DOJ-OGR-00023126.tif
Extracted Text (OCR)
a proposal regarding the special master’s responsibilities, along with a draft letter to send to the
special master explaining the procedure for selecting an attorney representative.
Lefkowitz objected to this proposal in a letter to Villafafia, pointing out that the NPA did
not provide for the appointment of a special master. More importantly, Lefkowitz used the
discussion of the special master as an opening to press for other alterations to the language of the
NPA or, at least, to its interpretation. Focusing on the attorney representative, Lefkowitz argued
that the attorney’s role should be viewed as limited to negotiating settlements and that the attorney
was precluded from filing lawsuits on behalf of victims who could not reach a negotiated
settlement with Epstein. Lefkowitz proposed:
[T]he selected attorney should evaluate the claims of each identified
individual, negotiate a total fund amount with Mr. Epstein, then
distribute the monies based on the strength of each case. For those
identified individuals who elect not to settle with Mr. Epstein, they
may proceed on their own, but by doing so, they would not be suing
under § 2255 as contemplated by [the NPA] and therefore may not
continue to be represented by the selected attorney.
Lefkowitz also objected to Villafafia’s draft letter to the special master, asserting that it was
essential for the defense to participate in crafting a “mutually acceptable communication” to the
victims. Going further, Lefkowitz claimed that any contact between the USAO and the victims
about the § 2255 provision would violate the agreement’s confidentiality provision. Lefkowitz
admonished the government not to contact the victims “to inform them of the resolution of the
case, including [the] appointment of the selected attorney and the settlement process.”
Villafafia forwarded Lefkowitz’s letter to Sloman, complaining that the defense
interpretation of the § 2255 procedure violated the clear language of the NPA and asking, “Can I
please just indict him [Epstein]?” Days later, Sanchez emailed Sloman, and then sent a follow-up
letter, asking that Sloman “help resolve” the issue regarding the attorney representative’s role, and
arguing that Epstein had never intended by signing the NPA to promise to pay fees for the victims’
civil lawsuits in the event a settlement could not be reached. When Villafafia explained to Sloman
her views on Sanchez’s arguments, Sloman responded, “I suggest that you communicate your
proposal back to [Sanchez]. The more ‘voices’ they hear the more wedges they try to drive
between us.” Villafafia agreed, noting that “[t]here are so many of them over there, I am afraid we
are getting triple-teamed.”!*°
Villafafia sent Sanchez a letter regarding the roles of the special master and attorney
representative. The next day, October 10, 2007, Lefkowitz sent a six-page letter to Acosta, asa
“follow up to our conversation yesterday,” expressing “serious disagreements” with Villafafia’s
view of the process for victims to claim § 2255 damages under the NPA. Lefkowitz reiterated the
defense position that the attorney representative’s role was meant to be limited to negotiating
settlements for the victims, rather than pursuing litigation. Lefkowitz claimed that a requirement
136 Villafafia also alerted Sloman that a newspaper was reporting that defense counsel was writing a letter to
Acosta asking for reconsideration of the requirement that Epstein register as a sexual offender. Villafafia commented,
“Tt appears they don’t understand that a signed contract is binding.”
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DOJ-OGR-00023126
Extracted Information
Document Details
| Filename | DOJ-OGR-00023126.tif |
| File Size | 74.9 KB |
| OCR Confidence | 95.3% |
| Has Readable Text | Yes |
| Text Length | 3,605 characters |
| Indexed | 2026-02-03 20:33:31.356789 |