What is document EFTA00021426?

This is an email exchange from July 15, 2019, between federal prosecutors from the Southern District of New York and Jeffrey Epstein's defense attorneys, Martin Weinberg and Reid Weingarten. The prosecution asks for information about a suspicious passport and whether Epstein held citizenship in any country other than the United States.

Who is mentioned in this document?

The document names Jeffrey Epstein, the defendant; Martin Weinberg, one of Epstein's lead defense attorneys; and Reid Weingarten, another prominent defense attorney on the team. The prosecutors' names are partially redacted but include Assistant U.S. Attorneys from the Southern District of New York.

What does this document reveal?

The document reveals that on the day of Epstein's bail hearing, prosecutors were actively investigating his foreign connections after discovering a fake Austrian passport in his safe. The urgent request for citizenship information suggests prosecutors were building their flight-risk argument, which ultimately succeeded—Epstein was denied bail three days later on July 18, 2019.

Why was the passport significant to Epstein's case?

The passport was found in Epstein's safe alongside $70,000 in cash and 48 diamonds. It was an Austrian passport with Epstein's photo but a fake name (Marius Fortelni) and listed Saudi Arabia as his residence. Prosecutors revealed it had been used to enter France, Spain, the UK, and Saudi Arabia in the 1980s, undermining the defense's claim it had never been used and supporting the argument that Epstein was a serious flight risk.

What was the outcome of the bail hearing?

Judge Richard M. Berman denied Epstein's bail request on July 18, 2019. Despite the defense offering $100 million bail and agreeing to any conditions, the judge cited concerns about Epstein being a danger to the community, the testimony of two alleged victims, and the discovery of the cash, diamonds, and fake passport in his safe.

What is document EFTA00021426?

This is an email exchange from July 15, 2019, between federal prosecutors from the Southern District of New York and Jeffrey Epstein's defense attorneys, Martin Weinberg and Reid Weingarten. The prosecution asks for information about a suspicious passport and whether Epstein held citizenship in any country other than the United States.

Who is mentioned in this document?

The document names Jeffrey Epstein, the defendant; Martin Weinberg, one of Epstein's lead defense attorneys; and Reid Weingarten, another prominent defense attorney on the team. The prosecutors' names are partially redacted but include Assistant U.S. Attorneys from the Southern District of New York.

What does this document reveal?

The document reveals that on the day of Epstein's bail hearing, prosecutors were actively investigating his foreign connections after discovering a fake Austrian passport in his safe. The urgent request for citizenship information suggests prosecutors were building their flight-risk argument, which ultimately succeeded—Epstein was denied bail three days later on July 18, 2019.

Why was the passport significant to Epstein's case?

The passport was found in Epstein's safe alongside $70,000 in cash and 48 diamonds. It was an Austrian passport with Epstein's photo but a fake name (Marius Fortelni) and listed Saudi Arabia as his residence. Prosecutors revealed it had been used to enter France, Spain, the UK, and Saudi Arabia in the 1980s, undermining the defense's claim it had never been used and supporting the argument that Epstein was a serious flight risk.

What was the outcome of the bail hearing?

Judge Richard M. Berman denied Epstein's bail request on July 18, 2019. Despite the defense offering $100 million bail and agreeing to any conditions, the judge cited concerns about Epstein being a danger to the community, the testimony of two alleged victims, and the discovery of the cash, diamonds, and fake passport in his safe.

EFTA00021426 - EFTA00021427

An email exchange between federal prosecutors and Jeffrey Epstein's defense attorneys Martin Weinberg and Reid Weingarten on July 15, 2019, the day of his bail hearing, discussing speedy trial exclusions and requesting information about Epstein's citizenship status and a mysterious foreign passport.

This is a high-value legal document from the federal prosecution of Jeffrey Epstein. The email chain shows prosecutors urgently seeking information about a passport discovered during a raid on Epstein's Manhattan home—found in a safe alongside $70,000 cash and 48 diamonds. The prosecution asks whether Epstein was ever a citizen or permanent resident of another country, directly related to the fake Austrian passport that listed Saudi Arabia as his residence. This exchange occurred on the same day prosecutors stunned the courtroom with revelations about the passport, which contained entry stamps from the UK, Spain, France, and Saudi Arabia from the 1980s.

Key Highlights

•Prosecutors ask defense team if Epstein was ever a citizen or legal permanent resident of a country other than the United States
•Email sent on July 15, 2019—the same day prosecutors revealed the fake passport discovery at Epstein's bail hearing
•Shows behind-the-scenes coordination between prosecution (SDNY) and defense attorneys Martin Weinberg and Reid Weingarten
•Defense consents to speedy trial time exclusion, indicating cooperation on procedural matters while fighting substantive issues

Frequently Asked Questions

Books for Further Reading

Perversion of Justice: The Jeffrey Epstein Story

Julie K. Brown

Investigative journalism that broke the Epstein case open

Filthy Rich: The Jeffrey Epstein Story

James Patterson

Bestselling account of Epstein's crimes and network

Relentless Pursuit: My Fight for the Victims of Jeffrey Epstein

Bradley J. Edwards

Victims' attorney's firsthand account

Document Information

Bates Range

EFTA00021426 - EFTA00021427

Pages

Document Content

Page 1 - EFTA00021426

From: " To: Martin Weinberg Cc: "Weingarten Reid" , " " Subject: RE: bail topics Date: Mon, 15 Jul 2019 21:48:03 +0000 Importance: Normal Thank you. From: Martin Weinberg <~ Sent: Monday, July 15, 2019 17:41 To: Cc: Weingarten, Reid cc > Subject: Re: bail topics Yes, we assent Sent from my iPhone On Jul 15, 2019, at 5:36 PM, wrote: Separate from the below, at the conference today I neglected to ask the court to exclude speedy trial time until Thursday, which I'm going to ask for in a letter this evening—could you please let us know if you consent? thank you, From: Sent: Monday, July 15, 2019 14:38 To: 'Martin G. Weinberg' .: 1>•; 'Weingarten, Reid' Cc: Subject: RE: bail topics Marty, Reid, Briefly following up on this morning, if you could please let us know what if any information you're able to provide about the passport we discussed, with the copies we provided to you, we can address any new info as appropriate for a possible submission tomorrow. Related, something I'm not sure we've specifically asked, and I'm not sure whether pretrial asked—can you please advise whether Mr. Epstein currently is, or has been in the past, a citizen or legal permanent resident of a country other than the United States? thanks, Assistant U.S. Attorney Southern District of New York EFTA00021426

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