Video shows moment authorities raided Jeffrey Epstein’s $77million mansion

Amateur cell phone video filmed by a passerby in New York City shows the moment law enforcement officials raided the Upper East Side home of Jeffrey Epstein on Saturday.

The footage begins with loud bangs that are heard as officials with the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the New York Police Department force their way into the billionaire’s house, where they allegedly uncovered a large cache of child pornography.

As some two dozen law enforcement officials manage to enter the home, a small crowd of onlookers gathers from across the street.

They realize that the home belongs to Epstein and that the raid likely means he is in legal jeopardy.

Amateur video filmed on a cell phone by a passerby in New York City shows the moment law enforcement officials raided the Upper East Side mansion of Jeffrey Epstein on Saturday

Amateur video filmed on a cell phone by a passerby in New York City shows the moment law enforcement officials raided the Upper East Side mansion of Jeffrey Epstein on Saturday

A man who appears to be an investigator observes the scene at the front entrance to Epstein's home on Saturday

A man who appears to be an investigator observes the scene at the front entrance to Epstein's home on Saturday

A man who appears to be an investigator observes the scene at the front entrance to Epstein’s home on Saturday

After the law enforcement officials managed to enter the home, two police officers were seen standing outside near the front entrance

After the law enforcement officials managed to enter the home, two police officers were seen standing outside near the front entrance

‘This is a historic moment,’ says one witness. ‘You’ll be reading about it on the front page of The New York Times.’

Moments later, police officers are seen waving the crowd away, asking them to disperse.

A security guard who works in a building nearby told DailyMail.com on Saturday that it took law enforcement officials about 15 minutes to break into the home.

They used a large hammer to eventually bust through the front entrance, which is outfitted with sophisticated voiceprint and fingerprint technology.

The guard told DailyMail.com that there were approximately 20 FBI agents and between five and 10 NYPD officers who were both in uniform and in plain clothes.

A security guard from a nearby building told DailyMail.com on Saturday that it took agents about 15 minutes to break through the front entrance. The image above from Saturday shows the damage done to the front door

A security guard from a nearby building told DailyMail.com on Saturday that it took agents about 15 minutes to break through the front entrance. The image above from Saturday shows the damage done to the front door

Authorities allege that Epstein kept a large trove of child pornography in the home (seen above on Monday)

Authorities allege that Epstein kept a large trove of child pornography in the home (seen above on Monday)

The raid took place on the same night that Epstein was taken into custody after landing in the United States from France. 

Epstein on Monday entered a not guilty plea to two charges of sex trafficking in federal court that could put him behind bars for 45 years.

The disgraced billionaire, 66, appeared in federal court for the first time on Monday, where he entered in a dark blue jumpsuit and took his seat next to his defense attorney for the first of two hearings in his case.  

His arrival came hours after prosecutors unveiled what they had uncovered from Epstein’s house after they raided his mansion on Saturday night, turning up thousands of graphic photos which included images of underage girls.

Agents also found Epstein’s massage room set up just as victims described it from 15 years ago, with a table and assortment of sex toys.

At one point during the proceedings, Epstein’s lawyer Reid Weingarten compared the victims who previously accused his client of sexual assault to sex workers.

‘It is fair to say that a significant segment of the law enforcement community in Florida thought that what we had was simple prostitution,’ stated Weingarten. 

He made this comments as two of those women, victims Michelle Licata and Courtney Wild, sat just  few feet away in the courtroom.

Licata was 16 when she claims Epstein assaulted her, while Wild was 14. 

He later referred to the allegations involving Epstein as being ‘ancient conduct.’ When the judge pointed out that the victims’ being underage would make the allegations a crime regardless, Weingarten responded: ‘There’s no statutory rape because there was no penetration.’ 

 

Day in court: Jeffrey Epstein entered a not guilty plea to charges of sex trafficking on Monday in federal court, for his alleged sexual abuse of three minors  (l to r: Martin Weinberg, Epstein, and Marc Fernich)

Day in court: Jeffrey Epstein entered a not guilty plea to charges of sex trafficking on Monday in federal court, for his alleged sexual abuse of three minors  (l to r: Martin Weinberg, Epstein, and Marc Fernich)

The allegations are piling up though, with the US Attorney’s office revealing that they have received multiple calls from witnesses that had yet to be interviewed in the case in the 36 hours since Epstein’s arrest. 

In addition, any victims of Epstein in New York will have the right to file a civil claim against him in the state anytime before August 14, 2020 – even if the statute of limitations has expired in the case.

