Background
Marc Agnifilo is a senior partner at Brafman & Associates, one of New York City’s most prominent criminal defense law firms. He has represented high-profile defendants including NXIVM cult leader Keith Raniere.
The 2019 Epstein Representation
Following Epstein’s July 2019 arrest by SDNY agents at Teterboro Airport, Agnifilo led Epstein’s defense team. His immediate priorities were:
- Arguing for bail at Epstein’s initial detention hearings
- Contesting the SDNY charges
The Bail Argument
Agnifilo made an aggressive bail argument, offering a million bail package including the Manhattan townhouse as collateral, electronic monitoring, and other conditions. The governmentrepresented by Assistant U.S. Attorneysargued Epstein was a flight risk and danger to the community given his prior offense history and the pending charges. Judge Richard Berman denied bail twice.
The Six Weeks
Agnifilo represented Epstein for approximately six weeksfrom his arrest on July 6, 2019 to his death on August 10, 2019. There was no trial, no plea negotiation concluded, and no ruling on the merits.
After Epstein’s Death
The case was dismissed upon Epstein’s death (the legal principle abatement ab initio means a pending criminal case ends upon the defendant’s death). Agnifilo made brief public statements after Epstein’s death, expressing ambivalence given the nature of his last representation.