DOJ-OGR-00021302.jpg
855 KB
Extraction Summary
9
People
3
Organizations
1
Locations
2
Events
4
Relationships
9
Quotes
Document Information
Type:
Legal document
File Size:
855 KB
Summary
This legal document details how prosecutor Acosta, responding to the defense's desire for a 'fresh face', engaged the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS) to review the evidence in the Epstein case. CEOS attorney Villafaña traveled to Florida, interviewed victims, and reported back to Acosta and Sloman on the victims' severe trauma and their desire for significant jail time for Epstein rather than restitution. The document also notes the CEOS Trial Attorney's assessment to OPR that the victim witnesses presented numerous challenges for a potential prosecution.
People (9)
| Name | Role | Context |
|---|---|---|
| Acosta |
Told he would get approval for a federal case, asked CEOS to review evidence, and received a written communication fr...
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|
| Senior |
Provided a favorable review of the case.
|
|
| Sloman |
Worked with Acosta and received a written communication from Villafaña.
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| Starr |
Was told by Acosta and Sloman that the defense wanted a 'fresh face' to conduct a review.
|
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| Lefkowitz |
Was told by Acosta and Sloman that the defense wanted a 'fresh face' to conduct a review.
|
|
| Criminal Chief | Criminal Chief |
Mentioned as not having undertaken the 'in-depth work associated with the issues raised by the defense.'
|
| Oosterbaan | CEOS Chief |
Assigned a CEOS Trial Attorney to review the case at Acosta's request.
|
| Villafaña | CEOS Trial Attorney |
Was assigned to the case, met with another CEOS Trial Attorney, interviewed victims, and wrote to Acosta and Sloman a...
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| Epstein |
Subject of the case. Mentioned in relation to a potential NPA, victims' nightmares, and a proposed 18-month deal.
|
Organizations (3)
| Name | Type | Context |
|---|---|---|
| CEOS | Government agency section |
Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS). Asked by Acosta to review the evidence. CEOS Chief Oosterbaan assign...
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| OPR | Government agency |
Office of Professional Responsibility. The CEOS Trial Attorney told OPR about the challenges presented by the victim ...
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| DOJ | Government agency |
Department of Justice, indicated by the footer 'DOJ-OGR-00021302'.
|
Timeline (2 events)
Locations (1)
| Location | Context |
|---|---|
|
The CEOS Trial Attorney traveled to Florida to review case materials and interview victims.
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Relationships (4)
They worked together, jointly telling Starr and Lefkowitz about the review and jointly receiving a communication from Villafaña.
Acosta requested CEOS involvement, and CEOS Chief Oosterbaan responded by assigning an attorney to the case.
Villafaña, a CEOS Trial Attorney, was assigned to the case and reported her findings from victim interviews directly to Acosta.
Key Quotes (9)
"that we can go forward with"Source
— Chief
(Regarding whether he would agree to proceed with the charges if the plea fell apart.)
DOJ-OGR-00021302.jpg
Quote #1
"we did not have . . . a lot of victims . . . lined up and ready to testify"Source
— Chief
(Expressing concern after completing a review of the case.)
DOJ-OGR-00021302.jpg
Quote #2
"not be favorable for us."Source
— Chief
(Regarding the potential testimony of some victims.)
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Quote #3
"fresh face"Source
— defense
(What the defense wanted to conduct a review of the case.)
DOJ-OGR-00021302.jpg
Quote #4
"come on board"Source
— Acosta
(Acosta's request to CEOS to get involved in the case.)
DOJ-OGR-00021302.jpg
Quote #5
"We just finished interviewing three of the girls. I wish you could have been there to see how much this has affected them."Source
— Villafaña
(In a written communication to Acosta and Sloman after interviewing victims.)
DOJ-OGR-00021302.jpg
Quote #6
"The second girl . . . told us that she was very upset about the 18 month deal she had read about in the paper. She said that 18 months was nothing and that she had heard that the girls could get restitution, but she would rather not get any money and have Epstein spend a significant time in jail."Source
— Villafaña
(Describing the sentiment of one of the interviewed victims.)
DOJ-OGR-00021302.jpg
Quote #7
"These girls deserve so much better than they have received so far, and I hate feeling that there is nothing I can do to help them."Source
— Villafaña
(Concluding her description of the victim interviews to Acosta and Sloman.)
DOJ-OGR-00021302.jpg
Quote #8
"We have four more girls coming in tomorrow. Can I persuade you to attend?"Source
— Villafaña
(Footnote adding to her communication with Acosta and Sloman.)
DOJ-OGR-00021302.jpg
Quote #9
Full Extracted Text
Complete text extracted from the document (3,118 characters)
Case 22-1426, Document 77, 06/29/2023, 3536038, Page130 of 258
SA-128
Case 1:20-cr-00330-AJN Document 204-3 Filed 04/16/21 Page 128 of 348
SA-128
Case 1:20-cr-00330-AJN Document 204-3 Filed 04/16/21 Page 128 of 348
that it was to establish whether, if the plea fell apart, he, as Chief, would agree “that we can go forward with” the charges. He did recall being concerned, after completing the review, that “we did not have . . . a lot of victims . . . lined up and ready to testify” and that some victims might “not be favorable for us.” Nevertheless, he concluded that the proposed charges were sound, and he told Acosta that he would approve proceeding with a federal case.
6. Acosta Asks CEOS to Review the Evidence
Notwithstanding Senior’s favorable review, Acosta and Sloman told Starr and Lefkowitz that they “appreciate[d]” that the defense wanted a “fresh face” to conduct a review, and noted that the Criminal Chief had not undertaken the “in-depth work associated with the issues raised by the defense.” They told the defense team that Acosta had asked CEOS to “come on board” and that CEOS Chief Oosterbaan would designate an attorney having “a national perspective” to conduct a fresh review in light of the defense submissions. Oosterbaan assigned a CEOS Trial Attorney who Villafaña understood was to review the case and prepare for trial in the event Epstein did not “consummate” the NPA. The CEOS Trial Attorney traveled to Florida to review the case materials, and to meet with Villafaña to discuss the case and interview some of the victims. After one such meeting, Villafaña wrote to Acosta and Sloman:
We just finished interviewing three of the girls. I wish you could have been there to see how much this has affected them.
One girl broke down sobbing so that we had to stop the interview twice within a 20 minute span. She regained her composure enough to continue a short time, but she said that she was having nightmares about Epstein coming after her and she started to break down again, so we stopped the interview.
The second girl . . . told us that she was very upset about the 18 month deal she had read about in the paper. She said that 18 months was nothing and that she had heard that the girls could get restitution, but she would rather not get any money and have Epstein spend a significant time in jail.
...
These girls deserve so much better than they have received so far, and I hate feeling that there is nothing I can do to help them.161
The CEOS Trial Attorney had substantial experience prosecuting child exploitation cases. She told OPR that in her view, the victim witnesses in this case presented a number of challenges for a prosecution: some of the victims did not want to admit they had sexual contact with Epstein; some had recruited other victims to provide Epstein massages, and thus could have been charged as accomplices; some had “drug histories and . . . things like that”; some could appear to have been “complicit”; and there was no evidence of physical violence against the victims. She did not regard
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161 Villafaña added, “We have four more girls coming in tomorrow. Can I persuade you to attend?”
161 Villafaña added, “We have four more girls coming in tomorrow. Can I persuade you to attend?”
102
DOJ-OGR-00021302
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