Legal memorandum argues Jeffrey Epstein's conduct does not meet federal sex‑trafficking statutes

ALLEN GUTHRIE MCHUGH & THOMAS, PLLC Mr. John Roth June 19, 2008 Page 13 had attained the requisite legal age. Finally, although 18 U.S.C. §2423(f)(2) also defines “illicit sexual conduct” as any commercial sex act with a person under the age of 18, 18 U.S.C. §2423(g) also provides a specific affirmative defense as to that age element if proven by a preponderance of the evidence that Mr. Epstein reasonably believed that the young women had attained the requisite legal age. As we have demonstrated, time and again the women involved lied to Mr. Epstein as to their true age, representing that they were, in fact, over the age of 18. Many of them also represented that they worked at local massage parlors, which presumably would have imposed a legal age requirement. Lastly, in contrast to 18 U.S.C. §1591, Mr. Epstein’s conduct did not involve trafficking of women or children in the sex industry, and was not part of any phenomenon that, in the aggregate, had an economic impact on interstate or foreign commerce. Additionally, Mr. Epstein did not benefit financially from the alleged conduct. Therefore, as the SAO determined, and still believes, Mr. Epstein was a customer, a “John” for whom prosecutions are best left to the State to address. Indeed, there is no reported precedent extending federal law to a local “John” who does not violate the child exploitation statutes. Indeed, CEOS does not point to a single case where federal prosecutors have used § 1591 ina case involving facts like these. Instead, every § 1591 prosecution has involved national or international sex trafficking and/or for-profit prostitution rings, involving the knowing use of minors and/or forcible coercion, or forcible rape, physical abuse or intimidation. These are the elements required by the statute, and they are not met here. Although CEOS could, perhaps, point to United States v. Evans, 476 F.3d 1176 (11" Cir. 2007) as a case that, standing alone, involved wholly intrastate conduct, the facts of that case are far different in key respects than this one. The Evans case involved both the commercial and coercive components that Congress, and administration policy statements intended in 18 U.S.C. § 1591 prosecutions. Evans, and his co-conspirators (Madison and Yearby) were not “Johns.” They operated a for profit prostitution ring marked by control of, and extreme violence toward, the victims, who they knew were underage. Indeed, Evans forced one such victim, age 14 years old, to continue to work even after she had been hospitalized with AIDS. As part of their business, Evans and his co-conspirators provided the victims with cell phones, hotels, and condoms, and the victims were forced to give all of their money from this prostitution ring to Evans and his co-conspirators. None of this type of activity comes close to the facts regarding Mr. Epstein. Finally, but significantly, the prostitution ring in Evans was not, in fact, entirely intrastate as the companion case of one of the Evans co-defendants makes clear. See, United States v. Madison, 477 F.3d 1312, 1313-1314 (1 14 Cir. 2007) (Jane Doe #2 stated that she traveled to Atlanta, Georgia with Madison to work as a prostitute). Thus, courts, including the Eleventh Circuit in Evans, have underscored the point that § 1591 simply is not intended to cover the kind of alleged conduct at issue here. “Section 1591 does not criminalize all acts of prostitution (a vice traditionally governed by state regulation). Rather, its reach is limited to sex trafficking that involves children or is accomplished by force, fraud, or coercion.” United States v. Evans, 476 F.3d at 1179 n. 1; See also United States v. Sims, 171 Fed. HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_012195