misconduct, OPR uses the preponderance of the
- 39:29evidence standard to make factual findings. An attorney intentionally violates
- 39:33an obligation standard when the attorney one engages in conduct
- 39:37with the purpose of obtaining a result that the obligation
- 39:40or standard unambiguously prohibits, or two engages in conduct knowing
- 39:45its natural or probable consequence, and that the consequence is
- 39:49a result that the obligation or standard unambiguously prohibits. An
- 39:53attorney acts in reckless disregard of an obligation or standard
- 39:57when one, the attorney knows or should know, based on
- 40:00his or her experience, that the unambiguous nature of the
- 40:03obligation or standard of an obligation or standard. Two, the
- 40:06attorney knows or should know based on his or her
- 40:09experience and the unambiguous applicability of the obligation of standard,
- 40:13that the attorney's conduct involves a substantial likelihood that he
- 40:17or she will violate or cause a violation of the
- 40:20obligation or standard. And three, the attorney nonetheless engages in
- 40:25the conduct which is objectively unreasonable under all the circumstances. Thus,
- 40:30an attorney's disregard for an obligation is reckless when it
- 40:34represents a gross deviation from the standard of conduct that
- 40:37an objectively reasonable attorney would observe in the same situation.
- 40:41If OPR determines that an attorney did not engage in
- 40:44professional misconduct, OPR determines whether the attorney exercised poor judgment,
- 40:49engaged in other inappropriate conduct, made a mistake, or acted
- 40:53appropriately under all the circumstances. An attorney exercises poor judgment
- 40:58when faced with alternative core of action, he or she
- 41:01chooses a course of action that is in marked contrast
- 41:04to the action that the department may reasonably expect. An
- 41:07attorney exercising good judgment take poor judgment differs from professional
- 41:12misconduct in that an attorney may act inappropriately and thus
- 41:16exhibit poor judgment, even though he or she may not
- 41:19have violated or acted in reckless disregard of a clear
- 41:22obligation or standard. In addition, an attorney may exhibit poor
- 41:26judgment even though an obligation or standard at issue is
- 41:29not sufficiently clear and unambiguous to support a professional misconduct finding.
- 41:34A mistake, on the other hand, results from an inexcusable
- 41:37human error despite an attorney's exercise of reasonable care under
- 41:42the circumstances. An attorney who makes a good faith attempt
- 41:46to ascertain the obligation in standards imposed on the attorney
- 41:50and to comply with them in a given situation does
- 41:53not commit professional misconduct. Evidence that an attorney made a
- 41:56good faith attempt to ascertain and comply with the obligations
- 42:00standards consulted with a supervisor or ethics advisor, notified the
- 42:04tribunal or the attorney representing a party or person with
- 42:08adverse interests of an intended course of conduct, or took
- 42:11affirmative steps the attorney reasonably believed were required to comply
- 42:16with an obligation or standard. Two applicable standards of conduct
- 42:21a the United States Attorney's Manual. Among its many provisions,
- 42:25United States Attorney Manual includes general statements of principles that
- 42:29summarize appropriate considerations to be weighed and desirable practices to
- 42:33be followed by federal prosecutors when discharging their prosecutorial responsibilities.
- 42:39The goal of USAM is to promote the reasoned exercise
- 42:42of prosecutorial authority and contribute to the fair, even handed
- 42:46administration of the federal criminal laws, and to promote public
- 42:50confidence that important prosecutorial decisions will be made rationally and
- 42:55objectively on the merits of each case. U SAM Section
- 42:58nine dashed twenty seven dot zero zero one. Because the
- 43:02USAM is designed to assist in structuring the decision making
- 43:05process of government attorneys, many of its principles are cast
- 43:08in general terms, with a view providing guidance rather than
- 43:12mandating results. See also U SAM Section nine Dash twenty
- 43:16seven dot one twenty comment. It is expected that each
- 43:19federal prosecutor will be guided by these principles in carrying
- 43:23out his or her criminal law enforcement responsibilities. However, it
- 43:27is not intended that reference to these principles will require
- 43:30a particular prosecutorial decision in any given case. U SAM
- 43:34Section nine Dash twenty seven dot one ten comment. Under
- 43:38federal law criminal justice system, the prosecutor has wide latitude
- 43:42in determining when, whom, how, and even whether to prosecute
- 43:46for apparent violation of federal criminal law. However, USAM Section
- 43:50nine twenty seven dot one thirty provides that a usas
- 43:54who depart from the principles of federal prosecution articulated in
- 43:58the u SAM may be subject to internal discipline. In particular,
- 44:02USAM Section nine Dash twenty seven dot one thirty states
- 44:06that each US attorney should establish internal office procedures to
- 44:10ensure that prosecutorial decisions are made at an appropriate level
- 44:13of responsibility and are consistent with the principles set forth
- 44:17in USAM, and that serious unjustified departures from the principles
- 44:21set forth in USAM are followed by remedial action, including
- 44:25the imposition of disciplinary sanction, when warranted and deemed appropriate.
