Missing Epstein Evidence Reveals Chaotic Chain of Custody in 2005 Raid
New details have emerged about missing evidence linked to Jeffrey Epstein's Palm Beach home in 2005. Computers and a safe's contents vanished shortly after police and FBI searches, raising questions about how key items were handled. Private investigators and Epstein's own accountant played unexpected roles in the chain of custody.
In 2005, computers were removed from Epstein's Palm Beach residence before police could search the property. Five days later, the contents of a safe also disappeared. The FBI initially lacked a warrant to seize the safe, leaving its contents unsecured.
William Riley, a private investigator hired by the Palm Beach Police Department, took custody of the seized hard drives. Instead of storing them in official evidence facilities, he kept them at his private office. Later, the firm Riley Kiraly—where Riley worked—held onto the computers. After Epstein's Florida case concluded, the firm even asked Epstein and his lawyers for instructions on what to do with them. Meanwhile, Epstein's accountant, Richard Kahn, took possession of the safe's contents 'three or four days' after the raid. He left the items unopened in his dining room before handing them over to the FBI in two suitcases. The suitcases contained everything originally found in the safe, including 48 loose diamonds. Years later, in 2019, FBI agents discovered another safe in Epstein's Manhattan mansion. This one held diamonds, cash, hard drives, and multiple passports. The findings renewed scrutiny over how evidence had been managed—or mishandled—in earlier investigations. Now, the House Oversight Committee has requested interviews with the private investigators involved. Their focus is on tracing the whereabouts of the missing computers and other seized materials.
The disappearance of evidence from Epstein's Palm Beach home remains unresolved. Private investigators, accountants, and law enforcement all played roles in handling items that later went missing. The House Oversight Committee's inquiry aims to clarify what happened to the computers and safe contents—questions that have lingered for nearly two decades.
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