EFTA00208419

EFTA00208419 01:50 PM Subject: From: John Connolly Vanity Fair magazine Please confirm receipt. It was a pleasure speaking with you this morning. As per your request here are questions I would like to have answered for a piece I am researching on Jeffrey Epstein. As life would have it I am going to be on a busman's holiday this coming week on Singer Island, FL. I would like to meet you and whomever else you think I should speak with. If not, I understand perfectly. Let me preface these questions by saying that AUS.6 who was in charge of the investigation of Jeffrey Epstein has a remarkably record as a prosecutor. I also know that an AUSA does not have the authority to grant a potential defendant a non -prosecution agreement without the permission of higher ups in the Justice Department. Not quite three years ago, the US Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, granted Jeffrey Epstein a non- prosecution agreement in return for his accepting a FL State plea deal for his illegal acts regarding sex with minor females. The state case was handled by the West Palm Beach State Prosecutor who has since left office. Was your office aware of the extraordinary sweet deal that Mr. Epstein was granted by that state prosecutor? YES. BUT FOR OUR INSISTENCE, THE SAO WAS ACTUALLY GOING TO DO PRETRIAL DIVERSION WITH EPSTEIN ON A MISDEMEANOR CHARGE OF SOLICITATION OF ADULT PROSTITUTION. Was your office at the time of the agreement aware that Mr. Epstein would not be sent to a state prison facility as almost all defendants who are sentenced to more that a year in prison are required to do? DURING A MEETING ATTENDED BY ANDY LOURIE, ROLANDO GARCIA, STATE ATTORNEY BARRY KRISCHER, ASA LANNA BELOLAVEK AND MYSELF, IT WAS AGREED THAT JE WOULD STAY IN SOLITARY CONFINEMENT AT THE PALM BEACH COUNTY JAIL. Was your office aware that Mr. Epstein would serve his sentence in the local WPB jail? AT THE PALM BEACH COUNTY JAIL, NOT AT THE STOCKADE. Was your office aware that Mr. Epstein would be allowed, what most FL law enforcement officials describe as "beyond a sweetheart deal", in that six days a week at 7:00 AM Mr. Epstein would leave the the WPB jail with a corrections officer he was personally paying for, and be escorted to the office of attorney Jack Goldberger where he would be allowed to stay until 11:00 PM and then be returned to jail for the evening? Ostensibly this was so that Mr. Epstein could work on a new charity he had formed. This despite the fact that just prior to beginning his EFTA00208420 jail sentence, Mr. Epstein liquidated his charity and gave $18 million to a charity run by the wife of his former patron. Does the US Attorney believe that Mr. Epstein was working on a charity? AS MENTIONED DURING OUR PHONE CALL, DURING THE PLEA NEGOTIATIONS, WORK RELEASE WAS NEVER CONTEMPLATED AND IS NOT MENTIONED IN THE NON PROSECUTION AGREEMENT. AFTER THE "APPEAL" TO MAIN JUSTICE, WHEN IT CAME BACK DOWN TO OUR OFFICE, JEFF SLOMAN, KAREN, AND I TOOK A MUCH HARDER LINE, AND BOB SENIOR ALSO BECAME INVOLVED, AND HE ALSO TOOK A MUCH HARDER LINE. THE FBI AND I HEARD THROUGH THE GRAPEVINE THAT JE WAS SNIFFING AROUND ABOUT WORK RELEASE, SO KAREN AND I HAD A SPECIFIC SERIES OF CONVERSATIONS WITH ROY BLACK AND JACK GOLDBERGER ABOUT JE SERVING HIS TIME INCARCERATED 24 HOURS PER DAY. PURSUANT TO THE NPA, OUR OFFICE WAS ENTITLED TO REVIEW THE STATE PLEA AGREEMENT BEFORE IT WAS SIGNED. THE STATE PLEA AGREEMENT DID NOT CONFORM TO THE NPA AND WE