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| Jeffrey Epstein’s Safe Had ‘Piles of Cash’ and a Fake Passport, Prosecutors Say | Jeffrey Epstein’s Safe Had ‘Piles of Cash’ and a Fake Passport, Prosecutors Say |
| (32 minutes later) | |
| [What you need to know to start the day: Get New York Today in your inbox.] | [What you need to know to start the day: Get New York Today in your inbox.] |
| Investigators discovered a safe in Jeffrey Epstein’s Manhattan mansion that held “piles of cash,” diamonds and an expired passport from a foreign country which had Mr. Epstein’s photo but a fake name and said he lived in Saudi Arabia. | Investigators discovered a safe in Jeffrey Epstein’s Manhattan mansion that held “piles of cash,” diamonds and an expired passport from a foreign country which had Mr. Epstein’s photo but a fake name and said he lived in Saudi Arabia. |
| Prosecutors revealed the safe’s contents as they argued on Monday in Federal District Court in Manhattan that Mr. Epstein should be denied bail before his sex-trafficking and conspiracy trial because he was a flight risk and a danger to the community. | Prosecutors revealed the safe’s contents as they argued on Monday in Federal District Court in Manhattan that Mr. Epstein should be denied bail before his sex-trafficking and conspiracy trial because he was a flight risk and a danger to the community. |
| He is accused of abusing dozens of underage girls in New York and Florida in the early 2000s. | He is accused of abusing dozens of underage girls in New York and Florida in the early 2000s. |
| Two women who said Mr. Epstein had abused them bolstered the government’s argument, urging Judge Richard M. Berman to deny him bail. | Two women who said Mr. Epstein had abused them bolstered the government’s argument, urging Judge Richard M. Berman to deny him bail. |
| “He’s a scary person to have walking the streets,” said Courtney Wild, who said Mr. Epstein began sexually abusing her when she was 14. | |
| Since the charges against Mr. Epstein became public a week ago, a prosecutor said in court on Monday, many more potential victims and witnesses have come forward. | Since the charges against Mr. Epstein became public a week ago, a prosecutor said in court on Monday, many more potential victims and witnesses have come forward. |
| “We have been able to dramatically expand the scope of our investigation,” the prosecutor, Alexander Rossmiller, said. | “We have been able to dramatically expand the scope of our investigation,” the prosecutor, Alexander Rossmiller, said. |
| Judge Berman said he would not rule until Thursday on whether Mr. Epstein should be granted bail while he awaits trial. | Judge Berman said he would not rule until Thursday on whether Mr. Epstein should be granted bail while he awaits trial. |
| Mr. Epstein, 66, who faces up to 45 years in prison if convicted on the charges, has been detained since his July 6 arrest in the Metropolitan Correctional Center in Lower Manhattan, a highly secure jail that has held accused terrorists, mobsters and most recently, the Mexican drug lord known as El Chapo. | |
| Last week Mr. Epstein proposed in court papers that he be allowed to remain under house arrest in his $56 million mansion on the Upper East Side, promising he would pay for 24-hour security guards who would ensure he did not flee. | Last week Mr. Epstein proposed in court papers that he be allowed to remain under house arrest in his $56 million mansion on the Upper East Side, promising he would pay for 24-hour security guards who would ensure he did not flee. |
| His attorneys said in court that Mr. Epstein has been law-abiding for more than a decade; he had pleaded guilty to two state prostitution charges in Florida and served 13 months in jail. | |
| “He didn’t re-engage in this activity,” one of his lawyers, Martin G. Weinberg, told the judge on Monday, adding, “It’s not like he’s an out-of-control rapist.” | “He didn’t re-engage in this activity,” one of his lawyers, Martin G. Weinberg, told the judge on Monday, adding, “It’s not like he’s an out-of-control rapist.” |
| Mr. Epstein’s lawyers have said that their client’s release is critical to his ability to help in the preparation of his defense in a case the government has said involves a voluminous number of documents and other evidence. | Mr. Epstein’s lawyers have said that their client’s release is critical to his ability to help in the preparation of his defense in a case the government has said involves a voluminous number of documents and other evidence. |
| But Judge Berman pointed to the many less wealthy defendants jailed at Rikers Island awaiting trial on state charges, noting those defendants also had a need to consult with their lawyers. | But Judge Berman pointed to the many less wealthy defendants jailed at Rikers Island awaiting trial on state charges, noting those defendants also had a need to consult with their lawyers. |
| “What are we going to tell all those people who can’t make a $500 or $1,000 bail?” the judge said. | “What are we going to tell all those people who can’t make a $500 or $1,000 bail?” the judge said. |
| Echoing the judge’s comments, Mr. Rossmiller argued Mr. Epstein was seeking special treatment to build his own private jail — a “gilded cage”— surrounded by armed guards and security cameras. | |
