HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_025359.jpg
2.15 MB
Extraction Summary
6
People
4
Organizations
0
Locations
2
Events
2
Relationships
5
Quotes
Document Information
Type:
Legal correspondence / letter
File Size:
2.15 MB
Summary
This document is page 7 of a letter to Mark Filip dated May 19, 2008, detailing allegations of prosecutorial misconduct in the Jeffrey Epstein case. It describes Assistant U.S. Attorney David Weinstein leaking confidential plea negotiation details and prosecution theories to New York Times reporter Landon Thomas, while First Assistant Sloman denied the specificity of these leaks. The text criticizes the USAO for potential political and financial motivations and mentions a review by CEOS regarding U.S. Attorney Acosta's discretion in the prosecution.
People (6)
| Name | Role | Context |
|---|---|---|
| Mark Filip | Recipient / Honorable |
Addressee of the letter, likely a senior DOJ official.
|
| David Weinstein | Assistant U.S. Attorney |
Accused of leaking confidential information and plea negotiation details to a NYT reporter.
|
| Landon Thomas | Reporter |
Reporter for the New York Times who received leaks from Weinstein.
|
| Jeffrey Epstein | Defendant |
Subject of the government allegations and plea negotiations.
|
| Jeff Sloman | First Assistant |
Responded to complaints about leaks; footnote questions his affiliation with a former law firm.
|
| Alexander Acosta | U.S. Attorney |
Discussed the review of the case and his discretion regarding prosecution.
|
Organizations (4)
| Name | Type | Context |
|---|---|---|
| New York Times |
Employer of reporter Landon Thomas.
|
|
| USAO |
United States Attorney's Office; prosecution team.
|
|
| CEOS |
Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (implied context); reviewed the investigation.
|
|
| Department of Justice |
Referred to as 'the Department'.
|
Timeline (2 events)
Pre-May 2008
Leak of confidential information to NYT reporter Landon Thomas regarding Epstein case.
Unknown
Relationships (2)
Weinstein spoke in great detail to Thomas about the case.
Both mentioned as officials within the USAO structure.
Key Quotes (5)
"Mr. Thomas was given, pursuant to his request, non-case specific information concerning specific federal statutes."Source
HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_025359.jpg
Quote #1
"Mr. Weinstein told Mr. Thomas that federal authorities believed that Mr. Epstein had lured girls over the telephone and traveled in interstate commerce for the purpose of engaging in underage sex."Source
HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_025359.jpg
Quote #2
"Mr. Weinstein forcefully 'reminded' Mr. Thomas that all prior conversations were merely hypothetical."Source
HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_025359.jpg
Quote #3
"actions of federal officials in this case strike at the heart of one of the vitally important, enduring values in this country: the honest enforcement of federal law"Source
HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_025359.jpg
Quote #4
"CEOS’s only conclusion... is that U.S. Attorney Acosta would not abuse his discretion by proceeding against Mr. Epstein."Source
HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_025359.jpg
Quote #5
Full Extracted Text
Complete text extracted from the document (2,693 characters)
Honorable Mark Filip
May 19, 2008
Page 7
May 19, 2008
Page 7
Government’s confidential “list of victims.” Most of these lawsuits seek $50 million in money damages.4
• Assistant U.S. Attorney David Weinstein spoke about the case in great detail to Landon Thomas, a reporter with the New York Times, and revealed confidential information about the Government’s allegations against Mr. Epstein. The Assistant U.S. Attorney also revealed the substance of confidential plea negotiations.
• When counsel for Mr. Epstein complained about the media leaks, First Assistant Sloman responded by asserting that “Mr. Thomas was given, pursuant to his request, non-case specific information concerning specific federal statutes.” Based on Mr. Thomas’ contemporaneous notes, that assertion appears to be false. For example, Mr. Weinstein told Mr. Thomas that federal authorities believed that Mr. Epstein had lured girls over the telephone and traveled in interstate commerce for the purpose of engaging in underage sex. He recounted to Mr. Thomas the USAO’s theory of prosecution against Mr. Epstein, replete with an analysis of the key statutes being considered. Furthermore, after Mr. Epstein’s defense team complained about the leak to the USAO, Mr. Weinstein, in Mr. Thomas’ own description, then admonished him for talking to the defense, and getting him in trouble. Mr. Weinstein further told him not to believe the “spin” of Mr. Epstein’s “high-priced attorneys,” and then, according to Mr. Thomas, Mr. Weinstein forcefully “reminded” Mr. Thomas that all prior conversations were merely hypothetical.
We are constrained to conclude that the actions of federal officials in this case strike at the heart of one of the vitally important, enduring values in this country: the honest enforcement of federal law, free of political considerations and free of the taint of personal financial motivations on the part of federal prosecutors that, at a minimum, raise the appearance of serious impropriety.
We were told by U.S. Attorney Acosta that as part of the review he requested, the Department had the authority, and his consent, to make any determination it deemed appropriate regarding this matter, including a decision to decline federal prosecution. Yet, CEOS’s only conclusion, based on its limited review of the investigation, is that U.S. Attorney Acosta would not abuse his discretion by proceeding against Mr. Epstein. Thus, the decision of whether
4 As recently as two months ago, Mr. Sloman was still listed publicly as a part of his former law firm. While we assume this was an oversight, Mr. Sloman’s identification as part of the firm raises the appearance of impropriety.
A001444
HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_025359
HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_025359
Discussion 0
No comments yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this epstein document