Pedophile Jeffrey Epstein had stash of cash, diamonds and a fake Saudi passport at NYC mansion, prosecutors reveal – as he brazenly stares down his victims in court while they beg judge to deny him bail
- Jeffrey Epstein accusers Courtney Wild and Annie Farmer spoke at his bail hearing in federal court on Monday, asking that he remain behind bars
- ‘He is a scary person to have walking the streets,’ said Wild, who claims she was 14 the first time Epstein assaulted her at his Palm Beach home
- ‘I was 16 years old when I had the misfortune of meeting Jeffrey Epstein in New York. He later flew me to New Mexico to spend time with him,’ said Farmer
- The billionaire pedophile, 66, will now learn on Thursday whether he will be released ahead of his trial on federal sex trafficking charges
- Epstein obtained a passport from Saudi Arabia in the 1980s that had his photo but another person’s name, prosecutors said on Monday
- Prosecutors said that Epstein had sizable assets in diamonds and art which they discovered throughout his Manhattan mansion, and ‘piles of cash’
Two of Jeffrey Epstein’s accusers finally got their day in court on Monday when they spoke at the convicted pedophile’s bail hearing in New York.
Courtney Wild and Annie Farmer both detailed how they continue to struggle more than a decade after Epstein allegedly forced the two to perform rape acts on him or themselves when they were underage.
Epstein made no comments as the women delivered their remarks, and instead stared them down the entire time with a stern look on his face.
The billionaire pedophile, 66, will now learn on Thursday whether he will be released ahead of his trial on federal sex trafficking charges or ordered to remain behind bars.
It was revealed during the proceedings on Monday that Epstein was discovered to have diamonds, artwork and piles of cash throughout his Manhattan mansion, as well as an official passport with an assumed name that was issued by a foreign government.
DailyMail.com can now report that the passport was issued by Saudi Arabia.
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Standing strong: Jeffrey Epstein accusers Courtney Wild (right) and Annie Farmer (left) spoke at his bail hearing in federal court on Monday, asking that he remain behind bars
In court: The billionaire pedophile (left in sketch from court on Monday) will now learn on Thursday whether he will be released ahead of his trial on federal sex trafficking charges
Hoping for relief: ‘He is a scary person to have walking the streets,’ said Wild (second right with Farmer on left), who claims she was 14 the first time Epstein assaulted her at his Palm Beach home
The two accusers sat through almost two hours of arguments before getting their chance to speak on Monday.
‘Your honor, my name is Courtney Wild. I was sexually abused by Jeffrey Epstein from the age of 14,’ said Wild, who also attended week’s hearings.
‘I would like the court to not grant him bond and to call for his detention for the safety of other girls out there who are going through what I’m going through.’
She then added: ‘He is a scary person to have walking the streets’
Epstein looked at Judge Berman when Wild made that comment, the one time he looked away from his accuser during her remarks.
‘I was 16 years old when I had the misfortune of meeting Jeffrey Epstein in New York. He later flew me to New Mexico to spend time with him,’ said Farmer, speaking publicly for the first time.
She also spoke about Epstein’s wealth, shortly after his defense team tried to suggest it was a hindrance to him in the case,
‘His wealth and privilege and the notoriety of the case made it more difficult for victims to come forward,’ said Farmer.
She also stated that she and the other victims ‘continued to be victimized’ following the discovery of the thousands of nude and semi-nude images inside Epstein’s New York mansion last week.
Epstein obtained an official passport from a foreign government in the 1980s that had his photo but another name, prosecutors revealed in court on Monday.
The team of attorneys from the Southern District of New York also said the wealthy financier had piles of cash and diamonds in his $77million Upper East Side mansion when it was raided last week.
Judge Richard Berman ordered Epstein to remain behind bars on sex trafficking charges at the Manhattan Correctional Center until a bail hearing scheduled for Thursday.
Two of have Epstein’s accusers, Courtney Wild and Annie Farmer, also confronted him in court and spoke at the end of the hearing. Wild said he is a ‘scary person’ and urged the judge to keep him behind bars for the ‘safety of any other girls’.
Assistant US Attorney Alex Rossmiller noted the passport had only recently expired according to Courthouse News reporter Adam Klasfeld.
That passport also listed Epstein’s residence as being in Saudi Arabia, said Rossmiller, who revealed in court it was one of the items found in the search.
Epstein’s legal team pleaded with the judge to let the disgraced businessman out of jail and said he is in solitary confinement.
‘We need him released, judge. This is an enormously challenging case for defense counsel,’ argued Epstein’s lawyer.
In their rebuttal, prosecutors said: ‘Your honor, it’s underage girls that are involved in this case, and it’s underage girls that are the victims.’
