Epstein Secrets

ys in which they have tried to breach the agreement to convince you guys to let me indict.” In Washington, D.C., Lourie consulted with CEOS Chief Oosterbaan, asking for his thoughts on defense counsel’s arguments. At the same time, at Lourie’s request, Villafaña sent the NPA and its addendum to Lourie

upport the prosecution.” On March 6, 2008, Acosta alerted Sloman and Oosterbaan that Starr and Lefkowitz had called him to express “concern” about Oosterbaan’s participation in the case, and indicated that “they may ask for more senior involvement.” Acosta “informed them that they certainly had the righ

omplaints, and asked her to meet with him, Lefkowitz, and Whitley. Meanwhile, Oosterbaan’s Deputy Chief drafted a decision letter to be sent from Oosterbaan to Lefkowitz, and over the course of several weeks, it was reviewed by and received input from Deputy Assistant Attorney General Mandelker and Assi

ial issues,” his own focus had been on “the legal side of things.” Notably, during his prior tenure as the Assistant Attorney General in charge of the Department’s Civil Rights Division, Acosta had been involved in efforts to address sex trafficking. He told OPR that one of the “background issues” that the Civil Rights Division ad

t despite Oosterbaan’s favorable opinion of the case, “[t]his was . . . a bit of uncharted territory,” involving facts that were unlike the case law Oosterbaan had cited. Although Lourie had some concerns about the legal issues and about the witnesses, he “probably” did not see any impediment to going for

d in the case and describing it as a “highly sensitive” case involving “a high profile, very rich defendant.”39 After CEOS reviewed the materials, Oosterbaan responded to Lourie with an email stating that the memorandum was “exhaustive” and “well done” and noting that Villafaña “has correctly focused on

shington, D.C.; approximately four years as a policy fellow and law school lecturer; and nearly two years as a Deputy Assistant Attorney General in the Department’s Civil Rights Division. He was presidentially appointed in 2002 as a member of the National Labor Relations Board, and in 2003 as Assistant Attorney General in charge of

to proceed in the same fashion even if he had sought and received a full briefing 258 CEOS Chief Oosterbaan told OPR this provision was “very unusual.” Principal Associate Deputy Attorney General John Roth commented, “I don’t know how it is that you give

er with Sloman after Menchel’s departure. Despite these discussions, though, it is not clear that Acosta was aware of certain information, such as Oosterbaan’s strong opinion from the outset in favor of the prosecution or of Villafaña’s concerns and objections to a state-based resolution or the final NPA.

ictim interviews. x Villafaña revised the prosecution memorandum to focus “on victims who are unknown to Epstein’s counsel.” x The USAO informed the Department’s Civil Rights Division “pursuant to USAM [§] 8-3.120,” of the USAO’s “ongoing investigation of a child exploitation matter” involving Epstein and others. x Villafaña se