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re than $100,000 ing John Kerry’s presidential bid, ill Richardson and the Senate bids er Dodd and Charles Schumer. fuel extraordinary desires. In March 2005, a worried mother contacted Palm Beach police. She said another parent had overheard a conversation between their chil n. Now the mother was afraid her 14-year-old daughter had been molested by aman on the island. The phone call triggered an extensive investigation, one that would lead detectives to Epstein but leave them frustrated. Palm Beach police and the state attorney's office have declined to discuss the case. But a Palm Beach police report detailing the criminal probe offers a window into what detectives faced as they sought to close in on Epstein. Detectives interviewed the girl, who told them a friend had invited her to arich man’s house to perform a massage. She said the friend told her to say she was 18 if asked. At the house, she said she was paid $300 after stripping to her panties and massaging the man while he mas- turbated. Police interview 5 alleged victims The investigation began in full after the girl identified Epstein in a photo as the man who had paid her. Police arranged for garbage trucks to set aside Epstein’s trash so police could sift through it. They set up a video camera to record the comings and goings at his home. They mon- itored an airport hangar for signs of his private jet’s arrivals and depar- tures. They quickly learned that the woman who took the 14-year-old girl to Epstein’s house was Haley Rob- son, a Palm Beach Community Col- ——e ~—_slege student from Loxahatchee. Ina Sythe Associated Press’ ~~swom statement at police head- ‘the UpperEast’ = quarters, Robson, then 18, admitted in, itis reported’ She had taken at least six girls to visit :itfallensnow, Epstein, all between the ages of 14 eo: and 16. Epstein: paid her for each * visit, she said. ta '- During the drive back to her Ta * house, Robson told detectives, “I'm re like a Heidi Fleiss.” 07/26/17 enough dirt on the girls to make prosecutors skeptical. Not only did some of the girls have issues with drugs or alcohol but also some had criminal records and other troubles, Epstein’s legal team claimed. And at least one of them, they said, lied when she told police she was younger than 18 when she started performing massages for Epstein. After the meeting, prosecutors postponed their decision to take the case to a grand jury. In the following weeks, police received complaints that two of the victims or their families had been harassed or threatened. Epstein’s legal team maintains that its private _ investigators did nothing illegal or unethical during their research. By then, relations between police and prosecutors were fraying. At a key meeting with prosecutors and the defense, Detective Joseph Recarey, the lead investigator, was a no-show, according to Epstein’s attorney. “The embarrassment on the prosecutor's face was evident when the police officer never showed up for the meeting,” attorney Jack Goldberger said. Later in April, Recarey walked into a prosecutor's office at the state attorney’s office and learned the case was taking an unexpected turn. The prosecutor, Lanna Belohlavek, told Recarey the state attorney's office had offered Epstein a plea deal that would not require him to serve jail time or receive a felony conviction. Recarey told her he disapproved of the plea offer. The deal never came to pass, . however. Future unclear after charge On May 1, the department asked prosecutors to approve warrants. to arrest Epstein on four counts of unlawful sexual activity with a minor and to charge his personal assistant, Sarah Kellen, now 27, for her alleged role in arranging the visits. Police Page 77 of 151 Public Records Request No.: 17-295 DOJ-OGR-00032116