Rossmiller also noted that Epstein’s finances remain a mystery, something Judge Berman pointed out at the start of the proceedings as well while demanding a more compete accounting of the pedophile’s assets.
Federal prosecutors said on Monday that they just recently learned about more hidden assets following the search of Epstein’s home.
Those assets were in diamonds and art, which were discovered throughout he residence according to Rossmiller.
There were also ‘piles of cash’ found tucked away in Epstein’s safe.
‘How much money does he have? Where is it?’ asked Rossmiller in court.
‘How much of it is in diamonds or art?’
Legal eagles: The members of the US Attorney’s Office on the case enter court on Monday (l to r: Alex Rossmiller, Allison Moe and Maurene Comey)
Defense: Epstein learned he would be ordered back to prison at the start of his bail hearing , with the judge delaying his ruling until Thursday (Palm Beach victim Courtney Wild stands with her hand on her chin outside court on Monday in Manhattan)
The financial records that have been handed over by Epstein already list his wealth at over $500 million according to prosecutors, with one account containing $110 million.
He also has another $400 million in various holdings according to his incomplete filing.
Epstein, who was asked a week ago to get his finances in order to present to the judge in the case, submitted just a single page of information to the court.
His lawyers defended this by noting the ‘series of articles’ in the media that emerge after every new development in the case.
Prior to that, the defense tried to mitigate Epstein’s payment of $350,000 to two individuals after the Miami Herald exposé was first published last November.
His lawyers stated: ;The payment of an employee and the payment of a friend is not “witness tampering’ because the Miami Herald wrote an article.”‘
Defense attorney Martin Weinberg also told Judge Berman that his client ‘would sign any bond’ or hand over ‘any collateral’ in order to ‘virtually guarantee’ all future appearances in court.
‘[Bernie] Madoff was released on bail. He surrendered,’ pointed out Weinberg.
Epstein, unlike Madoff, has a home in a foreign country and is not facing financial ruin. He has also been accused of sex crimes, while Madoff was solely convicted of financial crimes.
Statements of fact: Prosecutors said that Epstein had sizable assets in diamonds and art which they discovered throughout his Manhattan mansion, and ‘piles of cash’
Wild said Epstein is a ‘scary person’ and urged the judge to keep him behind bars for the ‘safety of any other girls’
Epstein Bail USA 7-12-19 by on Scribd
Epstein has spent every night since his arrest on Saturday July 6 in the Metropolitan Correctional Center in downtown Manhattan, where his new roommates include Mexican drug lord Joaquin ‘El Chapo’ Guzman.
Federal prosecutors are hoping to keep him locked up at the facility ahead of his trial after charging the previously convicted pedophile with two counts of sex trafficking minors.
His defense team will keep trying to get him released, citing the previous non-prosecution agreement he signed as part of a 2008 plea deal in Palm Beach.
Lawyers for Epstein also claim that his previous accusers and the alleged underage victims he is charged with trafficking were prostitutes.
There were 49 accusers in that previous Palm Beach case according to a deposition of Epstein that was taken by one of the victim’s lawyers and obtained by DailyMail.com.
A few of those women sat in court to witness the proceedings on Monday, 14 years after police in Palm Beach first began investigating Epstein for sexual battery.
Epstein’s lawyers informed Judge Berman last week that their client would agree to house arrest at his Manhattan mansion if released on bail ahead of his trial.
That was one of 14 conditions spelled out in the letter, which the defense was ordered to submit ahead of Judge Berman’s ruling on Monday.
Epstein’s lawyers said that their client would also install surveillance cameras inside and outside the mansion, wear electronic monitoring with a global positioning system,’ and have no one ‘enter the residence, other than Mr. Epstein and his attorneys.’
SEX TRAFFICKING & CONSPIRACY TO COMMIT SEX TRAFFICKING
Sex Trafficking of Minors (maximum sentence of 40 years in prison)
This refers to any recruitment, harboring, transportation, provision, obtaining, patronizing, or soliciting of a minor for the purpose of a commercial sex act.
Offenders of this crime often target vulnerable children and gain control over them using a variety of manipulative methods.
Those offenders now have more channels to carry out these crimes with the advent of the Internet and mobile technology, and as a result are harder to apprehend in most cases.
In Epstein’s case, he was with an employee in New York who he allegedly instructed to contact a minor in Palm Beach to set up a meeting between the two.
This happened at least two times with two different employees and two different minors according to the indictment.
Conspiracy to Sex Traffic Minor (maximum sentence of five years in prison)
This refers to enticing a minor for the purpose of a commercial sex act.
In Epstein’s case, he allegedly contacted the minor victim in New York and set up a meeting at his mansion during which a commercial sex act took place.
An Epstein employee was also involved in scheduling that meeting.
There was no mention of whom he could contact on his phone however, and while he agreed to a bond it has long been difficult to assess his net worth.
