EFTA00223095.pdf

BAKEILDONELSON 100 UM STREET • BALTIMORE, MARYLAND 21202 • 410.685.1120. bokerdonelson.com May 10, 2019 VIA EMAIL ONLY Re: OPR Investigation Relating to Jeffrey Epstein Federal Criminal Investigation Dear Ms. Ingersoll: Attached please find the written response of Assistant United States Attorney be letter of Jeffrey R. Ra sdate dated April 2, 2019, regarding the crim investigation of Jeffrey Epstein. aparately has sent you encrypted disks containing the exhibits referenced in er written response, and has emailed other exhibits that were not included on the disks. Mr. Ragsdale's letter also requested background information concerning Villafaiia's professional background and experience. The remainder of this letter provides that information. A native of Minnesota, raduated from Cornell University and the University of California, Berke ey, c soo oLaw: She was admitted to the California Bar in 1995, to the Minnesota Bar in 1997, and to the Florida Bar in 2005. She is currently an active member of the Florida Bar, and maintains inactive status in California and Minnesota. began her legal career as a judicial law clerk to the Honorable David F. Levi, United States District Judge for the Eastern District of California, from 1993 to 1994. Ms. Villafafia then worked in private practice for seven years, including as a litigation associate at Morrison & Foerster in San Francisco and a trial associate with Dorsey & Whitney, LLP, in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and London, England. Ms. Villafafia remained in civil practice, specializing in intellectual property litigation until 2001, when she was hired by the United States Attorney's Office in Miami. While she enjoyed civil practice m. many years had wanted to be an Assistant United States Attorney. Two early career mentors — Judge Levi and Portia Moore from Morrison & Foerster — had worked at U.S. Attorney's Offices and they, like many former 4822-54644166v1 2865555.000127 091012019 ALABAMA • FLORIDA • GEORGIA • LOUISIANA • MARYLAND • MISSISSIPPI • SOUTH CAROLINA • TENNESSEE • TEXAS • VIRGINIA • WASHINGTON, D.C. EFTA00223095 Laura Ingersoll May 10, 2019 Page 2 of 7 AUSAs, described the job as the best of their careers. Ms. Villafafta also wanted to serve her community. She was in the first generation of her family to graduate from college. She is the only member of her family to get an advanced degree. Personal experiences left her deeply committed to wanting to create safer communities for victi er several years of waiting for an opening at the USAO in Minneapolis, when rather moved to the West Palm Beach area, she applied for a position at the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Florida. On September 10, 2001,c1IIIIIIII gan serving as an Assistant United States Attorney in the Southern Distri did a rotation through the Appellate Section and then joined the Major Crimes Section from late September 2001 until January 2004. While in that unit, she handled reactive cases and short-term investigations and cases, including narcotics, firearms, child exploitation offenses, immigration matters, credit card fraud, bank robbery, violent offenses, and supervised release violations. While serving in that unit, she was also selected as one of the Southern District of Florida's first Project Safe Neighborhood prosecutors. In January 2004, transferred to the West Palm Beach Office. In 2006, the U.S. Department of Justice initiated 'Idh Project expertise in child exploitation matters, ood, and, in recognition of her ame the Southern District of Florida's first Project Safe Childhood coordinator.From 2004 through early 2009, handled the bulk of the child exploitation cases in West Palm Beach, as well as other cases involving violent crime, gangs, narcotics, firearms, immigration, and white collar matters. In March 2009, NMvas selected as the first Chief of the Special Prosecutions North Section, which was a new section in the Fort Lauderdale Office that would work on Project Safe Childhood and Project fe Neighborhood prosecutions. In late 2010, when a new U.S. Attorney was sworn in, asked that she be transferred back to the West Palm Beach Office, because the daily commute to Fort Lauderdale was both taxing and time consuming and it was exacerbating a then undiscovered medical condition from which she was suffering. Since 2010, las been assigned to the West Palm Beach Office and is now the liaison to the Greater P ealth Care Fraud Task Force. Since returning to West Palm Beach, load has shifted more towards economic crimes, but she has worked on a wide array of cases including insurance fraud, varying types of health care fraud, human trafficking, drug diversion, and