- NES, LLC,
- Financial Trust Company, Inc. (FTC),
- Darren K. Indyke and Richard D. Kahn, HBRK Associates, Inc.
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Reuters "Two of Jeffrey Epstein's close advisers can face victims' claims"
By Jonathan Stempel
August 5, 2024
U.S. District Judge Arun Subramanian in Manhattan rejected arguments by Epstein's former personal lawyer Darren Indyke and former accountant Richard Kahn that victims cannot pursue a class action because many agreed not to sue after settling claims against Epstein's estate.
"... Indyke's lawyer Daniel Weiner said they "emphatically reject" accusations they knew about or were complicit in Epstein's wrongdoing."
"Victims said Indyke and Kahn helped Epstein create a complex web of corporations and bank accounts that let him hide his abuses and pay victims and recruiters, while leaving them "richly compensated" for their work.
McCawley and another lawyer for the victims, David Boies, helped obtain $365 million of settlements with JPMorgan Chase (JPM.N)
, opens new tab and Deutsche Bank (DBKGn.DE), opens new tab after accusing them of missing red flags about Epstein, once a lucrative client.
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Business Insider, Feb 11, 2021,
"The executors of Jeffrey Epstein's Virgin Islands estate forced 3 of his accusers to marry to keep them under his control, prosecutors say"
By Jacob Shamsian
Indyke and Kahn had "direct participation in virtually all of the business operations and financial activities" of what they describe as a sex-trafficking scheme run by the now-dead financier, prosecutors said in a new court filing.
"Indyke and Kahn were, in short, the indispensable captains of Epstein's criminal enterprise, roles for which they were richly rewarded," prosecutors wrote.
According to the filing, Indyke and Kahn helped lure young girls — some as young as 13 years old — into the sex trafficking scheme "with promises to help them and their families pay for school, health care, or other financial needs."
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Second Amended Complaint (Marked Up) (Redacted) Virgin Islands vs Epstein estate
DARREN K. INDYKE, in his individual capacity and as the EXECUTOR FOR THE ESTATE OF JEFFREY E. EPSTEIN and ADMINISTRATOR OF THE 1953 TRUST
RICHARD D. KAHN, in his individual capacity and n his capacity as the EXECUTOR FOR THE ESTATE OF JEFFREY E. EPSTEIN, and ADMINISTRATOR OF THE 1953 TRUST ESTATE OF JEFFREY E. EPSTEIN; THE 1953 TRUST; PLAN D, LLC; GREAT ST. JIM, LLC;NAUTILUS, INC.; HYPERION AIR, LLC; POPLAR,Inc.; SOUTHERN TRUST COMPANY, INC.;CYPRESS, INC.; MAPLE, INC.; LAUREL, INC.;AND JOHN AND JANE DOES
12. Defendants reported the "value of the real and personal property in The Estate located in the Virgin Islands at $577,672,654.00 dollars."...
13. Assets included: a. $56.5 million in cash;b. $127 million in fixed income and equity investments;c. $195 million in hedge fund and private equity investments; andd. $18.5 million in planes, boats, and automobiles....
14. The Estate also included shares of various corporate entities which hold residences and real property used by Epstein, namely:a. Brownstone in New York City valued at $56 million;b. Ranch in New Mexico valued at $72 million; c. Gated home in Palm Beach, Florida, valued at $12 million;d. Seven units in an apartment building in Paris, valued at $8 million; and e. Great St. James and Little St. James, collectively valued at $86 million....
17. Defendant The 1953 Trust (“("The Trust”)") was created by Epstein, who“"amended and restated”" its terms only two days before his suicide. That same day, Epstein revised his Last Will and Testament, transferring all of his “"property, real and personal,wherever situated”" to The Trust. The Trust also contains Epstein’s Epstein's financial assets and is also responsible to pay damages for the acts committed by Epstein and the Epstein Enterprise described below. Defendants Indyke and Kahn, filed a Certificate of Trust in the Superior Court of the Virgin Islands for The Trust on August 26, 2019. ...
22. Defendant, Nautilus, Inc., is a corporation established and organized under thelaws of the Virgin Islands. It was incorporated on November 22, 2011.
23. According to records of the Virgin Islands Recorder of Deeds, Nautilus, Inc. owns Little St. James, a/k/a Parcel Number 109803010100, a parcel of 3.1 million square feet valued at $3.2 million, with buildings and improvements valued at $4 million.
