Case 1:19-cr-00490-RMB Document 22 Filed 07/16/19 Page 1 of 9

LAW OFFICE OF
MARC FERNICH
MARC FERNICH maf@fernichlaw.com 810 SEVENTH AVENUE, SUITE 620
ALSO ADMITTED IN MASSACHUSETTS NEW YORK, NEW YORK 10019
212-446-2346
FAX: 212-459-2299
www.fernichlaw.com

July 16, 2019

BY ECF

Hon. Richard M. Berman

USDJ-SDNY
500 Pearl St.
New York, NY 10007

Re: US v. Epstein, 19 CR 490 (SDNY)

Dear Judge Berman:

In response to requests from the Court and certain arguments made

yesterday by the government, we write to supplement Jeffrey Epstein’s

request for bail.

First, make no mistake about the crux of the government’s

detention argument and its necessary implications. Stripped to its core,

the government’s position – as urged in its letters and echoed again

yesterday – distills to this: the nominally rebuttable remand

presumption (connected with 18 USC § 1591 charges) 1 plus Mr.

1 To be clear, Epstein contends that § 1591 and the concomitant remand presumption
do not contemplate or cover the core conduct at issue here: performing sexual
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Hon. Richard M. Berman

July 16, 2019
Page 2

Epstein’s wealth creates an irrebuttable presumption whereby no

condition(s) can reasonably assure personal appearance or protect the

public. The Court should reject the government’s misguided effort to

effectively create a per se rule.2 Indeed, for the government, there’s

literally nothing a person of Epstein’s means could say, do or pledge to

rebut the operative presumption and make himself eligible for release.

That cannot be the law. Such a construction turns the statute’s

massages for money. See Fierro v. Taylor, No. 11-CV8573, 2012 WL 13042630, at *3
(SDNY July 2, 2012) (holding that sex purchasers from minors fall outside § 1591’s
ambit).

2 E.g., 7/15/19 Tr. 11 (“even if the defense were able at some point to rebut the
presumption by providing some more information, there simply is no way that they
can meet the standard here”); 7/12/19 Ltr. 5 (“even assuming the defendant’s assets
are presently in the United States, nothing … would prevent the defendant from
transferring liquid assets out of the country quickly and in anticipation of flight or
relocation. The defendant is an incredibly sophisticated financial actor with decades
of experience in the industry and significant ties to financial institutions and actors
around the world. He could easily transfer funds and holdings on a moment’s [notice]
to places where the [g]overnment would never find them so as to ensure he could live
comfortably while a fugitive.”); id. (“even were the defendant to sacrifice literally all
of his current assets, there is every indication that he would immediately be able to
resume making … tens of millions of dollars per year outside of the United States….
[T]here would be little to stop the defendant from fleeing, transferring his unknown
assets abroad, and then continuing to … earn his vast wealth from a computer
terminal beyond the reach of extradition.”) (footnote omitted); id. 7 (“the notion that
any individual co-signer could meaningfully secure a bond for this defendant strains
credulity”).
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Hon. Richard M. Berman

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plain text – expressly providing that the presumption is “[s]ubject to

rebuttal,” and otherwise mandating bail on the “least restrictive”

conditions that reasonably assure the defendant’s presence and

community safety – on its head. It defies legislative intent. It thwarts the

presumption of innocence. And it violates the Fifth, Sixth and Fourteenth

amendment rights to due process, counsel, a defense and equal

protection, not to mention the Eighth Amendment guarantee of bail – all

based on a suspect if not invidious classification. To be sure, wealthy

defendants do not deserve preferential treatment. But they certainly

shouldn’t be singled out for worse treatment – in effect, categorically

disqualified from bail, at least in a presumption case – on the basis of

their net worth.

Second, it bears emphasis that the presumption is hardly an

insurmountable bar to release in a § 1591 prosecution.3 To the contrary,

courts have determined that there are suitable conditions under which

3E.g., US v. Brinson, No. 13-CR-04-GKF, 2013 WL 11305792 (N.D. Okla. Feb. 8,

2013); US v. Afyare, No. 3:10-cr-00260, 2011 WL 1397820 (M.D. Tenn. April 13, 2011);
US v. Gardner, 523 F. Supp. 2d 1025 (N.D. Cal. 2007).
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Hon. Richard M. Berman

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defendants accused of trafficking minors are bailed – notwithstanding

the remand presumption.

Third, as apparent from Mr. Epstein’s initial financial disclosure,

Mr. Epstein’s finances are fairly complex. It would be impossible for Mr.

