Epstein’s former lawyer denies data of intercourse offender’s crimes : NPR

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Jose Luis Magana/AP Jeffrey Epstein's longtime private legal professional testified Thursday earlier than the Home Oversight Committee in a closed-door deposition that he had "no data in any respect" of Epstein's crimes in opposition to girls and ladies.

Darren Indyke, certainly one of a number of witnesses referred to as earlier than the committee together with former President Invoice Clinton and Ghislaine Maxwell, labored for Epstein for greater than twenty years till the intercourse offender's loss of life in 2019. He's broadly thought-about a part of Epstein's internal circle, together with the disgraced financier's former accountant Richard Kahn. Kahn additionally testified earlier than the committee final week that he was "not conscious" of the intercourse offender's crimes.

"My full lack of involvement in that misconduct is a matter of document: not a single girl has ever accused me of committing sexual abuse or witnessing sexual abuse, nor claimed at any time that she or anybody else reported to me any allegation of Mr. Epstein's abuse," Indyke mentioned, in response to a duplicate of his ready opening assertion obtained by NPR. Indyke mentioned if he had recognized of the abuse and trafficking of ladies, he would have give up and "severed all ties" to Epstein.

The Republican-led committee subpoenaed Indyke, who additionally testified in regards to the existence of exhausting drives held by Epstein's non-public investigators, in response to a press release by California Rep. Robert Garcia, the highest Democrat on the committee. The Home committee has not seen these exhausting drives, Garcia mentioned.

"Darren Indyke performed a central position in facilitating Jeffrey Epstein's abuse of ladies and ladies and managing authorized methods that helped Epstein keep away from authorities scrutiny," Garcia mentioned.

Two days earlier than his loss of life, Epstein made Indyke and Kahn, Epstein's accountant, coexecutors of his property. Each are named as beneficiaries of the property.

After the testimony, a number of Democrats on the committee posted to social media that Indyke was extra concerned than he claimed to be, calling him a "key insider and enabler."

"Epstein's intercourse trafficking operation wouldn't have been attainable with out Mr. Indyke's providers," Virginia Democratic Rep. James Walkinshaw informed reporters. Walkinshaw mentioned he discovered it "very exhausting to consider" that Indyke knew nothing of Epstein's crimes after working with him carefully for greater than twenty years.

Committee Chair, Kentucky Republican Rep. James Comer mentioned after a number of hours of testimony, Indyke informed the committee Epstein satisfied him the 2008 conviction was a mistake.

"As with all the opposite witnesses, all of them declare they by no means had any data earlier than it turned public that Mr. Epstein was concerned with girls, doing something inappropriately with younger girls," Comer mentioned.

Kahn and Indyke have confronted intense scrutiny about their alleged involvement in Epstein's sexual trafficking community. A 2020 lawsuit introduced by the legal professional normal of the U.S. Virgin Islands in opposition to Epstein's property alleged that Indyke and Kahn had been individuals in an "expansive prison enterprise" that included trafficking of younger girls. The lawsuit was settled in 2022 for over $105 million.

Throughout his time working for Epstein, Indyke was implicated in emails about erasing exhausting drives, and FBI interviews present that Epstein referred victims to Indyke within the occasion they had been contacted by regulation enforcement, in response to Division of Justice paperwork. In 2017, Indyke was flagged for taking out "structured money transactions" from Epstein's account to keep away from federal necessities.

California Democrat Rep. Dave Min mentioned on social media that there's a lot of proof that Indyke was "central to Jeffrey Epstein's orbit" and performed a serious position within the intercourse trafficking operation. Min additionally mentioned "quite a few girls have mentioned that when the authorities began asking about Jeffery Epstein, [Indyke] suggested them to not speak to police." Min mentioned he was "very shocked" that Indyke would "inform us he knew nothing about this."

Since Epstein's loss of life, Indyke and Kahn have managed settlements from Epstein's property to his victims. The Epstein Victims' Compensation Program awarded over $121 million to 136 survivors, in response to Indyke.

In his ready opening assertion, Indyke mentioned allegations that he facilitated Epstein's sexual abuse or trafficking of ladies are "categorically false." He mentioned he was "certainly one of many attorneys" who Epstein consulted.

"My major position was to supply company, transactional and normal authorized providers to Mr. Epstein and his corporations, and I did so," Indyke mentioned.

As for the money withdrawals, Indyke mentioned he "was not trying to 'construction'" the withdrawals to keep away from federal reporting necessities, however reasonably to "adjust to the financial institution's inside necessities and limits, with the financial institution's full data."

"For an individual in Mr. Epstein's monetary place – with 5 multimillion-dollar residences staffed by dozens of workers and with an in depth journey itinerary – it didn't strike me as uncommon that Mr. Epstein's enterprise, family and private wants required giant quantities of money frequently," Indyke mentioned.

Indyke additionally denied accusations of facilitating "sham marriages" between girls related to Epstein, calling them "100% unfaithful."

After Epstein's 2008 responsible plea deal for soliciting prostitution and procuring a minor for prostitution, Indyke mentioned Epstein appeared "devastated and intensely contrite."