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Document DOJ-OGR-00023417

AI Analysis

Summary: The chapter discusses the events surrounding Jeffrey Epstein's death, including his signing of a new Last Will and Testament on August 8, 2019, and the release of court documents related to his defamation lawsuit on August 9, 2019. The new will was not known to MCC New York personnel, and its signing could have been a red flag for Epstein's mental state. The release of court documents led to significant media coverage and named additional high-profile public figures.
Significance: This document is potentially important because it reveals that Epstein signed a new will just before his death, which was not known to MCC New York personnel, and that the release of court documents related to his defamation lawsuit may have had significant media coverage and public implications.
Key Topics: Jeffrey Epstein's Last Will and Testament signed on August 8, 2019 Release of court documents related to Epstein's defamation lawsuit on August 9, 2019 Potential implications of Epstein's actions on his mental state assessment and suicide watch
Key People:
  • Jeffrey Epstein - Subject of the investigation and deceased individual
  • Virginia Roberts Giuffre - Plaintiff in a defamation lawsuit against Ghislaine Maxwell
  • Ghislaine Maxwell - Defendant in Giuffre's defamation lawsuit and associate of Epstein
  • Chief Psychologist - Psychologist at MCC New York who evaluated Epstein
  • Staff Psychologist - Psychologist at MCC New York who evaluated Epstein

Full Text

Chapter 5: The Events of August 8-10, 2019, and Epstein's Death I. Epstein Signs a New Last Will and Testament on August 8 In the weeks following Epstein's death, multiple media outlets reported that Epstein signed a new Last Will and Testament on August 8, 2019. At least one media organization published a copy of the notarized document showing that it was signed by Epstein and two of his attorneys and notarized on August 8, 2019. Attorney visitor logs from the Metropolitan Correctional Center in New York, New York (MCC New York) confirmed that those attorneys and the notary public visited Epstein on that date. The Office of the Inspector General (OIG) confirmed via court records that the August 8, 2019 will and other probate-related documents were filed in the Superior Court of the Virgin Islands on August 15, 2019. Among the court filings was an affidavit from another attorney who stated that she received the August 8, 2019 will from Epstein. The OIG confirmed via attorney visitor logs that this attorney also visited Epstein at MCC New York on August 8, 2019. The OIG's investigation and review revealed that MCC New York personnel were unaware that Epstein had changed his will 2 days before he died. The Chief Psychologist said she had heard that Epstein had changed his will from media reporting following his death. The Chief Psychologist did not know if the media reporting was accurate, but she thought that if it were true, it would have been useful information to know because it would have been a red flag. The Staff Psychologist and the Chief Psychologist told the OIG that if Epstein's attorneys had notified them or the Psychology Department that Epstein had changed his will, such information would have been a factor warranting a review of Epstein's mental state and Epstein probably would have been placed back on suicide watch or some type of observation. II. Court Order on August 9 Releasing Epstein-Related Documents in Pending Civil Litigation On August 9, 2019, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit ordered the unsealing of the summary judgment filings from a defamation lawsuit filed by Virginia Roberts Giuffre, a woman who alleged that Epstein had victimized her when she was a teenager, against Ghislaine Maxwell.31 As a result of the court's order, that same day approximately 2,000 pages of documents were released into the public domain, which contained considerable derogatory information about Epstein and some may have related to the criminal charges pending against him. Additional high-profile public figures were also named in the released documents. There was significant media coverage of information contained within the unsealed court filings. 31 Maxwell was subsequently indicted and, in December 2021, convicted of conspiring with Epstein to sexually abuse minors.