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Document 20-cr-60083

AI Analysis

Summary: The document is a court filing arguing against the defendant's renewed bail motion, citing the strength of the government's evidence, the defendant's significant foreign ties and financial resources, and her demonstrated ability to hide assets. The government contests the defendant's claims regarding extradition laws and her ability to flee or hide.
Significance: This document is a court filing related to the bail application of defendant Maxwell, discussing the government's evidence, extradition laws, and the defendant's financial assets and transactions. It provides insight into the legal arguments and evidence presented in the case.
Key Topics: Bail application and detention Extradition laws and treaties Financial assets and transactions
Key People:
  • Maxwell - defendant
  • Epstein - co-conspirator
  • Hans Peterson - example of a French national whose extradition was requested by the US

Full Text

and that certain of the corroborating documentary evidence does not specifically name Maxwell. Leaving aside the fact that volume is not a reliable proxy for quality, by its very nature, abusive sexual contact is not the type of crime that leaves extensive documentary evidence. But, as described above, . To the extent other corroborative documents refer only to Epstein, they still support these victims' testimony, which will detail their interactions with both the defendant and her co-conspirator, Epstein. In other words, documentary evidence does exist, and as the Court has already found, the combination of multiple victims describing the same scheme, together with documents and other witnesses confirming that those victims did indeed interact with the defendant and Epstein at the times and places they say they did, makes this a strong case. (Tr. 82). Taken together, this evidence confirms that the Government's case remains as strong as it was at the time of the defendant's arrest. Accordingly, this factor continues to weigh heavily in favor of detention. C. The Characteristics of the Defendant The defendant's history and characteristics include significant foreign ties, millions of dollars in cash that she largely transferred to her spouse in the last five years, among other assets, and a demonstrated willingness and sophisticated ability to live in hiding. The bulk of the arguments in the Renewed Bail Motion focus on this factor in a manner that largely rehashes claims that this Court already considered at the July 14, 2020 hearing. Any new information provided was either known by the defense at the time of the initial hearing, assumed to be the case when the Court analyzed this factor at the initial hearing, or, in the case of the defense report regarding --- PAGE BREAK --- to other countries outside of the European Union, including the United States. As set forth in Exhibit B, according to the MOJ, the French Code of Criminal Procedure "absolutely prohibits the extradition of a person who had French nationality at the time of the commission of the acts for which extradition is requested." (Ex. B at 3). That the defendant is a citizen of multiple countries is of no moment. (See id.). In applying the Bilateral Extradition Treaty between the United States and France and the "general principle of non-extradition of nationals under French law, France systematically refuses to grant the extradition of French nationals to the American judicial authorities." (Id. at 4). Thus, contrary to the suggestion of the defense submission, any anticipatory waiver of extradition would not be effective under French law, and would not be recognizable by French courts in any extradition process, or otherwise enforceable. The defendant's expert writes that "[i]n the recent past," he is "not aware that the French authorities would have had to address the situation in which the United States sought extradition of a French citizen who was also a United States citizen. Thus, there is no precedent to draw from in that regard." (Def. Ex. V. at 2). That is not so. France has previously rejected such a request. For example, in 2006, Hans Peterson, an American citizen and French national, turned himself in to French authorities in Guadeloupe and confessed to committing a murder in the United States. Despite turning himself in to French authorities, Peterson remained beyond the reach of U.S. law enforcement despite the repeated requests of OIA and U.S. officials. See Durbin, Schakowsky, Emanuel Urge French Justice Minister To Ensure Justice Is Done During Hans Peterson Retrial (Nov. 16, 2012), https://www.durbin.