Ex‑Epstein employee allegedly tried to sell a "Holy Grail" of victim lists to FBI for $50,000

=D-350 (Rev. 5-8-81) * ® adicate page, name of 3wspaper, city and state.) Ex-Epstein worker faces Jacl Character: ayes or Classification: 3) om Submitting Office: ~ AA M- { ORD) o> obstruction charges The FBI says he tried to sell information to an agent. agent’s affidavit, Alfredo Rod- riguez offered to later sell the information for $50,000 — Rodriguez calling it the sent ir to make the buy from Rodriguez. Rodriguez, born in 195, had told police that he worked for Epstein as a cover agent and produced a small bound book and several sheets of legal paper, which he told the agent he had tak- By SUSAN.SPENCER-WENDEL critical information from fed- “Holy Grail” or “Golden Nug- butler) chauffeur, chef and en from Epstein’s home while a ae Palin Beach Post Staff Writer eral agents — an expansive get” — to a government wit- house:aanY sometimes pick employed there in 2004 and Epstein WEST PALM BEACH — list of Epstein victims and ness, who is notnamed in the ing uy. and cleaning sex toys 2005. Rodriguez then began Papers A former employee of sex- , witnesses — as investigators affidavit. left bchind after Epstein fin- counting his $50,000 payoff. listed Palm scandal-plagued Jeffrey Ep- probed the Palm Beach finan- The affidavitdoes notrefer ished his encounters with the | He was stopped, detained | Beachsex. stein has been charged with cier for sexual exploitation of toEpstein by name, either underage girls. on the spot and questioned offender’s obstruction ofjustice after the minors. In early November, an According to the affidavit, by agents, according to the victims employee allevedly withkeld According to ar. FEI undercover FBI agent was Rodriguez met the under. See EPSTEIN, 5B > Information could have altered case | b> EPSTEIN from 1B affidavit. Rodriguez told agents of witness- ing nude girls whom he believed to be underage at Epstein’s pool area, of knowing that his former employ- er was having sex with underage girls, and of viewing underage por- nography on computers in Epstein’s home. - ; * Special Agent Christina Pryor wrote that later review of the papers and book Rodriguez handed over revealed information “that would have been extremely useful in investigating and prosecuting the case, including names and contact information of material witnesses and additional victims.” “Had those items been produced in response to inquiries of state law enforcement officers or the Special ents, their contents would have ‘been presented to the federal erand _ jury,” Pryor wrote. The information allegedly with- held by Rodriguez may have been a tipping point in the controversial probe of Epstein. Federal prosecu- tors ended up striking an extraor dinary deal with Epstein and his top-flight lawyers: agreeing to recall grand jury subpoenas if Epstein pleaded guilty to prostitution- related felonies in state court, which he ultimately did. Epstein received an 18-month jail sentence. He served 13 months and was allowed to leave the jail most waking hours of the day. An attorney for Rodriguez, Assis- tant Federal Public Defender Dave Brannon, declined to comment on his behalf. An unnamed government witness mentioned in the affidavit is likely one of the attorneys representing women in a gagele of current civil lawsuits against Epstein. The affidavit outlines how the unnamed witness had deposed Rodriguez, who denied having docu- ments, then received a call from Rodriguez later offering to sell for — $50,000 the “Holy Grail.” “Rodriguez explained that the information contained hundreds of — additional victims and their phone numbers from diverse geographic locations including New York, New Mexico and Paris,” according to the affidavit. Rodriguez is scheduled to be ar raigned in federal court Monday. Also in the affidavit are the reasons Rodriguez cited to the un- named witness for why he withheld the lists from investigators: He con- sidered it his property and should be compensated for it, and he feared the target of the federal investiga- tion, Epstein, would make him dis- appear or otherwise harm him. © susan_spenccr_wendel phoact com 3/E-Wyf-] DF hadi 2 HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_021665