Public Corruption Unit

Public Corruption Unit Short Form Updates September 6, 2019 A. SIGNIFICANT DEVELOPMENTS IN CASES • In re Jeffrey Epstein. On August 10, Epstein committed suicide at the MCC. (A separate update on the ongoing investigation into MCC guards in connection with the night/morning of his death is provided below.) The investigation into Epstein's co-conspirators continues. In particular, we have developed considerable evidence regarding the involvement o. , one of his assistants, who participated in scheduling massages, setting up the massage room, photographing victims, and paying victims, among other things. We are also actively investigating Epstein's former girlfriend, Ghislaine Maxwell, who has been publicly accused of recruiting and grooming victims. We spoke to one victim last week who was recruited and groomed by Maxwell in the 1990's beginning at age 17. We have and/or are in the process of scheduling interviews with three additional victims who possess information about Maxwell, although one was above age at the time of their interactions. , one of Epstein's assistants who possesses information abou has been cooperating with our investigation and we are scheduled to interview her a second time next week. Additional details about the ongoing interviews have been provided in emails to the brass. In addition, we are seeking a search warrant for the vast amount of electronics seized at Epstein's USVI residence; the warrant that authorized us to seize the materials did not authorize searching them. We will then work with the FBI on a plan to review the extremely large amount of data seized in Manhattan and the USVI; we will need the FBI to commit considerable resources to assisting in the review. • In re: MCC Suicide Investi ation : Investigation into the circumstances surrounding the death by suicide of Jeffrey Epstein on the morning of August 10, 2019, while detained at the MCC pending trial on sex trafficking charges. Our investigation to date has focused principally on the two guards assigned to the Special Housing Unit ("SHU") where Epstein was being housed on the night/morning of his death, Officer Michael Thomas and Officer Tova Noel. In particular, we have learned that neither officer did the scheduled counts of the SHU at 12pm, 3am or 5am while falsely certifying, on written count sheets, that they had, in fact, completed the counts. In addition, it appears that Noel, who also worked the prior shift, failed to do 10pm counts the evening before as well. We have similarly learned that the officers did not do the mandated 30-minute rounds throughout the night (while, again, falsely indicating that they had in required MCC paperwork), meaning that while Epstein should have been checked every 30 minutes throughout the night, he was in fact not checked at all during the overnight shift until his body was discovered at approximately 6:30am on the morning of the 10th. In addition, while we are awaiting work presently EFTA00072562 being done by the FBI to potentially restore and/or improve surveillance video from the SHU on the night of Epstein's suicide, an FBI review of the video we do have suggests that the counts, in particular, are regularly done and that it would be extremely unusual, as was the case the evening of Epstein's suicide, for multiple consecutive counts not to be done. As we consider final charging decisions, counsel for both Thomas and Noel have asked to present to us on their clients' behalf, and we have scheduled those presentations for October 8. • • EFTA00072563 I • EFTA00072564 M= M I • 4 EFTA00072565 I M i. 5 EFTA00072566 M IW- EFTA00072567 I I ”Ma 7 EFTA00072568