How Epstein Used Florida Ponzi Schemer’s Past to Discredit Victims

New emails released from the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) as part of its investigation into Jeffrey Epstein shed light on how the disgraced financier and convicted sex offender tried to discredit his victims’ allegations in the media after his release from jail in 2009.

As allegations surfaced in the media that Epstein preyed on young women and underage girls at his Palm Beach mansion, various email exchanges with Ghislaine Maxwell, crisis management professionals, publicists, and journalists reveal that Epstein spun the narrative that he was being targeted by Fort Lauderdale Ponzi schemer Scott Rothstein, who he claimed falsely promised large settlements on behalf of Epstein’s accusers to his investors as part of a massive $1.2 billion ponzi scheme through his now-defunct law firm Rothstein Rosenfeldt Adler. Rothstein was sentenced to 50 years in prison in 2010 for selling shares in fake lawsuit settlements.

At the time, Epstein had pleaded guilty to state charges of solicitation of prostitution and of solicitation of prostitution with a minor under the age of 18 as part of the controversial sweetheart plea deal that allowed him to skirt the most serious of charges and only serve 13 months in a Palm Beach County jail. Epstein had previously filed an unsuccessful lawsuit against Bradley Edwards, the victims’ attorney who worked at Rothstein’s firm, accusing him of filing fabricated sexual assault lawsuits to perpetuate Rothstein’s fraud scheme and extort Epstein.

Following Edwards’ countersuit alleging malicious prosecution, Epstein agreed to pay a financial settlement. He also apologized to Edwards for the “false and hurtful allegations I made,” according to a statement from Edwards. Rothstein admitted that Edwards did not know about the fraud scheme, according to November 2018 reporting by the Miami Herald.

A March 2011 email shows how Maxwell and Epstein tried to discredit the accusers’ lawsuits by emphasizing the Rothstein connection. (All errors appeared in the original emails.)

“It is important to point out what is really going on here,” Epstein wrote to Maxwell. The lawyers that represented many of these girls are currently in jail. They maliciously and malevantely exaggerated the actions and behaviors, and created false complaints in an attempt to get money. Scott Rothstein manufactured, fabricated, and sold wild allegations about my behavior and past. Brad Edwards was a partner in Rothsteinds firm as was………Many if not all of the News papaers involved in printing many of these wild and salacious stories are offering money in return for a quote.”

Additionally, Peggy Siegal, a longtime Hollywood publicist and close associate of Epstein, appears to have been working with the convicted sex offender to disseminate the Rothstein narrative to journalists writing about Epstein.

In a March 2011 email exchange with journalist Alexandra Wolfe, Siegal wrote, “There is some legal complaint that I have to print and send to you that explains the whole JE situation… about some guys sitting in jail for 50 years.

She also added, “From JE: the story for Alexandra is she should review the Scott Rothstein and partners story,, these are the people that made the allegations…he is currently seriving 50 years,, others to soon follow.”

Maxwell also utilized Rothstein’s Ponzi scheme to deflect from media reports about both her relationship with Epstein and Epstein’s ties to former Prince Andrew (now Andrew Mountbatten Windsor).

In a lengthy press statement that Maxwell sent Epstein for approval on June 12, 2011, she wrote, “You must be aware that Mr Edwards,’ one of the lawyers who continues to promote this story is in, JE NEED YOU TO WRITE LAWYERS NAMES HERE AND WHAT EVER THE AGREEEMNT IS OF THE RELATIONSHOIP EDWARDS WITH THEM SO IT TIES THEM TO THE SCHEM EVEN IF REMOVED ONE BY EDWARDS was working for and a Partner in a now defunct law firm with Scott Rothstein. Scott Rothstein very recently was sent to jail for 50 years for creating false allegations against Mr Epstein and then using those allegations to obtain money by deception.”

Epstein even suggested that Prince Andrew’s legal team and the palace should research Scott Rothstein, given that the media in the United Kingdom mentioned the prince in March 2011 reports about Epstein.

After an unidentified person emailed a Telegraph article titled, “Convicted Paedophile Jeffrey Epstein Is Facing a New Criminal Investigation and Is Involved in a Civil Suit with a Lawyer,” Epstein wrote, “I have told you , I do not read these things, you can suggest the palace research Scott Rothstein.. he is edwads partner in jail for selling fake Epstein case.. they should get on it .. they could call . IT was prt of the largest fraud in southj flordas history. These are civil plaintiffs lawyers gone mad.”

The same month, Epstein emailed the prince directly, telling his “press person” to mention Rothstein.

“Scott Rothstein is currently serving a 50 year prison sentence for using these exact same allegations re Epstein friends to perpertrate the largest fraud in south floridas history,, 1. 2 billion dollars Brad Edwards the lawyer they keep quoting was a partner of the Rothstein firm, paragraphs are 40 and 41 of the complaint on pages 12-13.. give this to your press person,” the email reads.

An untitled document included in the Epstein files release contained a list of what appear to be six talking points when addressing media concerns, one of which mentioned Rothstein.

“Attnys in Florida fabricated sex cases , to defraud investors out of hundreds of thousand of dollars,” the document reads. “Took girls who were and comtinue to be admitte prostitutes, to tell lurid stories with wild allegations in an attempt to get money, . Scott Rothstein the lawyer has been sentenced to 50 years in jail.”

Rothstein’s defense attorney, Marc Nurik, did not respond to New Times’ emailed request for comment.

In an emailed statement to New Times, Edwards wrote, “I litigated a case for 9 years to defeat those allegations, which ended in a very clear apology to me by Jeffrey Epstein and we covered this issue, thoroughly, in our book, Relentless Pursuit.  I cannot imagine there is anything more to say about that, other than it was a stupid (and desperate) thing for Epstein to make up in an attempt to force me to abandon my clients and his miscalculation there backfired to the point that it is in large part to blame for his eventual 2019 arrest.”