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2.74 MB
Extraction Summary
8
People
4
Organizations
4
Locations
3
Events
3
Relationships
2
Quotes
Document Information
Type:
Report / narrative analysis
File Size:
2.74 MB
Summary
This document, likely part of a House Oversight report, contrasts the judicial criticism of the U.S. Attorney's Office for 'lack of candor' in a case involving a defendant named McDaniel with the actions of prosecutors Marie Villafaña and Alexander Acosta in the Jeffrey Epstein case. It details how prosecutors negotiated a non-prosecution agreement in September 2007 that granted immunity to co-conspirators and avoided federal sex trafficking charges. The text highlights an email from Villafaña to Epstein's lawyer, Jay Lefkowitz, explicitly stating her preference not to highlight other crimes or chargeable persons to the judge.
People (8)
| Name | Role | Context |
|---|---|---|
| McDaniel | Defendant (unrelated case) |
Subject of a detention hearing mentioned as a precedent for prosecutorial conduct issues.
|
| Zloch | Judge |
Criticized the U.S. Attorney's Office for lack of candor in the McDaniel case.
|
| Hakes | Commentator/Expert |
Quoted regarding the seriousness of 'Lack of candor to the court'.
|
| Marie Villafaña | Federal Prosecutor |
Negotiated with Epstein's lawyers; discussed ways to quietly resolve the case; wrote email about not highlighting oth...
|
| Jeffrey Epstein | Defendant |
Subject of the investigation and plea deal negotiations.
|
| Alexander Acosta | U.S. Attorney / Federal Prosecutor |
Allowed Epstein to plead guilty to state charges instead of federal indictment; involved in keeping crimes out of pub...
|
| Jay Lefkowitz | Lawyer |
Epstein's lawyer; recipient of Villafaña's email regarding sentencing agreement wording.
|
| Lanna Belohlavek | Assistant Palm Beach Prosecutor |
Questioned by the judge at Epstein's sentencing regarding victim notification.
|
Organizations (4)
| Name | Type | Context |
|---|---|---|
| U.S. Attorney’s Office |
Criticized for duty failures; negotiated Epstein deal.
|
|
| Probation Department |
Received information in the McDaniel case.
|
|
| FBI |
Had an ongoing investigation into Epstein in 2007.
|
|
| Miami Herald |
Published the 'Perversion of Justice' investigation.
|
Timeline (3 events)
November (Year implied 2018)
Publication of Miami Herald investigation 'Perversion of Justice'.
Miami
September 2007
Villafaña in negotiations with Epstein's lawyers while FBI investigation was ongoing.
N/A
Marie Villafaña
Epstein's lawyers
Unknown (Sentencing)
Epstein's sentencing where Lanna Belohlavek was questioned by the judge.
Palm Beach
Locations (4)
| Location | Context |
|---|---|
|
Mentioned in relation to legality of relationships in the McDaniel case.
|
|
|
Mentioned in relation to legality of relationships in the McDaniel case.
|
|
|
Proposed location for charging Epstein to avoid media coverage.
|
|
|
Location where crimes happened; location of state court sentencing.
|
Relationships (3)
Villafaña wrote Epstein’s lawyer, Jay Lefkowitz, to discuss the wording of the sentencing agreement
federal prosecutors, including Acosta and Villafaña, tried to keep the full scope of Epstein’s crimes out of the public eye
Epstein’s lawyer, Jay Lefkowitz
Key Quotes (2)
"Lack of candor to the court is a serious charge, and the judge has quite reasonably expressed dismay that the assistant U.S. attorney apparently intended that he never be given a full picture of the defendant’s conduct"Source
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Quote #1
"I will include all our standard language regarding resolving all criminal liability and I will mention co-conspirators, but I would prefer not to highlight for the judge all of the other crimes and all the other persons we could charge"Source
HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_021747.jpg
Quote #2
Full Extracted Text
Complete text extracted from the document (2,605 characters)
at sentencing. The defendant’s prior relationship with a 16-year-old was not illegal in Texas or in California, they said, and the girl classified her relationship as a friendship.
All the relevant information was provided to the probation department and at McDaniel’s detention hearing, they added, making the point that it was in the record and therefore, not intentionally withheld by the government.
While Zloch conceded that the information was part of the probation and bond hearing record, he said it was nevertheless the U.S. Attorney’s Office’s duty to present the defendant’s prior history with minors at sentencing. He refused to strike the most critical portions of his order.
“Lack of candor to the court is a serious charge, and the judge has quite reasonably expressed dismay that the assistant U.S. attorney apparently intended that he never be given a full picture of the defendant’s conduct,” Hakes said.
But nine months later, in September 2007, Villafaña was in the throes of thorny negotiations with Epstein’s lawyers. While an FBI investigation was ongoing, Villafaña discussed ways to quietly resolve the case, emails show.
A Miami Herald investigation, “Perversion of Justice,” published in November, revealed how federal prosecutors, including Acosta and Villafaña, tried to keep the full scope of Epstein’s crimes out of the public eye. At one point, they discussed charging Epstein in Miami, instead of Palm Beach where the crimes happened, noting there would be less media coverage.
Emails also show that prosecutors repeatedly abided by Epstein’s lawyers’ demands that his victims not be told that an agreement had been reached until after he was sentenced. That meant that the girls could not appear at the hearing to derail the deal. Prosecutors had drafted a 53-page federal indictment on sex trafficking charges, but Acosta instead allowed Epstein to plead guilty to two prostitution charges in state court. In exchange, Epstein and his co-conspirators were given federal immunity.
Villafaña wrote Epstein’s lawyer, Jay Lefkowitz, to discuss the wording of the sentencing agreement for the judge:
“I will include all our standard language regarding resolving all criminal liability and I will mention co-conspirators, but I would prefer not to highlight for the judge all of the other crimes and all the other persons we could charge,” Villafaña wrote.
At Epstein’s sentencing, assistant Palm Beach prosecutor Lanna Belohlavek was questioned by the judge about whether all of Epstein’s victims were told about the deal, as required by law.
HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_021747
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