bank fraud. According to CourtLink, as counsel of record in 445 criminal matters in the Florida. This W! oes not include all of the 2255 petition and appeals has handled, but does include search warrants and pen registers that she sought. Of these approximately 445 cases, a number of matters are noteworthy: 4822-5464.616691 2845555.000127 05/10/2019 EFTA00223096 Laura Ingersoll May 10, 2019 Page 3 of 7 As the Southern District of Florida's first Project Safe Childhood Coordinator, she personally handled dozens of child exploitation cases. IMMIw It appears from a review of Westlaw and Courtlink research, that as the first prosecutor in the Southern District of Florida to convince the court to recognize. e rights of a victim's family to appear and speak to the Court about the proper sentence: • U.S.. William Charles O'Neil, 04-Cr-80040 The victim's mother remains in touch with o this day. =1 From Westlaw and Courtlink research, it appears that was the first prosecutor in the Southern District of Florida to advocate for the appoin men . 1 of a guardian ad litem for minor victims in connection with a criminal prosecution. • U.S.'. Jimmy Oliver, 06-Cr-80023 • U.S.'. Marion Yarbrough, 07-Cr-80099 From Westlaw and Courtlink research, it appears that was the first prosecutor in the Southern District of Florida to charge enticement of a minor based upon use of a cellular phone. • U.S... McDaniel, 06-Cr-80058 From Westlaw and Courtlink research, it appears that SIM was the first prosecutor in the Southern District of Florida to charge a violation of the child pornography advertising statute. • U.S... Frank Grasso, 05-Cr-80111 From Westlaw and Courtlink research, it appears that a was the first i tor in the Southern District of Florida to charge failure to register as a sex offender. prosecutor in the Southern District of Florida to charge failure to register as a sex offender. Villafafia trained other prosecutors and agents on how to investigate and prosecute those cases. • U.S.'. Alfonso Diaz Cardenas, 07-Cr-80108 =isted in the drafting of Eleventh Circuit Pattern [Criminal] Jury Instructions rel exploitation offenses, including clarifying that, in cases of actual contact with a child, there is no requirement of proving the defendant's knowledge of age. 4822-5464-6166v1 2865555-000127 05/102019 EFTA00223097 Laura Ingersoll May 10, 2019 Page 4 of 7 According to inquiries with DOJ's Health Care Fraud Section, MIPIPINIIMNIPwas the first prosecutor in the nation to charge sex trafficking in connection with a health care fraud case. K U.S. ! Kenneth Chatman, 17-Cr-80013 (subject of an American Greed episode, CNB , Season 12, Episode 10 "Florida Rehab Gone Wild" July 2, 2018) Chatman was the first of se to target fraud in connection with substance abuse treatment. To date, las convicted 30 individuals, including six licensed medical or mental health professionals, for related offenses: L I U.S. I Kenneth Chatman, et al., 17-Cr-80013 O U.S. I Barry Gregory, 17-Cr-80033 n U.S. i Richard Botero, et al., 17-Cr-80070 O U.S. I Tovah Lynn Jasperson, et al., 17-Cr-80194 U U.S. I Jeffrey Williams, 17-Cr-80195 U U.S. I Albert Jones Saye, 17-Cr-80229 O U.S. I John Skeffington, et al., 18-Cr-80018 O U.S. Anthony Jackson, 18-Cr-80040 U U.S. Lanny Fried, 18-Cr-80100 O U.S. Bosco Vega, 18-Cr-80101 CI U.S. Mark Hollander, 18-Cr-80102 O U.S. Larry Weisberg, 18-Cr-80108 O U.S. I Kenneth Rivera-Kolb, 18-Cr-80121 D U.S. Arman Abovyan, et al., 18-Cr-80122 11 U.S. Hamilton Wayne, et al., 18-Cr-80165 I D U.S. Ethan Wayne, 18-Cr-80168 The Chatman case resulted in Villafarla being awarded the 2018 Council of the Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency Award and the 2017 National Healthcare Anti- Fraud Association Investigation of the Year Award. This series of investigations has been nominated for this year's FBI Director's Award and the Florida Insurance Fraud Education Committee's Award. At the request of DOJ's Office of Legislative Affairs, as provided advice on Congress' recent legislation on fraud involving sober homes and treatment facilities. 