- 44:30US attorneys have plenty authority with regard to federal criminal matters,
- 44:34and may modify or depart from the principles set forth
- 44:37in USAM as deemed necessary in the interest of fair
- 44:40and effect of law enforcement within their individual judicial districts.
- 44:44USAM Section nine Dash two dot zero zero one nine
- 44:48dot two seven dash one forty. The USAM provisions are
- 44:52supplemented by the Department's Criminal Resource Manual, which provides additional
- 44:56guidance relating to the conduct of federal criminal prosecute US
- 45:00one u SAM provisions relating to the initiation and declination
- 45:05of a federal prosecution. Federal prosecutors do not open a
- 45:09case on every matter referred to them. U SAM Section
- 45:12nine Dash two dot zero two zero explicitly authorizes a
- 45:17US attorney to decline prosecution in any case referred directly
- 45:21to him or her by an agency, unless a statute
- 45:24provides otherwise. Whenever a US attorney closes a case without prosecution,
- 45:29the file should reflect the action taken and the reason
- 45:32for it. U SAM Section nine Dash twenty seven dot
- 45:35two twenty sets forth the grounds to be considered in
- 45:38making the decision whether to commence or decline federal prosecution.
- 45:42A federal prosecutor should commence or recommend prosecution if he
- 45:46or she believes that admissible evidence will probably be sufficient
- 45:50to obtain and sustain a conviction of a federal offense,
- 45:53unless one, the prosecution would serve no federal interest to
- 45:57the person is subject to effect a prosecution in another jurisdiction,
- 46:01or three there exists an adequate alternative to prosecution. A
- 46:05comment to this provision indicates that it is the prosecutor's
- 46:09task to determine whether these circumstances exist, and in making
- 46:13the determination, the prosecutor should consult you SAM Section nine
- 46:17Dash twenty seven dot two thirty nine Dash twenty seven
- 46:20dot two forty or nine Dash twenty seven dot two
- 46:23fifty as appropriate you SAM. Section nine Dash twenty seven
- 46:27dot two three zero sets forth a non exhaustive list
- 46:30of considerations that a federal prosecutor should weigh in determining
- 46:34whether a substantial federal interest would be served by initiating
- 46:38prosecution against a person. One federal law enforcement priorities. Two
- 46:44the nature and seriousness of the offense, three the determin
- 46:47effect of prosecution. Four the person's culpability in connection with
- 46:51the offense. Five the person's history with the respect to
- 46:54the criminal activity, six the person's willingness to cooperate in
- 46:57the investigation or prosecution of others, and seven the probable
- 47:01sentence or other consequences if the person is convicted. The
- 47:06USAM contemplates that, on occasion, a federal prosecutor will decline
- 47:10to open a case in deference to prosecution by the
- 47:13state in which the crime occurred. USAM Section nine to
- 47:16twenty seven dot two forty directs that in evaluating the
- 47:20effectiveness of prosecution and another jurisdiction, the federal prosecutor should
- 47:24weigh all relevant considerations, including the strength of the other
- 47:28jurisdiction's interest in prosecution, the other jurisdiction's ability and willingness
- 47:32to prosecute effectively, and the probable sentence or other consequences
- 47:37the person will be subject to if convicted in the
- 47:40other jurisdiction. A comment to this provision explains some offenses,
- 47:44even though in violation of federal law, are of particularly
- 47:48strong interest to the authorities of the state or local
- 47:51jurisdiction in which that they occurred, either because of the
- 47:54nature of the offense, the identity of the offender or victim,
- 47:58the fact that the investigation was conducted primarily by state
- 48:01or local investigators, or some other circumstance. Whatever the reason,
- 48:06when it appears that federal interest in prosecution is less
- 48:09substantial than the interest of state or local authorities, consideration
- 48:13should be given to referring the case to those authorities,
- 48:17rather than commencing or recommending a federal prosecution. Another comment
- 48:22cautions that in assessing whether to defer to state or
- 48:25local authorities, the federal prosecutors should be alert to any
- 48:28local conditions, attitudes, relationships, or other circumstances that might cast
- 48:33doubt on the likelihood of the state or local authorities
- 48:36conducting a thorough and successful prosecution. USAM Section nine twenty
- 48:41seven dot two sixty. This statute identifies in permissible considerations
- 48:46relating to the decision whether to initiate or decline a
- 48:49federal prosecution. Specifically, the decision may not be based on
- 48:53consideration of the person's race, religion, sex, national origin, or
- 48:57political association, activities, beliefs, the prosecutor's own personal feelings about
- 49:03the person or the victim, or the possible effect of
- 49:06the decision on the prosecutor's own professional or personal circumstances.