Federal prosecutors informed the court though that they ‘don’t expect any imminent superseding indictments in this case.’ 

Epstein and Weingarten ultimate opted to delay his bail hearing, asking for three more days to prepare arguments against the bail memorandum filed by federal prosecutors. 

It was then ordered by the judge that the request for bail be submitted on Thursday and prosecutors turn in their response on Friday ahead of a hearing next Monday when he would rule on the matter. 

Epstein entered his plea just hours after it was revealed that an ‘extraordinary volume of photographs of nude and partially-nude young women or girls’ was discovered by agents over the weekend during their search of Epstein’s Manhattan mansion. 

Federal prosecutors also detailed some of the other evidence discovered inside the home in the bail memorandum, which asks that Epstein remain in prison ahead of trial.  

That listed ‘documents and other materials, such as contemporaneous notes, messages recovered from the defendant’s residence that include names and contact information for certain victims, and call records that confirm the defendant and his agents were repeatedly in contact with various victims during the charged period. ‘ 

Meanwhile, the search uncovered ‘at least hundreds—and perhaps thousands—of sexually suggestive photographs of fully- or partially nude females.’

A number of those photographs ‘appear to be of underage girls, including at least one girl who, according to her counsel, was underage at the time the relevant photographs were taken.’

It is also noted that some photos were discovered in a locked safe, where agents ‘also found compact discs with hand-written labels including the following: “Young [Name] + [Name],” “Misc nudes 1,” and “Girl pics nude.”‘  

The indictment against the billionaire pedophile was unsealed on Monday morning, and states that Epstein ‘enticed and recruited, and caused to be enticed and recruited, minor girls at his mansion in Manhattan and his estate in Palm Beach to engage in sex acts with him.’

There were dozens of these underage girls according to the indictment, who would receive hundreds of dollars after being forced into sex acts or, as the indictment states, finding others to engage ins ex acts with Epstein.

‘Moreover, in order to maintain and increase his supply of victims, Epstein also paid certain of his victims to recruit additional girls to be similarly abused by Epstein, reads the court filing. 

‘In this way, Epstein created a vast network of underage victims for him to sexually exploit.’ 

Defense: 'It is fair to say that a significant segment of the law enforcement community in Florida thought that what we had was simple prostitution,' stated Weingarten (victims Michelle Licata and Courtney Wild above on Monday outside court)

Defense: ‘It is fair to say that a significant segment of the law enforcement community in Florida thought that what we had was simple prostitution,’ stated Weingarten (victims Michelle Licata and Courtney Wild above on Monday outside court)

Courtney Wild

Michelle Licata

Shattered youth: Courtney Wild (left at 14) was still in middle school and had braces when Epstein allegedly forced her into performing sex acts (victim Michelle Licata at 16 right)

Epstein, 66, was aware the the girls were underage according to the indictment, which focuses on just three victims.

There is no mention of any other individuals who engaged in any sexual assault or molestation of minor females though, despite previous victims claiming this was a common occurrence with Epstein and his high-powered pals. 

In a press conference Monday morning, the FBI declared that this was currently the number once case for the agency while encouraging any other victims or individuals with knowledge of Epstein’s alleged offenses to contact federal agents. 

‘We are asking anyone who may have been victimized by Jeffrey Epstein, or anyone who may have information about his alleged criminal behavior, to please call us,’ said FBI Assistant Director William F. Sweeney Jr.

LABOR SEC. ACOSTA’S EPSTEIN DEAL 

Jeffrey Epstein signed a non-prosecution agreement in his previous case, which was overseen by President Trump’s current Secretary of Labor, Alex Acosta.

That agreement is currently at the center of anther court case as the victims who first came forward are trying to have the case retried.

The non-prosecution deal does no extend to the Southern District of New York however, and while the young girls in the indictment were in Palm Beach at the time of the criminal action detailed by prosecutors, the actual crime was happening in New York.

A federal judge recently ruled that the agreement violated the rights of more than 30 victims, but the Department of Justice has stated that the case should not be retried in a court filing. 

Acosta, who in his role as US attorney violated the rights of Epstein’s alleged victims when he neglected to notify them that they were no longer pursuing federal charges, has not commented on any of the current cases involving the pedophile.  

 

 

‘We want to hear from you, regardless of the age you are now, or whatever age you were then, no matter where the incident took place. The bravery it takes to call us might empower others to speak out about the crimes committed against them.’ 

Epstein was ordered to forfeit his $77 million Manhattan mansion in the indictment. 

It is also suggested that he could be forced to forfeit other property, which could refer to his New Mexico ranch, two properties in the US Virgin Islands or his $12 million Palm Beach estate.

