Document 20-cr-00300

Case #: 20-cr-00300 LAW OFFICES OF BOBBI C. STERNHEIM The defense has tried to streamline its review of the discovery even before the filing of superseding indictment by using term searches and key word searches. But given the nature of the discovery, there are meaningful limits to what the defense can do to limit the number of documents it must re-review in light of the new charges. For example, the discovery contains approximately 214,000 photographs, hundreds of hours of audio-visual files, and over 250,000 documents where the text is too poor to be OCR-searchable. Those materials are not susceptible to text searching and must be reviewed individually. Moreover, they must be reviewed with Ms. Maxwell to see if she recognizes the people in the photographs and videos. In light of the new charges and the addition of Accuser-4, these must be re-reviewed, which will take weeks. We have already experienced the difficulties of reviewing photographs with Ms. Maxwell. Over the past three days, defense counsel have been conducting an evidence view with Ms. Maxwell. As part of that review, we have tried to use an FBI-supplied laptop and hard drive to review approximately 2,100 “Highly Confidential” photographs that were not produced to us in discovery. Because of technical issues with the laptop, we still have not completed the review. The re-review of the discovery will not be limited to the materials on the seized devices. The discovery also includes numerous bank records and phone records that date from the 2000s and later. None of these records were from the 1990s and were therefore largely irrelevant to the charged crimes. However, with the expansion of the charges to include the time period of the 2000s, the defense will need to carefully analyze these records for relevant payments and phone calls, which will, again, take a significant amount of time. The government also attempts to justify its delay in seeking the superseding indictment due to the investigative challenges posed by COVID. The government has been investigating for The forensic images contain thousands of individual documents. 4 DOJ-OGR-00001392 --- PAGE BREAK --- witnesses, including potential FRE 404(b) witnesses, and trial exhibits, the government's speculation about the length of the trial is entirely one-sided and lacking in any reliable estimate of a defense case. The government's April 12th disclosure of information and statements regarding 226 witnesses containing exculpatory information requires intensive investigation. The delayed expansion of its prosecution and its unilateral expansion of the length of trial severely impacts defense preparation, trial readiness, and conflicts with other trial commitments. To assist the Court and defense counsel in accurately determining the length of trial, Ms. Maxwell requests that the Court order the government to disclose: a list of trial witnesses, its alleged FRE 404(b) evidence, and a list of potential trial exhibits. With this information the Court and the parties will be making decisions based on facts, not speculative promises. At the barest minimum, we require a 90-day continuance. In reliance on the firm trial date set by the Court at Ms. Maxwell's arraignment on July 14th, 2020, counsel prioritized the July 12, 2021 trial date, clearing and scheduling our calendars to avoid interference. Counsel have other clients and firm commitments to try cases specifically scheduled to follow the summer trial of this case. These commitments make us unavailable from September through December, and possibly spill over into January, make trying this case unlikely, if not impossible, before mid-January. We are extremely hard pressed to request any continuance, especially one which will prolong Ms. Maxwell's miserable and punishing detention, but the need for time to properly prepare Ms. Maxwell's defense as a result of the additional charges requires us to do so, causing Ms. Maxwell to reluctantly agree to this request. In addition, motion hearings, in limine motion practice, and any litigation regarding expert witnesses have not yet commenced, and issues regarding jury selection, including but not limited to a jury questionnaire, have not yet been settled. Yesterday, we met with the