Key evidence in the Jeffrey Epstein case, including loose diamonds and computer hard drives, passed through private hands for days before reaching the FBI, according to newly released congressional testimony. The details emerge from depositions of Epstein's former accountant and lawyer, shedding light on long-standing questions about evidence handling in the investigations into the disgraced financier.
Richard Kahn, Epstein's longtime accountant, told the House Oversight Committee that the contents of a safe from Epstein's Manhattan mansion were in the possession of the estate's manager and then himself for approximately five days after an FBI raid in July 2019. Separately, testimony revealed that computer hard drives from Epstein's Florida home were in the custody of a private investigations firm for years.
The Manhattan Safe: A Chain of Custody
When FBI agents arrested Jeffrey Epstein in July 2019, they used a chainsaw to open a metal safe in his Upper East Side mansion. Inside, they found 48 loose diamonds, cash, passports with Epstein's photo under aliases, and several hard drives and CDs. As their initial warrant did not cover the safe's contents, agents left the items on the floor.
Five days later, when they returned with the correct warrant, the items were gone. In his March 11 testimony, Kahn stated that Merwin Dela Cruz, the mansion's manager, packed the safe's contents into two suitcases and left them with Kahn's doorman for safekeeping because the home's door and alarm were compromised. Kahn, who was out of town, collected the bags "three or four days later" and kept them unopened in his dining room.
"I never touched them. I never opened them," Kahn testified. He later delivered the suitcases to FBI agents at Epstein's house after being informed they were looking for the items. Agent Kelly Maguire testified at Ghislaine Maxwell's trial that the contents "appeared to be all of the items that had been previously located in the safe."
The Florida Computers: A Long-Term Mystery
The testimony also addressed the unresolved fate of computers removed from Epstein's Palm Beach home in 2005, during a local police investigation into his interactions with underage girls. Those computers were never found by Florida authorities, and the investigation ended with a controversial plea deal for Epstein.
In a deposition, Darren Indyke, Epstein's former personal attorney, said he learned after Epstein's 2008 conviction that the hard drives were held by Riley Kiraly, a private investigations firm. A 2005 memo from the firm's co-owner, William Riley, stated an employee had retrieved computers and other items of "potential evidentiary value" from the home.
The Justice Department's files show Riley later asked Epstein's lawyers what to do with the items, which included computer hard drives that had been cloned by a forensic specialist and placed in storage. Kahn was responsible for paying the storage fees, though he was not questioned about this in his deposition.
Congressional Scrutiny Continues
Democrats on the House Oversight Committee have sent letters to Riley and two other private investigators who worked for Epstein, requesting transcribed interviews. "The Committee requests that you provide insight into the contents, removal, storage, and location of materials removed from Mr. Epstein's Palm Beach home," the letter states.
The 48 diamonds mentioned in the safe match the number Epstein bequeathed to his fiancée, Karyna Shuliak, while awaiting trial on sex-trafficking charges before his death by suicide in jail. The new testimonies fuel ongoing speculation about evidence handling and potential cover-ups in the sprawling Epstein case.