24. Epstein was president and director of Nautilus, Inc., which corporate filings describe as “"holding property for personal use.”." Defendants Indyke and Kahn are the secretary and treasurer of Nautilus, Inc., respectively. The Estate values Epstein’s Epstein's holdings of Nautilus, Inc., which holds title to Little St. James at $63.9 million.23.25. A deed recorded with the Virgin Islands Recorder of Deeds on December 30,2011 reflects that the property was transferred from a Delaware entity, L.S.J., LLC, to Nautilus,Inc. for “"TEN DOLLARS ($10.00) and other good and valuable consideration.”." The quitclaim deed lists Jeffrey Epstein as the sole member of L.S.J., LLC, which it acquired Little Saint James via a warranty deed dated April 27, 1998 .
28. Defendant, Great St. Jim, LLC, is a limited liability company established and organized under the laws of the Virgin Islands. Great St. Jim, LLC was organized on October 26, 2015. Great St. Jim, LLC, according to records of the Virgin Islands Recorder of Deeds, owns at least three properties that make up Great St. James acquired on January 28, 2016: Parcel Number109801010100, consisting of 3.5 million square feet and valued at $17.5 million; Parcel Number109801010200, consisting of 450,000 square feet of land, valued at $2.8 million; and Parcel Number 109801010300, 1.2 million square feet of land, valued at $2.7 million. According to a warranty deed filed with the Virgin Islands Recorder of Deeds, Epstein, through Great St. Jim, LLC, acquired the last two parcels for $5 million each..
Epstein is listed as manager and a member of Great St. Jim, LLC and the nature of its business is described as “"holding assets.”
30. Defendant, Poplar, Inc., is a corporation established and organized under the laws of the Virgin Islands. Poplar, Inc. was incorporated on November 22, 2011. Epstein was GVI’s president and director of Poplar, Inc., and its purpose was described in corporate filings as“"holding property for personal use.” ." Defendants Indyke and Kahn are secretary and treasurer of Poplar, Inc., respectively....
33. ...Epstein's pilot, Larry Visoski, was listed as Plan D, ...
34. Upon information and belief, Plan D, LLC owns one or more of the airplanes and helicopters that Epstein used to transport young women and children to and from the Virgin Islands to carry out the criminal pattern of activity described below. Among the airplanes owned by Plan D, LLC is a Gulfstream with N-number N212JE. Flight logs and travel notices indicate that Epstein used this plane to traffic and transport and young women and underage girls to the Virgin Islands .
The Gulfstream was listed for sale in 2020
35. Defendant, Hyperion Air, LLC is a limited liability company established and organized under the laws of the Virgin Islands on October 19, 2012. Jeffrey Epstein is a manager/member of Hyperion Air, LLC, along with his pilot, Larry Visoski. The purpose of Hyperion Air, LLC is listed in its Annual Report as “"holding assets.” ."
36. Hyperion Air, LLC is the registered owner of a Bell helicopter with N-numberN331JE and a Keystone helicopter with N-number N722JE. Upon information and belief, Epstein used these helicopters to transport young women and underage girls between St. Thomas and Little St. James.
37. Defendant Southern Trust Company, Inc. was originally incorporated in the Virgin Islands on November 18, 2011 as Financial Informatics, Inc., but changed its name to Southern Trust Company in September 2012. Southern Trust Company is a tenant at American Yacht Harbor in Red Hook, St. Thomas, and Epstein is a “"passive investor”" in IGY-AYH, d/b/a American Yacht Harbor. By the end of 2013, according to its corporate filings, Southern Trust Company has assets of $198.5 million; four years later, its assets reached $391.3 million. From 2011 until at least 2018, Jeffrey Epstein was the President/Director of Southern Trust Company, and Defendants Kahn and Indyke were Treasurer/Director and Secretary/Director, respectively.Epstein was the sole owner of Southern Trust Company.
38. Defendant Cypress, Inc. is a Virgin Islands corporation that was formed and firstlicensed in or about November 2011. As of December 31, 2018, Epstein was listed asPresident/Director and Defendants and Co-Executors Indyke and Kahn were listed, respectively,as Vice President/Secretary/Director and Treasurer/Director of Cypress, Inc. Cypress, Inc. ownsthe property 49 Zorro Ranch Road in Stanley, New Mexico, which was transferred to it in orabout December 2011, shortly after it was incorporated.
