Latest / The Epstein Chronicles / Maria Farmer Sues the Federal Government Over Its Handling of Jeffrey Epstein (Part 6) (11/5/26)
Transcript
- 0:00Speaker 1: What's up everyone and welcome to another episode of the
- 0:03Speaker 1: Epstein Chronicles. In this episode, we're going to dive right
- 0:07Speaker 1: back in to Maria Farmer's complaint filed against the United
- 0:11Speaker 1: States government. L. The USAO failed to involve or coordinate
- 0:16Speaker 1: with the Civil Rights Division in their own Epstein sex
- 0:18Speaker 1: trafficking investigation in blatant violation of federal regulation and the
- 0:23Speaker 1: USAO manual. Federal regulation mandate that all federal statutes affecting
- 0:29Speaker 1: civil rights including criminal prosecutions, be administered by the Civil
- 0:33Speaker 1: Rights Division of the U.S. Attorney General's Office. The following
- 0:37Speaker 1: functions are assigned to and shall be handled or supervised
- 0:41Speaker 1: by the Assistant Attorney General, Civil Rights Division. Enforcement of
- 0:46Speaker 1: all federal statutes affecting civil rights and authorization of litigation
- 0:50Speaker 1: in such enforcement, including criminal prosecutions. 28 CFR Section. 50 Under
- 0:58Speaker 1: this regulation, the Civil Rights Division based in Washington, D.C.,
- 1:02Speaker 1: was assigned to handle and supervise coordination within the Department
- 1:05Speaker 1: of Justice all matters affecting civil rights. 28 CFR Section. 50- D.
- 1:14Speaker 1: This regulation assigned the Civil Rights Division authority regarding research
- 1:17Speaker 1: on civil rights matters and the making of recommendations to
- 1:20Speaker 1: the Attorney General as to proposed civil rights policies and legislation.
- 1:25Speaker 1: CFR 28 Section. 50- EF. In compliance with the federal regulation,
- 1:31Speaker 1: the USAO Manual noted, the Assistant Attorney General of the
- 1:35Speaker 1: Civil Rights Division is responsible for conducting, handling, or supervising
- 1:40Speaker 1: civil rights matters. As more particularly described in 28 CFR,
- 1:45Speaker 1: USAO Manual 8-1.0.10, the USAO Manual noted the sensitive nature
- 1:54Speaker 1: of the constitutional and statutory issues involved. and the desirability
- 1:58Speaker 1: of uniform application of federal law in this field. Acknowledging
- 2:03Speaker 1: the prime importance of close consultation between the United States
- 2:06Speaker 1: Attorneys and the Division on Civil Rights Matters, USAO Manual
- 2:10Speaker 1: Section 8-1.10. In particular, the USAO Manual mandated that certain
- 2:18Speaker 1: federal statutes protecting civil rights be administered by the Civil
- 2:21Speaker 1: Rights Division, including U.S. Code 18, Section 1591, regarding sex trafficking.
- 2:29Speaker 1: USAO Manual 8-3, entitled Enforcement of Civil Rights Criminal Statutes,
- 2:35Speaker 1: set forth detailed procedure for the USAO to follow in
- 2:39Speaker 1: criminal sex trafficking and other civil rights cases. Section 8-3-100
- 2:46Speaker 1: mandated coordination of activities requiring partnership between the Civil Rights
- 2:50Speaker 1: Division and the USAO on such cases. the Civil Rights
- 2:55Speaker 1: Division and the USAO Attorney's Office will work as partners
- 2:58Speaker 1: to ensure a vigorous national civil rights enforcement program. Section 8-3.100
- 3:06Speaker 1: noted the purpose of the manual chapter was to provide
