Document 1:20-cr-60838

demonstrated ability to live in hiding—numerous courts have recognized that purported waivers of extradition are unenforceable and effectively meaningless. See, e.g., United States v. Epstein, 425 F. Supp. 3d 306, 325 (S.D.N.Y. 2019) (“The Defense proposal to give advance consent to extradition and waiver of extradition rights is, in the Court’s view, an empty gesture. And, it comes into [play] only after [the defendant] has fled the Court’s jurisdiction.”); United States v. Morrison, No. 16-MR-118, 2016 WL 7421924, at *4 (W.D.N.Y. Dec. 23, 2016); United States v. Kazeem, No. 15 Cr. 172, 2015 WL 4645357, at *3 (D. Or. Aug. 3, 2015); United States v. Young, Nos. 12 Cr. 502, 12 Cr. 645, 2013 WL 12131300, at *7 (D. Utah Aug. 27, 2013); United States v. Cohen, No. C 10-00547, 2010 WL 5387757, at *9 n.11 (N.D. Cal. Dec. 20, 2010); United States v. Bohn, 330 F. Supp. 2d 960, 961 (W.D. Tenn. 2004); United States v. Stroho, No. 396 Cr. 139, 2000 WL 1832956, at *5 (D. Conn. Nov. 3, 2000); United States v. Botero, 604 F. Supp. 1028, 1035 (S.D. Fla. 1985).4 For very good reason: Any defendant who signs such a purported waiver and then flees will assuredly contest the validity and/or voluntariness of the waiver, and will get to do so in 4 The defense argues that several courts “have addressed concerns about a defendant’s ties to a foreign state that enforces extradition waiver by requiring the defendant to execute such a waiver as a condition of release.” (Mot. at 26). In the cases cited by the defendant, the courts approved the release of the defendants based on the particular facts, but did not address at all the question of whether a waiver of extradition is enforceable. See United States v. Khashoggi, 717 F. Supp. 1048, 1050-52 (S.D.N.Y. 1989) (noting, among other things, that the Government’s case was “novel,” and presented an “untried theory of liability” and that the defendant not only waived his right to appeal extradition in Switzerland but that he traveled immediately to the United States for arraignment, and that his country’s government committed to ensuring his appearance at trial); United States v. Salvagno, 314 F. Supp. 2d 115, 119 (N.D.N.Y. 2004) (denying Government motion to remand after trial where court found defendant not likely to flee); United States v. Chen, 820 F. Supp. 1205, 1209, 1212 (N.D. Cal. 1992) (reconsidering pretrial release where case had “taken a number of surprising turns,” including the “suppression of video evidence, the indeterminate stay of proceedings, the overall uncertainty of the government’s evidence”); United States v. Karni, 298 F. Supp. 2d 129, 133 (D.D.C. 2004); United States v. Cirillo, No. 99-1514, 1999 WL 1456536, at *2 (3d Cir. July 13, 1999); see also United States v. Georgiou, No. 08-1220-M, 2008 WL 4306750, at *3 (E.D. Pa. Sept. 22, 2008) (distinguishing Cirillo on the facts and noting that “defense counsel concedes that a waiver of extradition may not be enforceable in Canada, a fact the court in Cirillo did not mention in its opinion”). 15 DOJ-OGR-00020078 --- PAGE BREAK --- this Court already weighed in favor of detention, and confirmation of that deception only reemphasizes that this defendant cannot be trusted to comply with bail conditions. Now, the defense has submitted a financial report that reflects the defendant has approximately $22 million in assets—far more than the figure she initially reported to Pretrial Services. (Def. Ex. O). Accepting the financial report at face value, it is clear that the defense's proposed bail package would leave the defendant with substantial resources to flee the country. Not only would she have millions of dollars in unrestrained assets at her disposal,6 but she would also have a $2 million townhouse in London, which she could live in or sell to support herself. In other words, even with the proposed bond—which is only partially secured—the defendant would still have millions of dollars at her disposal. She could absolutely afford to leave her friends and family to lose whatever they may pledge to support her bond, and then repay them much of their losses. In fact, the defendant could transfer money to her proposed co-signers immediately following her release,7 given the large sums of money that would be left unrestrained by her proposed bail package. Moreover, the schedule provided by the defense is notably silent regarding any future revenue streams to which the defendant may have access. The financial report only addresses the defendant's assets without detailing her income at all. The defendant has similarly provided the Court with no information about what resources her spouse might have access to on a prospective 6 In particular, according to the report, the defendant would have more than $4 million in unrestrained funds in accounts, in addition to hundreds of thousands of dollars of jewelry and other items. Moreover, the Government presumes the defendant has not yet spent all $7 million of the retainer paid to her attorneys, which would still belong to the defendant if she fled. 7 The Government notes that two of the defendant's proposed co-signers are citizens and residents of the United Kingdom, against whom the Government could not realistically recover a bond amount. These co-signers have not offered to secure this bond with any cash or property, and as a result, such a bond would effectively be worthless if the defendant were to flee. 23 DOJ-OGR-00020086