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/durbin-schakowsky-emanuel-urge-french-justice-minister-to-ensure-justice-is-done-during-hans-peterson-retrial; see also Senators' letter to French government (Mar. 14, 2008), https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna23601583 (citing a letter from the MOJ to the Department of --- PAGE BREAK --- basis, in addition to their substantial assets. The financial report submitted by the defense is also careful to note that it does not account for any possible income from inheritances. (Def. Ex. O at 5). The financial report further shows that the defendant apparently spent the last five years moving the majority of her assets out of her name by funneling them through trusts to her spouse. That pattern suggests the defendant has used the process of transferring assets as a means to hide her true wealth. As the Renewed Bail Application points out, the defendant currently has approximately $3.4 million worth of assets held in her own name, which is close to the amount of wealth she told Pretrial Services she possessed in July 2020. Importantly, though, that number omits the millions of dollars of assets that she has transferred from her name through trust accounts to her spouse, including funds that were used to purchase the New Hampshire property where the defendant was residing when she was arrested.8 This confirms that the Government was right to be concerned that the defendant had refused to identify her spouse or his assets to Pretrial Services. That practice further demonstrates the defendant's sophistication in hiding her assets and maintaining assets that are under her control in other names. In this vein, the financial report suggests that the defendant originally brought more than $20 million to her marriage, but that her husband brought only $200,000.9 (See Def. Ex. O at 10). 8 On this score, it bears noting that that defendant told Pretrial Services that the property was owned by a corporation, and that she was "just able to stay there." (Pretrial Services Report at 2). The defendant's lack of candor does not inspire confidence that she can be trusted to comply with bail conditions. 9 The Government has not been able to verify this financial information—in part because the defense has declined to provide the Government with the spouse's current banking information—but --- PAGE BREAK --- Case 20-cr-60083-AJO Document 1002 Filed 06/23/20 Page 316 of 36 (Tr. 87). Following the analysis the Court has already conducted, several of the cases cited by the defendant are readily distinguishable. See, e.g., United States v. Khashoggi, 717 F. Supp. 1048, 1050-52 (S.D.N.Y. 1989) (in ordering defendant released pending trial, noting, among other things, 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. Bodmer, No. 03 Cr. 947 (SAS), 2004 WL 169790, at *1, *3 (S.D.N.Y. June 28, 2004) (setting conditions of bail where defendant arrested abroad had already consented to extradition to the United States and finding that the Government—whose argument was “based, in large part, on speculation” as to the defendant's financial resources—had “failed to meet its burden”). And there is support in the case law for detaining individuals in comparable situations to the defendant. See, e.g., United States v. Boustani, 356 F. Supp. 3d 246, 252-55 (E.D.N.Y.), aff'd, No. 19-344, 2019 WL 2070656 (2d Cir. Mar. 7, 2019) (ordering defendant detained pending trial and finding that defendant posed a risk of flight based on several factors, including seriousness of the charged offenses, lengthy possible sentence, strength of Government's evidence, access to substantial financial resources, frequent international travel, “minimal” ties to the United States, and “extensive ties to foreign countries without extradition”); United States v. Patrick Ho, 17 Cr. 779 (KBF), Dkt. 49 (S.D.N.Y. Feb. 4, 2018) (ordering defendant detained based on defendant's risk of flight and citing the strength of the Government's evidence, lack of meaningful community ties, and “potential ties in foreign jurisdictions”); United States v. Epstein, 155 F. Supp. 2d 323, 324-326 (E.D. Pa. 2001) (finding that defendant's dual citizenship in Germany and Brazil, lucrative employment and property interests, and lack of an extradition treaty with Brazil weighed in favor of detention despite the fact that defendant and his wife owned “substantial” property and other significant assets in the 28 DOJ-OGR-00020091