- 3:09Speaker 1: guidance to the U.S. attorneys and the criminal section of
- 3:12Speaker 1: the Civil Rights Division in carrying out their responsibilities in
- 3:16Speaker 1: the investigation and prosecution of violation of criminal civil rights
- 3:20Speaker 1: statutes in a manner that that utilizes the trial expertise
- 3:24Speaker 1: and institutional knowledge of the criminal section of the Civil
- 3:28Speaker 1: Rights Division. The manual noted, cooperative prosecutions and investigations utilizing
- 3:34Speaker 1: attorneys from both criminal section and the USAOs can be
- 3:38Speaker 1: particularly successful and can provide valuable benefits in the enforcement
- 3:43Speaker 1: of these statutes. In addition, USAO Manual Section 8-3.100 states,
- 3:50Speaker 1: required the USAO to notify the Civil Rights Division of
- 3:54Speaker 1: all sex trafficking matters. Thus, if either the Civil Rights
- 3:57Speaker 1: Division or a USAO acted independently in such a case,
- 4:01Speaker 1: the office initiating the activity should ensure the other office
- 4:05Speaker 1: is notified in advance of the activity. Specifically, USAO shall
- 4:10Speaker 1: advise the Civil Rights Division on matters not already being
- 4:13Speaker 1: monitored by the Civil Rights Division, which appear likely to
- 4:16Speaker 1: result in inquiries to the Civil Rights Division. Similarly, USAO
- 4:22Speaker 1: Manual 8-3-110 required the FBI to promptly call or fax
- 4:28Speaker 1: any initiating FBI investigative request to the Chief of Criminal
- 4:33Speaker 1: Section of the Civil Rights Division. USAO Manual 8-3-120 required
- 4:40Speaker 1: the USAO to promptly notify in writing the Civil Rights
- 4:44Speaker 1: Division at the outset of all sex trafficking and other
- 4:47Speaker 1: human trafficking investigations. At the outset of a criminal investigation
- 4:52Speaker 1: initiated by the USAO that may implicate federal criminal civil
- 4:56Speaker 1: rights statutes, including human trafficking and involuntary servitude statutes, U.S.
- 5:02Speaker 1: Code 18, Section 1581 through 1594, the United States Attorney
- 5:08Speaker 1: shall advise the Civil Rights Division in writing of the
- 5:11Speaker 1: new investigation. USAO Manual Section 8-3.120 Procedure Further required that,
- 5:20Speaker 1: as to the child sex trafficking cases, the USAO must
- 5:24Speaker 1: also notify the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section of the
- 5:28Speaker 1: Criminal Division. In cases involving sex trafficking of minors in
- 5:32Speaker 1: violation of U.S. Code 18, Section 1591, the Child Exploitation
- 5:38Speaker 1: and Obscenity Section of the Criminal Division should also receive notification.
- 5:43Speaker 1: USAO Manual Section 83.120 It set forth specific procedure to
- 5:49Speaker 1: follow for such notification by letter or electronic mail, identifying
- 5:53Speaker 1: the targets of the investigation, the factual allegations to be investigated,
- 5:58Speaker 1: the statutes which may have been violated, the U.S. Attorney's
- 6:01Speaker 1: assessment of the significance of the case, whether the case
- 6:05Speaker 1: was of national interest, and the U.S. Attorney's proposed staffing
- 6:08Speaker 1: of the matter. Moreover, the USAO was to keep Civil
- 6:13Speaker 1: Rights Division apprised of new information in the case. The
- 6:17Speaker 1: United States Attorney will advise the Civil Rights Division as
- 6:20Speaker 1: the case develops of new information relating to the U.S.
