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Watch: David Schoen in the Epstein files
1:08Narrated from the AI-generated summary of the documents. Numbers reflect the archive at generation time.
David Schoen is a criminal defense lawyer who had a long-running professional relationship with Jeffrey Epstein. The files show direct email exchanges, a February 2019 in-person meeting, and a post-suicide-attempt jail visit at the Metropolitan Correctional Center (MCC) in 2019. That visit appears in official records.
Schoen is in the headers of direct emails with Epstein and Epstein's staff, including Lesley Groff, running from 2013 through 2019. Government records describe him as a lawyer Epstein "consulted periodically over more than a decade." A court filing says Epstein summoned him to MCC after the first suicide attempt. A December 2019 internal prosecutor email titled "Schoen and Epstein" reacts to the idea of Schoen leading the defense team. Of the 63 documents, 60 are emails. Many are forwarded news articles or legal-database printouts, and only 2 are legal documents.
Key Highlights
- •A government report quoted in the files says that three days after Epstein was taken off 24-hour suicide watch, he received a visit from Schoen. The report calls Schoen a lawyer Epstein had consulted periodically over more than a decade. A separate court filing says Epstein summoned numerous lawyers to MCC, including Schoen, whom he met in the days after his initial suicide attempt.
- •In a December 29, 2019 internal email titled "Schoen and Epstein," a prosecutor writes: "Can you imagine moving forward with that case with David Schoen as the 'quarterback' of the defense team? Yikes."
- •Emails from February 26, 2019 show Epstein's office arranging a meeting. Epstein wrote "yes he can come now, move rich," and a staffer replied "Jeffrey says to come as soon as you can." Epstein's calendar lists "11:30am Coffee w/David Schoen," and a later message from the other side reads "Nice meeting you as well!"
- •Epstein and Schoen exchanged personal emails over several years. In 2017 Epstein asked Schoen "where are you based?" after Schoen said he was being approached by prospective clients. In July 2018 Epstein wrote "we're on the same team," and the two discussed prosecutors and the press. A 2013 email shows Schoen wishing Epstein well with the lawyers he had chosen.
- •In 2018 and 2019 Schoen repeatedly sent Epstein news articles. Topics included the Alexander Acosta plea-deal coverage, Jerrold Nadler's investigation, Mueller's witnesses, the death of the judge in a key Epstein lawsuit, and Epstein's June 2019 civil settlement. Epstein replied with short comments such as "Yup" and "no worry how are you."
- •Several House Oversight documents are LexisNexis printouts under Schoen's name, dated February 28, 2019, two days after the meeting. They cover the Crime Victims' Rights Act and how decisions not to prosecute are reviewed. The files do not say why he pulled them.
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 Mentions (20 of 63)
CRIMINAL LAW: CRIME VICTIMS' RIGHTS DURING CRIMINAL INVESTIGATIONS? APPLYING THE CRIME VICTIMS' RIGHTS ACT BEFORE CRIMINAL CHARGES ARE FILED
1 mentionHOUSE_OVERSIGHT_017603 - HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_017634
Feb 28, 2019Source: House Oversight Committee
@ LexisNexis: User Name: DAVID SCHOEN Date and Time: Thursday, February 28, 2019 10:26:00 AM EST Job Number: 83852792 Document (1) 1._ CRIMINAL LAW: CRIME VICTIMS' RIGHTS DURING CRIMIN
Page: HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_017603 →ARTICLE: Treating Crime Victims Fairly: Integrating Victims into the Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure
1 mentionHOUSE_OVERSIGHT_017635 - HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_017713
Feb 28, 2019Source: House Oversight Committee
@ LexisNexis: User Name: DAVID SCHOEN Date and Time: Thursday, February 28, 2019 10:27:00 AM EST Job Number: 83852897 Document (1) 1. ARTICLE: Treating Crime Victims Fairly: Integratin
Page: HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_017635 →ARTICLE: Recognizing Victims in the Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure: Proposed Amendments in Light of the Crime Victims' Rights Act
1 mentionHOUSE_OVERSIGHT_017714 - HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_017766
Feb 28, 2019Source: House Oversight Committee
@ LexisNexis: User Name: DAVID SCHOEN Date and Time: Thursday, February 28, 2019 10:28:00 AM EST Job Number: 83852970 Document (1) 1. ARTICLE: Recognizing Victims in the Federal Rules