There are also his many cars, boats and jets, which were also outlined by federal prosecutors in the bail memorandum.  

‘[T]he defendant has access to innumerable means to flee. His sex registration documentation of “current vehicles” lists no fewer than 15 motor vehicles, including seven Chevrolet Suburbans, a cargo van, a Range Rover, a Mercedez-Benz sedan, a Cadillac Escalade, and a Hummer II,’ states the filing.

‘These cars are registered in various states and territories including the Virgin Islands, New York, Florida, and New Mexico. The defendant also has access to two private jets, giving him the ability to leave the country secretly and on a moment’s notice and to go virtually anywhere he wants to travel.’

His lawyer has declined requests for comment ever since the moneyman’s arrest on Saturday. 

JEFFREY EPSTEIN SWEETHEART DEAL

1999-2002 – Virginia Roberts [Jane Doe #3] claims to she served as a ‘sex slave’ for Jeffrey Epstein and was required to engage in sexual activity with him and a number of his high-profile friends.  

March 2005 – Authorities in Florida launch a probe into Epstein after a mother calls and alleges that her daughter was molested at his Palm Beach estate.

May 2006 – A probable cause affidavit is filed by the Palm Beach Police Department after the sexual battery investigation into Epstein, Sarah Kellen and Haley Robson Sworn. It charges Epstein with four counts of lewd and lascivious behavior for unlawful sex with a minor. Five victims and seventeen witnesses were interviewed, and alleged that Epstein engaged in unlawful sexual behavior. Sworn meanwhile was accused of profiting by providing young girls to Epstein, while Kellen was tasked with keeping a black book containing the names and contact information of these minors in her capacity as Epstein’s assistant.

May 2006 – Barry Krischer, the State Attorney in Palm Beach, refers the case to a grand jury. 

June 2006 – The grand jury returns an indictment of one count of solicitation of prostitution. This charge does not reflect that the individual in question was a minor. Only one girl testifies in front of the grand jury.

July 2006 –  The Palm Beach Police Chief grows increasingly annoyed as he watches the lack of progress his investigation is making in the legal system, and convinces the FBI to open a federal investigation. It is dubbed Operation Leap Year and the possible crime being probed is ‘child prostitution.’

November 2006 – Operation Leap Year picks up steam as the FBI begins interviewing potential witnesses and victims from the three states were Epstein owns property – Florida, New York and New Mexico. 

June 2007 -The US Attorney’s Office drafts a lengthy indictment as the federal probe  of Epstein comes to an end, while at the same time Epstein begins negotiating a possible plea deal. 

July 2007 – A new set of grand jury subpoenas are issued, including ones for Epstein’s computers. When police go to execute those subpoenas at Epstein’s Palm Beach home, they discover they have all been removed. 

August 2007 –  The US Attorney in Miami at the time, Alex Acosta, joins the Epstein negotiation talks. 

September 2007 – Epstein signs a non-prosecution agreement on September 24 after rejecting multiple plea deals. His criminal charges are then deferred to the Palm Beach County State Attorney’s Office.

October 2007 – Acosta meets with Epstein’s lawyer Jay Lefkowitz to finalize the terms of the plea deal. It is agreed that the victims would not be notified,  the deal would be kept under seal and all grand jury subpoenas would be canceled – including the one for Epstein’s computers, which were still at large.

January 2008 – After months of demands, Epstein and his lawyers say they will not longer accept the plea deal because he forces him to register as a sex offender.

February 2008 – A civil lawsuit is filed against Epstein by an anonymous woman, stating that as a 16-year-old minor she was recruited to give Epstein a paid massage. She demands $50 million, claiming that she was then force to perform sex acts on Epstein.

March 2008 – A federal grand jury presentation is planned following the FBI probe. Lawyers for Epstein begin harassing victims with phone calls and one of his investigators is accused of trying to run a victim’s father off the road.  

March 2008 – A second woman files a civil action against Epstein.

May 2008 – It is announced that with no plea deal in case, the federal case against Epstein can proceed. 

June 2008 – On June 30, Epstein pleads guilty to one count of solicitation of prostitution and one count of solicitation of prostitution with a minor under the age of 18. Both are state charges and he is sentenced to 18 months in jail. He will also have to register as a sex offender.

July 2008 – Epstein’s victims learn of the plea deal, but it will be another 10 years before they are informed of all the details, including the fact that victim was 16 in the charge to which Epstein entered a guilty plea and not 14 like the women were led to believe. This allowed Epstein to avoid registering as a sex offender in multiple states like New Mexico, where he has a ranch. An emergency petition is filed udner the Crime Victims’ Rights Act, which mandates that victims be informed about plea agreements and the right to appear at sentencing. It is ignored.

