EFTA00095984.pdf

Good morning. I'm Geoff Berman, US Attorney for the Southern District on New York. Today we announce the unsealing of sex trafficking charges against Jeffrey Epstein. The charges allege that Epstein sexually abused young girls by enticing them to engage in sex acts for money. Epstein was arrested this past Saturday evening at Teterboro Airport aboard his private jet which had just landed from Paris, France. Epstein was taken to the Metropolitan Correctional Center in NYC. Later today he will presented before a Judge in the SDNY. Our Office will take the position at that presentment that Epstein should be detained pending his trial. Epstein is charged in a two-count Indictment — first, conspiracy to commit sex trafficking, and second, the substantive crime of sex trafficking of underage girls. Beginning in at least 2002, and continuing until 2005, Epstein is alleged to have abused dozens of victims by causing them to engage in sex acts with him at his mansion in New York City and at his estate in Palm Beach, Florida. The victims—all underage girls at the time of the alleged conduct— were given hundreds of dollars in cash after each encounter, either by Epstein or one of his employees. The underage girls were initially recruited to provide Epstein with massages, and often did so nude or partially-nude. These massages became increasingly sexual in nature, and would typically include one or more sex acts, as specified in the indictment. EFTA00095984 Page 2 As alleged, Epstein also paid certain victims to recruit additional girls to be similarly abused. This allowed Epstein to create an ever- expanding web of new victims. This conduct, as alleged, went on for years. And it involved dozens of young girls, some as young as 14 years old at the time they were allegedly abused. As alleged, Epstein was well aware that many of his victims were minors. And not surprisingly, many of the underage girls that Epstein allegedly victimized were particularly vulnerable to exploitation. The alleged behavior shocks the conscience. And while the charged conduct is from a number of years ago, it is still profoundly important to the many alleged victims, now young women. They deserve their day in court, and we are proud to stand up for them in bringing this indictment. Combatting sex trafficking and the exploitation of children is a priority of this Office and of the Department of Justice, as the sexual abuse of a minor can have devastating effects on victims, often lasting for years. That is why my Office will not rest until perpetrators of these types of crimes are brought to justice. Victims' voices, including the many voices of Jeffrey Epstein's alleged victims, must be heard. And to that end, I want to say to anyone who is watching this or who hears about this prosecution, if you believe you are a victim of this man, Jeffrey Epstein, or have information about the conduct alleged in the Indictment unsealed today, please let us know by calling the FBI's tipline at EFTA00095985 Page 3 The charges unsealed today reflect the hard work not only of this Office but our law enforcement partners at the Federal Bureau of Investigation. To my left is the New York Field Office of the Fe era ureau o nvestigation. want to thank him and his team for their dedication and professionalism in seeing this investigation through. I also want to thank the New York City Police Department and Customs and Border Patrol for their assistance in the investigation. And I want to acknowledge and thank the career prosecutors of my Office handling the investigation and prosecution of this case. To my right, and and their supervisors, and the The talent, professionalism and dedication of these prosecutors is extraordinary. We will continue to devote significant resources to investigating these crimes and to protecting young people from sexual predators. I now want to invite to the podium my good friend EFTA00095986