← Back to Segments
Segments Record
Deposition Transcripts · Segments · #9771
id
9771
deposition id
15
segment index
11
speaker
Page 12
start seconds
end seconds
text
me to believe. He expressed remorse, embarrassment, and regret for his conduct, which he described as paying money for sex to women he believed to be over the age of 18. Notwithstanding his conviction, by the time I met him he had active relationships with an extensive group of respected professionals in business, academia, politics, and the arts. And given the nature of my law practice, I routinely dealt with compromised or controversial people, including those facing criminal or other allegations of wrongdoing. To be clear, at no time did I endorse or excuse the conduct for which Epstein had pleaded guilty in 2008. As a former prosecutor, I relied on the resolution reached by Federal and State prosecutors and validated by a judge as being a proportionate and final resolution of his criminal conduct. In light of everything we know now, that resolution was deeply flawed. But at the time, given my experience, the resolution seemed consistent with his description, that he was a customer, or a “John,” and had never intentionally targeted minors. Epstein also provided me with a letter that one of his attorneys in that matter, Stephanie Thacker, had written to the Deputy Attorney General's Office at DOJ in 2008 appealing the Miami U.S. Attorney's requirement that Epstein enter a non-prosecution agreement. Although I did not know Ms. Thacker personally, I knew of her reputation as a judge on the United States Court of Appeals and as a respected and experienced former supervisory prosecutor in DOJ's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section. Ms. Thacker's lengthy and substantive letter stated that the evidence gathered by State and Federal investigators showed that Epstein sought commercial sex only from people who were of age. As we know now, his conduct was much worse and more sinister, but at the time I reviewed Ms. Thacker's letter, it strongly supported and corroborated Epstein's explanations to me. And based on my experience as a former senior DOJ official, I also knew that the U.S. Attorney's Office in Miami had a reputation for aggressive, hard-nosed prosecution. I believed that