U.S. Department of Justice
United States Attorney
Southern District of New York
The Silvio J. Mono Building
One Saint Andrew's Plaza
New York. New York 10007
October 28, 2020
By Electronic Mail
Christian Everdell, Esq. Bobbi Sternheim, Esq.
Mark Cohen, Esq. Law Offices of Bobbi C. Sternheim
Cohen & Gresser LLP 33 West 19th Street-4th Fl.
800 Third Avenue New York, NY 10007
New York, NY 10022
Laura Menninger, Esq.
Jeffrey Pagliuca, Esq.
Haddon, Morgan and Foreman, P.C.
150 East Tenth Avenue
Denver, CO 80203
Re: United States v. Ghislaine Maxwell, 20 Cr. 330 (AJN)
Dear Counsel:
We write in response to your letter of October 13, 2020 setting forth "requests for
discovery, inspection, and copying, in accordance with the guarantees of the Fourth, Fifth, and
Sixth Amendments, Rule 16 of the Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure, the Federal Rules of
Evidence, and such other laws and rules as may be applicable." The letter lists 22 specific requests
(the "Requests"). The letter also makes a general request for materials pursuant to Brady v.
Maryland, 373 U.S. 83 (1963) and Kyles v. Whitley, 514 U.S. 419 (1995), followed by 10 "specific
Brady requests."
As an initial matter, we take seriously our disclosure obligations, including those arising
under Rule 16, Brady and its progeny, and Giglio v. United States, 405 U.S. 150 (1972) and its
progeny, and we intend to comply fully with those obligations. We intend to do so irrespective of
whether you specifically request such material, or how you characterize that material. Indeed, as
you are aware, we have already made substantial productions pursuant to Rule 16 and otherwise
in this case. The Government will continue to fulfill all of its obligations going forward.
However, your unilateral assertion that particular items constitute "Brady materials" does
not itself render those materials subject to disclosure, let alone immediate disclosure some nine
months before trial. To the contrary, a substantial amount of the materials sought in the Requests
are plainly material to which you are entitled, if at all, solely pursuant to Title 18, United States
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Code, Section 3500 (hereinafter "3500 material") or Giglio v. United States, 405 U.S. 105 (1972)
and its progeny (hereinafter "Giglio material"). As you are aware, it is the standard practice in this
District that such material is produced shortly in advance of trial, a practice that has been widely
held to be sufficient to satisfy the requirement that Giglio be produced "in sufficient time that the
defendant will have a reasonable opportunity to act upon the information efficaciously." United
States v. Rodriguez, 496 F.3d 221, 226 (2d Cir. 2007). Immediate disclosure of such material is
not warranted simply because the defendant prefers it. See, e.g., United States v. Wey, 15 Cr. 611
(AJN), 2017 WL 237651, at *23 (S.D.N.Y. Jan. 18, 2017) (denying defendant's motion for
immediate disclosure of Giglio material as defendant "fails to articulate any persuasive reason why
immediate disclosure is required in this case, and the Court otherwise sees no basis to deviate so
substantially from the typical practice"); United States v. Thompson, 13 Cr. 378 (AJN), 2013 WL
6246489, at *9 (S.D.N.Y. Dec. 3, 2013) (denying request for early production of Jencks Act
material); United States v. Hernandez, No. 09 Cr. 625 (HB), 2010 WL 26544, at *6 (S.D.N.Y. Jan.
6, 2010) (declining to order immediate disclosure of Giglio material, because the Government
stated it would provide both Giglio and Jencks Act material "shortly before trial"); United States
v. Davis, No. 06 Cr. 911 (LBS), 2009 WL 637164, at *14 (S.D.N.Y. March 11, 2009) ("The Second
Circuit has held that a request for immediate or early disclosure [of Giglio material] has no basis
in the law.").
