HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_021785.jpg
2.16 MB
Extraction Summary
8
People
6
Organizations
2
Locations
3
Events
3
Relationships
2
Quotes
Document Information
Type:
News article / printout (new york times)
File Size:
2.16 MB
Summary
This document is a 2006 New York Times article (stamped by House Oversight) detailing the conflict between the Palm Beach Police and State Attorney Barry Krischer regarding the prosecution of Jeffrey Epstein. The police sought arrest warrants based on interviews with victims like Ms. Robson, but the State Attorney delayed, opting for a grand jury after Epstein's legal team (including Alan Dershowitz) presented evidence attacking the accusers' credibility. Police Chief Reiter formally questioned the State Attorney's handling of the case, suggesting he disqualify himself.
People (8)
| Name | Role | Context |
|---|---|---|
| Jeffrey Epstein | Accused |
Accused of paying for teenage girls and engaging in intercourse with at least one; passed a lie-detector test accordi...
|
| Ms. Robson | Witness/Victim |
Interviewed by police at age 19; stated Epstein paid her to bring teenage girls to his home.
|
| Mr. Lefcourt | Defense Lawyer |
Epstein's lawyer; claimed accusers lied and questioned the police's motivation for releasing the report.
|
| Mr. Krischer | State Attorney |
Prosecutor handling the case; decided to convene a grand jury instead of issuing immediate warrants; delayed grand ju...
|
| Alan Dershowitz | Defense Team |
Met with prosecutors to share information attacking accusers' credibility based on MySpace posts.
|
| Chief Reiter | Police Chief |
Palm Beach Police Chief; wrote to Krischer questioning the handling of the case and suggested Krischer disqualify him...
|
| Mike Edmondson | Spokesman |
Spokesman for Mr. Krischer; defended the decision to use a grand jury.
|
| Bruce J. Winick | Law Professor |
University of Miami professor commenting on Florida legal procedures regarding grand juries.
|
Organizations (6)
Timeline (3 events)
Around early 2006
Mr. Dershowitz met with prosecutors to share disparaging information about accusers found on MySpace.
Unknown
Mr. Dershowitz
Prosecutors
Early 2006
Police approached State Attorney Krischer for arrest warrants but were told a grand jury would be convened.
Palm Beach
October (likely 2005)
Locations (2)
| Location | Context |
|---|---|
|
Jurisdiction of police and location of events
|
|
|
Location of alleged crimes
|
Relationships (3)
Reiter questioned Krischer's handling of the case and suggested he disqualify himself.
Identified as 'Mr. Lefcourt, his lawyer'
Met with prosecutors to defend Epstein by attacking accuser credibility.
Full Extracted Text
Complete text extracted from the document (2,928 characters)
In October, the police interviewed Ms. Robson, then 19, who told them Mr. Epstein had routinely paid her to bring teenage girls to his home. The police then interviewed a total of 5 alleged victims and 17 witnesses, many of whom told similar stories about what they had observed or participated in at Mr. Epstein’s home. According to the report, at least one said Mr. Epstein had engaged in intercourse with her.
Mr. Lefcourt, his lawyer, said one girl who told the police of having had sex with Mr. Epstein as a minor had lied about both the sex and her age and had not shown up for grand jury questioning. He also said Mr. Epstein had passed a lie-detector test clearing him of any sexual involvement with under-age girls.
A spokeswoman for the Palm Beach police said that early this year, the police went to Mr. Krischer, the state attorney, intending to apply for warrants to arrest Mr. Epstein. Instead, she said, they were told that Mr. Krischer would convene a grand jury to examine the evidence and decide what charges, if any, to bring.
Around that time, the police report said, Mr. Dershowitz met with prosecutors to share information about the accusers, including statements they had posted on MySpace.com, the social networking site, concerning use of drugs and alcohol. According to the report, Mr. Krischer’s office then decided to delay the grand jury session for several months.
The Palm Beach police grew frustrated, the report said, and on May 1 the department asked prosecutors to approve warrants to arrest Mr. Epstein.
Chief Reiter also wrote Mr. Krischer questioning “the unusual course that your office’s handling of this matter has taken” and suggesting that Mr. Krischer disqualify himself. Chief Reiter refused several requests to be interviewed, and his spokeswoman would not say explicitly why he had urged the prosecutor to step aside.
Mike Edmondson, a spokesman for Mr. Krischer, said the state attorney’s office sometimes sent noncapital cases to grand juries when there were questions about witness credibility. Mr. Krischer does not recommend a particular charge in such cases, Mr. Edmondson said, but gives the grand jury a list of possible charges.
Bruce J. Winick, a law professor at the University of Miami, said that while prosecutors in Florida rarely referred noncapital cases to grand juries, they sometimes did so with sensitive cases to be extra-cautious.
Mr. Lefcourt said the police were wrong to have released the report so soon, especially without correcting information that later proved wrong. He cited his assertion that one accuser had lied about her age, adding that she had also been arrested on drug charges and had been fired by her employer for stealing.
“What I’m trying to focus on,” Mr. Lefcourt said, “is, What’s motivating the selective and misleading release of information to the public?”
Copyright 2006 The New York Times Company
HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_021785
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