- 6:23Speaker 1: Attorney's assessment of the case and whether it's one of
- 6:27Speaker 1: national interest. Although as per USAO Manual Section 8.3.120, the
- 6:34Speaker 1: Civil Rights Division gave deference to staffing proposals by the USAO,
- 6:39Speaker 1: the Civil Rights Division maintained ultimate authority over the staffing
- 6:44Speaker 1: of sex trafficking cases. Assistant Attorney General of the Civil
- 6:47Speaker 1: Rights Division retains the final and ongoing authority to determine
- 6:51Speaker 1: the staffing of any criminal civil rights matter. The USAO
- 6:55Speaker 1: Manual entrusted the Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights, not
- 6:59Speaker 1: the USAO, with the ultimate authority to determine whether a
- 7:02Speaker 1: case is of national interest. USAO Manual, Section 8-3.130. Moreover,
- 7:10Speaker 1: where there's a case of national interest, the Attorney General
- 7:12Speaker 1: may mandate that the Civil Rights Division serve as co-counsel,
- 7:16Speaker 1: starting with the commencement of the investigation through prosecution. USAO
- 7:21Speaker 1: Manual Section 8-3.130, in a case of national interest, the
- 7:27Speaker 1: Assistant Attorney General, in consultation with the United States Attorney,
- 7:31Speaker 1: may require that the USAO and the Civil Rights Division
- 7:34Speaker 1: participate jointly as co-counsel from the initiation of the investigation
- 7:39Speaker 1: through prosecution, taking into consideration the all of the circumstances
- 7:43Speaker 1: including the experience of the particular USAO. Presumably under USAO
- 7:50Speaker 1: Section 8-1.10, these detailed requirements were designed to ensure that
- 7:55Speaker 1: experienced and sufficient personnel were involved, sufficient and appropriate attention
- 8:01Speaker 1: and oversight was provided, individual federal law enforcement officers did
- 8:06Speaker 1: not skew decision-making or manifest poor judgment, and sloppy or
- 8:10Speaker 1: corrupt practices by a single USAO were not definitive. In
- 8:14Speaker 1: this case, in flat contradiction to federal regulation and USAO manual,
- 8:19Speaker 1: failed to promptly notify the Civil Rights Division of the
- 8:22Speaker 1: Epstein sex trafficking investigation. Indeed, it was not until February 28, 2008,
- 8:29Speaker 1: nearly six months after Epstein and the USAO signed the
- 8:32Speaker 1: NPA and some two years after USAO knew about Epstein's
- 8:36Speaker 1: sexual abuse and trafficking of minor children and young women,
- 8:40Speaker 1: that the USAO notified the Civil Rights Division about the
- 8:44Speaker 1: Epstein investigation. Moreover, even when the USAO finally provided its
- 8:49Speaker 1: late notice to the Civil Rights Division, the USAO designed
- 8:53Speaker 1: the notice to cover up their notification failure, unilaterally declaring
- 8:57Speaker 1: the matter was merely child prostitution and not a matter
- 9:00Speaker 1: of national interest. At no time, Was the proper notice
- 9:05Speaker 1: provided by USAO to the Civil Rights Division regarding the
- 9:09Speaker 1: Epstein sex trafficking investigation as required by the USAO Manual?
- 9:14Speaker 1: At no time was the Civil Rights Division accorded the
- 9:16Speaker 1: right to control the investigation staffing as required by USAO
- 9:20Speaker 1: Manual Section 83-120. At no time was the Civil Rights
- 9:26Speaker 1: Division informed of computer evidence that could be obtained against
- 9:30Speaker 1: Epstein regarding possible child pornography crimes. Despite the sensitive nature
- 9:35Speaker 1: of the investigation and issues, at no time was the
- 9:38Speaker 1: USAO informed by the guidance of the Civil Rights Division,
- 9:42Speaker 1: the trial expertise, and the institutional knowledge of the Civil
- 9:46Speaker 1: Rights Division or the need for uniform application of federal
- 9:49Speaker 1: law in the case. It appears that the USAO did
- 9:53Speaker 1: not inform the Civil Rights Division of the lengthy case
- 9:56Speaker 1: history or that the NPA had already been executed, nor
- 10:00Speaker 1: did the USAO otherwise comply with other notice requirements in
- 10:04Speaker 1: the USAO Manual. Without discovery, it's unknown whether or not
- 10:08Speaker 1: the FBI delivered any initiating request to the Chief of
- 10:12Speaker 1: Criminal Section of the Civil Rights Division as required by
- 10:15Speaker 1: the USAO Manual. the defendant utterly failed to competently follow
- 10:20Speaker 1: federal law requirements concerning the investigation and prosecution of Epstein
- 10:25Speaker 1: sex trafficking crimes. These failures are jarring, if not bizarre,
- 10:29Speaker 1: since the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida,
- 10:32Speaker 1: Alex Acosta, served as Assistant Attorney General to the Civil
- 10:36Speaker 1: Rights Division until mid-2005, immediately before becoming the U.S. Attorney
- 10:42Speaker 1: and heading the Epstein investigation. All right, folks, we're going
- 10:45Speaker 1: to wrap up right here. And in the next episode
- 10:47Speaker 1: dealing with the topic, we're going to pick up where
- 10:49Speaker 1: we left off. All the information that goes with this
- 10:52Speaker 1: episode can be found in the description box.