‘I drank the Kool-Aid’: Epstein associates open up in videos released by House Oversight Committee
WASHINGTON, DC: The House Oversight Committee on Tuesday, March 24, released deposition videos of Jeffrey Epstein’s longtime lawyer, Darren Indyke, and his accountant, Richard Kahn, revealing federal authorities never questioned them despite their knowledge of the late disgraced financier's works.
During many hours of questioning, the two men explained how they managed Epstein's money and why they stayed with him even after he was first arrested for his crimes in 2008.
Associates claim they were unaware of the scope of Epstein's crimes
When lawmakers asked why he didn't quit after Epstein’s first conviction, Indyke admitted he fell for Epstein's act.
"I drank the Kool‑Aid at the time. I think that's the answer, is I drank the Kool‑Aid at the time," Indyke told lawmakers.
He claimed he truly believed Epstein was sorry for what he had done.
"When he was in jail and he looked devastated and told me he wasn't ever going to be in that position again... and said this was never going to happen again, I believed him," Indyke said.
Both men claimed they didn't know the full extent of Epstein’s crimes and only saw their relationship as a job.
Defending the use of cash for Epstein’s operations
The depositions also shed light on the cost of maintaining Epstein's lifestyle.
Kahn estimated that the annual upkeep for Epstein’s homes, planes, and staff ranged between $25 million and $30 million.
"I used to prepare for Epstein a budget on one sheet of paper that included all of his entities, and I believe his annual upkeep for everything, not just his employees, for his homes, employees, planes, cars, gifts, and personal expenditures was somewhere in the $25 to $30 million range," Kahn testified.
Both men defended Epstein's reliance on large cash withdrawals, arguing it was a necessity after his 2008 conviction restricted his access to traditional credit.
Indyke admitted to regularly withdrawing $7,500 at a time, totaling over $700,000 but denied any attempt to "structure" these transactions to evade Treasury Department alerts.
"I did not believe that any amount of cash that I gave to the accounting department was going to be used for an improper purpose. I believed that there were legitimate reasons to bring that cash in and I did so," Indyke stated.
Aides face questioning over sham marriages and legal advice to victims
Lawmakers also asked the men if they helped arrange fake marriages to keep Epstein's victims in the United States.
Kahn admitted he wrote a letter to help with one marriage but said he didn't know it was forced.
"I agree that the letter was embellished. I saw the letter as no different than me writing a co-op recommendation letter for a friend who I had not seen in 10 years, and I wrote in the letter how great his kids are, and these are kids that I never met," Kahn said.
Indyke also had to answer to claims that he told a victim not to talk to the police. He denied this, saying he was just talking about having a lawyer.
"It's been a long time now, but I believe I would have said and did say something to the effect that you don't have to speak to them without a lawyer present, and if you want, counsel would be provided for you," Indyke told the committee.
Kahn’s role in returning safe items to the FBI
Kahn was also questioned about what happened to items inside Epstein’s safe after the FBI raided his New York home in 2019.
He explained that the house manager felt the items were not secure because the building's locks were broken during the search, so the manager brought them to Kahn's house in two suitcases.
"I never opened them. I left them in my dining room. I believe a day or two later, I got a call ... that the FBI was at the house again looking to collect things that they didn't take from their first visit. I believe the request of me was, 'Can you please bring the two bags to the home?'" Kahn told lawmakers.
He said he immediately returned the bags to the house and gave them to the agents. "I went home. I grabbed the two bags. I brought them to the residence, and I believe at that point in time, the FBI gave me a receipt for the two bags," Kahn stated.