Consistent with that well-established practice, we intend to begin producing any 3500 and
Giglio material substantially closer to trial. As we have indicated in prior letters to you and the
Court, the Government is prepared to produce all statements and impeachment material for
witnesses it expects to call at trial as early as four weeks prior to trial. Additionally, the
Government is prepared to produce any statements by witnesses who it does not expect to call at
trial as early as eight weeks prior to trial, subject to restrictions to protect those individuals' privacy
to be negotiated by the parties. We note that, to date, the parties have not engaged in any
discussions about a schedule for pretrial disclosures, but we are prepared to discuss such a schedule
at your convenience.
In return, we reiterate our request that the defendant disclose prior statements of any
witnesses she will call to testify. See Fed. R. Crim. P. 26.2; United States v. Nobles, 422 U.S. 225
(1975). We request that such material be provided on the same basis upon which we agree to
supply the defendant with such material relating to Government witnesses, and we are amenable
to discussing a schedule for all parties' pretrial disclosures. We also reiterate our request for
reciprocal discovery under Fed. R. Crim. P. 16(b).
With respect to your remaining requests, we endeavor to respond directly to those below.
By voluntarily providing this information, the Government is not limiting its evidence, arguments,
or legal theories at trial in any way. If you have any questions or would like to confer further,
please let us know and we will be happy to arrange a call or meeting to confer further at a mutually
convenient time.
Request 1— Any Oral, Written, or Recorded Statements Made by the Defendant: As
noted in your request, the Government has produced statements made by the defendant in prior
civil proceedings, as well as statements made at the time of her arrest. The Government is not
aware of any other statements the defendant has made to law enforcement.
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Request 2 — Statements of Alleged Co-Conspirators: To the extent that your request
seeks disclosure and identification of any statements of alleged co-conspirators that the
Government intends to introduce at trial, this request is premature and without legal basis. To the
extent the materials the defendant seeks may fall within the Jencks Act, the Jencks Act provides
that "[i]n any criminal prosecution brought by the United States, no statement or report in the
possession of the United States which was made by a Government witness or prospective
Government witness (other than the defendant) shall be the subject of subpoena, discovery, or
inspection until said witness has testified on direct examination in the trial of the case." 18 U.S.C.
§ 3500(a). In addition, Rule 16 exempts from production, prior to trial, the materials the defendant
seeks: "[T]his rule does not authorize the discovery or inspection of reports, memoranda, or other
internal government documents made by an attorney for the government or other government agent
in connection with investigating or prosecuting the case. Nor does this rule authorize the discovery
or inspection of statements made by prospective government witnesses except as provided in 18
U.S.C. § 3500." Fed. R. Crim. P. 16(a)(2). In light of these provisions, requests for discovery of
Jencks Act materials in advance of trial are uniformly denied in this District. Indeed, there is no
legal basis to order the disclosure of statements of Government witnesses before their direct
testimony at trial. See In re U.S., 834 F.2d 283, 284-87 (2d Cir. 1987) (issuing a writ of mandamus
reversing District Court's order directing the Government "to produce all oral statement made by
the defendants and coconspirators that the Government planned to offer at trial as admissions of a
defendant" under Fed. R. Evid. 801); United States ex rel. Lucas v. Regan, 503 F.2d 1, 3 n.I (2d
Cir. 1974); United States v. Sebastian, 497 F.2d 1267, 1268-69 (2d Cir. 1974); United States v.
Percevault, 490 F.2d 126, 132 (2d Cir. 1974).
Further, disclosure of any statements of alleged co-conspirators would necessitate the
identification of co-conspirators. You identify no authority for the proposition that the
Government is required to identify all known co-conspirators in connection with the charged
conspiracy that the Government may seek to prove at trial, and to the contrary, courts in this district
routinely deny similar requests. See, e.g., United States v. Castro, No. 08 Cr. 268 (NRB), 2008
WL 5062724, at *2 (S.D.N.Y. Nov. 25, 2008) ("An indictment need not identify all alleged co-
conspirators, nor specify the nature, time and place of every overt act the defendant or others
allegedly took in furtherance of a conspiracy, nor must it set forth all the evidence the government
intends to introduce."); United States v. Trippe, 171 F. Supp. 2d 230, 240 (S.D.N.Y. 2001)
("[D]emands for particular information with respect to where, when, and with whom the
Government will charge the defendant with conspiring are routinely denied."); United States v.
