DOJ says names of two associates Epstein wired $100K and $250K should stay secret
Friday, the Ministry of Justice asked a federal judge supervising the case of the deceased sexual trafficker Jeffrey Epstein to refuse a request for NBC News to a question the names of two partners who received big payments from him in 2018, according to court documents. The Ministry of Justice has cited confidentiality problems expressed by the two individuals such as the reason for not making their name public.
The first partner received a payment of $ 100,000 from Epstein and the second partner received a payment of $ 250,000, both in 2018, a few days after the Miami Herald began to publish a series of investigation stories where the victims criticized a advocacy agreement he received in Florida in 2008.
As part of the advocacy agreement, Epstein obtained a declaration by federal prosecutors in Florida that the two people would not be prosecuted.
Payments have become public after Epstein was charged and arrested in New York in 2019 and asked to be released on bail. New York federal prosecutors filed a memorandum on July 16, 2019, which argued that Epstein should remain in prison to prevent it from falsifying witnesses.
They cited the payments he made to the two individuals, who started two days after Miami Herald began to publish his stories on the Epstein advocacy agreement, also known as the propulsion non-material contract, or NPA.
Prosecutors wrote that on November 30, 2018, Epstein “wired $ 100,000 in a trust account that he controlled, to an individual named as [REDACTED] A potential co -conspirator – and for whom Epstein obtained protection – the NPA. »»
Prosecutors also wrote that “this individual was also appointed and presented in good place in the Herald series”.
The prosecutors added that “the same files show that three days later, on December 3, 2018, the defendant wired $ 250,000 from the same trust [REDACTED]Who was also appointed potential co -conspirator – and for whom Epstein also obtained protection – the NPA. »»
Prosecutors continued: “This person is also one of the employees identified in the indictment, which alleys that they and two other identified employees facilitated the miners by the defendant by the defendant by, among other things, by contacting the victims and planning their sexual meetings with the defendant of his residences in Manhattan and Palm Beach, Florida.”
Prosecutors said in the documents deposited that Epstein payments could be evidence of “efforts to influence witnesses”.
“This line of conduct, and in particular his calendar,” they said, “suggests that the defendant was trying to further influence the co-conspirators who could provide information against him in the light of recently re-moved allegations.”
Last month, NBC News sent a letter asking the district judge to dispense the names expurgated because Epstein died, the criminal procedure ended and the Ministry of Justice declared in a memo in July that no additional accusation would be filed against non -loaded third parties.
Berman gave federal prosecutors until Friday to answer.
Friday, in a letter of response, Jay Clayton, the American lawyer for the South District of New York, wrote: “The individual-1 and the individual-2 are undeveloped third parties who have not given up their interests in confidentiality;
Clayton said that the two anonymous people had sent letters to the American prosecutor’s office expressing their concern but that these letters are on Seal.
The judge gave NBC News until September 12 to meet the request of the Ministry of Justice that the names remain secret.
It is not known when Berman will make a decision at the request of NBC News.
