EFTA00023435

U.S. Department of Justice Federal Bureau of Prisons Central Office 320 First St., NW Washington, DC 20534 December 16, 2019 Danielle Ivory The New York Times 620 Eighth Avenuse New York, NY 10018 Dear Ms. Ivory: The Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) received your Freedom of Information Act/Privacy Act (FOIA/PA) request in which you request expedited processing of your request. Your request has been assigned a number and forwarded to the processing office noted below. Please make a note of the request number and processing office as you will need to include it in any correspondence or inquiry regarding your request. A copy of the first page of your request is attached to help you more easily keep track of your request. FOINPA Request Number: 2020-01336 Processing Office: CO The Department of Justice requires all requests for records be processed on a first-in, first-out basis. The four exceptions to this requirement are: Circumstances in which the lack of expedited processing could reasonably be expected to pose an imminent threat to the life or physical safety of an individual; (ii) An urgency to inform the public about an actual or alleged Federal Government activity, if made by a person who is primarily engaged in disseminating information; (iii) The loss of substantial due process rights; or (iv) A matter of widespread and exceptional media interest in which there exist possible questions about the government's integrity that affect public confidence." 28 C.F.R. § 16.5(e). The Federal Bureau of Prisons makes the determination regarding the first three exceptions, and the Department of Justice's Director of Public Affairs makes the determination when the fourth category is relied upon as the basis for requesting expedited treatment. You requested expedited processing because there is an extreme public interest in records concerning the prison stay and death of Jeffrey Epstein, who was accused of sexually abusing scores of women and underage girls. Not only has a person died in federal custody, but the death has generated multiple theories implicating government works at the highest levels and taxpayer money. Disclosure of the records request is in the public interest because disclosure is likely to contribute significantly to the understanding of the operations or activities of the government. In addition, as one of the largest circulation newspapers in the United States, The New York Times plays an important role in sharing information with the public and helping the public understand how the federal govemment works. Disclosure of the records is not primarily in the commercial interest of myself or The New York Times but is intended to facilitate reporting on the operations of government. You provided insufficient information to support your claim regarding an urgency to inform the public. This Office cannot identify a particular urgency to inform the public about an actual or alleged federal govemment activity beyond the public's right to know about government activities generally. You provided insufficient information to support your claim you are primarily engaged in disseminating information that would warrant placing your request before all other requests. Therefore, your request will be processed in the order in which it was received. EFTA00023435 The time needed to complete our processing of your request depends on the complexity of our records search and the volume and complexity of any records located. Each request is assigned to one of three tracks: simple, complex, or expedited. Due to the large number of FOIAIPA requests received by BOP and the limited resources available to process such requests, BOP handles each request on a first-in, first-out basis in relation to other requests in the same track. Your request was assigned to the complex track and placed in chronological order based on the date of receipt. We determined unusual circumstances exist as the documents responsive to your request must be searched for and collected from a field office, and/or the documents responsive to your request are expected to be voluminous and will require significant time to review. Because of these unusual circumstances, we are extending the time limit to respond to your request for the ten additional days provided by the statute. Processing complex requests may take up to nine months. Pursuant to 28 C.F.R. § 16.5(b) and (c), you may narrow or modify your request in an effort to reduce the processing time. Pursuant to 28 C.F.R. § 16.10, in certain circumstances we are required to charge fees for time spent searching for or duplicating responsive documents. If we anticipate your fees will be in excess of $25.00 or the amount you have indicated you are willing to pay, we will notify you of the estimated amount. At that time, you will have the option to reformulate your request to reduce the fees. If you requested a fee waiver, we will make a decision whether to grant your request after we determine whether fees will be assessed for this request. If you have questions regarding the status of your request or anythin discussed in this letter, including reformulating or narrowin our r uest, ou ma contact the CO at or the BOP FOIA Public Liaison, at 320 First Street NW, Suite 936, Washington DC 20534, o You can also check the status of your request on line at http://www.bop.gov/PublicInfo/executegoia. Additionally, you may contact the Office of Government Information Services (OGIS) at the National Archives and Records Administration to inquire about the FOIA mediation services they offer. The contact information for OGIS is as follows: Office of Government Information, Services, National Archives and Records Administration, Room 2510, 8601 Adelphi Road, College Park, Maryland 20740-6001; e-mail at telephone at toll free at ; or facsimile at If you are not satisfied with my response to this request, you may administratively appeal by writing to the Director, Office of Information Policy (OIP), United States Department of Justice, Sixth Floor, 441 G St., NW, Washington, DC 20001, or you may submit an appeal through OIP's FOIAonline portal by creating an account at: https://www.foiaonline.govffoiaonline/action/publidhome. Your appeal must be postmarked or electronically transmitted within 90 days of the date of my response to your request. If you submit your appeal by mail, both the letter and the envelope should be dearly marked "Freedom of Information Act Appeal." Sincerely, Supervisory Attorney EFTA00023436