Fruchter, 104 F. Supp. 2d 289, 313 (S.D.N.Y. 2000) (denying "Defendants' request for names of
all alders, abettors, unindicted co-conspirators, and confidential informants" as "nothing more than
a request for a witness list").
That said, as previously stated, we intend to produce all Jencks Act and Giglio material in
advance of trial and remain available to confer generally regarding a mutual schedule for pretrial
and trial-related disclosures, including witness statements or Giglio material.
Request 3 — Prior Criminal Records of the Defendant: The Government is not aware
of any prior convictions or arrests of the defendant.
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Request 4 — Any Books, Papers, Documents, Data, Photographs, Tangible Objects,
Buildings, or Places, or Copies or Portions of Any of These Items: The Government did not
seize any documents or tangible items from the defendant, including through a search warrant. As
you are aware from discovery, the Government has obtained a number of tangible items during its
investigation through various means, including search warrants executed at properties of Jeffrey
Epstein. We have already produced copies of many of those items in discovery, and, as we
previously advised in August 2020, if you wish to inspect any of the physical evidence referenced
in the produced materials, including items listed on search inventories, please let us know, and we
will make arrangements for you to do so.
Request 5 — Results or Reports of Any Physical or Mental Examination and of Any
Scientific Test or Experiment: The Government is unaware of any physical or mental
examination or scientific tests or experiments to which you are entitled. The Government is
continuing to review files and will produce such materials to which you are entitled at the
appropriate time.
Request 6 — A Written Summary of Any Testimony the Government Intends to
Introduce at trial under Federal Rules of Evidence 702, 703, or 705: To the extent the
Government intends to call any expert to testify at trial, the Government will provide appropriate
notice reasonably before trial, as is the standard practice in this District. The Government is
prepared to engage in good faith discussions with you about a mutual schedule for pretrial and
trial-related disclosures, including expert notice.
Request 7 — The Identities of Minor Victim-1, Minor Victim-2, and Minor Victim-3
(the "Minor Victims"): Such disclosure would be entirely premature nine months before trial.
Indeed, in August, after the defendant sought an order directing the Government to disclose to
defense counsel the identifies of the Minor Victims, Judge Nathan ruled that the request was
premature, noting that production of discovery had just begun and the "parties have not yet
engaged in discussions regarding an appropriate schedule for pretrial disclosures, including
witness lists and § 3500 material." (Dkt. 49 at 1). Judge Nathan ordered that the parties "meet
and confer on an appropriate schedule" "[fjollowing the close of discovery." (Id. at 2). The
deadline for the production of Rule 16 discovery set by the Court is November 9, 2020. (Dkt. 25).
The Government is prepared to engage in good faith discussions with the defense about an
appropriate schedule for disclosure of 3500 material.
Request 8 — The Complete Birthdays of the Minor Victims: In our discovery transmittal
letter dated August 13, 2020, the Government included the months and years of birth for each of
the Minor Victims so as to enable the defendant to evaluate whether she will make any motions or
legal arguments relating to the ages of the victims. You have not identified why you need
additional information regarding each of the Minor Victims at this time, the relevance of such
information to this case, or the basis under which such information would be subject to disclosure
or discovery at this time. Such information will be included in 3500 material for the Minor Victims
which will be produced reasonably in advance of trial.
Request 9 — All Written and Oral Communications Concerning the Negotiations
Relating to the Non-Prosecution Agreement ("NPA") Signed by Epstein on September 24,
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2007: Your request does not articulate a basis in law for your assertion that you are entitled to the
materials listed in Request 9—including communications between various Government and law
enforcement entities and Epstein's attorneys and communications between and among "any
government employees"—or that such materials fall within the scope of Rule 16 or any other
disclosure obligation. Nor is the Government aware of any basis in law for this request. We note,
in this respect, that neither the defendant nor the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District
of New York is a party or signatory to the NPA, nor is the defendant or this Office named therein.