Epstein – given, among other impediments, his detention, inability to

quickly access pertinent records, and inability to quickly make a precise

valuation of particular assets – to provide a sufficient financial statement

by the Court’s 5pm deadline. Mr. Epstein certainly recognizes the Court’s

request for further transparency and is committed to providing a

complete and accurate disclosure. Accordingly, we propose that the Court

preliminarily accept the initial disclosure proffered last Friday and, if

intending to grant bail, include a release condition directing Mr. Epstein

to tender a comprehensive forensic accounting of his finances as

expeditiously as practicable. Joel Podgor, Partner Emeritus at prominent

Manhattan accounting firm Baker Tilly Virchow Krause, LLP, has

agreed to conduct the forensic investigation and prepare a report rapidly.

As counsel said during the July 15 argument, Epstein will agree to any
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Hon. Richard M. Berman

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monetary condition – consistent with his Sixth Amendment need to

retain counsel and pay ordinary expenses, which, at the Court’s

discretion, could be subject to supervision by a Court-appointed trustee –

that collateralizes his assets as a condition of release.

Fourth, to the extent the government complains Epstein lacks

meaningful domestic ties, we clarify and emphasize that his brother

Mark, a U.S. resident, stands prepared to co-sign and secure a release

bond in the full amount of his “own net worth,”4 which exceeds $100

million – tangible proof of his certainty that Epstein will appear as

necessary.

Fifth, in response to the Court’s inquiry about Epstein’s New

Mexico registration status, the state’s Public Safety Department formally

advised in August 2010 that “you are not required to register with the

State of New Mexico … for your 2008 Florida conviction of Procuring

Person Under 18 for Prostitution.” Nonetheless, in an abundance of

caution and as an extra precaution, Epstein consistently notified the

4 7/12/19 Ltr. 6 (footnote omitted).

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appropriate New Mexico official, Detective Deborah Anaya, when he

spent any time at his ranch there. (The underlying documents are

available upon request.)

Sixth, though some studies may well indicate that sex offender

recidivism rates “actually go[] up at 15 years,” as Your Honor suggested

from the bench,5 others reach the opposite conclusion. For example, a

respected study found that the relapse risk drops substantially the longer

a person remains sex-offense free in the community. 6 Another

determined that it’s mistaken to think of anyone who’s been offense-free

for 15 years as high-risk.7

Seventh, to the extent third-party counsel (Mr. Boies) speculated

that the alleged November 28 and December 3, 2018 payments8 were

5 7/15/19 Tr. 34.

6 Hanson et al., “High-Risk Sex Offenders May Not Be High Risk Forever,” Journal
of Interpersonal Violence (March 2014),
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/261069441_High-
Risk_Sex_Offenders_May_Not_Be_High_Risk_Forever .

7 Ira Mark & Tara Ellman, “’Frightening and High’: The Supreme Court’s Crucial
Mistake About Sex Crime Statistics” (2015). Constitutional Commentary. 419.
https://scholarship.law.umn.edu/concomm/419.

8 7/12/19 Ltr. 11.

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made to “witnesses who were cooperating with us”9 in civil litigation, he

is wrong. As explained in Court, the recipients were “long-time [Epstein]

friends and employees” 10 – not putative victims – and they never

cooperated with Mr. Boies. To the contrary, each invoked the Fifth

Amendment and refused to testify when civilly deposed, respectively, in

prior New York federal and Florida state civil proceedings. Subject to the

protective orders in these proceedings, we would be pleased to provide

relevant deposition transcripts.

Eighth, as for the Austrian passport the government trumpets, it

expired 32 years ago. And the government offers nothing to suggest – and

certainly no evidence – that Epstein ever used it. In any case, Epstein –

an affluent member of the Jewish faith – acquired the passport in the

1980s, when hijackings were prevalent, in connection to Middle East

travel. The passport was for personal protection in the event of travel to

dangerous areas, only to be presented to potential kidnapers, hijackers

9 7/15/19 Tr. 70-71.

10 Ibid. 69.
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or terrorists should violent episodes occur.

Ninth, the Court is undoubtedly aware of the highly charged

context surrounding this prosecution. In November 2018, media reports

suggested that Epstein received a plea deal that amounted to a “slap on

the wrist.” Putting aside the robust negotiations leading to the non-

prosecution agreement (NPA) and the prison sentence that Epstein

completed, there can be no dispute that certain witnesses through their

attorney representatives,11 the media – e.g., The Miami Herald – and

the public were all clamoring for his re-prosecution, Epstein traveled

extensively over these eight months and invariably returned to the

United States. That inescapable reality emphatically proves he won’t flee

and entitles him to release – on any and all conditions the Court deems

appropriate.

11 See, e.g., Doe v. US, CV 807-36 (SD Fla.).

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We thank the Court for its consideration and would be pleased to

provide any additional information at Thursday’s appearance.

Respectfully,

/s/

Marc Fernich
Martin Weintraub
Reid Weingarten

cc: All Counsel (ECF)