What is document EFTA00021295?

This is an official letter from the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York to the NYC Office of the Chief Medical Examiner dated August 28, 2019, requesting that certain materials related to Jeffrey Epstein's death investigation be withheld from public disclosure.

Who is mentioned in this document?

The letter is addressed to Florence Hutner (General Counsel for NYC's Office of the Chief Medical Examiner) and references the office of U.S. Attorney Geoffrey S. Berman. It concerns the investigation into Jeffrey Epstein's death at the Metropolitan Correctional Center.

What does this document reveal about Epstein's death investigation?

The document reveals that federal investigators (FBI and U.S. Attorney's Office) were conducting an ongoing criminal investigation into the circumstances of Epstein's August 10, 2019 suicide. It shows that federal authorities provided materials from MCC to medical examiners during August 10-16, 2019, and subsequently requested confidentiality of those materials and agent interviews to protect the investigation.

Why did federal prosecutors request confidentiality from the medical examiner?

The U.S. Attorney's Office requested that OCME withhold disclosure of any documents, evidence, or information provided by federal investigators to avoid compromising their ongoing criminal investigation into the events surrounding Epstein's death at the Metropolitan Correctional Center.

What is document EFTA00021295?

This is an official letter from the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York to the NYC Office of the Chief Medical Examiner dated August 28, 2019, requesting that certain materials related to Jeffrey Epstein's death investigation be withheld from public disclosure.

Who is mentioned in this document?

The letter is addressed to Florence Hutner (General Counsel for NYC's Office of the Chief Medical Examiner) and references the office of U.S. Attorney Geoffrey S. Berman. It concerns the investigation into Jeffrey Epstein's death at the Metropolitan Correctional Center.

What does this document reveal about Epstein's death investigation?

The document reveals that federal investigators (FBI and U.S. Attorney's Office) were conducting an ongoing criminal investigation into the circumstances of Epstein's August 10, 2019 suicide. It shows that federal authorities provided materials from MCC to medical examiners during August 10-16, 2019, and subsequently requested confidentiality of those materials and agent interviews to protect the investigation.

Why did federal prosecutors request confidentiality from the medical examiner?

The U.S. Attorney's Office requested that OCME withhold disclosure of any documents, evidence, or information provided by federal investigators to avoid compromising their ongoing criminal investigation into the events surrounding Epstein's death at the Metropolitan Correctional Center.

EFTA00021295 - EFTA00021296

This is an official letter from the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York to the NYC Medical Examiner's Office dated August 28, 2019, requesting confidentiality of materials shared during the criminal investigation into Jeffrey Epstein's death.

The letter, signed by Geoffrey S. Berman's office, addresses Florence Hutner (General Counsel for NYC's Office of the Chief Medical Examiner) eighteen days after Epstein's August 10, 2019 death at the Metropolitan Correctional Center. It requests that OCME withhold from public disclosure any documents, evidence, or information provided by federal investigators during their ongoing criminal investigation into the circumstances of Epstein's suicide. The letter specifically asks that names of federal agents interviewed and the substance of their statements be kept confidential to avoid compromising the investigation.

Key Highlights

•Confirms federal criminal investigation was ongoing into events surrounding Epstein's August 10, 2019 suicide at MCC
•Reveals federal investigators provided materials to medical examiner between August 10-16, 2019 to assist in determining cause and manner of death
•U.S. Attorney's Office requested confidentiality of investigative materials, agent identities, and MCC documents to protect ongoing investigation
•Letter dated August 28, 2019 - during the height of public scrutiny over Epstein's death in federal custody

Frequently Asked Questions

Books for Further Reading

Perversion of Justice

Julie K. Brown

Investigative journalism that broke the case open

Perversion of Justice: The Jeffrey Epstein Story

Julie K. Brown

Investigative journalism that broke the Epstein case open

Entitled: The Rise and Fall of the House of York

Document Information

Bates Range

EFTA00021295 - EFTA00021296

Pages

Document Content

Page 1 - EFTA00021295

U.S. Department of Justice United States Attorney Southern District of New York The Silvio J. Mollo Building One Saint Andrew's Plaza New York, New York 10007 August 28, 2019 Florence Hutner, Esq. General Counsel Office of the Chief Medical Examiner 421 East 26th Street New York, New York Re: Autopsy Report and File for Jeffrey Epstein Dear Ms. Hutner: As you are aware, the United States Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York ("USAO") and the Federal Bureau of Investigation ("FBI") are conducting an ongoing criminal investigation into the events related to Mr. Epstein's August 10, 2019 suicide at the Metropolitan Correctional Center ("MCC") (the "Criminal Investigation"). As you are also aware, between August 10, 2019, and August 16, 2019, at OCME's request and in order to assist OCME in determining the cause and manner of Mr. Epstein's death, the USAO and FBI gave OCME access to certain materials and information gathering during the Criminal Investigation. As discussed by phone, while the OCME autopsy is now complete, the Criminal Investigation remains ongoing. As such, and in order to avoid compromising the Criminal Investigation, we request that OCME withhold from disclosure to any third party any documents, evidence or information made available to OCME by the USAO or FBI—including documents, records, or materials from the MCC—or created by OCME or within the OCME case file that include, reflect, or contain information made available to OCME by the USAO or FBI. We also request that you withhold from any disclosure the names and identifying information of any federal law enforcement agents or employees who were interviewed by the OCME, along with the substance of any statements or interviews made by those agents or employees. EFTA00021295

Page 2 - EFTA00021296

Page 2 We appreciate your willingness to comply with this request. Should you decide at any future point, notwithstanding this request, to produce any of the above-referenced material to any third party, we request that you notify us before you do so, so that we may seek additional process. Please contact us with any further questions. Very truly yours, GEOFFREY S. BERMAN United States Attorney by: /s/ EFTA00021296