Jeffrey Epstein signed an updated will just two days before his alleged suicide may be the final tragedy he imposes upon his victims. Epstein’s will put “more than $577 million in assets into a trust fund that could make it more difficult for his dozens of accusers to collect damages.” In an article titled “Epstein May Have Gamed the System From Beyond the Grave” the Associated Press reports that “Estate lawyers and other experts say prying open the trust and dividing up the Financier’s riches is not going to be easy and could take years.”
Attorney Jennifer Freeman who represents child sex abuse victims said “this is the last act of Epstein’s manipulation of the system, even in death.” The newly created “1953 Trust” which was named after his birthyear, “instantly raised suspicions he did it to hide money from the many women who say he sexually abused them when they were teenagers.”
Attorney Lisa Bloom who is representing several of Epstein’s accusers said it was “gross negligence” for his attorneys to allow him to sign a new will after he was imprisoned, and particularly after he had attempted suicide. In an email, Bloom wrote wills are a “classic sign of impending suicide for a prisoner, and that “wealthy people typically attempt to hide assets in trusts or other legal schemes. I believe the court and his administrators will want to do right by Epstein’s victims, and if not, we will fight for the justice that is long overdue to them.”
Assets listed in the 20-page document “include more than $56 million in cash; properties in New York, Florida, Paris, New Mexico and the Virgin Island; $18.5 million in vehicles, aircraft and boats; and art and collectibles that will have to be appraised.” Law professor Stephen K. Urice said in cases similar to Epstein’s there is usually a pecking order “that line up to get a share of an estate.” First is the government, “in Epstein’s case, several governments – which will collect any taxes owed on his properties and on his estate itself.” Next would be any creditor owed money such as a bank or mortgage company. Lawsuits brought on by any victims would fall into place “somewhere after that.”
