Both deny wrongdoing; stand to inherit tens of millions from estate trust
Federal prosecutors in Manhattan have opened a probe into Darren Indyke and Richard Kahn, Jeffrey Epstein’s longtime lawyer and accountant who now serve as executors of his estate, according to people familiar with the matter.
In recent months, prosecutors in the U.S. attorney’s office for the Southern District of New York have been scheduling interviews with potential witnesses and requesting documents about the two men’s dealings with Epstein, those people said. The documents include emails and financial records.
Both men have previously said they didn’t know Epstein was engaged in sex trafficking and have denied being complicit in or knowingly facilitating any crimes. Each has said none of the women ever reported to them that they were being sexually abused. A lawyer for Kahn referred a reporter to his prior statement. A lawyer for Indyke didn’t respond to a request for comment.
A spokesman for the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York declined to comment.
The Wall Street Journal couldn’t determine what charges are being explored. People interviewed by prosecutors described Kahn’s and Indyke’s roles in legal entities that allegedly helped conceal Epstein’s activities and their handling of financial and legal matters involving young women, according to the people familiar with the interviews.
The Wall Street Journal reported last year that Indyke and Kahn were officers of Epstein entities that obscured transactions, arranged cash for him, made payments to women and facilitated Epstein’s immigration schemes. Both men denied wrongdoing in statements at the time.
Neither man was questioned about their work for Epstein in 2019 and 2020, when federal prosecutors in Manhattan were investigating Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell on sex-trafficking charges, the Journal has previously reported.
Both men were hired by Epstein before he pleaded guilty in Florida and stayed on with him until his 2019 death. After his death, they took over management of his estate and the settlement of lawsuits brought by his victims.
The estate established a compensation fund that has paid more than $120 million to dozens of eligible victims and has resolved other claims outside the program.
Indyke and Kahn are among the top beneficiaries of a trust designed to collect Epstein’s remaining assets once all claims against the estate are resolved. Documents reviewed by the Journal show Indyke could receive $50 million and Kahn $25 million from the estate.
The probe follows the Justice Department’s release earlier this year of millions of Epstein case files, including his private correspondence with business leaders, politicians, academics and many of his victims. The disclosure prompted arrests of some officials in Europe, corporate resignations and congressional hearings.
Justice Department officials have previously said they didn’t find evidence to charge anyone beyond Ghislaine Maxwell in connection with Epstein’s activities. In a congressional hearing after the FBI files release, then-Attorney General Pam Bondi said the Federal Bureau of Investigation was waiting to hear from victims or anyone with relevant information.
Earlier this year, the House Oversight Committee issued a subpoena directing both Indyke and Kahn to answer questions under oath. The committee has been investigating the government’s handling of the Epstein case and has deposed some of Epstein’s powerful associates, including former President Bill Clinton, Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates and billionaire Leon Black. They all said they were unaware of Epstein’s criminal activities.
The House recently voted to hold Black, the former head of Apollo Global Management, in contempt of Congress. Black has sued the committee, saying it overstepped its authority in seeking certain nondisclosure agreements.