According to DOJ-released documents indexed by Epstein Exposed, David Schoen appears in 0 case documents, and 3 email records in the Epstein files.
Criminal defense attorney who met with Jeffrey Epstein in jail for five hours on August 1, 2019 - nine days before Epstein's death. Epstein asked Schoen to take over his legal defense, and Schoen agreed to represent him. Schoen has publicly stated he doubts Epstein committed suicide based on their interaction. He later served as one of Trump's defense lawyers during his second impeachment trial (2021) and represented Steve Bannon. Named in DOJ documents EFTA01033411 and EFTA02634179.
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David Schoen is mentioned in documents or reporting related to the Epstein case. Being mentioned does not imply any wrongdoing, criminal conduct, or inappropriate behavior.
This dossier was generated by AI (Claude) from court filings, government releases, and other documentary sources in our database. It may contain errors or misattributions. Always verify claims against the linked source documents.
Background
David Schoen is a criminal defense attorney based in Atlanta, Georgia. He is the author of a law review article published in the Journal of Criminal Law & Criminology (Northwestern University School of Law) in 2014, focusing on victims' rights and prosecutorial oversight. His academic and legal work has addressed the Crime Victims' Rights Act (CVRA), the Sixth Amendment, and related topics, as evidenced by LexisNexis research queries he conducted on February 28, 2019, and his published scholarship. He later gained national prominence as one of Donald Trump's defense lawyers during the second impeachment trial in February 2021, and has represented other high-profile clients including Steve Bannon.
Epstein Connection
Schoen had a long-standing attorney-client relationship with Jeffrey Epstein spanning more than a decade. According to press accounts referenced in SDNY internal emails, Epstein 'consulted periodically' with Schoen over that period. Documentary evidence shows Epstein emailed Schoen as early as February 22, 2010, discussing Justice Stephen Breyer and the U.S. Attorney's office, and corresponded with him about legal matters between 2013 and 2016, including a lawsuit against the Broward County Sheriff's Department and the hiring of a private investigator. Most significantly, after Epstein was formally removed from 24-hour suicide watch at the Metropolitan Correctional Center (MCC), Schoen visited him on approximately August 1, 2019 -- nine days before Epstein's death on August 10, 2019. Epstein reportedly asked Schoen to take over his legal defense, and Schoen agreed. Schoen subsequently gave a public interview about the meeting, which drew sharp criticism from SDNY prosecutors.
Key Allegations(8)
Schoen met with Epstein at MCC in the days after Epstein's initial suicide attempt, after Epstein was removed from 24-hour suicide watch.
documentedSchoen had consulted with Epstein periodically over more than a decade prior to the August 2019 meeting.
documentedSchoen reportedly believed that convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein did not commit suicide.
allegedSDNY prosecutors characterized Schoen's public interview about his Epstein meeting as 'huge, crazy, absurdly self-aggrandizing' and stated 'I don't believe a word of his.'
documentedEpstein corresponded with Schoen about legal matters including a lawsuit against the Broward County Sheriff's Department and the hiring of a private investigator, mentioning a former FBI contact.
documentedEpstein emailed Schoen on February 22, 2010, mentioning sitting next to Justice Stephen Breyer at a DC panel and commenting that Breyer believes the sentencing system is broken.
documentedEpstein summoned numerous lawyers to visit him at MCC, including Schoen, whom he met with in the days after his initial suicide attempt.
documentedSchoen was considered as a potential 'quarterback' of Epstein's defense team, a prospect that SDNY prosecutors found alarming.
documentedLegal Status
Schoen appears in DOJ and SDNY documents as Epstein's prospective defense attorney. He is not a subject or target of any investigation documented in the provided evidence. He is referenced in prosecutor communications and court filings as a lawyer who visited Epstein at MCC.
Notable Statements(3)
“Can you imagine moving forward with that case with David Schoen as the 'quarterback' of the defense team? Yikes.”
“I don't believe a word of his. Just unreal.”
“he did a huge, crazy, absurdly self-aggrandizing interview on this!!”
Contradictions(1)
Schoen gave a detailed public interview to the Atlanta Jewish Times describing his meeting with Epstein and his role in the case, presenting himself as a significant figure in Epstein's legal defense.
SDNY prosecutors internally characterized the interview as 'huge, crazy, absurdly self-aggrandizing' and stated 'I don't believe a word of his,' and found the idea of him as 'quarterback' of the defense team to be implausible ('Yikes').
Key Relationships(3)
Schoen served as a legal consultant to Jeffrey Epstein periodically over more than a decade. He visited Epstein at MCC after Epstein's first suicide attempt in summer 2019 and agreed to take over his defense. Documentary evidence shows email correspondence dating back to at least February 2010, and legal consultations between 2013-2016 regarding lawsuits and investigations. (efta-efta00092932, efta-efta00077515, efta-efta00088701, kaggle-ho-031493, kaggle-ho-031494)
Schoen's academic work on victims' rights and the CVRA directly intersects with the Epstein non-prosecution agreement overseen by Alexander Acosta. His scholarship discusses how victims' CVRA rights were violated in connection with the Epstein NPA. (d-35232, d-35452)
Schoen later served as one of Donald Trump's defense lawyers during his second impeachment trial in February 2021, as noted in document context. (efta-efta00090528, efta-efta00075945)
Timeline(10 events)
Jeffrey Epstein emailed David Schoen, referencing sitting next to Justice Stephen Breyer at a DC panel and commenting on the sentencing system and the U.S. Attorney's office.
Epstein corresponded with Schoen about legal matters including a lawsuit against the Broward County Sheriff's Department and hiring a private investigator (correspondence spanning 2013-2016).
Schoen published a law review article in the Journal of Criminal Law & Criminology (Northwestern University School of Law), Vol. 59, addressing victims' rights issues.
Schoen conducted LexisNexis legal research queries on 'CVRA and sixth amendment,' returning articles on crime victims' rights and prosecutorial oversight.
Schoen visited Epstein at the Metropolitan Correctional Center (MCC) after Epstein was removed from 24-hour suicide watch. The meeting reportedly lasted five hours, and Epstein asked Schoen to take over his legal defense.
Jeffrey Epstein found dead at MCC. Schoen subsequently stated publicly that he doubted Epstein committed suicide based on their interaction nine days earlier.
SDNY prosecutors begin sharing and discussing internal emails about Schoen and his public claims regarding Epstein.
SDNY internal news clips reference Schoen's visit to Epstein and the Wall Street Journal's reporting on Epstein's legal strategies.
SDNY prosecutors exchanged emails mocking Schoen's public interview about Epstein, calling it 'absurdly self-aggrandizing' and expressing disbelief at his account.
Schoen referenced in connection with serving as one of Trump's defense lawyers during the second impeachment trial.
At a Glance
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External Cross-Check
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Offshore Connections (1)
Cross-referenced against the ICIJ Offshore Leaks Database (814K+ entities from Panama Papers, Paradise Papers, Pandora Papers, and Bahamas Leaks). Matches are based on name similarity and do not imply wrongdoing.
William David Schoenfeld
Document Mentions
Email Mentions (3)
Re: Question - CONFIDENTIAL
Sorry to see they are still dragging your name through the press. I hope some of the legal matters have been resolved since last we spoke. I would hav
Re:
Any thoughts on the guy? Meanwhile, I hope all is going well for you now and I wish you a happy and healthy new year. David Schoen
Re: Question - CONFIDENTIAL
Sorry to see they are still dragging your name through the press. I hope some of the legal matters have been resolved since last we spoke. I would hav
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