Page: HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_017714 →Sponsored
HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_026290 - HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_026293
1 mentionSource: House Oversight Committee
tv and radio (| never would have been asked), as | Know he would pick a team of honest folks from across the spectrum. From: jeffrey E. <j i i > To: David Schoen Sent: Wed, Jul 4, 2018 8:10 am Subject: Re: Hello is itoverblown. ? all mob prosecutors have strong feelings towards their targets. | recall many
Page: HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_026291 →HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_031339
1 mentionSource: House Oversight Committee
n the paper in some pseudo authoritative role. Pretty weak. Good luck, David Sent from AOL Mobile Mail Get the new AOL app: mail.mobile.aol.com From: David Schoen < Date: Friday, August 12, 2016 Subject: Obama team nixed fundraiser by attorney for sex offender pal of Bill Clinton, emails show To: David Schoen <
Page: HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_031339 →HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_031344
1 mentionSource: House Oversight Committee
From: Sent: To: Subject: Importance: DAVID SCHOEN 3/6/2019 6:26:30 PM [email protected] Jerrold Nadler's investigation seems rigged to me: Why are two leading Trump foes heading up his probe? - N
Page: HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_031344 →Sponsored
HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_031492 - HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_031495
1 mentionSource: House Oversight Committee
to have helped. I am sure you have the lawyers you feel are the best for you and I hope that is the case and all works out well as soon as possible. David Schoen ---Original Message----- From: Jeffrey Epstein <[email protected]> To: Sent: Mon, Sep 2, 2013 10:08 am Subject: Re: Question - CONFIDENTIAL Willi
Page: HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_031493 →HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_031560 - HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_031562
1 mentionSource: House Oversight Committee
jerk, guilty, etc. I am doing ok, thanks. I see you really follow this stuff. -----Original Message----- From: jeffrey E. <[email protected]> To: David Schoen Sent: Wed, Jul 4, 2018 8:51 am Subject: Re: Hello we're on the same team. strok. testimony was that discussions with lovers, often include embellishm
Page: HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_031560 →HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_031775
1 mentionSource: House Oversight Committee
From: Sent: To: Subject: DAVID SCHOEN 3/22/2019 12:11:49 PM [email protected] Mueller's Star Witness Against Trump Once Arrested For Child Porn, Hung Out With Pedos Clinton And Epstei
Page: HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_031775 →Sponsored
HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_031798
1 mentionSource: House Oversight Committee
From: Sent: To: Subject: J [[email protected]] 11/29/2018 3:59:27 AM David Schoen Re: Shared Article from AOL: Report: Trump aide helped sex abuser get cushy plea deal yes, every outlet needs a sex story On Wed, Nov 28, 2018 at 10:
Page: HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_031798 →HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_031802
1 mentionSource: House Oversight Committee
From: Sent: To: Subject: J [[email protected]] 3/26/2019 11:11:17 AM DAVID SCHOEN Re: From Fox News - Federal judge overseeing key lawsuit relating to pedophile Jeffrey Epstein dies Yup On Tue, Mar 26, 2019 at 11:56 AM DAVID SCHOEN
Page: HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_031802 →HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_031803
1 mentionSource: House Oversight Committee
From: Sent: To: Subject: J [[email protected]] 6/15/2019 9:57:14 AM DAVID SCHOEN victims Re: From Fox News - Jeffrey Epstein, registered sex offender, settles civil lawsuit and avoids testimony from alleged no worry how are you On
Page: HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_031803 →Sponsored
HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_031823
1 mentionSource: House Oversight Committee
From: Sent: To: Subject: DAVID SCHOEN 3/26/2019 10:56:00 AM [email protected] From Fox News - Federal judge overseeing key lawsuit relating to pedophile Jeffrey Epstein dies Importanc