As noted in the Government's letter of October 7, 2020 (Dkt. 63), although the Government
does not believe it has any obligation to gather or review emails sent or received by attorneys at
the United States Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Florida ("USAO-SDFL") as part
of its separate, prior investigation and prosecution of Jeffrey Epstein, as set forth in greater detail
in that letter, the Government intends to gather certain martials from USAO-SDFL and conduct
targeted searches of that material aimed at identifying potential Giglio or 3500 material for victims
or witnesses relevant to this prosecution. See Dkt. 63 at 7. To the extent that review reveals such
material, it will be produced at the appropriate stage in the litigation and according to any schedule
set for pre-trial disclosures.
Request 10 — A Complete Copy of the Diary: The Government has produced all pages
of the diary in the Government's possession. The Government has never reviewed or possessed
any other portions of the diary. To the extent this request calls for information that is not currently
in the Government's possession or which is not subject to disclosure, you identify no legal basis
or authority for this request, and we are not aware of any authority requiring us to obtain and/or
disclose this information.
Request 11 — A Complete, Unredacted Copy of FBI 302 Bearing Bates Numbers
SDNY_GM_00114982-00114993: The Government has produced this particular version of the
document in the form in which it received the document in response to a subpoena, which included
redactions. To the extent the Government separately has access to an unredacted version of the
same FBI 302, the Government will produce that unredacted version, as well as all other statements
and impeachment material for witnesses, at the appropriate time, as discussed herein.
Request 12 — All Versions and Drafts of "The Billionaires Playboy Club": The
Government has produced all versions of "The Billionaires Playboy Club" in the Government's
possession of which we are currently aware. The Government has produced these materials in the
form in which it received those materials in response to a subpoena. To the extent this request
calls for information that is not currently in the Government's possession or which is not subject
to disclosure, you identify no legal basis or authority for this request, and we are not aware of any
authority requiring us to obtain and/or disclose this information.
Request 13 — Documents and Materials Related to the Minor Victims: As to your
requests for documents and materials under Requests 13(a) through (f), the Government has
produced any such materials relating to the Minor Victims listed in the Indictment that are in the
Government's possession and that fall within the scope of Rule 16. As noted in the Government's
October 7, 2020 letter (Dkt. 63), the Government is continuing to review files created and
maintained by other offices for material that may be responsive to these requests and will produce
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any material identified through that review as appropriate. Additionally, as you know, the
Government is preparing a production of responsive materials from electronic devices seized
during searches of Epstein's New York and Virgin Island residences. To the extent the
Government identifies any additional materials that it intends to introduce at trial, the Government
will promptly produce such materials.
With regard to your many requests for material that might fall within the scope of the
Government's Giglio obligations, as you know and as set forth above, the uniform practice in this
District, which the Government intends to follow, is to produce Giglio and Jencks Act materials
simultaneously and shortly before trial. As noted above, this practice has been widely held to be
sufficient to satisfy the requirement that Giglio be produced "in sufficient time that the defendant
will have a reasonable opportunity to act upon the information efficaciously." Rodriguez, 496
F.3d at 226. Immediate disclosure of such material is not warranted simply because the defendant
prefers it. See, e.g., Hernandez, 2010 WL 26544, at *6; Davis, 2009 WL 637164, at *14. As noted
above, the Government is prepared to produce all statements and impeachment material for
witnesses it expects to call at trial as early as four weeks prior to trial, and statements for witnesses
who it does not expect to call at trial as early as eight weeks prior to trial.
The Government notes that, in response to your request for any submissions to the Epstein
Victims' Compensation Program made by the Minor Victims or any other witness who has alleged
that the defendant engaged in or facilitated improper sexual conduct at any time, the Government
plays no role in administering that program. As such, the Government is not in possession of any
submissions to this program. To the extent this request calls for information that is not currently
in the Government's possession or which is not subject to disclosure, you identify no legal basis
or authority for this request, and we are not aware of any authority requiring us to obtain and/or
disclose this information.
