Richard Berman

Background

Judge Richard M. Berman is a senior U.S. District Judge for the Southern District of New York, appointed by President Clinton in 1998. He has presided over numerous significant cases during his tenure on the bench.

Role in the Epstein Case

Judge Berman was assigned to the federal Epstein case following his July 8, 2019 arrest at Teterboro Airport. He presided over the bail hearings held on July 15 and July 18, 2019.

Bail Denial

On July 18, 2019, Judge Berman denied Jeffrey Epstein’s bail application in a notably detailed ruling. Epstein’s defense had proposed an extensive package: a .5 million bond, surrender of his passports, GPS monitoring, and private security guards funding their own MCC visiting process.

Berman found the proposal insufficient given: the discovery of a foreign passport in Epstein’s safe with a false identity; his extraordinary wealth and access to resources; the seriousness of the charges; and the risk to potential witnesses and victims. He ordered Epstein remanded to MCC pending trial.

Case Closure

Following Epstein’s death at MCC on August 10, 2019, the government dismissed the indictment and the case before Judge Berman was closed. The Ghislaine Maxwell prosecution was later assigned to Judge Alison Nathan.