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1.1 MB
Extraction Summary
6
People
4
Organizations
2
Locations
3
Events
7
Relationships
9
Quotes
Document Information
Type:
Legal document
File Size:
1.1 MB
Summary
This legal document details the aggressive legal tactics employed by Jeffrey Epstein's defense team, including attorney Alan Dershowitz threatening a prosecutor to destroy witnesses. It also outlines the State Attorney's Office's rationale for taking the case to a grand jury, citing the complexity of the case and the problematic possibility that Epstein's minor victims could have been prosecuted for prostitution under the existing state law.
People (6)
| Name | Role | Context |
|---|---|---|
| Epstein | Defendant/Subject of investigation |
Mentioned as the individual being prosecuted, whose counsel threatened a prosecutor and whose case was presented to a...
|
| Alan Dershowitz | Attorney |
Brought by Epstein's local counsel to see Krischer; described as "overly aggressive" and threatening to destroy witne...
|
| Krischer | Assistant State Attorney |
The prosecutor who was threatened by Dershowitz and who explained to OPR the decision to take the Epstein case to a g...
|
| Jack Goldberger | Local Attorney |
Hired by Epstein. His professional relationship with Krischer and his law partner's connection to another Assistant S...
|
| Belohlavek | Assistant State Attorney |
Took over the case from another Assistant State Attorney who was recused due to a conflict of interest involving her ...
|
| Gerald Lefcourt | Criminal Defense Attorney |
A nationally known New York attorney who, along with Goldberger, represented Epstein and worked to dissuade the prose...
|
Organizations (4)
| Name | Type | Context |
|---|---|---|
| OPR | government agency |
The entity to whom Krischer and Belohlavek provided statements about the handling of the Epstein case. Likely stands ...
|
| State Attorney’s Office | government agency |
The prosecuting office that handled the Epstein case, and which decided to present the case to a grand jury.
|
| Florida Department of Law Enforcement | government agency |
Mentioned in a footnote as having a pending investigation into the State Attorney's Office's handling of the Epstein ...
|
| The Florida Bar | professional association |
Cited in a footnote as the source for a handbook on grand juries.
|
Timeline (3 events)
Epstein's counsel, including Alan Dershowitz, met with Assistant State Attorney Krischer, during which Dershowitz made threats.
An Assistant State Attorney was recused from the case due to a conflict of interest, and Belohlavek took over.
State Attorney's Office
Belohlavek
unnamed Assistant State Attorney
Relationships (7)
Dershowitz was brought by Epstein's local counsel to meet with the prosecutor on Epstein's behalf.
The document states that Epstein hired local attorney Jack Goldberger.
The document states Lefcourt was a defense attorney also representing Epstein.
Dershowitz, representing Epstein, threatened Krischer, the prosecutor.
The document states Krischer had 'a working relationship' with Goldberger.
Both are identified as Assistant State Attorneys, with Belohlavek taking over a case related to Krischer's work.
A conflict of interest arose because Belohlavek's husband was Goldberger's law partner, leading to another prosecutor's recusal.
Key Quotes (9)
"overly aggressive"Source
— Krischer
(Describing attorney Alan Dershowitz's demeanor during a meeting.)
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Quote #1
"We’re going to destroy your witnesses; don’t go to court because we’re going to destroy those girls."Source
— Alan Dershowitz
(A threat made to Assistant State Attorney Krischer regarding the Epstein case.)
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Quote #2
"tainted the waters"Source
— Krischer
(Describing the effect of Dershowitz's actions, which led Epstein to hire another attorney.)
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Quote #3
"a working relationship"Source
— Narrator, attributed to the situation
(Describing the professional connection between Krischer and Jack Goldberger.)
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Quote #4
"even the appearance of any kind of conflict"Source
— Narrator
(The reason given for an Assistant State Attorney's recusal from the case.)
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Quote #5
"great consternation within the office"Source
— Narrator, attributed to the situation
(Describing the reaction to the possibility that Epstein's victims could themselves be prosecuted for prostitution.)
