Who is mentioned in this document?

The document mentions Jeffrey Epstein as the subject. It was sent by a Deputy Chief of the Civil Division at SDNY to personnel who had worked on or supervised the Epstein matter. Prince Andrew appears in the metadata but is not visible in the provided content excerpt.

What does this document reveal?

The document reveals the DOJ's immediate response to preserve evidence following Epstein's death. Notably, it references an 'earlier reported incident in which he suffered physical injuries'—a reference to the July 23, 2019 incident where Epstein was found with neck injuries, which some initially suspected was an assault. The litigation hold indicates the DOJ anticipated civil lawsuits following Epstein's death under suspicious circumstances.

Why is this document significant?

This document is significant because it shows the DOJ's institutional response to Epstein's death and confirms there were concerns about preserving evidence from both his death and the earlier July 23 incident. The DOJ Inspector General later found that MCC staff had falsified records and that camera footage was missing, making this preservation order ironically relevant given the subsequent evidence problems.

What was the 'earlier incident' referenced in the document?

The document references an incident on July 23, 2019, when Epstein was found in his cell with marks on his neck. Initially, it was unclear whether this was a suicide attempt or an assault. The DOJ OIG investigation later confirmed this was a suicide attempt, though some conspiracy theories have disputed this conclusion.

Who is mentioned in this document?

The document mentions Jeffrey Epstein as the subject. It was sent by a Deputy Chief of the Civil Division at SDNY to personnel who had worked on or supervised the Epstein matter. Prince Andrew appears in the metadata but is not visible in the provided content excerpt.

What does this document reveal?

The document reveals the DOJ's immediate response to preserve evidence following Epstein's death. Notably, it references an 'earlier reported incident in which he suffered physical injuries'—a reference to the July 23, 2019 incident where Epstein was found with neck injuries, which some initially suspected was an assault. The litigation hold indicates the DOJ anticipated civil lawsuits following Epstein's death under suspicious circumstances.

Why is this document significant?

This document is significant because it shows the DOJ's institutional response to Epstein's death and confirms there were concerns about preserving evidence from both his death and the earlier July 23 incident. The DOJ Inspector General later found that MCC staff had falsified records and that camera footage was missing, making this preservation order ironically relevant given the subsequent evidence problems.

What was the 'earlier incident' referenced in the document?

The document references an incident on July 23, 2019, when Epstein was found in his cell with marks on his neck. Initially, it was unclear whether this was a suicide attempt or an assault. The DOJ OIG investigation later confirmed this was a suicide attempt, though some conspiracy theories have disputed this conclusion.

EFTA00023993 - EFTA00023995

This is an internal DOJ litigation hold notice from August 12, 2019—just two days after Jeffrey Epstein's death at MCC New York—ordering SDNY personnel to preserve all documents related to his case.

This email from the Deputy Chief of the Civil Division at the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York institutes a formal litigation hold following Jeffrey Epstein's death at the Metropolitan Correctional Center on August 10, 2019. The notice directs all personnel who worked on or supervised the Epstein matter to immediately preserve any records related to him—not just those concerning his death, but also a prior incident where he suffered physical injuries (a reference to Epstein being found with neck injuries on July 23, 2019). This is a significant procedural document showing the DOJ's immediate response to preserve evidence for anticipated litigation.

Key Highlights

•Issued just 2 days after Epstein's death on August 10, 2019, showing the urgency of the DOJ's document preservation efforts
•References an 'earlier reported incident in which he suffered physical injuries'—the mysterious July 23, 2019 incident where Epstein was found with marks on his neck
•Orders IT personnel to suspend routine email deletions for all recipients
•Originates from the Civil Division of SDNY, indicating expectation of civil litigation following Epstein's death

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

EFTA00023993 - EFTA00023995

Pages

Document Content

Page 1 - EFTA00023993

From: To: Cc: Subject: RE: Epstein OIG/FBI—Document Preservation Date: Mon, 12 Aug 2019 21:12:56 +0000 Attachments: Jeffrey_Epstein_lit_hold_notice_form_08_12_2019.pdf Dear all, As=explained, we are instituting a formal litigation hold in connection with Mr. Epstein's death at MCC. You have been identified as having done work on or supervised the Epstein matter, and thus as possibly having responsive records. Please note and preserve whatever you have about Mr. Epstein, not limited to his death and to the earlier reported incident in which he suffered physical injuries. In addition, to the extent possible, please avoid altering any relevant records. If you need to use existing documents, please save what you're working off of as a new document so that the version that now exists remains preserved and available. I attach a formal litigation hold notice, which as required is on an EOUSA-provided form. Please review the notice, fill out the form to indicate whether and where you have responsive records, and sign and return it to me. In particular, be sure to let me know by USAO number if possible what records and share directories we have that are likely to include relevant information. I prefer scanned and emailed return of the forms, but you can also use interoffice mail if you prefer. Please let me know if you think other USAO personnel may have relevant documents or evidence. And please let me know if you have questions or want to discuss. Finally, I am copying -to inform him of the new litigation hold, and to ask him to ensure that all responsive information on our electronic record systems is preserved, including by suspending the routine maintenance email deletions for recipients of this email. Many thanks, EFTA00023993

Page 2 - EFTA00023994

Deputy Chief, Civil Division, and Litigation Hold Coordinator U.S. Attorney's Office, S.D.N.Y. 86 Chambers Street, Third Floor New York, NY 10007 From: Sent: Monday, August 12, 2019 4:46 PM Subject: RE: Epstein DIG/FBI—Document Preservation FYI, as a result of a preservation request Epstein's lawyers have made on behalf of the family, which indicates a potential wrongful death case, you will shortly be receiving a formal litigation hold request from our litigation hold coordinator. From: Sent: Monday, August 12, 2019 11:43 AM Subject: FW: Epstein 0IG/F8I--Document Preservation All - Please see below and follow instructions. Additionally, if you believe there are others at SDNY to whom this email should be sent, please let me know immediately. Thanks, From: Sent: Monday, August 12, 2019 11:35 AM Subject: Epstein 0IG/FBI--Document Preservation Please forward this to everyone who might have any documents relating to the Epstein suicide, and cc me: EFTA00023994

Page 3 - EFTA00023995

Please make sure to preserve any documents you may have relating to Epstein's conditions of confinement. • Your emails will be adequately preserved, for present purposes, by the regular three-year backup. But let me know if you have any or not. • If you have any hard-copy notes, please scan them and send them to me. If you have none, let me know that too. • Most particularly, please check to see if you have texted anything pertinent. If so let me know, one way or the other. If you do have anything, we'll figure out how to preserve that. Associate U.S. Attorney United States Attorney's Office Southern District of New York One St. Andrew's Plaza New York, NY 10007 EFTA00023995