August 2008 – Epstein’s agreement cannot be unsealed for the victims to see it is ruled in court, with federal prosecutors fighting to keep the records hidden from the public.

October 2008 –  Epstein begins work release from the county stockad, where  six days a week an he is transported to an office where he is able to work and entertain visitors. He returns to the stockade in the evening.

December 2008 – A judge grants Epstein’s request to travel to New York for a day and then an extended stay. He says it is for a court case, but after an initial filing there is no follow-up in the case. 

22 July 22, 2009 – Epstein is released from prison. 

Give it up: Federal prosecutors are demanding that Epstein be ordered to forfeit his $77million Manhattan mansion in the indictment (above)

Give it up: Federal prosecutors are demanding that Epstein be ordered to forfeit his $77million Manhattan mansion in the indictment (above)

Epstein's door

Epstein's security

Break in: DailyMail.com obtained exclusive photos which show the aftermath of the search by federal agents, including Epstein’s damaged and splintered door and his extreme security measures (keypad and fingerprint scan on right)

The charges stem specifically from the alleged sexual assaults of the three minor victims and the actions of three Epstein employees between 2002 and 2005. The victims and employees are not named in the indictment.

SEX TRAFFICKING & CONSPIRACY TO COMMIT SEX TRAFFICKING

Sex Trafficking of Minors (maximum sentence of 40 years in prison)

This refers to any recruitment, harboring, transportation, provision, obtaining, patronizing, or soliciting of a minor for the purpose of a commercial sex act. 

Offenders of this crime often target vulnerable children and gain control over them using a variety of manipulative methods. 

Those offenders now have  more channels to carry out these crimes with the advent of the Internet and mobile technology, and as a result are harder to apprehend in most cases.

In Epstein’s case, he was with an employee in New York who he allegedly instructed to contact a minor in Palm Beach to set up a meeting between the two.

This happened at least two times with two different employees and two different minors according to the indictment. 

 

Conspiracy to Sex Traffic Minor (maximum sentence of five years in prison) 

This refers to enticing a minor for the purpose of a commercial sex act.

In Epstein’s case, he allegedly contacted the minor victim in New York and set up a meeting at his mansion during which a commercial sex act took place.

An Epstein employee was also involved in scheduling that meeting. 

Two of those minor victims were based near Epstein’s $6 million Palm Beach estate, while the other was near his Manhattan mansion. 

The first count of sex trafficking occurred when Epstein’s employees in New York called the two minor victims in Palm Beach to schedule a time for the minors to meet with the convicted pedophile.

The second count relates to his alleged enticing of the minor victim from New York to commit a commercial sex act.

It is unclear whether those employees are cooperating with the investigation 

The girls would be taken to Epstein’s houses according to the indictment and asked to give him a massage.

These massages ‘would be performed nude or partially nude,’ ‘would become increasingly sexual in nature,’ and ‘would typically include one or more sex acts.’  

‘As alleged, Jeffrey Epstein abused underage girls for years, operating a scheme in which girls he victimized would recruit others for Epstein to exploit and abuse,’ said US Attorney Geoffrey Berman on Monday.

‘Epstein exploited girls who were vulnerable to abuse, enticed them with cash payments, and escalated his conduct to include sex acts, often occurring at his residence on the Upper East Side of Manhattan.’

He continued: ‘While the charged conduct is from a number of years ago, the victims – then children and now young women – are no less entitled to their day in court. My Office is proud to stand up for these victims by bringing this indictment.’

On June 30, 2008, Epstein entered a guilty plea to state charges of soliciting an underage girl for prostitution, and ultimately served just 13 months of his 18-month sentence.

He was never charged with a federal crime. 

That time was served not in a prison, but rather the Palm Beach Stockade, which is a local detention center.

Epstein was also allowed to leave six days a week to go work out of his West Palm Beach office during his time behind bars. A few months later, the judge approved a trip to New York City to visit his lawyer.

After his release he did have to register as a sex offender in some states, but not New Mexico, where he owns a ranch, or the US Virgin Islands.

Epstein signed a non-prosecution agreement as well in the case, which was overseen by President Trump’s current Secretary of Labor, Alex Acosta.

That agreement is currently at the center of anther court case as the victims who first came forward are trying to have the case retried.

The non-prosecution deal does no extend to the Southern District of New York however, and while the young girls in the indictment were in Palm Beach at the time of the criminal action detailed by prosecutors, the actual crime was happening in New York.

