An internal March 2021 DOJ email from then-Acting U.S. Attorney Audrey Strauss approving a 'friendly subpoena' to obtain a settlement agreement from a 2009 civil lawsuit against Jeffrey Epstein, relevant to the ongoing criminal investigation into Ghislaine Maxwell.

This document is a federal prosecutor's email thread from March 26, 2021, during the active criminal investigation and prosecution of Ghislaine Maxwell. The email shows a prosecutor seeking approval from Acting U.S. Attorney Audrey Strauss to issue a 'friendly subpoena' to an attorney who possessed a copy of a settlement agreement from a 2009 civil lawsuit against Epstein. The attorney had already voluntarily provided court filings and deposition transcripts from the case but indicated he needed a formal subpoena before releasing the settlement agreement. The document reveals the prosecutors' ongoing efforts to gather evidence of Maxwell's 'participation in the abuse of underage girls.'

Key Highlights

• •Shows federal prosecutors actively gathering evidence for Maxwell prosecution just months before trial
• •References a 2009 civil lawsuit settlement agreement between Epstein and an unnamed victim
• •Audrey Strauss, then-Acting U.S. Attorney for SDNY, approved the subpoena request
• •The attorney's firm had already voluntarily provided court filings and deposition transcripts
• •Explicitly states Maxwell's involvement in 'abuse of underage girls' was under investigation

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