The lawyers stated that the bond would be in ‘an amount set by the court after reviewing additional information regarding Mr. Epstein’s finances, which Mr. Epstein will seek the court’s permission to provide via sealed supplemental disclosure.’
It was also noted: ‘Mr. Epstein stands ready and willing to pay for 24-hour armed guards should the Court deem it necessary or appropriate.’
Epstein would report daily to pretrial services on the phone, have a trustee or trustees move into his mansion to monitor him and deregister all vehicles and ground his jet.
‘In essence, the government seeks to remand a self-made New York native and lifelong American resident based on dated allegations for which he was already convicted and punished – conduct the re-litigation of which is barred by a prior federal non-prosecution agreement,’ wrote Epstein’s lawyer Reid Weingarten in his submission.
‘The government makes this drastic demand even though Mr. Epstein has never once attempted to flee the United States – despite a Florida federal judge’s stated belief that he could void the NPA in appropriate circumstances, possibly threatening new charges there, and notwithstanding legally erroneous government assertions in ancillary litigation that Mr. Epstein was subject to potential prosecution in other federal judicial districts, including this one specifically.’
The letter also praises Epstein’s rise to riches from humble beginnings, while stressing his inability to speak any foreign languages.
‘Mr. Epstein, 66, is a U.S. citizen who’s lived his entire life in this country. Born and bred in Coney Island, he worked his way up from humble origins – his father was a New York City municipal employee in the Parks Department – and earned every penny he’s made with nothing more than a high school diploma,’ stated Weingarten at one point.
‘He speaks only English and knows no other languages. He owns no foreign businesses and holds no foreign bank accounts. Five of the six residences he maintains are located here in America. His brother, niece, and nephew all live here too.’
The federal court filing also references Epstein’s status as a sex offender in the Virgin Islands, where he has received the lowest assignation, as opposed to the state of New York, where he is at the highest level.
‘The defense respectfully suggests that Mr. Epstein’s Virgin Islands designation is more consistent with the circumstances of the actual offenses for which he was convicted, and certainly more consistent with the predictive factor of whether there is a danger of recidivism which the defense contends there is not,’ reads the filing.
Lock him up: Prosecutors want Epstein behind bars ahead of his federal trial, which would not happen until at least next year (excerpt from SDNY bail letter above)
Letter Motion by on Scribd
In their response submitted on Friday, prosecutors cited Epstein’s lack of family and wide network of associates as making him a flight risk while arguing for him to remain behind bars.
LABOR SEC. ACOSTA’S EPSTEIN DEAL
Jeffrey Epstein signed a non-prosecution agreement in his previous case, which was overseen by President Trump’s former Secretary of Labor, Alex Acosta.
That agreement is currently at the center of anther court case as the victims who first came forward are trying to have the case retried.
The non-prosecution deal does not extend to the Southern District of New York however, and while the young girls in the indictment were in Palm Beach at the time of the criminal action detailed by prosecutors, the actual crime was happening in New York.
A federal judge recently ruled that the agreement violated the rights of more than 30 victims, but the Department of Justice has stated that the case should not be retried in a court filing.
Acosta, who in his role as US attorney violated the rights of Epstein’s alleged victims when he neglected to notify them that they were no longer pursuing federal charges, stepped down shortly after Epstein’s arrest.
‘The defendant is a serial sexual predator who is charged with abusing underage girls for years. A grand jury has returned an indictment alleging that he sexually exploited dozens of minors, including girls as young as 14 years old, in New York and Florida,’ wrote prosecutors in a letter signed by US Attorney Geoffrey Berman and Assistant US Attorneys Alex Rossmiller, Alison Moe, and Maurene Comey.
‘To this day, he is a registered sex offender designated by New York State in the highest category of risk to reoffend, despite unsuccessfully attempting to have that classification lowered.’
It continued: ‘And any doubt that the defendant is unrepentant and unreformed was eliminated when law enforcement agents discovered hundreds or thousands of nude and seminude photographs of young females in his Manhattan mansion on the night of his arrest, more than a decade after he was first convicted of a sex crime involving a juvenile.’
That filing also addressed Epstein’s defense tactic of pegging the victims in the case as prostitutes.
‘The defense calls these disturbing alleged acts “simple prostitution,”‘ read the letter.
‘That characterization is not only offensive but also utterly irrelevant given that federal law does not recognize the concept of a child prostitute—there are only trafficking victims—because a child cannot legally consent to being exploited.’
Epstein entered a not guilty plea to federal charges last Monday just hours after it was revealed that an ‘extraordinary volume of photographs of nude and partially-nude young women or girls’ was discovered by agents over the weekend during their search of Epstein’s Manhattan mansion.
Federal prosecutors detailed some of the other evidence discovered inside the home in the bail memorandum, which requests that Epstein remain in prison ahead of trial.
