Was Jeffrey Epstein a US 'financial bounty hunter'? DOJ memo raises questions

A newly surfaced document from the DOJ's Epstein Files contain a striking claim that Jeffrey Epstein was a US “financial bounty hunter”. The document was an internal law-enforcement memo, either the FBI or the Attorney General, it remains unspecified. The document suggests that he has significant political connections with Israel and the United States and lists Ehud Barak, Les Wexner, George Mitchell, Bill Richardson, Bill Clinton, and Doug Band as having significant knowledge about Epstein's activity. The document categorises Epstein as a “Tier 3 registered sex offender”, the highest risk category.

"At some point in time, Jeffrey Epstein worked for the United States government as a financial bounty hunter. He has retained significant political connections with both Israel and the United States. Individuals with significant knowledge include Ehud Barak, Les Wexner, George Mitchell, Bill Richardson, Bill Clinton, and Doug Band," read the memo.

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Screenshot EFTA00098755 Photograph: (DOJ)

Was Epstein a financial bounty hunter?

The first widely reported instance of bounty hunting was in the 1980s when the brokerage firm Drysdale Securities imploded. Epstein was hired by a Spanish socialite and actress, Ana Obregón and his family. He, along with federal prosecutor Bob Gold, helped them recover the funds hidden in a Canadian bank’s branch in the Cayman Islands.

Another famous one was the Tower Ponzi scheme, the largest Ponzi scheme in US history. Steven Hoffenberg, the founder of Tower Corporation, said that while Epstein was working for him, he took $100 million and put it in offshore accounts and then reported Hoffenberg to the federal authorities. Hoffenberg pleaded guilty in 1995 and was sentenced to 20 years in prison.

Hoffenberg alleged that Epstein was the architect of the scheme; he further alleged that Epstein laundered money for Saudi Defence broker Adnan Khashoggi and British Defence Contractor Douglas Lesse during the Iran-Contra Scam. Hoffenberg died in his apartment in August 2022, and his body was recovered in a state of decomposition. Hoffenberg maintained regular contact with one of Epstein's earliest victims, Maria Farmer.

A financial bounty hunter is usually someone who identifies financial misconduct, such as money laundering, and reports it to authorities. Epstein did introduce himself as a financial bounty hunter. There is no official government title of financial bounty hunter. This could potentially mean informal co-operation with federal agents to uncover financial fraud. The document further points to a broader prosecutorial pathway, suggesting the people in his inner circle and the possibility of Epstein being convicted for at least 10 years in a US federal prison. The document seems to have been drafted after his first conviction in 2008, when he received a sweetheart deal: 13 months in a county jail with work-release privileges and immunity for his possible co-conspirators. Former US attorney who negotiated a controversial 2008 plea deal with Jeffrey Epstein, suggesting that he was asked to leave Epstein alone as he "belonged to intelligence".