Federal investigators are reportedly probing two of Jeffrey Epstein’s closest advisers – his longtime lawyer Darren Indyke and his accountant Richard Kahn – marking a major development for the hundreds of survivors and victims who have pushed for accountability for those who may have aided the notorious sex offender.
The Wall Street Journal firstreportedthis week that federal authorities have opened an investigation into Indyke and Kahn. CNN spoke with a source who was interviewed by investigators earlier this year about Epstein, including the two men. Investigators are speaking with potential witnesses who had dealings with Epstein, including survivors, the source said. Officials from a number of agencies including the US Attorney’s office for Southern District of New York (SDNY) are soliciting documentation connected to Epstein, such as emails and checks, they added.
According to the source, who spoke to CNN on the condition of anonymity for fear of retribution, investigators appeared interested in a wide range of topics that Indyke and Kahn would have had knowledge about, including Epstein’s numerous shell companies like the Florida Science Foundation. The non-profit was created in November 2007, and multiplesurvivors have told CNNthat Epstein abused them there while he was also serving jail time.
A Justice Department spokesperson said in a statement to CNN: “We don’t comment on the existence, or lack thereof, of investigations. We have always said with regard to Epstein that if the evidence presents itself, we will investigate.” A spokesperson for SDNY declined to confirm the investigation or comment.
Daniel Wiener, a lawyer for Indyke and Kahn, told CNN that neither men has been subpoenaed, asked to speak with federal prosecutors or told that they are the subject of an investigation.
“They are aware that the US Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York recently asked to speak with at least one individual who provided services to Jeffrey Epstein, but the focus and the scope of the investigation are not known to them,” Weiner said.
Weiner pointed out that the same US Attorney’s office did not consider Indyke or Kahn to be among Epstein’s potential co-conspirators during its previous investigation in 2018 and 2019. He also reiterated that Indyke and Kahn were in no way complicit in Epstein’s criminal conduct.
Indyke and Kahn are among the most controversial and villainized men from Epstein’s inner circle, known to have had intimate knowledge of the ins and outs of Epstein’s business dealings over many years. In addition to beingco-executors of Epstein’s estate, they are also among the first beneficiaries in line to receive millions of dollars from Epstein’s trust should it ever pay out.
That arrangement has drawn scrutiny from victims as the estate defends itself against civil litigation from Epstein’s victims and pays for the defense of its co-executors in civil suits seeking damages for their alleged role in enabling Epstein.
Epstein left millions to his closest advisers. A shrinking estate and new lawsuits may stand in the way
Epstein died in prison in 2019 while waiting trial for federal sex trafficking charges. Only one person, his co-conspirator Ghislaine Maxwell, has been prosecuted in the US in relation to Epstein’s vast sex trafficking operation.
Survivors and advocates have long pushed for more investigations and prosecutions related to Epstein’s crimes, as well as transparency about the vast amount of information various agencies have collected about Epstein over the years. The passage of a new law last year forced the Justice Department to release millions of documents related to Epstein, but millions more remain in the DOJ’s possession and have yet to be made public.
Lauren Hersh, the co-founder of World Without Exploitation, which works closely with Epstein survivors, said in a statement that Epstein’s crimes were only “made possible by a network of people and institutions around him that enabled exploitation, protected powerful people and failed the women and girls who were harmed.”
“We welcome the news that federal prosecutors are investigating Darren Indyke and Richard Kahn and asking questions that should have been asked years ago,” Hersh said. “Survivors deserve a full accounting of how Epstein and those in his orbit were able to operate for so long, and accountability for everyone who enabled or participated in their exploitation.”
Indyke and Kahn have also both been the subject of litigation in recent months, including aclass-action suit filed in Augustby Epstein survivors alleging they enabled Epstein’s crimes.
