Jeffrey Epstein’s Ties to CBP Agents Sparked a DOJ Probe

United States prosecutors and federal legislation enforcement spent over a 12 months inspecting ties between Jeffrey Epstein and Customs and Border Safety officers stationed within the US Virgin Islands (USVI), in accordance to paperwork just lately launched by the Division of Justice.

As The Guardian and New York Occasions have reported, emails, textual content messages, and investigative data present that Epstein cultivated friendships with a number of officers, entertaining them on his island and providing to take them for whale-watching journeys in his helicopter. He even introduced one cannolis for Christmas Eve. In flip, Epstein would carry sure officers his complaints about his therapy by the hands of different CBP and federal brokers. Many of the interactions described within the data occurred years after Epstein pleaded responsible to fees of intercourse crimes in Florida in 2008.

The CBP officers have been by no means charged for any crimes associated to Epstein, and at the very least one later retired from the company with a pension, suggesting that the federal government in the end didn’t discover any wrongdoing. The paperwork do, although, describe patterns of conduct—two of the officers referred to Epstein as a “buddy”—that one authorities ethics knowledgeable described as inappropriate and attainable violations of federal steerage. In addition they include grand jury subpoenas that particularly identify the officers and compel the recipients, which have been largely monetary providers companies, to help federal prosecutors who have been wanting into allegations of a conspiracy to defraud the US authorities.

CBP and the Southern District of New York US Lawyer’s Workplace, which led the investigation into Epstein, didn’t reply to requests for remark.

For years, Epstein allegedly introduced numerous ladies and ladies as younger as 12 to his personal island, Little Saint James, in accordance to a 2020 grievance filed by the previous USVI legal professional normal. Epstein would typically fly out and in of USVI on his personal jet.

So as to depart from USVI to different components of the US, Epstein’s airplane had to be cleared by CBP, in accordance to a November 2020 FBI interview report with Epstein’s private pilot, Larry Visoski.

Visoski advised the FBI that some passengers have been faculty college students with letters from their faculties explaining why they have been touring. Different instances, in accordance to the report on Visoski’s interview, Epstein traveled with a girl who had a international passport. If CBP officers began questioning these passengers, Visoski stated, Epstein would intervene and begin arguing with the officers.

Visoski, although, advised the FBI that Epstein made an effort to be pleasant with CBP officers, at instances instructing Visoski to gather brokers’ contact data. (In an electronic mail to one CBP officer, Epstein wrote, “as Im very respectful of individuals simply doing their job.”) Over time, emails and textual content messages present, numerous CBP officers would attempt to attain out to Epstein, both straight or via Visoski or different associates. Generally, Epstein would have the officers out to Little Saint James.

In Might 2014, for instance, Visoski emailed Epstein, “Whereas going via customs in STT, our good particular person gave me his cell contact.” The pilot added that the “good particular person” can be accessible to go to Little Saint James that week. Visoski additionally connected the particular person’s contact data. The following day, Epstein’s island property supervisor emailed Epstein to let him know the particular person, a CBP officer, can be picked up on Wednesday for lunch. (It’s unclear whether or not this lunch ever occurred.)

Emails in 2015 and 2016 present that Epstein would have one other officer, Glen Samuel, come to Little Saint James to carry out on metal pan drums—a aspect gig Samuel informally marketed at one level on his Fb web page. In a January 2015 electronic mail thread, Epstein requested an affiliate to make clear Samuel’s price. The affiliate replied, “Mr. Samuel says he doesn’t intend to cost you. He considers you a buddy and was doing this for you. If you want to give him one thing, he’s appreciative, however there isn’t a price.” Samuel didn’t reply to a request for remark.