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Quote #6
"seriously, because . . . it was an organized scheme to involve young girls by offering them money. And I wouldn’t say that we . . . thought they were prostitutes . . . [but] I think there was solicitation."Source
— Belohlavek
(Telling OPR how her office viewed the allegations against Epstein.)
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Quote #7
"behavior was reprehensible, . . . I’m limited by . . . the state statutes as to what I can charge."Source
— Belohlavek
(Explaining to OPR the constraints on prosecuting Epstein under state law.)
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Quote #8
"There were so many issues involving the victim-witnesses that to my mind, in consultation with my [prosecutors], the only way to achieve, to my mind, real justice was to present the case to the grand jury and not to direct-file"Source
— Krischer
(Explaining to OPR the decision to use a grand jury for the Epstein case.)
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Quote #9
Full Extracted Text
Complete text extracted from the document (3,778 characters)
Case 1:20-cr-00330-PAE Document 204-3 Filed 04/16/21 Page 41 of 348
told OPR that Epstein’s local counsel brought attorney Alan Dershowitz to see Krischer and the Assistant State Attorney, but Dershowitz was “overly aggressive” and threatened, “We’re going to destroy your witnesses; don’t go to court because we’re going to destroy those girls.” According to Krischer, Dershowitz so “tainted the waters” that Epstein also hired local attorney Jack Goldberger, with whom Krischer had “a working relationship.” Because the husband of the Assistant State Attorney was Goldberger’s law partner, Belohlavek recused the Assistant State Attorney to remove “even the appearance of any kind of conflict” of interest, and Belohlavek took over the case. Goldberger, together with Gerald Lefcourt, a nationally known New York criminal defense attorney also representing Epstein, then directed their efforts at Belohlavek and Krischer to dissuade the office from prosecuting Epstein, largely by attacking the credibility of the victim witnesses.
Meanwhile, the State Attorney’s Office took the unusual step of preparing to present the case to a grand jury. Krischer told OPR that under state law as it existed until changed in 2016, his office prosecuted minors as young as 14 for prostitution.10 The possibility that Epstein’s victims themselves could have been prosecuted caused “great consternation within the office,” and according to Krischer, resulted in the decision to put the case before the grand jury.11 Belohlavek told OPR that her office took the allegations against Epstein “seriously, because . . . it was an organized scheme to involve young girls by offering them money. And I wouldn’t say that we . . . thought they were prostitutes . . . [but] I think there was solicitation.” However, she said, although Epstein’s “behavior was reprehensible, . . . I’m limited by . . . the state statutes as to what I can charge.” Krischer told OPR, “There were so many issues involving the victim-witnesses that to my mind, in consultation with my [prosecutors], the only way to achieve, to my mind, real justice was to present the case to the grand jury and not to direct-file” criminal charges against Epstein.
C. Florida State Procedure for Bringing Criminal Charges
Federal criminal procedure requires that a felony charge—that is, any charge punishable by imprisonment for one year or more—be brought by a grand jury unless waived by a defendant.12 Under Florida law, however, a grand jury is required to bring criminal charges only in a death penalty case.13 For all other cases, a State Attorney has concurrent authority to file criminal charges by means of a document called an “information” or to seek a grand jury indictment. Although Florida criminal cases are routinely charged by information, state grand juries are often utilized in sensitive or high-profile cases, such as those involving allegations of wrongdoing by public officials.14 Florida grand jury proceedings are subject to strict secrecy rules that, among
10 Belohlavek told OPR that prostitution was a misdemeanor charge, and she did not handle misdemeanors.
11 Because the Florida Department of Law Enforcement investigation into the State Attorney’s Office’s handling of the Epstein case was pending at the time OPR interviewed Krischer, he declined to further explain to OPR his office’s prosecutive decisions.
12 U.S. Const. amend. V; Fed. R. Crim. P. 7(a), (b). The sole exception under the rule is felony criminal contempt, which need not be charged by indictment. Fed. R. Crim. P. 7(a)(1).
13 Fla. Const. Art. I, § 15(a).
14 The Florida Bar, The Grand Jury, Reporters Handbook – The Grand Jury, available at https://www floridabar.org/news/resources/rpt-hbk/rpt-hbk-13/.
15
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