39. Defendant Maple, Inc. is a Virgin Islands corporation that was formed and first licensed in or about November 2011. As of December 31, 2018, Epstein was listed as President/Director and Defendants and Co-Executors Indyke and Kahn were listed, respectively, as Vice President/Secretary/Director and Treasurer/Director of Maple, Inc. Maple, Inc. owns the property 9 East 71st Street in New York, New York, which was transferred to it on or about December 23, 2011, shortly after it was incorporated.40. Defendant Laurel, Inc. is a Virgin Islands corporation that was formed and first licensed in or about November 2011. As of December 31, 2018, Epstein was listed as President/Director and Defendants and Co-Executors Indyke and Kahn were listed, respectively, as Vice President/Secretary/Director and Treasurer/Director of Laurel, Inc. Laurel, Inc. owns the property 358 Brillo Way in Palm Beach, Florida, which was transferred to it in or about December 2011, shortly after it was formed. ...
61. Another victim was flown by Epstein and his associates to New York or Palm Beach and then to the Virgin Islands dozens of times from 2004, when she was age 20, to 2017.She was repeatedly abused by Epstein and also was pressed to have sex with Epstein’s business colleagues.
62. During the latter part of this period, she was forced into an arranged marriage to another victim that was facilitated by Defendant/Co-Executor Indyke to prevent the other victim from being deported. Indyke and a New York immigration lawyer retained by Epstein prepared the victim for communications with U.S. immigration officials almost immediately after the wedding. Defendant/Co-Executor Kahn provided a letter of reference for the immigration proceeding. When the victim inquired about ending the marriage and leaving Epstein’s circle, Indyke repeatedly tried to talk her out of a divorce and threatened that she would lose Epstein’s and his associates’ protection.
63. The Epstein Enterprise forced at least three separate arranged marriages, in eachc ase requiring American female victims to marry foreign victims to avoid their deportation. The victims were coerced into to participating in these arranged marriages, and understood that there would be consequences, including serious reputational and bodily harm, if they refused to enter a marriage or attempted to end it. In each instance, Indyke and Kahn knowingly facilitated the fraudulent and coerced marriages, performing and securing the legal and accounting work involved and enabling a fraud that would further bind Epstein’s victims to him and enable Epstein to continue to control and abuse these victims sexually....
B. The “Epstein Enterprise”Defendants and Co-Executors Indyke and Kahn were Instrumental to the Epstein Enterprise’s Human Trafficking and Financial Fraud.
76. Defendants Kahn and Indyke organized, controlled, and directed almost every aspect of the Epstein Enterprise. They were officers in virtually every corporate entity that Epstein created to fund and conceal his activities. They were deeply involved in the financial activities of the Epstein-owned entities, including those of Defendant Southern Trust Company, which made clear that Southern Trust did not provide the services described to the Government as the basis for tax incentives that allowed Epstein to fraudulently obtain more than $80 million from the Government.
77. Defendants Indyke and Kahn also directed, approved, enabled, and justified millions of dollars in payments that fueled the Epstein Enterprise’s sex trafficking, including payments to women who were forced to have sex with Epstein and/or recruited others to be victimized. Defendants Indyke and Kahn obtained large and frequent stocks of cash for Epstein which, based on public knowledge, would have funded Epstein’s cash payments for“massages”—code for forced sex.78. Defendants Indyke and Kahn participated with Epstein in coercing his sex trafficking victims, in at least three cases, to enter into arranged and forced marriages in order to obtain immigration status for the foreign women so that they could continue to be available to Epstein for his abuse – a doubly-deep assault on their will and dignity. Defendant Kahn provided a letter of reference for at least one immigration application and tax services to the spouses, and Defendant Indyke paid the immigration lawyer who applied for citizenship for the women and threatened at least one who indicated that she would seek a divorce. They used their professional skills and authority to carry out this abhorrent scheme.79. Indyke and Kahn were, in short, the indispensable captains of Epstein’s criminal enterprise, roles for which they were richly rewarded.
80. Defendants Kahn and Indyke controlled and directed the activities of the other entities and personal bank accounts of Epstein accounts after they were funded. One, and frequently both, of them were officers or directors of Butterfly Trust; of companies holding Epstein’s real property (as laid out below); and of .;; FT Real Estate Inc.; Gratitude America, Inc.; ; J. Epstein Virgin Islands Foundation, Inc.; Jeepers, Inc.; Mort, Inc.; Nautilus, Inc.; and Zorro Development Corporation; among others .