You have also requested under Request 13(i) "[a]ll communications between or among
[the Minor Victims or other witnesses who allege that the defendant engaged in or facilitated
improper sexual conduct], or between these individuals and counsel for any other such individual,
including but not limited to, emails, text messages, social media posts, and other correspondence."
The Government does not understand the basis for this request, and you identify none. To the
extent this request calls for materials that are not currently in the Government's possession or
which are not subject to disclosure, you identify no legal basis or authority for this request, and we
are not aware of any authority requiring us to obtain and/or disclose this information.
As to your request for "public statements made by these individuals concerning" Epstein
or the defendant, the Government is unaware of any authority that such material falls within the
scope of Rule 16 or that the Government is otherwise required to collect and provide materials that
are publicly available.
As to your request for records or reports of any physical, medical, mental, or psychological
examinations of these individuals, to the extent any such materials exist and are in the
Government's possession, they will be produced as part of the Government's production of Jencks
Act and Giglio material at the appropriate stage in the litigation.
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As to your request for all "written and oral communications between the government and
the attorneys for those individuals [certain victims]," the Government is unaware of any authority
that entitles you to these materials. To the extent such materials constitute Giglio or Jencks Act
materials, the Government will produce such materials at the appropriate time. Your request does
not articulate a basis in law for your assertion that you are entitled to such material at this time, or
that you are entitled to any such communications that do not constitute Giglio or Jencks Act
material.
Request 14 — All Written and Oral Communications and Other Documents
Concerning Meetings between the United States Attorney's Office for the Southern District
of New York and Specified Attorneys for the Minor Victims and Other Witnesses: Your
request does not articulate a basis in law for your assertion that you are entitled to such material.
The Government is unaware of any authority that entitles you to these materials.
Request 15 — Complete FBI Case File Regarding the Investigation of
for Obstruction of Justice: As noted in our discovery transmittal letter dated August
21, 2020, this file has no relation to your client and has no bearing on the charges in this case. The
Government is not aware of the relevance of such records to the conduct at issue in this case, and
you have not identified the relevance of such records, although we are willing to discuss the basis
for any such request at your convenience.
Request 16 — Copies of the Prosecution Memo and Indictment Drafted as Part of the
United States Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Florida (“USAO-SDFL"): The
Government is unaware of any authority that entitles you to the documents that you seek under
this request. To the contrary, Rule 16 exempts from disclosure "internal government documents
made by an attorney for the government or other government agent in connection with
investigating or prosecuting the case." Fed. R. Crim. P. 16(a)(1)(F)(2); see also United States v.
Annstrong, 517 U.S. 456, 463 (1996) ("[U]nder Rule 16(a)(2), [a defendant] may not examine
Government work product in connection with his case."); United States v. Ghailani, 687 F. Supp.
2d 365, 369 (S.D.N.Y. 2010) (concluding that an internal government memorandum fell within
Rule 16(a)(2) of the Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure and was therefore "protected against
disclosure regardless of its materiality.").
Request 17 — E-mails, Text Messages, Letters, or Other Written Communications To
or From the Defendant: To the extent the Government identifies material that is discoverable
under Rule 16 and responsive to this request, the Government will promptly produce such
materials. In particular, the Government has seized and worked to extract data from approximately
62 electronic devices in connection with search warrants executed at Epstein's properties. As
noted in the Government's discovery transmittal letter dated October 20, 2020, we anticipate
producing only the materials designated responsive to the terms of the search warrants. The
Government has directed its vendor to download these materials from the electronic database on
which they are stored and to have those materials ready for production to you by November 9,
2020.
Request 18 — Medical Records or Reports Concerning Epstein: The Government is not
aware of the relevance of such records to the conduct at issue in this case, and you have not
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identified the relevance of such records. The Government is unaware of any authority that entitles
you to these materials, and you provide none.