Individual Pages

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and that certain of the corroborating documentary evidence does not specifically name Maxwell. Leaving aside the fact that volume is not a reliable proxy for quality, by its very nature, abusive sexual contact is not the type of crime that leaves extensive documentary evidence. But, as described above, . To the extent other corroborative documents refer only to Epstein, they still support these victims' testimony, which will detail their interactions with both the defendant and her co-conspirator, Epstein. In other words, documentary evidence does exist, and as the Court has already found, the combination of multiple victims describing the same scheme, together with documents and other witnesses confirming that those victims did indeed interact with the defendant and Epstein at the times and places they say they did, makes this a strong case. (Tr. 82). Taken together, this evidence confirms that the Government's case remains as strong as it was at the time of the defendant's arrest. Accordingly, this factor continues to weigh heavily in favor of detention. C. The Characteristics of the Defendant The defendant's history and characteristics include significant foreign ties, millions of dollars in cash that she largely transferred to her spouse in the last five years, among other assets, and a demonstrated willingness and sophisticated ability to live in hiding. The bulk of the arguments in the Renewed Bail Motion focus on this factor in a manner that largely rehashes claims that this Court already considered at the July 14, 2020 hearing. Any new information provided was either known by the defense at the time of the initial hearing, assumed to be the case when the Court analyzed this factor at the initial hearing, or, in the case of the defense report regarding
Page 17 - DOJ-OGR-00020080
to other countries outside of the European Union, including the United States. As set forth in Exhibit B, according to the MOJ, the French Code of Criminal Procedure "absolutely prohibits the extradition of a person who had French nationality at the time of the commission of the acts for which extradition is requested." (Ex. B at 3). That the defendant is a citizen of multiple countries is of no moment. (See id.). In applying the Bilateral Extradition Treaty between the United States and France and the "general principle of non-extradition of nationals under French law, France systematically refuses to grant the extradition of French nationals to the American judicial authorities." (Id. at 4). Thus, contrary to the suggestion of the defense submission, any anticipatory waiver of extradition would not be effective under French law, and would not be recognizable by French courts in any extradition process, or otherwise enforceable. The defendant's expert writes that "[i]n the recent past," he is "not aware that the French authorities would have had to address the situation in which the United States sought extradition of a French citizen who was also a United States citizen. Thus, there is no precedent to draw from in that regard." (Def. Ex. V. at 2). That is not so. France has previously rejected such a request. For example, in 2006, Hans Peterson, an American citizen and French national, turned himself in to French authorities in Guadeloupe and confessed to committing a murder in the United States. Despite turning himself in to French authorities, Peterson remained beyond the reach of U.S. law enforcement despite the repeated requests of OIA and U.S. officials. See Durbin, Schakowsky, Emanuel Urge French Justice Minister To Ensure Justice Is Done During Hans Peterson Retrial (Nov. 16, 2012), https://www.durbin.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/durbin-schakowsky-emanuel-urge-french-justice-minister-to-ensure-justice-is-done-during-hans-peterson-retrial; see also Senators' letter to French government (Mar. 14, 2008), https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna23601583 (citing a letter from the MOJ to the Department of
Page 24 - DOJ-OGR-00020087
basis, in addition to their substantial assets. The financial report submitted by the defense is also careful to note that it does not account for any possible income from inheritances. (Def. Ex. O at 5). The financial report further shows that the defendant apparently spent the last five years moving the majority of her assets out of her name by funneling them through trusts to her spouse. That pattern suggests the defendant has used the process of transferring assets as a means to hide her true wealth. As the Renewed Bail Application points out, the defendant currently has approximately $3.4 million worth of assets held in her own name, which is close to the amount of wealth she told Pretrial Services she possessed in July 2020. Importantly, though, that number omits the millions of dollars of assets that she has transferred from her name through trust accounts to her spouse, including funds that were used to purchase the New Hampshire property where the defendant was residing when she was arrested.8 This confirms that the Government was right to be concerned that the defendant had refused to identify her spouse or his assets to Pretrial Services. That practice further demonstrates the defendant's sophistication in hiding her assets and maintaining assets that are under her control in other names. In this vein, the financial report suggests that the defendant originally brought more than $20 million to her marriage, but that her husband brought only $200,000.9 (See Def. Ex. O at 10). 8 On this score, it bears noting that that defendant told Pretrial Services that the property was owned by a corporation, and that she was "just able to stay there." (Pretrial Services Report at 2). The defendant's lack of candor does not inspire confidence that she can be trusted to comply with bail conditions. 9 The Government has not been able to verify this financial information—in part because the defense has declined to provide the Government with the spouse's current banking information—but
Page 316 - DOJ-OGR-00020091
Case 20-cr-60083-AJO Document 1002 Filed 06/23/20 Page 316 of 36 (Tr. 87). Following the analysis the Court has already conducted, several of the cases cited by the defendant are readily distinguishable. See, e.g., United States v. Khashoggi, 717 F. Supp. 1048, 1050-52 (S.D.N.Y. 1989) (in ordering defendant released pending trial, noting, among other things, 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. Bodmer, No. 03 Cr. 947 (SAS), 2004 WL 169790, at *1, *3 (S.D.N.Y. June 28, 2004) (setting conditions of bail where defendant arrested abroad had already consented to extradition to the United States and finding that the Government—whose argument was “based, in large part, on speculation” as to the defendant's financial resources—had “failed to meet its burden”). And there is support in the case law for detaining individuals in comparable situations to the defendant. See, e.g., United States v. Boustani, 356 F. Supp. 3d 246, 252-55 (E.D.N.Y.), aff'd, No. 19-344, 2019 WL 2070656 (2d Cir. Mar. 7, 2019) (ordering defendant detained pending trial and finding that defendant posed a risk of flight based on several factors, including seriousness of the charged offenses, lengthy possible sentence, strength of Government's evidence, access to substantial financial resources, frequent international travel, “minimal” ties to the United States, and “extensive ties to foreign countries without extradition”); United States v. Patrick Ho, 17 Cr. 779 (KBF), Dkt. 49 (S.D.N.Y. Feb. 4, 2018) (ordering defendant detained based on defendant's risk of flight and citing the strength of the Government's evidence, lack of meaningful community ties, and “potential ties in foreign jurisdictions”); United States v. Epstein, 155 F. Supp. 2d 323, 324-326 (E.D. Pa. 2001) (finding that defendant's dual citizenship in Germany and Brazil, lucrative employment and property interests, and lack of an extradition treaty with Brazil weighed in favor of detention despite the fact that defendant and his wife owned “substantial” property and other significant assets in the 28 DOJ-OGR-00020091