OBJECTED BECAUSE IT DID NOT REQUIRE INCARCERATION. EVEN AFTER ALL OF THAT, JE APPLIED FOR AND WAS APPROVED FOR WORK RELEASE. WE SENT A NOTICE OF BREACH LETTER, AND THAT WAS WHEN I RECEIVED THE CALL FROM JAY LEFKOWITZ SAYING THAT JAY AND ALAN DERSHOWITZ HAD GOTTEN APPROVAL FROM ALEX FOR JE TO GO OUT ON WORK RELEASE. AS FOR WHETHER JE WAS REALLY WORKING ON A CHARITY, SEE MY EARLIER LETTER. Was Mr. Epstein doing work as a Confidential Informer for the federal government as he has in the past? Mr. Eptein was Victim # 1 in the federal indictment of two Bear Stears executives on fraud charges stemming from a mortgage backed fund that went under. Mr. Epstein lost almost $70 million in that fund. Was Mr. Epstein working on the government case while working on "His Charity"? WE BELIEVE THAT ALL OF THIS IS URBAN MYTH. THE FBI AND I LOOKED INTO THIS AND DO NOT BELIEVE THAT ANY OF IT IS TRUE. Has your office ever agreed to any allow any other prisoner the same or similar sweet deal? NO AUSA I HAVE EVER TALKED TO HAS HEARD OF ONE. Was your office aware that in return for Mr. Goldberger's help, Mr. Epstein purchased for him a top of the line black BMW? (Sadly for Goldberger he was in an accident and totaled the vehicle three weeks later.) THIS WAS REPORTED IN THE PALM BEACH POST AND I HAVE SEEN HIM DRIVING THE CAR. (EPSTEIN BOUGHT HIM A REPLACEMENT AFTER HE TOTALED THE FIRST ONE.) It has come to my attention that the R. Alexander Acos to former Attorney General for the Southern District of Florida during the investigation and non-prosecution agreement with Mt Epstein had been a law partner and friend of two Mt Epstein's lawyers. Both Ken Star and Jay Lefkowitz had been partners with Mr. Acosta at the law firm of Kirkland & Ellis prior to his being appointed by President Bush. I have been told by sources that Mt Acosta was the person responsible for the decision not to prosecute Mr. Epstein. I have also been told that during Mr. Starr's trip to FL to speak with federal prosecutors he complained to Mr. Acosta that the press coverage of his trips to FL on Mt Epstein's private jets were being leaked by FBI agents. ( I can assure you that was not true.) Did Mr. Acosta recuse himself from any discussions about the Epstein case so as to avoid even the appearance of impropriety? Was the possibility of his removing himself from the case ever discussed by officials in the Justice Department? Are there any memos regarding that? Is there currently an Office of Professional Responsibility investigation into the facts surrounding the handling of this case and Mr. Acosta actions in it? EFTA00208421 EPSTEIN'S M.O. WAS TO HIRE ATTORNEYS WHO COULD GET HIM ACCESS. FOR THE SAO, THE FIRST ASA WAS MAKING REAL HEADWAY, SO HE FIRED HIS FIRST ATTORNEY (GUY FRONSTIN) AND REPLACED HIM WITH JACK GOLDBERGER, WHO IS PARTNERS WITH THE FIRST ASA'S HUSBAND, AND IS GOOD FRIENDS WITH THE THEN STATE ATTORNEY, BARRY KRISHER. THAT ENDED THE SAO CASE. WHEN THE CASE CAME TO OUR OFFICE, HE HIRED GUY LEWIS, THE USA WHO HIRED ME. GUY STARTED CALLING ME INCESSENTLY (5 OR MORE TIMES A DAY). WHEN I WOULDN'T RETURN HIS CALLS AND REFUSED TO MEET WITH HIM, JE HIRED LILLY ANN, WHO ALSO TRIED ME. WHEN I REFUSED TO MEET HER, SHE IMMEDIATELY CALLED ANDY LOURIE, WHO GRANTED MEETINGS. WHEN IT WENT ABOVE ANDY AND MATT'S LEVEL, JE HIRED LEFKOWITZ AND STARR, WHO HAD CONNECTIONS TO ACOSTA. WHEN THE CASE WENT TO CEOS, JE HIRED A FORMER CEOS ATTORNEY. Thanks so much for your help, John Connolly EFTA00208422