Request 19 — Subpoenas and Voluntary Requests for Production of Documents Issued
in Connection with or Related to this Case, and All Evidence Obtained By Subpoena or
Voluntary Production: The Government is unaware of any authority that entitles you to the
grand jury subpoenas and voluntary requests for documents that you seek under this request, and
you provide none. To the extent you seek evidence obtained by the Government "by subpoena or
from voluntary production (to the extent it has not already been produced)," the Government has
produced all subpoena returns that fall within the scope of Rule 16 that the Government has
received through the date of the indictment. The Government has also endeavored to make clear
in its productions which materials were obtained pursuant to subpoena. To the extent the
Government identifies or receives additional subpoena returns, the Government will promptly turn
over materials that fall within the scope of Rule 16. To the extent such subpoena returns contain
Giglio material or 3500 material, the Government will produce that material at the appropriate
time as agreed to by the parties and the Court. Similarly, the Government has produced and will
continue to produce materials obtained by voluntary production to the extent such materials fall
within Rule 16. To the extent such materials contain Giglio material or 3500 material, the
Government will produce such materials closer to trial on the agreed upon schedule.
Request 20 — Evidence the Government Intends to Introduce Pursuant to Federal
Rule of Evidence 404(b) or as Background of the Conspiracies: With respect to any evidence
the Government may seek to offer pursuant to Rule 404(b), as you are aware, Rule 404 requires
only that "reasonable notice of the general nature of any such evidence" be provided sometime
"before trial." Fed. R. Evid. 404(b)(2)(A)-(B). In this Circuit, that provision typically is construed
to require notice several weeks before trial. See United States v. Giffen, 379 F. Supp. 2d 337, 345
(S.D.N.Y. 2004) (in the "'absence of any threat to the safety of prospective witnesses and the .. .
Rule 404(b) evidence [is important to] th[e] action,"' courts in this District have generally found
that disclosures made approximately 30 to 45 days prior to trial constitute "reasonable notice" to
defendants) (quoting United States v. Nachamie, 91 F. Supp. 2d 565, 577 (S.D.N.Y. 2000); Giffen,
379 F. Supp. 2d at 344 (Rule 404 does not obligate the Government to provide "unduly early
notice" because "early disclosure presents a significant burden on preparation of the Government's
case.").
Here, and consistent with the requirements of Rule 404, the Government intends to identify
such evidence and provide notice substantially closer to trial. As noted throughout, the
Government is amenable to a discussion about a joint schedule for pretrial disclosures, including
404(b) notice, at your convenience.
Requests 21 and 22 — Information about the Grand Jury that Indicted this Case: A
grand jury sitting in White Plains, New York that was empaneled in November 2019 returned
Indictment 20 Cr. 330 (AJN) and Superseding Indictment S120 Cr. 330 (AJN). No grand jurors
participated remotely in any session relevant to this case. To the extent your request seeks "a list
of grand jurors, their attendance dates, [or] the reasons for any absence," as well as information on
persons present during grand jury proceedings, the Government is not aware of any authority that
entitles you to the information you seek under these requests. Grand jury proceedings are not
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governed by Rule 16 and therefore are not discoverable. Disclosure of information related to grand
jury proceedings is not authorized by Rule 16 and is permitted only when "ordered upon a showing
of particularized need." See United States v. Sells Engineering, 463 U.S. 418, 443 (1983) ("[w]e
have consistently construed [Rule 6(e)] . .. to require a strong showing of particularized need for
grand jury materials before any disclosure will be permitted"); see also Dennis v. United States,
384 U.S. 855, 869-870 (1966). This is because grand jury proceedings are afforded a "presumption
of regularity" that may be dispelled only by particularized proof of irregularities in the grand jury
process. United States v. Leung, 40 F.3d 577, 581 (2d Cir. 1994).