Page: HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_031823 →HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_031824
1 mentionSource: House Oversight Committee
From: Sent: To: Subject: DAVID SCHOEN 6/15/2019 12:20:06 AM jeffrey E. [[email protected]] From Fox News - Jeffrey Epstein, registered sex offender, settles civil lawsuit and avoids t
Page: HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_031824 →HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_031825
1 mentionSource: House Oversight Committee
From: Sent: To: Subject: DAVID SCHOEN 6/15/2019 12:21:00 AM jeffrey E. [[email protected]] From Fox News - Jeffrey Epstein, registered sex offender, settles civil lawsuit and avoids t
Page: HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_031825 →Sponsored
EFTA00071624.pdf
1 mentionEFTA00071624
in Suicide, N.Y. Times (Aug. 16, 2019), https://nyti.ms/3bBRMsi. Epstein is known to have summoned numerous lawyers to visit him at MCC, including David Schoen, whom he met with in the days after his initial suicide attempt. See, e.g., Ali Watkins, Danielle Ivory & Christina Goldbaum, Inmate 76318-054: The
EFTA00077515.pdf
1 mentionEFTA00077515
s. Suicide and aftermath EFTA00077522 Three days after Mr. Epstein was formally removed from the 24-hour suicide watch, he received a visit from David Schoen, a lawyer whom he had consulted periodically over more than a decade. Mr. Schoen said Mr. Epstein had sought the meeting through another lawyer and
EFTA00087073.pdf
1 mentionEFTA00087073
. From: (USANYS) < Sent: Sunday, December 29, 2019 22:38 To: Subject: Re: Schoen and Epstein Can you imagine moving forward with that case with David Schoen as the "quarterback" of the defense team? Yikes. Sent from my iPhone On Dec 29, 2019, at 9:06 PM, ) < > wrote: I got a hit on this as an end-of
Sponsored
EFTA00088701.pdf
1 mentionEFTA00088701
in Suicide, N.Y. Times (Aug. 16, 2019), https://nyti.ms/3bBRMsi. Epstein is known to have summoned numerous lawyers to visit him at MCC, including David Schoen, whom he met with in the days after his initial suicide attempt. See, e.g., Ali Watkins, Danielle Ivory & Christina Goldbaum, Inmate 76318-054: The
Article: Criminal Enforcement Redundancy: Oversight of Decisions Not to Prosecute
1 mentionHOUSE_OVERSIGHT_016509 - HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_016551
Feb 28, 2019Source: House Oversight Committee
@ LexisNexis: User Name: DAVID SCHOEN Date and Time: Thursday, February 28, 2019 10:34:00 AM EST Job Number: 83853687 Document (1) 1. Article: Criminal Enforcement Redundancy: Oversigh
Page: HOUSE_OVERSIGHT_016509 →Sponsored
Connected Entities(20 of 516)
Jeffrey Epstein
PersonAmerican sex offender and financier (1953–2019)
48 docs48 co-mentions
Bill Clinton
PersonPresident of the United States from 1993 to 2001 (born 1946)
13 docs13 co-mentions
Donald Trump
PersonPresident of the United States (2017–2021, 2025–present)
13 docs13 co-mentions
SC
Schoen
PersonSurname reference in documents
9 docs9 co-mentions
Department of Justice
OrganizationUnited States Department of Justice, federal executive department responsible for law enforcement
9 docs9 co-mentions
Madison
LocationCapital city of Wisconsin, United States
8 docs8 co-mentions
United States
LocationCountry located primarily in North America
8 docs8 co-mentions
Marc Rich
PersonAmerican commodities trader (1934–2013)
7 docs7 co-mentions
DI
Darren Indyke
PersonAmerican lawyer, longtime personal attorney and co-executor of Jeffrey Epstein's estate
7 docs7 co-mentions
Ghislaine Maxwell
PersonBritish socialite and sex trafficker, daughter of Robert Maxwell, accomplice of Jeffrey Epstein
6 docs6 co-mentions
George W. Bush
PersonPresident of the United States from 2001 to 2009
6 docs6 co-mentions
New York
LocationMost populous city in the United States
5 docs5 co-mentions
Dep't of Justice
OrganizationOrganization referenced in documents
5 docs5 co-mentions
William Barr
Person77th & 85th United States Attorney General (born 1950)
5 docs5 co-mentions
Federal Bureau of Prisons
OrganizationU.S. federal agency responsible for incarceration of federal inmates
5 docs5 co-mentions
FBI
OrganizationFederal Bureau of Investigation, domestic intelligence and security service of the United States
5 docs5 co-mentions
Kenneth Marra
PersonAmerican judge
5 docs5 co-mentions
Richard Kahn
PersonJeffrey Epstein's accountant and estate co-executor (2005-present)
5 docs5 co-mentions
Supreme Court
OrganizationHighest court of jurisdiction in the US
5 docs5 co-mentions
Alan Dershowitz
PersonAmerican lawyer, author, and art collector (born 1938)
5 docs5 co-mentions