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Case 1:20-cr-00330-PAE Document 493 Filed 11/22/21 Page4of6
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not be satisfied as to that business. But the harms to the business would be directly and proximately
caused by actions taken in furtherance of the scheme, qualifying the business as a victim. So too
here.
It is no answer to say, as the defense has argued, that Epstein’s conduct with respect to
Minor Victim-3 was legal. For the purposes of setting forth the elements of the charged crime, the
Court must of course draw a clear line at the age of consent.” But the definition in the CVRA and
VWPA “‘is certainly broad,” Battista, 575 F.3d at 231, and is broader than the elements of the
offense. Thus, in assessing whether Minor Victim-3 is a “victim” under these definitions—and in
assessing the admissibility of her testimony—such a clear line is neither required nor proper.
Epstein and the defendant were not checking victims’ identifications at the door to ensure they
were above the age of consent in whichever location they were at the time. Just as Epstein’s
prurient interest in girls did not switch off at midnight of their 17" birthday, neither did it toggle
on and off as his plane crossed into jurisdictions with different ages of consent. Rather, Epstein
and the defendant were engaged in a wide-ranging conspiracy to recruit girls for sexual abuse in
multiple jurisdictions with differing ages of consent. The core of the conspiracy was the agreement
to engage in the criminal conduct, and it does not matter whether the elements of the substantive
crimes of transportation or enticement were completed or attempted to be completed as to Minor
Victim-3. See Salinas v. United States, 522 U.S. 52, 65 (1997). That is why Epstein’s abuse of
Minor Victim-3 is properly included in the indictment and why Epstein’s abuse of Minor Victim-
3’s testimony is direct evidence of the conspiracy. If Minor Victim-3 was directly and proximately
? It bears noting that the Mann Act contemplates that children under the age of 18 are victims of
the offense, though in this case that is limited by the New York object charged in the Indictment.
See, e.g., 18 U.S.C. § 2423(a) (criminalizing the transportation of an individual “who has not
attained the age of 18” for purposes of illegal sexual activity).
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Dates
Document Details
| Filename | DOJ-OGR-00007434.jpg |
| File Size | 759.1 KB |
| OCR Confidence | 94.7% |
| Has Readable Text | Yes |
| Text Length | 2,296 characters |
| Indexed | 2026-02-03 17:23:13.665302 |