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Document DOJ-OGR-00023096

AI Analysis

Summary: The letter from R. Alexander Acosta to Lilly Ann Sanchez conveys the U.S. Attorney's Office's position on a plea deal for Jeffrey Epstein, including a firm two-year minimum sentence. Matthew Menchel, who drafted and sent the letter, discusses its context and intentions in a subsequent narrative. The letter and narrative provide insight into the negotiations and the parties' positions.
Significance: This document reveals details about the plea negotiations between Jeffrey Epstein's defense team and the U.S. Attorney's Office, including a non-negotiable minimum two-year incarceration term.
Key Topics: Plea negotiations Jeffrey Epstein case Sentencing
Key People:
  • Matthew Menchel - Chief, Criminal Division, USAO
  • R. Alexander Acosta - United States Attorney
  • Lilly Ann Sanchez - Defense attorney for Jeffrey Epstein
  • Jeffrey Epstein - Defendant in a criminal case
  • A. Marie Villafaña - Prosecutor
Document Type
Letter
Date
August 3, 2007
Pages
1
Folder
IMAGES008
Has Handwriting
Yes

Full Text

Lilly Ann Sanchez, Esq. August 3, 2007 Page 2 Please let us know your client's decision by no later than August 17. I have conferred with U.S. Attorney Acosta who has asked me to communicate that the two-year term of incarceration is a non-negotiable minimum to vindicate a federal interest, and, at this time, he is not inclined to meet with counsel for Mr. Epstein. Sincerely, R. Alexander Acosta United States Attorney By: Matthew Menchel Chief, Criminal Division cc: Roy Black Gerald B. Lefcourt R. Alexander Acosta Jeffrey Sloman Andrew Lourie A. Marie Villafaña Menchel told OPR that in his view, the two-year sentence established a "floor" for negotiations and if Epstein rejected the offer, subsequent offers would require him to accept more jail time rather than less. Menchel told OPR that the USAO was "leaving our options open" by retaining the option of a federal plea because he thought the defense was "trying . . . to get him into a federal penitentiary." The letter's deadline of August 17, 2007, for acceptance of the government's offer was intended to accommodate Villafaña's request that the deadline provide her with enough time to go to New York, pursue investigative steps involving two of Epstein's assistants, do witness interviews, and take additional legal steps to obtain Epstein's computers if Epstein rejected the deal. Menchel told OPR he considered August 17 to be a firm deadline: "[I]f you tell someone they have two weeks, it should be two weeks." Menchel signed and sent the letter on Friday, August 3, 2007, which was his last day at the USAO before joining a private law firm.92 The following Monday, August 6, 2007, Villafaña contacted Menchel by email at his new firm to inquire whether the letter to Epstein's counsel had gone out on Friday. Villafaña explained 92 Menchel told OPR that the timing of the letter to Sanchez was a "total coincidence," and had nothing to do with his impending departure from the USAO. 58