"[SI pecific Brady requests": The Government recognizes its obligations under Brady and
its progeny and will provide timely disclosure if and when such material comes to light. With
respect to your requests under the section titled "Exculpatory Evidence," the Government is not
aware of any evidence suggesting that Maxwell was not involved in or aware of the conduct alleged
in the Indictment. The Government will provide timely disclosure if it learns of any such material.
Certain of your requests suggest your view that any evidence that Epstein sexually abused or
assaulted a victim, but without the knowledge or participation of the defendant, is somehow
exculpatory. We note that your request is neither limited in time to the period charged in the
Indictment nor limited to victims who claim to have been minors at the time of their abuse. You
identify no basis in law for such a broad request, nor is the Government aware of one. Your request
fails to explain how, for example, evidence that a witness alleges that she was sexually abused by
Epstein, "with or without the involvement" of the defendant, but who was not a minor at the time
of the alleged sexual abuse, or who claims to have been abused years after the conduct charged in
the Indictment, is somehow exculpatory. As noted in the Government's letter of October 20, 2020,
the well-established law of this Circuit generally precludes a defendant from offering evidence
that a defendant did not participate in criminal conduct on a particular occasion—or of their law-
abiding conduct during uncharged periods or uncharged events—to rebut the Government's
evidence with respect to the charged crimes or events. Dkt. 65; see, e.g., United States v. Scarpa,
897 F.2d 63, 70 (2d Cir. 1990) ("A defendant may not seek to establish his innocence . . . through
proof of the absence of criminal acts on [other] specific occasions."). To the extent that you wish
to provide us grounds or any authority as to why such information would be exculpatory, please
do so.
You also request evidence concerning witnesses who contacted the Government or law
enforcement about sexual abuse by Epstein or the defendant who were determined not to be
credible, as well as "negative" investigative efforts to verify information provided by any and all
witnesses. We are unaware of any authority requiring the production of such information. If you
would like to clarify your request, and the authority for it, we will consider it further.
Many of your additional specific requests for material appear to fall within Giglio and
Jencks Acts materials, rather than Brady, including, for example, the requests for impeachment
evidence, Giglio information, evidence of bias or motive to lie, contradictory statements of any
prospective government witness, and evidence of criminal investigations or misconduct of any
government witness. As described above, the Government intends to follow the uniform practice
in this District, and produce before trial Giglio and Jencks Act materials for witnesses it expects
to call at trial, as well as any statements by witnesses who it does not expect to call at trial. The
Government has noted a proposed schedule in this letter. We are amenable to discussing an
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alternative schedule for mutual pretrial disclosures. We also reiterate our request that the
defendant disclose prior statements of witnesses she will call to testify. See Fed. R. Crim. P. 26.2;
United States v. Nobles, 422 U.S. 225 (1975). We request that such material be provided on the
same basis upon which we agree to supply the defendant with such material relating to Government
witnesses.
To the extent you are requesting that the Government produce items beyond its Brady and
Rule 16 obligations, the Government has no such obligation at this time. See Weatherford v.
Bursey, 429 U.S. 545, 559 (1977). As you know, in all federal criminal cases, it is Rule 16 that
principally governs pretrial discovery. Rule 16 is not "intended to provide the defendant with
access to the entirety of the government's case against him." See, e.g., Percevault, 490 F.2d at
130. Nor does Rule 16 "entitle a criminal defendant to a broad and blind fishing expedition among
items possessed by the Government on the chance that something impeaching might turn up."
United States v. Delacruz, No. 14 Cr. 815 (KBF), 2015 WL 2211943, at *1 (S.D.N.Y. May 12,
2015) (internal quotation marks omitted).
If there are any specific anticipated defenses that would bear upon the Government's
ongoing review for items that may be material to preparing the defense, you are welcome to outline
such defenses.
Conclusion
The Government remains available to confer further on any of the topics outlined above.
The Government also requests that the defendant confirm whether she has, to date, met her
reciprocal disclosure obligations under Rule 16(b) and we renew our request for reciprocal
disclosure from the defendant.
Very truly yours,
Acting United States Attorney
By: s/
Assistant rate tates ttorneys
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