- 49:10When opting to decline federal prosecution, the prosecutor should ensure
- 49:14that the reasons for that decision are communicated to the
- 49:17investigating agency and reflected in the office files. U SAM.
- 49:22Section nine Dash twenty seven dot two seventy two U SAM.
- 49:26Section nine Dash two dot zero three to one. The
- 49:29Petite Policy. Although the Constitution does not prohibit prosecutions of
- 49:33a defendant by both state and federal authorities even when
- 49:36the conduct charge is identical in both charging jurisdictions, the
- 49:40Department has a long standing policy known as the Petite Policy,
- 49:43governing federal prosecutions charged after the initiation of prosecution and
- 49:47another jurisdiction based on the same or similar conduct. The
- 49:51general principles applicable to the prosecution or declination decision are
- 49:55set forth in U SAM. Section nine Dash two dot
- 49:58zero three one. Dual and Successive Prosecution Policy Petite Policy,
- 50:03which contains guidelines for a federal prosecutor's exercise of discretion
- 50:07in determining whether to bring a federal prosecution based on
- 50:10the substantiality same act or transaction involving in a prior
- 50:14state or federal proceeding. The policy applies whenever there has
- 50:17been a prior state or federal prosecution resulting in an acquittal,
- 50:21a conviction, including one resulting from a plea agreement, or
- 50:24a dismissal or other termination of merits after jeopardy has attached.
- 50:29In circumstances in which the policy applies, a prosecutor nonetheless
- 50:32can initiate a new federal prosecution when three substantative prerequisites exist.
- 50:38The prerequisites or as follows, One, the matter must involve
- 50:41a substantial federal interest. The determination whether a substantial federal
- 50:45interest is involved is made by a case by case basis.
- 50:49Matters that come within the National Investigation and Prosecution priorities
- 50:52established by the Department are more likely to satisfy this
- 50:56requirement than other matters. Two, the prior prosecution must have
- 51:00left the substantial federal interest demonstrably unvindicated. In general, the
- 51:05Department presumes that a prior prosecution has vindicated federal interests,
- 51:10but that presumption may be overcome in certain circumstances. As
- 51:13relevant here. The presumption may be overcome when the choice
- 51:17of charge in the prior prosecution was based on factors
- 51:20such as incompetence, corruption, intimidation, or undue influence. The presumption
- 51:25may be overcome even when the prior prosecution resulted in
- 51:28a conviction, if the prior sentence was manifestly inadequate in
- 51:32light of the federal interest involved in a substantially enhanced sentence,
- 51:36including forfeiture and restitution as well as imprisonment and fines,
- 51:40is available through the contemplated federal prosecution. Three, the government
- 51:45must believe that the defendant's conduct constitutes a federal offense
- 51:49and that the admissible evidence probably will be sufficient to
- 51:52obtain and sustain a conviction. However, the satisfaction of the
- 51:56prerequisite does not require a prosecutor to proceed with a
- 51:59federal investigation or charges, nor is the department required to
- 52:03approve the proposed prosecution. The Batite policy cautions at whatever
- 52:08a matter involves overlapping federal and state jurisdiction, federal prosecutors
- 52:13should consult with their state counterparts to determine the most
- 52:16appropriate single forum in which to proceed to satisfy the
- 52:19substantial federal and state interests involved. If a substantial question
- 52:24arises as to whether the petite policy applies to a
- 52:27particular prosecution, the prosecutor should submit the matter to the
- 52:31appropriate Assistant Attorney General for resolution. Prior approval from the
- 52:35appropriate Assistant Attorney General must be obtained before bringing a
- 52:38prosecution governed by this policy. All right, folks, we're going
- 52:42to wrap up there, and in the next episode we're
- 52:44going to pick up with Part three, use SAM provisions
- 52:46relating to plea agreements. All of the information that goes
- 52:50with this episode can be found in the description box.