That listed ‘documents and other materials, such as contemporaneous notes, messages recovered from the defendant’s residence that include names and contact information for certain victims, and call records that confirm the defendant and his agents were repeatedly in contact with various victims during the charged period. ‘
TIMELINE OF JEFFREY EPSTEIN’S LEGAL TROUBLES
1999-2002 – Virginia Roberts [Jane Doe #3] claims to she served as a ‘sex slave’ for Jeffrey Epstein and was required to engage in sexual activity with him and a number of his high-profile friends.
March 2005 – Authorities in Florida launch a probe into Epstein after a mother calls and alleges that her daughter was molested at his Palm Beach estate.
May 2006 – A probable cause affidavit is filed by the Palm Beach Police Department after the sexual battery investigation into Epstein, Sarah Kellen and Haley Robson Sworn. It charges Epstein with four counts of lewd and lascivious behavior for unlawful sex with a minor. Five victims and seventeen witnesses were interviewed, and alleged that Epstein engaged in unlawful sexual behavior. Sworn meanwhile was accused of profiting by providing young girls to Epstein, while Kellen was tasked with keeping a black book containing the names and contact information of these minors in her capacity as Epstein’s assistant.
May 2006 – Barry Krischer, the State Attorney in Palm Beach, refers the case to a grand jury.
June 2006 – The grand jury returns an indictment of one count of solicitation of prostitution. This charge does not reflect that the individual in question was a minor. Only one girl testifies in front of the grand jury.
July 2006 – The Palm Beach Police Chief grows increasingly annoyed as he watches the lack of progress his investigation is making in the legal system, and convinces the FBI to open a federal investigation. It is dubbed Operation Leap Year and the possible crime being probed is ‘child prostitution.’
November 2006 – Operation Leap Year picks up steam as the FBI begins interviewing potential witnesses and victims from the three states where Epstein owns property: Florida, New York and New Mexico.
June 2007 – The US Attorney’s Office drafts a lengthy indictment as the federal probe of Epstein comes to an end, while at the same time Epstein begins negotiating a possible plea deal.
July 2007 – A new set of grand jury subpoenas are issued, including ones for Epstein’s computers. When police go to execute those subpoenas at Epstein’s Palm Beach home, they discover they have all been removed.
August 2007 – The US Attorney in Miami at the time, Alex Acosta, joins the Epstein negotiation talks.
September 2007 – Epstein signs a non-prosecution agreement on September 24 after rejecting multiple plea deals. His criminal charges are then deferred to the Palm Beach County State Attorney’s Office.
October 2007 – Acosta meets with Epstein’s lawyer Jay Lefkowitz to finalize the terms of the plea deal. It is agreed that the victims would not be notified, the deal would be kept under seal and all grand jury subpoenas would be canceled – including the one for Epstein’s computers, which were still at large.
January 2008 – After months of demands, Epstein and his lawyers say they will not longer accept the plea deal because he forces him to register as a sex offender.
February 2008 – A civil lawsuit is filed against Epstein by an anonymous woman, stating that as a 16-year-old minor she was recruited to give Epstein a paid massage. She demands $50 million, claiming that she was then force to perform sex acts on Epstein.
March 2008 – A federal grand jury presentation is planned following the FBI probe. Lawyers for Epstein begin harassing victims with phone calls and one of his investigators is accused of trying to run a victim’s father off the road.
March 2008 – A second woman files a civil action against Epstein.
May 2008 – It is announced that with no plea deal in case, the federal case against Epstein can proceed.
June 2008 – On June 30, Epstein pleads guilty to one count of solicitation of prostitution and one count of solicitation of prostitution with a minor under the age of 18. Both are state charges and he is sentenced to 18 months in jail. He will also have to register as a sex offender.
July 2008 – Epstein’s victims learn of the plea deal, but it will be another 10 years before they are informed of all the details, including the fact that victim was 16 in the charge to which Epstein entered a guilty plea and not 14 like the women were led to believe. This allowed Epstein to avoid registering as a sex offender in multiple states like New Mexico, where he has a ranch. An emergency petition is filed udner the Crime Victims’ Rights Act, which mandates that victims be informed about plea agreements and the right to appear at sentencing. It is ignored.
August 2008 – Epstein’s agreement cannot be unsealed for the victims to see it is ruled in court, with federal prosecutors fighting to keep the records hidden from the public.
October 2008 – Epstein begins work release from the county stockad, where six days a week an he is transported to an office where he is able to work and entertain visitors. He returns to the stockade in the evening.
December 2008 – A judge grants Epstein’s request to travel to New York for a day and then an extended stay. He says it is for a court case, but after an initial filing there is no follow-up in the case.
July 22, 2009 – Epstein is released from prison.
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