| “A person who needs those conditions should be detained,” he said. | “A person who needs those conditions should be detained,” he said. |
| In seeking Mr. Epstein’s detention, prosecutors had argued in court papers that he could use his fortune, which they estimated to be more than $500 million, to help flee. | |
| Besides mansions in Manhattan and Palm Beach, Fla., Mr. Epstein owns a home in Paris, a private Caribbean island and a sprawling ranch in New Mexico. He travels in a private jet. | Besides mansions in Manhattan and Palm Beach, Fla., Mr. Epstein owns a home in Paris, a private Caribbean island and a sprawling ranch in New Mexico. He travels in a private jet. |
| Still, the extent of Mr. Epstein’s wealth remained unclear. Judge Berman noted that a financial disclosure statement Mr. Epstein’s lawyers had filed did not present a comprehensive accounting of his finances. | Still, the extent of Mr. Epstein’s wealth remained unclear. Judge Berman noted that a financial disclosure statement Mr. Epstein’s lawyers had filed did not present a comprehensive accounting of his finances. |
| The government had also said Mr. Epstein might try to obstruct justice if he were given bail. Prosecutors said that last year he wired $350,000 to two people who were potential witnesses against him at a trial. | The government had also said Mr. Epstein might try to obstruct justice if he were given bail. Prosecutors said that last year he wired $350,000 to two people who were potential witnesses against him at a trial. |
| Mr. Epstein’s lawyers suggested on Monday that the payments could have been “an act of generosity” to Mr. Epstein’s associates, and that government lawyers were unable to prove otherwise. | Mr. Epstein’s lawyers suggested on Monday that the payments could have been “an act of generosity” to Mr. Epstein’s associates, and that government lawyers were unable to prove otherwise. |
| In 2008, Mr. Epstein pleaded guilty to the two state charges in Florida — soliciting a prostitute and procuring a minor for prostitution — as part of a secret deal with federal prosecutors to satisfy a potential indictment on similar charges. He ended up serving his 13-month sentence in a local jail, with work-release six days a week, and avoided federal prosecution. | In 2008, Mr. Epstein pleaded guilty to the two state charges in Florida — soliciting a prostitute and procuring a minor for prostitution — as part of a secret deal with federal prosecutors to satisfy a potential indictment on similar charges. He ended up serving his 13-month sentence in a local jail, with work-release six days a week, and avoided federal prosecution. |
| That deal was brokered by Alexander Acosta, a former United States attorney in Miami who resigned last week as President Trump’s labor secretary after public outrage over the Epstein agreement reached a fever pitch. | That deal was brokered by Alexander Acosta, a former United States attorney in Miami who resigned last week as President Trump’s labor secretary after public outrage over the Epstein agreement reached a fever pitch. |
| Besides the safe containing the passport under a fake name, cash and diamonds, which the government said it had learned about on Monday, the authorities have said that a previous search turned up an extraordinary number of lewd photographs of young women and girls. | |
| The photographs were found Mr. Epstein’s palatial townhouse at 9 East 71st Street, where, according to an indictment, he sexually molested underage girls whom he had recruited through his employees to give him naked massages for money. | The photographs were found Mr. Epstein’s palatial townhouse at 9 East 71st Street, where, according to an indictment, he sexually molested underage girls whom he had recruited through his employees to give him naked massages for money. |
| On the day Mr. Epstein appeared in court, Leslie Wexner, the retail magnate who was his most important client for many years, released a statement saying he was unaware of the illegal activities charged in the indictment. | On the day Mr. Epstein appeared in court, Leslie Wexner, the retail magnate who was his most important client for many years, released a statement saying he was unaware of the illegal activities charged in the indictment. |
| Mr. Wexner, in a letter to employees at his L Brands company — which now operates Victoria’s Secret and Bath & Body Works — said Mr. Epstein had been his personal money manager, but that he had severed ties with him a dozen years ago. | Mr. Wexner, in a letter to employees at his L Brands company — which now operates Victoria’s Secret and Bath & Body Works — said Mr. Epstein had been his personal money manager, but that he had severed ties with him a dozen years ago. |
| “I would not have continued to work with any individual capable of such egregious, sickening behavior as has been reported about him,” Mr. Wexner wrote. | “I would not have continued to work with any individual capable of such egregious, sickening behavior as has been reported about him,” Mr. Wexner wrote. |
| Matthew Goldstein contributed reporting. | Matthew Goldstein contributed reporting. |