EPSTEIN’S VICTIMS BREAK THEIR SILENCE

Two of the women who accused billionaire Jeffrey Epstein of molesting them when they were minors will be in attendance for his court appearance on Monday in Manhattan.

Michelle Licata was just 16 when she claims a young woman brought her to Epstein’s Palm Beach estate and she was paid to give him a massage.

‘He said, god, you’re just so beautiful and sexy and gorgeous and it was making me feel really uncomfortable,’ said Licata in an interview with ABC News. 

Courtney Wild was even younger, revealing that she was still in middle school when Epstein allegedly forced her into performing sex acts.

‘I was 14, I had braces on,’ recalled Wild. 

Wild and Licata, who were among the victims in the previous criminal case brought against Epstein, 66, in Florida back in 2008, said that they will both be in court on Monday for his arraignment and bail hearing.

A federal judge recently ruled that the agreement violated the rights of more than 30 victims, but the Department of Justice has stated that the case should not be retried in a court filing. 

Acosta, who in his role as US attorney violated the rights of Epstein’s alleged victims when he neglected to notify them that they were no longer pursuing federal charges, has not commented on any of the current cases involving the pedophile.  

The Southern District of New York’s Public Corruption Unit investigated Epstein, who is facing up to 45 years behind bars if found guilty on both counts: sex trafficking of minors and conspiracy to engage in sex trafficking of minors.

The charges against Epstein were filed following dozens of interviews with victims, who also spoke with the FBI and the NYPD.  

The Public Corruption Unit is tasked with heading up the ‘prosecution of corruption crimes committed by elected and appointed officials, government employees, and individuals and companies doing business with the city, state, and federal government.’

Among the crimes it investigates are ‘bribery, embezzlement, and frauds committed against local, state, and federal government agencies,’ but no mention of sex trafficking.

It is also where former FBI director James Comey’s daughter Maurene is employed as a lawyer.

She has been assigned to the case and was seen outside federal court on Monday.

Evidence: Found in Epstein's home were contemporaneous notes, messages recovered from the defendant’s residence that include names and contact information for certain victims

Evidence: Found in Epstein’s home were contemporaneous notes, messages recovered from the defendant’s residence that include names and contact information for certain victims

College co-eds: Protesters from NYU came out to Federal Court House with Jeffrey Epstein pictures to protest.

College co-eds: Protesters from NYU came out to Federal Court House with Jeffrey Epstein pictures to protest.

Epstein’s bail hearing later today will come less than 48 hours after he was taken into custody by federal agents at Teterboro Airport.

It all happened just before 5pm on Saturday, when Epstein reentered the country for the first time since June 16, when he took off from the same airport bound for Paris.

Prior to that trip, Epstein had been crisscrossing the US as he moved between his properties in New York City, Palm Beach, New Mexico and the US Virgin Islands.

Epstein’s arrest comes in the wake of a three-part expose in the Miami Herald detailing his settlements with victims and sweetheart plea deal.

Legal eagles: Maurene Comey, the daughter of former FBI director James Comey, was seen outside court on Monday (with Alex Rossmiller on right)

Legal eagles: Maurene Comey, the daughter of former FBI director James Comey, was seen outside court on Monday (with Alex Rossmiller on right)

Around the same time he was being arrested, agents with the FBI were seen breaking down the door to his Upper East Side mansion to execute a search warrant in the case.

DailyMail.com obtained exclusive photos which show the aftermath of that search, including Epstein’s damaged and splintered door.

The episode is likely to cause embarrassment to Prince Andrew, who was an associate of Epstein but has now severed ties.

Groups of unidentified men were seen coming and going at the property until 2am on Sunday.

A security guard from a nearby building told DailyMail.com that between 20 to 25 law enforcement officials showed up at Epstein’s home at around 6:30pm on Saturday.

Most of those were FBI agents, the security guard said. They were accompanied by several officers – both uniformed and plain-clothed – from the New York Police Department.

The guard told DailyMail.com that it took them approximately 10 to 15 minutes before they could pry the door open.

The front entrance appears to be outfitted with fingerprint and keypad technology for security purposes.

The guard says that in the hours since the raid, more law enforcement personnel arrived at the home, where they are expected to work well into Sunday morning.

The guard, who identified himself as Tom, said he would see Epstein there once or twice a month.

He said that two weeks ago, he noticed someone on the street taking photographs of Epstein’s residence.

READ THE FULL INDICTMENT 

Read more at DailyMail.co.uk