4822.5464.6166v1 2865555.000127 05!10/2019 EFTA00223098 Laura Ingersoll May 10, 2019 Page 5 of 7 prosecution of a member of Guatemala's Kaibil military branch led to war crimes investigations and prosecutions of numerous high-ranking military and political figures in Guatemalan and international courts, and resulted in her receipt of the Justice Department's 2011 National Crime Victims' Rights Service Award. The case was the subject of an award-wining documentary entitled "Finding Oscar" and numerous television shows and podcasts. • U.S. I Gilberto Jordan, 10-Cr-80069 Villafafia prosecuted the leader and numerous members of the Krazy Locos street gang in Palm Beach County (an MS-13 affiliate) for two murders in connection with racketeering activity and numerous firearms, drug, and sex trafficking offenses. • U.S. I Jonathan Gonzalez, et al., 09-Cr-80091 • U.S. I Ivan Santiago, 09-Cr-80135 • U.S. I Itzel Candela-Campos, 10-Cr-80042 prosecuted 57 individuals, including 21 medical professionals, for charges related to staged accidents and chiropractic clinic fraud. According to information received from victim insurance companies, the prosecutions resulted in a 50% decrease in fraudu urance claims in Palm Beach County as well as changes to state legislation. ceived the Attorney General's Award for Fraud Prevention and the [EOUSA] Director s • war• or this series of cases. She also received Prosecutor of the Year awards from the Coalition Against Insurance Fraud and the Florida Insurance Fraud Education Committee for her work in these cases. • U.S. I Vladimir Lopez, et al., 11-Cr-80106 • U.S. I Ketty Gonzalez, et al., 11-Cr-80211 • U.S. I Obelio Rodriguez, et al., 12-Cr-80107 • U.S. I Yuliet Tapanes, et al., 12-Cr-80108 • U.S. I Jennifer Adams, 12-Cr-80112 • U.S. I Iris Roca, 13-Cr-80109 • U.S.'. Olinda Rodriguez, 13-Cr-80110 s uccessfully handled the appeal in the matter of U.S. I. Damian Baston (14-14444 (11th Circuit)), arguing for full restitution for victims of sex trafficking and for the right of the United States to prosecute sex trafficking that occurred outside the United States but originated in the United States. 48224464-6166v1 2865555-000127 05/10/2019 EFTA00223099 Laura Ingersoll May 10, 2019 Page 6 of 7 From Westlaw and Courtlink research, it appears that vas the first prosecutor in the Southern District of Florida to charge violatior.the federal money transmitting statute. • U.S. I Nolaco-Argueta, 02-Cr-20465 Significant Sentences: • 130 years' imprisonment for Jimmy Oliver, who had molested numerous female family members over several decades. (06-Cr-80023) • Life plus 135 years for Jonathan Gonzalez, head of the Krazy Locos gang, for ordering two murders and an attempted murder in aid of racketeering and other offenses (09-Cr-80091) • Life imprisonment plus 35 years for Manuel Medina for murder in aid of racketeering and other offenses (09-Cr-80091) • 40 years' imprisonment for Marion Yarbrough, who had enticed a Florida girl to board a bus to Kentucky where he repeatedly abused her sexually (07-Cr-80099) • 40 years' imprisonment for Mark Joseph Harvey, who was found in possession of over 1 million images of child pornography, organized in files by age and subject matter, and who had previously sexually abused family members (09-Cr-80023) • 30 years' imprisonment for Ivan Isidro Santiago, co-head of the Krazy Locos gang, for his role in two murders and an attempted murder in aid of racketeering and other offenses (09-Cr-80091 and 09-Cr-80135) • 27.5 years for Kenneth Chatman, who had forced female patients of his substance abuse treatment program into prostitution (17-Cr-80013) • 25 years for Frank Grasso, who used social media to advertise for child pornography (05-Cr-801 1 1) • 20 years for Jonathan Earl Clark on charges of enticement of a minor and child pornography (08-Cr-80067) • 20 years for Eric Runyan on charges of distribution of obscenity to a minor and enticement (12-Cr-80115) • 19 years for Alejandro Tomas for aiding and abetting murder in aid of racketeering (09-Cr-80091) • 15 years for Christopher Gonzalez-Chamberlain on a charge of aggravated assault in connection with the Krazy Locos case (09-Cr-80091) • 14 years for Lucas Phelps on charges of enticement of a minor and transmission of obscene material to a child. Phelps had previously been adjudicated delinquent on three counts of sexual battery. (05-Cr-80020) 4822-5464-6166v1 2865555-000127 05/10/2019 EFTA00223100 Laura Ingersoll May 10, 2019 Page 7 of 7 • 12 years for John Walsh on charges of distribution of child pornography (05-Cr- 80185) • 11 years for Silverio Macedonio-Gregorio for aiding and abetting murder in aid of racketeering and other offenses (09-Cr-80091) • 10 years for Thomas Bohannan on charges of enticement of a minor (05-Cr- 80023) • 10 years for Gilberto Jordan on charges of false statements on immigration application for failing to disclose his involvement in war crimes in Guatemala (10-Cr-80069) • 8 years for Christopher Prindle for possession of child pornography (04-Cr- 80156) If ve any questions about any of the above information and the information included Villafafia's attached letter, please contact me at your convenience. Very truly yours, BAKER, DONELSON, BEARMAN, CALDWELL & BERKOWITZ, PC /s/ Jonathan Biran JB/smr 4822.54644166v1 2865555-000127 05/1012019 EFTA00223101